We cover piracy, armed robbery at sea, IUU fishing, maritime cyber security and maritime security issues.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A cargo ship owned by an Israeli company was damaged by a missile in the Arabian Sea on Thursday in what was suspected to be an Iranian attack, an Israeli security official said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ship was on its way from Tanzania to India and was able to continue its voyage after the attack.
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Source: reuters.com
LONDON: Pirates have hijacked an Iraqi ship that was stranded outside the country’s waters and took it to an unknown location, the MP for the Basra governorate said on Sunday.
Kadhim Finjan Al-Hammami said he received “authenticated pleas from the private owner of Iraqi tugboat T-4, to free his ship from pirates.
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Source: arabnews.com
An Islamist insurgency is spilling danger into a major shipping lane, and countries must decide who they want to fix it.
The waters off Mozambique are becoming a major new security hotspot in the Indian Ocean. An Islamist insurrection in northern Mozambique that the government seems powerless to suppress has also increasingly led to disruption in the Mozambique Channel, a key global shipping route. The Quad countries and European partners must help contain the problem before other actors step into a regional vacuum.
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Source: lowyinstitute.org
A large multinational counter-piracy operation has been conducted by the Pakistan-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 in the Gulf of Aden.
Focused Operation (FO) TAHAFFUZ was held from 26 February to 5 March, 2021, and was supported by assets from nine different nations with a shared objective to protect global maritime commerce.
“FO TAHAFFUZ was conducted to support Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)’s overall campaign objectives of deterring suspected pirates from re-commencing their operations in the region,” said Chief of Staff to Commander CTF 151, Captain Adnan Laghari of Pakistan Navy. “Although the FO is now concluded, we still encourage all merchantmen plying through the Gulf of Aden to keep following the Best Management Practice BMP5 guidelines, and using the Internationally Recognized Transit Corridor for their safety.”
In addition to Pakistan Navy, the US Navy, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, Hellenic Navy, Spanish Navy, and European Union Naval Force Somalia (Operation ATALANTA) all supplied their assets to the operation. The Canadian detachment of Unclassified Remote-Sensing Situational Awareness system also supported the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance effort and contributed Pattern of Life assessments to the task force.
There was also a significant effort from the Djibouti and Yemen Navies and Coast Guards and the Royal Navy of Oman, who contacted merchant vessels sailing through the area, alerting them to the presence of warships through Maritime Awareness Calls.
Finally, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office in Dubai, Marine Operation Centre in Djibouti, Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa, Maritime Security Centre at Oman and Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre in Pakistan all provided additional contributions to the operation, alerting merchant shipping to expect an increase in military activity and ensuring swift sharing of information between all maritime stakeholders.
And the military activity was not just limited to the sea; maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters from both CMF and EUNAVFOR provided overwatch across the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coastline.
“The goal of FO TAHAFFUZ is to show presence, reassure merchant and fishery communities and improve understanding of local Patterns of Life. The FO has significantly enhanced interoperability between regional counter-piracy forces, and hence contributed to build regional counter-piracy capability.” Commodore Abdul Munib of Pakistan Navy, Commander of CTF-151 said.
Through constant cooperation between CMF nations and partners, CTF-151 has for many years helped to maintain the integrity of vital lines of communication and successfully mitigated the risk of piracy in the area of Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin, especially through strategic waterways such as the Bab-el-Mandeb.
The Gulf of Aden is of immense importance to maritime trade as the main shipping lane between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With the monsoon season fading, and sea conditions becoming favourable for sailors, there has been a large increase in the number of small fishing vessels, skiffs and dhows in operation close to the coastlines of neighbouring states.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition said on Tuesday it had destroyed an explosive-laden boat, launched by the terrorist Iran-backed Houthi militias, before an imminent attack off the Yemeni port of Salif.
The coalition added that the Houthis “continue to threaten maritime traffic and international trade.”
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Source: english.aawsat.com
Campaign against ships, using mines, shows an expansion of hostilities in the Mideast
By Gordon Lubold, Benoit Faucon and Felicia Schwartz
WASHINGTON—Israel has targeted at least a dozen vessels bound for Syria and mostly carrying Iranian oil out of concern that petroleum profits are funding extremism in the Middle East, U.S. and regional officials say, in a new front in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
Since late 2019, Israel has used weaponry including water mines to strike Iranian vessels or those carrying Iranian cargo as they navigate toward Syria in the Red Sea and in other areas of the region.
