We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
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
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
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
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…
TEHRAN, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) will hold a large-scale naval exercise in the country’s southern waters, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.
Commander of the IRGC’s Navy Ali Reza Tangsiri told Tasnim that the massive naval war game will be launched in the near future.
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Source: xinhuanet.com
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said the Persian Gulf belongs to Iran. “We have the right to question any vessels entering the Straits of Hormuz and Iranian territorial waters.” The statement is the latest in a series of Iranian threats to neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf after six months of tensions in which Iran downed a US drone and attacked six ships and seized one UK-flagged ship in the sensitive waterway.
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Source: jpost.com
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Saudi Arabia has prevented 13 ships carrying energy derivatives and food for Yemenis from entering Yemen’s port of Hudaydah for over 40 days amid a humanitarian catastrophe in the Arab country, a report said.
According to Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television network, 13 ships destined for the impoverished Arab country have been impounded by the kingdom and diverted to the port of Jizan in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The report added that the vessels had undergone inspection by the United Nations and obtained the relevant papers. So far, only one of the vessels has been allowed to leave the port of Jizan.
Back on November 23, the Yemeni minister of public health and population said it is estimated that every 10 minutes a child under the age of five dies from extreme hunger in the country, warning that the ongoing Saudi-led blockade is also taking a heavy toll on newborn babies.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen, with the goal of bringing the government of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and eliminating the Houthi Ansarullah movement, whose fighters have been helping the Yemeni army significantly in defending the country against invaders since the onset of war.
The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has so far claimed more than 100,000 lives.
The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on Yemen’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. According to the United Nations, more than 24 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.
Source: tasnimnews.com
MarsecNews: For the sake of clarity, this information comes from an Iranian media outlet. Iran backs the Houthi rebels in the country. I know maritime security companies who assist the World Food Programme and they have not reported any difficulties (other than those normally expected in Yemen) in disembarking aid goods at ports such as Hodeidah.
Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Khanzadi invited Qatari army to participate in Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) military exercise in the Indian Ocean.
He made the remarks in his meeting with his Qatari counterpart in Doha late on Thu. after meeting with senior military commanders of Pakistan’s army.
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Source: en.mehrnews.com
The unmanned aerial vehicle, dubbed Simorgh, was unveiled at a ceremony in the southeastern coastal city of Konarak, attended by Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi.
With a flight endurance of 24 hours, the drone can be used for combat, reconnaissance, and tactical operations, and electronic warfare.
Simorgh has a range of 1,500 kilometers and a service ceiling of 25,000 feet. It is the naval version of Shahed-129, a powerful combat drone that was mass-produced in 2013.
Shahed-129 is now in service in the fight against drug-traffickers and terrorists, patrol and reconnaissance missions along the territorial and sea borders, environmental operations, and for taking aerial images.
The combat version of Shahed-129 can carry a payload of 8 bombs or smart missiles and is designed to hit both fixed and mobile targets.
Source: tasnimnews.com
Maritime Security News 