Saudi Boosts Arabian Gulf Security by Acquiring World’s Fastest Interceptor Speedboats

Obaid al-Suheimy

The Royal Saudi Navy reinforced its fleet with the world’s fastest speedboats and is preparing to receive a new batch of combat aircraft. The military boost is aimed at enhancing maritime security in the Arabian Gulf and protecting vital and strategic interests of Saudi Arabia.

On Thursday, the Saudi Navy organized a celebration at the Ras Mashaab military port, located 236 km north of Dammam. During the event, three speedboats joined the fleet of marine vessels.

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Source: aawsat.com

PNG: Boat captain missing after pirate attack

The Papua New Guinea Courier reported on Jan. 23rd that a boat captain was missing at sea after pirates attacked his boat in the early hours of Monday morning, near Alotau in Milne Bay province.

According to the media outlet, reports remain sketchy and very little information has emerged from official channels regarding the incident. Family members, posting on social media platform, suggested the boat, the MC Curringa, was attacked as it transited through Milne Bay at around 3am on Monday 20th.

They report that pirates attacked the boat and Captain, James Yakawa, who is now believed to be missing. The boat has returned to Sanderson Bay Wharf.

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ReCAAP urges mariners to avoid Sulu, Celebes seas after crew abduction

Ridzwan Rahmat

The Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) has again called on mariners to re-route their journeys to avoid the Sulu and Celebes seas where possible.

The call was reiterated in the wake of another abduction-at-sea case, in which eight crew members were taken from a Malaysia-registered fishing trawler while it was at sea.

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Source: janes.com

Kidnappings At Sea By Abu Sayyaf Militants Persist Despite Trilateral Patrols

Kidnappings in Malaysian waters bordering Indonesia and the Philippines – largely blamed on Abu Sayyaf militants – are still happening despite joint air and sea patrols launched in 2017, a Filipino military official conceded Wednesday, saying it remains a challenge to secure the local seas because of their sheer size.

While the Trilateral Maritime Patrols (TMP) launched in 2017 have had some effect in combating the threat, the region is lawless as pirates and militants reign with impunity, said Maj. Arvin Encinas, spokesman for the Philippine military’s Western Mindanao Command.

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Source: eurasiareview.com

Tug and barge attacked twice in Singapore Strait

by Martyn Wingrove

Pirates attacked tugboat Kim Hock Tug 9 and barge LKH 2882 twice in five hours on 18 January in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait.

This unit was enroute from Vietnam to Singapore with scrap metal cargo when it was attacked at 1129 hrs north of Pulau Batam, Indonesia. The incident was broken up when another tug, Kim Hock Virgo approached, forcing the perpetrators to flee in two or three sampans.

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Source: rivieramm.com

S. Korea to send troops to Hormuz Strait independently to safeguard people, vessels

SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) — South Korea will dispatch troops to the Strait of Hormuz by expanding operational areas of its anti-piracy unit deployed nearby to help protect its vessels passing through the strategic waterway, the defense ministry announced Tuesday.

The forces, however, will not join a U.S.-led coalition, but conduct independent operations, the ministry noted, apparently in consideration of relations with Tehran and Washington’s request for contribution to its campaign to secure the waters off Iran.

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Source: en.yna.co.kr

Eight Countries Back European-Led Naval Mission In Strait Of Hormuz

Eight European Union member states have given their support for a European-led maritime surveillance mission in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route for world oil supplies.

Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Portugal backed the new force, they said in a “political statement” issued by France’s Foreign Ministry on January 20.

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Source: rferl.org

Indonesia calls out Malaysia for ‘ineffective’ security following fresh kidnappings

By Apriza Pinandita and Dian Septiari

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/ANN): The government has lambasted the “ineffective coordination” of Malaysian authorities following the abduction of five Indonesian fishermen last week in waters off Sabah, the latest incident to underscore the lack of security in the tri-border area between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Six members from a faction of the notorious Abu Sayyaf militant group abducted on Thursday five Indonesian fishermen from their trawler in Sabah’s easternmost waters off Lahad Datu, about 10 minutes from the Tawi-Tawi chain of islands in the southern Philippines.

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Source: thestar.com.my

Indonesia plans to buy bigger ships for coast guard

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia plans to buy bigger vessels to allow its coast guards to travel across the ocean, notably the Natuna Sea off Riau Islands, and expand their patrol reach, local media reported.

The plan was announced after Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto had reportedly bought frigates for the Indonesian Navy from Denmark.

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Source: en.vietnamplus.vn

Eight Abducted from Trawler Off Sabah

The ReCAAP ISC has issued an incident alert after the abduction of eight crewmen from a fishing boat off Sabah, Malaysia.

The Philippine Coast Guard reported that six gunmen dressed in black suits with masks used a gray speedboat with twin engine (40 HP) to abducted the eight from the Malaysia-registered fishing trawler SSK 00543.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

MarsecNews: Ironically, following the rescue of the last Indonesian fishermen held by Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists last week, I was poised to warn that we should expect another kidnap operation in the coming days. It seems they beat me to it.