Tag: Royal Navy

COVID-19 travel restrictions to impact on armed guards on ships

As the situation with COVID-19 novel coronavirus continues to evolve, states are increasingly taking measures to restrict the movements of personnel into and within their borders. A number of states have effectively closed their borders to people coming from perceived high-risk areas. These travel restrictions are placing a considerable logistical burden on the wider shipping industry and are very likely to increase as time goes on.

With such an evolving situation, there is a corresponding increase in uncertainty, according to Dryad Global. An example of this was seen in the recent decision by Sri Lanka to close its border to people coming from several countries, which led to potentially significant disruption in the embarkation and movement of Armed Security Teams (ASTs). With the corresponding confusion, Private Military Security Companies (PMSCs) were required to find alternative embarkation points for weapons and teams, and shipping companies faced increased ambiguities around the provision of security teams and potentially significantly increased costs. Whilst the ban on AST embarkation at Galle has since been lifted, Dryad assesses that while the situation evolves at pace, this decision will be under continuous review. At the time of writing Malaysia, which was a proposed alternative embarkation and disembarkation point, has significantly restricted foreign access.

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Source: defenceweb.co.za

Maintenance cost grounds waterfront patrol boats— Navy

By Godfrey Bivbere

THE Nigerian Navy has said that the two fast patrol boats provided for it by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, for the patrol of the Lagos waterfront are no longer operational.

Disclosing this to Vanguard Maritime Report in the exclusive interview in his office, Flag Officer Commanding, FOC, West Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, said the boats were given to the Navy in 2013.

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Source: vanguardngr.com

Somalia set to join the list of port states

Somalia is set to join the list of port States for the first time after it completed development of Somali shipping code. The development of the code will enable the country to discharge its responsibilities as flag, port and coastal state.

Maritime development in Somalia announced the completion of the shipping code early this week after six years of work, supported by International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

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Source: businessdailyafrica.com

15 Oil Thieves Bag Three-year Jail Term In Lagos

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday sentenced 15 oil thieves to three years imprisonment and ordered the forfeiture of two vessels along with 868.5 metric tonnes of crude oil to the Nigerian Government.

Justice Rilwan Aikawa found them guilty on all three counts and sentenced them to one-year in prison on each count, which will take effect from the day of their arrest.

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Source: saharareporters.com

Yemen Reiterates Warning Against Possible Catastrophic ‘Safer’ Explosion

Ali Rabee

The Yemeni government has reiterated its warnings against possible disastrous consequences of the explosion or spill at Safer offshore oil platform, which floats off Hodeidah’s northern Red Sea coast.

Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani has listed in a series of tweets the most disastrous consequences.

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Source: aawsat.com

Navy, NDLEA Move To End Hard Drugs On Waterway

By

The Nigerian Navy and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said that it would strengthen its bond in order to put an end to movement of hard drugs and other related substances on the waterways.

The Director of Seaports Operations, (NDLEA) Mrs. Omolade Faboyede made this known when the agency visited the Western Naval Command (WNC). She said that findings had shown that a large volume of drugs coming into the country was through the sea, saying drug issues were not only a communal threat but a national threat.

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Source: leadership.ng

Somalia warns Pakistan, Iran over illegal fishing

Somalia has sought assistance from the global anti-piracy forces to help it capture 43 boats from Pakistan and Iran that are conducting illegal fishing operations in the Horn of African nation’s waters.

The Somali Federal Government has accused the two countries of continuing illegal fishing in Somalia waters, warning the boats will be pursued and will be liable to pay heavy fines upon their capture.

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Source: somaliaffairs.com

Expert Expresses Worry Over Sea Piracy

Bethel Toby & Gift Tasie

An expert in the maritime industry, chief Ikechukwu Ollawa, has expressed worry over the increasing activities of sea pirates and robbery on the nation’s waterway.
Speaking with The Tide yesterday in Port Harcourt, Ollawa said most of the attacks were aimed at fishing trawlers, cargo vessels, oil tankers and service boats as well as passenger speed boats.

He noted with dismay that during such operations, lives and properties of law abiding citizens were lost, while businesses were truncated due to possible attack on trades and their goods.

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Source: thetidenewsonline.com

EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta: New Force Commander appointed

EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation ATALANTA's ESPS Canarias towed the vessel belonging to Somali Navy personnel back to the Somali shore.

Today, Rear Admiral lgnacio Villanueva Serrano was appointed as new force commander for the EU naval operation Atalanta. His mandate will start on 17 March.

He will exercise command and control of all military forces in the Area of Operations during the 34th rotation, and will be responsible for the planning, orchestration and execution of tactical military activities.

Rear Admiral Villanueva Serrano, a Spanish national, will take command from Commodore José Vizinha Mirones. He previously held senior positions within the Spanish Maritime Forces (SPMAFOR), and was Commanding Officer of the Spanish Navy Air Wing. He also served at the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Command Operations as capability requirements and force planning officer, and in Pristina, Kosovo, working as peace observer and liaison officer between the NATO and UN missions in Kosovo.

The decision on Rear Admiral Villanueva Serrano’s appointment was adopted by the Council’s Political and Security Committee.

EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, contributes to the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. The operation is part of the EU’s comprehensive approach for a peaceful, stable and democratic Somalia.

The operation also protects vessels of the World Food Programme and other vulnerable shipping, monitors fishing activities off the coast of Somalia and supports other EU missions and programmes in the region.

The EU’s comprehensive approach to Somalia comprises diplomatic efforts, development support, humanitarian aid as well as engagement in the field of rule of law and law enforcement. It includes three complementary missions under the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy: EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta, EUCAP Somalia, enhancing Somalia’s maritime civilian law enforcement capacity and EUTM Somalia, providing political and strategic level military advice to the Somali authorities and contributing to the development of the Somali National Army (SNA)’s own training capacity.

Source: consilium.europa.eu

IMO-led workshop focused on information sharing to boost maritime security in Western Indian Ocean

Regional efforts to enhance maritime security are dependent on good information sharing, through multi-agency National Maritime Information Sharing Centres. An IMO-led regional workshop on information sharing in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden ((3-5 March) brought together participants from 14 signatory States  to the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) and its Jeddah Amendment, which aims to counter and suppress crime in the maritime domain.

Participants discussed how best to set up national maritime information sharing centres and agreed on the need to establish legal frameworks at national level, to ensure coordination and full participation of all agencies.

The workshop was organised following the establishment last year of a Working Group on Information Sharing. This was part of a plan of action adopted by States in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden area to ensure better coordination of regional efforts to enhance maritime security. Recommendations from the workshop will be fed into the next Jeddah Amendment high-level workshop, scheduled to be held later this year.

The workshop was held at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC), Djibouti,  and attended by 24 participants from Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania (United Republic of), and Yemen. The workshop was organized by IMO and supported by the United Kingdom, who provided technical experts. Funding came from a Japanese contribution to the DCoC Trust Fund to support training activities at the DRTC.

Source: imo.org