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Source: wsj.com
KARACHI – The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) in a joint operation with Pakistan Customs recovered huge quantity of narcotics and arrested five accused people. Addressing a news conference at PMSA headquarters, PMSA Deputy Director General Commander Faisal Sadiq said that PMSA and Customs Intelligence on a tip off conducted a joint operation in open sea recovering 2040 kilograms of hashish and arrested five Iranian nationals.
He said that the drugs were tactfully concealed in hidden captivity of a boat. The approximated value of the seized drugs was Rs816 million, he said.
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Source: nation.com.pk
INDIAN OCEAN – The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) seized illicit shipments of weapons and weapons components from two stateless dhows during a maritime security operation in international waters off the coast of Somalia, Feb. 11-12.
Churchill’s Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) team and embarked joint service Advanced Interdiction Team (AIT) discovered the illicit cargo during a flag verification boarding conducted in accordance with international law and in international waters.
The cache of weapons consisted of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and crew served weapons. Other weapon components included barrels, stocks, optical scopes and weapon systems.
The original source of the weapons has not yet been identified. Churchill located the dhows and provided more than 40 hours of over watch and security for the ship and its boarding teams throughout the two-day operation.
The dhow crews were provided food and water before being released.
“We are proud of the combined efforts of the AIT and Churchill crew members for executing dynamic and demanding boardings,” said Lt. Travis Dopp, Assistant AIT Leader aboard Churchill. “We are proud to have a positive impact on the safety and security of coalition forces by interdicting shipments of lethal aid.”
The seizure of the illicit weapons by Churchill was conducted as part of the U.S. Navy’s regular maritime security operations in the region. These routine patrols are performed to ensure the free flow of commerce for legitimate traffic and to disrupt the transport of illicit cargo that often funds terrorism and unlawful activity.
“This joint team [Army, Navy and Coast Guard] on board Churchill came together to successfully execute this operation over the course of two days in the Indian Ocean. These operations prevent nefarious actors from illegally spreading their lethal aid,” said Cdr. Timothy Shanley, commanding officer of Churchill.
Winston S. Churchill departed Norfolk, Virginia, Aug. 10 for a regularly-scheduled deployment to maintain maritime security and ensure the freedom of navigation in critical waterways.
U.S. 5th Fleet, headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, conducts joint and naval operations in order to support regional allies and partners and U.S. national security interests in the Middle East.
Source: navy.mil
The Royal Navy has intercepted over 5300 lbs (2400 kg) of illicit drugs as a result of back-to-back successful interdictions in the Arabian Sea.
The boarding team from HMS Montrose, operating under the command of CMF Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) found the drugs – with a combined estimated wholesale value of over $15 million (£10.9m) – following searches of suspicious vessels whilst undertaking a counter-narcotics patrol.
In the most recent operation, which lasted over ten hours, over 4700 lbs (2145 kg) of hashish, heroin, and methamphetamine were seized. This came just two days after a separate bust in which 606 lbs (275 kg) of heroin was seized in the same area.
Commander Ollie Hucker, HMS Montrose Commanding Officer said; “These interdictions have prevented significant amounts of illicit substances being sold on the streets, whilst denying criminal groups an income source often associated with the funding of terrorism.”
CTF-150 operates to disrupt the activity of criminal organisations, in particular narcotics and weapons smuggling. After taking command of the task force in late January 2021, The Royal Canadian Navy has already overseen multiple significant successful interdictions, of which these two are the latest.
“As Commander of Combined Task Force 150, my team is resolute in our objective to promote security, stability and prosperity in an area which comprises some of the world’s most important shipping routes,” said Commodore Dan Charlebois, Commander of CTF-150.
“This interdiction was a direct result of the collaborative effort between Task Force staff and HMS Montrose, to whose crew I send my personal thanks for their skill, determination and professionalism in a challenging environment. I look forward to future successes as we continue to work together as close partners towards our common goals.”
HMS Montrose is the Royal Navy’s Forward Deployed Frigate and has been in the region since early 2019. The UK actively supports several operations and multi-national task forces in the Middle East in order to protect international and British interests.
Source: combinedmaritimeforces.com
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs should make sincere efforts to enhance international cooperation on maritime piracy and ensure the welfare of Indian seafarers captured by pirates, a parliamentary panel said on Thursday.
The parliamentary standing committee on external affairs made the assertion while approving the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill 2019, subject to the inclusion of its 18 recommendations and suggestions in the paragraphs of the current Bill or through other appropriate methods like Rules or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
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Source: thewire.in
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