We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
By Tope Alake
President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law an anti-piracy bill to improve security on Nigeria waterways and exclusive economic zone, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency said.
The so-called Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill will “ensure safe and secure shipping on Nigerian waters, prosecute infractions, and criminalize piracy,” the agency known as NIMASA said in emailed statement Wednesday.
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By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police arrested Wednesday three members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in this southern port city.
The Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) identified the arrested ASG members as Jamik Ibrahim, Majuk Amil, and Hasim Aming. Ibrahim and Amil were arrested in Barangay Arena Blanco, while Aming in Magay, Barangay Zone 1.
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Anna Okon
Following the increasing rate of piracy and hijacking of the crew for ransom in Nigerian waters, especially in the Gulf of Guinea, Indian Directorate General of Shipping in Mumbai, has issued a restriction on all seafarers who are Indian nationals, banning them from working in vessels in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.
In a circular sent to all shipping owners, shipping companies and other practitioners which was signed by the Director-General of Shipping in India, Capt Anish Joseph, the state reportedly observed that there was an increasing trend in the number of incidents taking place inside the various coastal states jurisdiction in the GoG.
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Source: punchng.com
By Teofilo Garcia, Jr
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Government troops recovered an arms cache belonging to Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits in an island off Sulu province, a top military official said Wednesday.
Major Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, said the arms cache was discovered in Minis Island, Patikul, Sulu at about 7:45 a.m. Monday.
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By Janene Pieters
Ewold Horn‘s death in the Philippines can be blamed on the Dutch government, according to Warren Rodwell from Australia, a former hostage of terrorist movement Abu Sayyaf. The fact that the 54-year-old Dutch man was still a hostage of Abu Sayyaf after seven years shows that the Dutch government did not put enough effort into getting him released, Rodwell said to Dagblad van het Noorden.
Horn was abducted by members of Abu Sayyaf during a bird watching trip on the Philippine islands in 2012. He was shot dead on Friday when he tried to escape during a firefight between the terrorist group and Philippine government forces.
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Source: nltimes.nl
Emma Yeomans
A Scottish oil worker held captive in Nigeria has been freed a month after armed men stormed his rig.
John Hiddleston, 65, was working on a rig in the Delta region when gunmen dragged him and two others, a Canadian and a Nigerian, into a swamp.
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Source: thetimes.co.uk
MANILA (Reuters) – A Dutch photographer held hostage by Islamic State-linked militants in the Philippines since 2012 was killed on Friday by his captors when he tried to escape during a firefight on a remote southern island, the military said.
Ewold Horn, a wildlife photographer, was shot by his guards from the Abu Sayyaf group when he tried to flee during a clash between government troops and the militants, said Brigadier General Divino Rey Pabayo, commander of a Joint Task Force on Sulu island.
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Source: reuters.com
Maritime Security News: You may recall that only ten days ago, a Philippine National Police commander had claimed that Horn had joined the group. More here:
https://maritimesecurity.news.blog/2019/05/21/dutch-hostage-joins-abu-sayyaf/
By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA — The military will deploy the 1st Brigade Combat Team (1BCT) to Sulu in line with ongoing efforts to neutralize the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists.
“Now that the election period is over and national candidates have been proclaimed, we are redeploying forces to security challenged areas like Sulu Archipelago for focused military operations,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson, Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in an interview with reporters Thursday.
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Source: pna.gov.ph
The Nigerian pirates who took five Indian seafarers hostage last month have demanded $1 million to release them. They made a ransom call to one of the victim’s families in Haryana’s Jind district three days ago.
“At first I thought they said $1,000 and thought we could manage the amount and get them released. But one of the pirates repeated his demand as $1 million,” Bharat Deshwal, cousin of Ankit Hooda, one of the abducted seamen, told TOI over phone from Rohtak.
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Source: thetidenewsonline.com
The Nigerian Navy said on Wednesday that an alleged piracy attack and abduction of sailors on a ship named MT Apecus on April 19, 2019 was stage managed by one Osimili Adah, who is the Managing Director of Petrogress Incorporation in Nigeria.
The Executive Officer of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Pathfinder Port Harcourt, Navy Capt. Adegoke Ebo, who disclosed this in Port Harcourt, said his men arrested Adah and 17 others including one Indian for allegedly attempting to illegally export stolen crude oil to Ghana.
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Source: shipsandports.com.ng
Maritime Security News 