Nigerian Navy Thwarts Hijacking of Chinese Fishing Vessel

The Chinese fishing trawler Hailufeng 11, licensed to fish in Côte d’Ivoire, was taken by pirates on Thursday, May 14 in the Ivorian exclusive economic zone with 18 crewmembers aboard – eight Chinese, seven Ivorian and three Ghanaian. Through rapid and engaged cooperation among a number of different African states and institutions, the vessel was tracked, and the Nigerian Navy was able to interdict it 140 nautical miles south of the Lagos Fairway Buoy at about 2210 local time on the night of May 16.

When approached, the pirates refused to stop, and the Nigerian Navy’s Special Boat Service, embarked on the NNS Nguru, performed an opposed boarding while underway at 9 knots. The dramatic rescue was hugely successful, as all 18 hostages were recovered, 10 pirates were arrested, and the vessel was safely escorted into Lagos.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

Somali pirates attack UK-flagged tanker in Gulf of Aden

UKMTO and media outlets report that on May 17th, the UK-flagged Stolt Apal was attacked by suspected Somali pirates in two skiffs, in the IRTC, Gulf of Aden.

The initial UKMTO report stated that at approximately 1230UTC a MV was attacked in position 1343N 05037.4E. Follow up media reports added that Stolt-Nielsen had confirmed the incident, reporting that two skiffs with six persons on board had approached the ship at high speed.

The tanker’s armed security team fired warning shots, which the pirates ignored and fired on the vessel. The ship’s security team returned fire, apparently disabling one of the skiffs which ended the attack.

The Stolt Apal’s bridge sustained minor gunshot damage but the vessel was otherwise unharmed and no injuries were reported.

The attack comes after a long period of calm in the Indian Ocean as far as piracy is concerned. However, analysts have long warned that the economic and social conditions for piracy remain in Somalia, and these could potentially be exarcerbated by the impact of the coronavirus both ashore and at sea in terms of maritime security provision.

It is imperative that the shipping industry avoids becoming complacent and continues to follow BMP 5 measures while transiting the region.

Iranian tankers head to Venezuela as US warships deploy to Caribbean

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:00 A.M.) – At least five Iranian fuel tankers are on the way to Venezuela to help the South American nation with their fuel crisis.

According to reports, the first Iranian tanker, Fortune, has already entered Atlantic waters while the last tanker, Clavel, crossed the Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea. These shipments mark one of the first times in recent memory that Iran has sent such a large amount of fuel to Venezuela.

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Source: almasdarnews.com

Pirates Still Make No Demands Regarding Russians Kidnapped In Gulf Of Guinea – Moscow

Faizan Hashmi

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 15th May, 2020) No demands have yet been heard from pirates that are believed to have kidnapped several Russian nationals in the Gulf of Guinea, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

“Until now, the pirates have not got in touch and have not put forward any requirements. The Russian embassy in Cameroon is actively working with the authorities of Equatorial Guinea and the shipowner company to help establish the whereabouts of the abducted Russian citizens and secure their speedy release.

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Source: urdupoint.com

Two Kidnapped Off Equatorial Guinea

Two crewmembers have been kidnapped from a general cargo vessel off Equatorial Guinea in the Gulf of Guinea, according to security company Dryad Global.

The incident occurred two nautical miles from Malabo on May 9. The pirates reportedly used ladders to board the Rio Mitong from a speedboat. A Russian and a Ukrainian are believed to have been kidnapped.

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Source: maritime-executive.com

The day the pirates came

By Kevin Ponniah

For Sudeep Choudhury, work on merchant ships promised adventure and a better life.

But a voyage on an oil tanker in West Africa, in dangerous seas far from home, would turn the young graduate’s life upside down.

His fate would come to depend on a band of drug-fuelled jungle pirates – and the whims of a mysterious figure called The King.

The MT Apecus dropped anchor off Nigeria’s Bonny Island shortly after sunrise. Sudeep Choudhury was at the end of a draining shift on deck. Looking towards land, he could make out dozens of other ships. On the shoreline beyond them, a column of white oil storage tanks rose out of the ground like giants.

He had breakfast and then made two phone calls. One to his parents – he knew they worried about him, their only child – and one to his fiancee, Bhagyashree. He told her that everything was going to plan and that he would call her again later that day. He then clambered into bed for a sleep.

It was 19 April, 2019. The small, ageing oil tanker and its crew of 15 had spent two days sailing south from the port of Lagos to the Niger Delta, where oil was discovered in the 1950s by Dutch and British businessmen seeking a swift fortune. Although he knew that vicious pirates roamed the labyrinthine wetlands and mangroves of the delta, Sudeep felt safe that tropical South Atlantic morning. Nigerian navy boats were patrolling and the Apecus was moored just outside Bonny, seven nautical miles from land, waiting for permission to enter port.

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Source: bbc.co.uk

Iran naval ‘friendly fire’ incident kills 19 sailors in Gulf of Oman

Nineteen sailors have been killed and 15 others wounded in a “friendly fire” incident involving two Iranian naval vessels, the navy has said.

Iranian state media reported that a new anti-ship missile being tested by the frigate Jamaran hit the light support ship Konarak on Sunday in the Gulf of Oman.

The accident happened during a training exercise near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s armed forces regularly hold exercises in the strategic waterway.

The “Konarak vessel was struck with a missile yesterday [Sunday] afternoon during a military exercise in the waters of Bandar-e Jask” off Iran’s south coast, state TV said on its website.

“The vessel was hit after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target,” it added.

The incident happened near the port of Jask, some 1,270km (790 miles) south-east of Tehran, in the Gulf of Oman, state TV said.

The Jamaran and Konarak are said to belong to naval forces of the Iranian military.

Source: bbc.co.uk

Piracy: Nigeria loses $1.5bn monthly – IMB

Steve Agbota

Nigeria is losing an average of 400,000 barrels amounting to $1.5billion monthly to the activities of sea pirates according the latest study of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

According to the IMB, the loss represents almost 5 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), even as it listed the Gulf of Guinea as the most dangerous piracy zone for oil companies, with huge record of attacks in recent years.

The report indicated that the first quarter of 2020 was marked by a peak in maritime piracy worldwide, where the Gulf of Guinea recorded 21 of the 47 reported attacks.

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Source: sunnewsonline.com

Operation Copper extension to cost R154 million

The extension of the Operation Copper maritime patrol mission in the Mozambique Channel for another year will cost the South African National Defence Force R154 million.

This is according to a letter from President Cyril Ramaphosa informing the National Assembly of the extension of Operation Copper, from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za

Nigeria’s anti-piracy law misses the mark

by Maurice Ogbonnaya

Fundamental gaps such as links to organised crime and dealing with the proceeds of piracy must be closed.

Nigeria’s June 2019 law on piracy and other maritime offences is an important step in securing the country’s coastline and seas. But the legislation fails to account for the links between piracy and other crimes, especially at the transnational level.

According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau, actual and attempted piracy and armed robberies against ships on Africa’s West Coast rose from 47 in 2011 to 64 in 2019. In 2019 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that between 2015 and 2017, the total economic cost of piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery at sea incurred by all stakeholders involved in countering these activities, including Nigeria, was US$2.3 billion.

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Source: issafrica.org