IRGC Navy Urges Iranian Fishermen Not to Respond to Foreign Vessels

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy called on Iranian fishermen not to respond to foreign warships passing through the Persian Gulf waters, saying they have no right to question Iranian sailors.

In a statement addressed to all Iranian fishermen on Monday, the IRGC Navy said neither the US’ vessels nor those of other countries have the right to inspect, seize or question any of Iranian fishing boats, particularly in Iran’s territorial waters.

The statement further described any move by foreign ships to question Iranian vessels as being “against the national interests and in violation of international law”.

The IRGC Navy also called on all Iranian fishermen not to cooperate with foreign vessels and immediately inform IRGC patrols via Channel 16 VHF if they are questioned by them.

Earlier this month, Commander of the IRGC Navy Rear Admiral Ali Reza Tangsiri highlighted his forces’ powerful presence in the Persian Gulf and said all foreign vessels passing through the waters are closely monitored by the IRGC Navy.

“The IRGC Navy checks and monitors foreign vessels entering the Persian Gulf and questions them about their nationality, the type of the vessels, and their destination,” Rear Admiral Tangsiri told Tasnim.

All foreign vessels, including those belonging to the United States, have always been answerable to the IRGC Navy, the commander added.

He further emphasized that the monitoring of foreign vessels in the Persian Gulf is “an inalienable right” of the Islamic Republic.

“The Persian Gulf belongs to Iran and other littoral states and we have the right to question the vessels because the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz is located in Iran’s territorial waters,” Rear Admiral Tangsiri stated.

Source: tasnimnews.com

HMS Defender Seizes Record Haul of Crystal Meth

On 19 December, Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) DEFENDER, a UK Royal Navy destroyer operating in the Gulf of Oman in direct support of Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), seized 131 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine from a dhow they had been following.

The suspicious vessel was first detected using DEFENDER’s ‘WILDCAT’ shipborne helicopter. DEFENDER then closed the dhow and a team of Royal Marine Commandos in Pacific 24 sea boats boarded and secured the vessel. It was then searched by a Royal Navy boarding team who found 11 packages of narcotics, with an estimated regional wholesale value of $280,000 U.S. dollars.

The Commanding Officer of HMS Defender, Cdr Richard Hewitt MBE said: “I am really proud that Defender has been able to interdict such a significant quantity of drugs and prevent it reaching the streets. Even over the festive season, the Royal Navy is at sea 24/7 working as part of Combined Task Force 150. This has been a real boost for the ship’s company as they face Christmas away from their loved ones.”

HMS DEFENDER’s haul, on their first day working under Combined Maritime Forces, is CTF150’s largest interdiction of crystal methamphetamine for 2019; more than doubling the amount seized so far. It takes CTF150’s overall narcotics seizures this year to $48.5m.

“This is the second narcotics shipment in a week we’ve kept from reaching its destination,” said Commodore Ray Leggatt, Royal Australian Navy, Commander of CTF 150. “With this action, and more to come, we are impacting terrorists’ ability to operate in this region and around the world. Well done to the crew of HMS DEFENDER for their keen eye, skill, and precision in prosecuting this high seas take down.”

Australia assumed command of CTF 150 in early December, with a staff made up of personnel from the Royal Australian, Royal Canadian, and Royal New Zealand navies. HMS DEFENDER’s success under their command follows that of French Ship Courbet last weekend, who seized 3,545kg of hashish with an estimated regional wholesale value of $1.8m.

CTF150 has seen a huge increase in the amount of crystal methamphetamine being smuggled year on year, with 257kg interdicted to date in 2019, versus only 9kg in 2018.

CTF 150’s mission is to disrupt terrorist organisations and their related illegal activities by restricting their freedom of manoeuvre in the maritime domain. The activities of CTF 150 are a critical part of global counter-terrorism efforts, as terrorist organisations are denied a risk-free method of conducting operations or moving personnel, weapons or income-generating narcotics and charcoal.

Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com

Coast Guard requests press not to use ‘piracy’ for ‘robbery’

Bangladesh Coast Guard on Thursday requested journalists not to use the word ‘piracy’ or ‘pirate’ while referring to robbery incidents on inland and coastal waterways.

The word ‘piracy’ on sea refers to robbery or criminal incidents outside the maritime boundary of the country while the incidents handled by the coast guards occur along the coast of the country and is thus robbery, said a release.

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Source: newagebd.net

Crew assaulted as five ships attacked in Singapore Strait

Marcus Hand

Five vessels were attacked by pirates in the Eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait on 20 and 23 December with the crew on one assaulted, and tied on up on two, adding to a string of incidents in the busy shipping lane.

The tanker Jag Lalit was boarded by six perpetrators armed with knives at 23-25 hours in the Singapore Strait while bound for Kaohsiung, Taiwan, according to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC). Members of the crew were assaulted in the attack with the 4^th engineer punched in the face and the chief engineer suffering bruising to his neck with a gold chain stolen from him.

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Source: seatrade-maritime.com

Philippine troops rescue 2 Indonesians held by militants

MANILA: Philippine forces rescued two of three Indonesian hostages Sunday after a gun battle with their captors from the Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf in the southern jungles, a regional military commander said.

A soldier and a militant were killed in two successive firefights at dawn that allowed troops to rescue the two Indonesians in the mountainous hinterlands off Panamao town in Sulu province, said Lt Gen Cirilito Sobejana.

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Source: bangkokpost.com

4 kidnap victims remain in Abu Sayyaf hands as Asian neighbors meet to tackle security in Sulu-Celebes Seas

MARITIME AUTHORITIES from neighboring Asian countries are meeting in Manila on Dec. 18–19 to tackle security in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, where the Abu Sayyaf terror group is the biggest threat, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

The gathering is attended by representatives from the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China. It is convened by the PCG and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC).

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Source: bworldonline.com

Seoul likely to send troops to Strait of Hormuz

By Kim So-hyun

The South Korean government is likely to send military forces to join a US-led multinational coalition to defend the Strait of Hormuz early next year.

According to military sources, the 4,400-ton destroyer Wang Geon of the Cheonghae anti-piracy unit is scheduled to leave Busan late this month to relieve the destroyer Kang Gam-chan which is currently operating in the Gulf of Aden.

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Source: koreaherald.com

Mozambican navy intercepts ‘1.5 tonnes of heroin’

Iranian drug dhow on fire, via Mozambique Defence Forces.

The Mozambican authorities are detaining 12 Iranians caught allegedly shipping drugs off the coast of the northern province of Cabo Delgado.

The boat was intercepted on Saturday in a joint operation carried out by the Mozambican navy and the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic).

The interception occurred about 50km (31 miles) from the Mozambican coast.

Occupants of the vessel are said to have set it on fire moments before their arrest.

Police say the fire destroyed the approximately 1.5 tonnes of heroin suspected to be on board.

They then jumped off the ship into the Mozambique Channel. Three of them died, while 12 others were rescued by the navy.

The suspects, all of Iranian nationality, are being detained in the provincial capital, Pemba.

Local media reports indicate the operation resulted from intelligence gathered from the various agencies involved in fighting against drug trafficking.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Historical piracy reports appear online

Regular readers will know that I try to ensure all news published here is relevant and factual. In recent days, I’ve noticed that a number of historical articles relating to piracy in West and East Africa as well as incidents of abduction in SE Asia have appeared online.

Often, this occurs because news sites are updating databases or re-loading previously deleted items. However, for anyone searching for open source maritime security items, there’s a clear danger of confusion. Today, I’ve seen several sites post and then delete items which relate to the hijacking of the MV Aris 13, an incident I was heavily involved in and which helped to resolve.

The bottom line is that if you get your intel from open sources, make sure you verify it. If not, you could end up sharing something alarming, but which happened several years ago…

Gulf of Mexico Oil Industry Reeling From Hundreds of Pirate Attacks in 2019

Written by Chris Dalby

The seizure of an Italian oil supply vessel by pirates in the Gulf of Mexico in November was but the latest in a series of hundreds of similar attacks seen across ships and oil platforms in Mexican waters.

On November 12, the ship “Remas” was attacked off the coast of Campeche by eight pirates in two small boats, who robbed the crew and shot one of them, Reuters reported.

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Source: insightcrime.org