Protection Vessels International: Weekly Maritime & Onshore Security Report

2016-08-04

Protection Vessels International: Weekly Maritime & Onshore Security Report

Southeast Asia

Indonesia: Armed robbers steal properties from tanker at Lubuk Gaung 27 July

Six assailants armed with knives boarded a berthed product tanker at 0520 hrs local time at SDS Terminal at Lubuk Gaung port. The robbers entered the engine room and took the oiler and another crew member hostage while they stole the ship’s spares and personal belongings before fleeing. The incident was reported to the Port Control.

-PVI Analysis: The incident is the latest in a spate of violent armed robberies at Indonesian ports and anchorage areas in recent weeks. The trend indicates deteriorating port security at Indonesian ports and vessels should remain vigilant at all times, particularly after dark when many robbers look to take advantage of decreased visibility.

Philippines: ReCAAP issues advisory on maritime kidnappings off Sabah 28 July

The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combatting Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) has issued an advisory for vessels following a series of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) kidnappings and hijackings off Malaysia’s Sabah in the Celebes and Sulu Seas since mid-March. There have been six reported hijackings and kidnappings since March, and 15 of the 33 crewmembers abducted remain in captivity. ReCAAP reported that the attackers targeted slow-moving boats with low freeboards, occurred during daytime and that the pirates work in groups of five or more.

-PVI Analysis: the advisory comes days after the last reported abduction, claimed by ASG, off Sabah on 18 July as kidnappings continue in the Celebes and Sulu seas despite increased maritime security and restrictions on coal shipments in the area.

West Africa

Ghana: Vessel reports robbery at Takoradi Anchorage 28 July

A gang of robbers boarded an unidentified maritime vessel anchored in the Takoradi Anchorage at around 0350 hrs local time. According to the crew, the robbery failed after the crew raised the alarm and the robbers fled the scene. No harm was done to the crew or the vessel and no properties were stolen. Local authorities are investigating the incident.

-PVI Analysis: Robberies at Takoradi Anchorage are occasionally reported, although many more incidents are thought to go unreported through recognised channels. Robberies at West African ports and anchorages tend to be non-violent in nature due to the proximity of security forces, with more violent acts taking place further out at sea.

Selected Maritime News

Australia: Port of Newcastle launches appeal against Glencore 27 July

The Port of Newcastle commenced legal action at the court of appeal against mining firm Glencore over control of port access fees. Since the port’s privatisation in 2014, port authorities have raised fees to access the channel by between 40 to 60 percent, prompting Glencore to launch a case to have its monopoly over granting access to the port more thoroughly enforced. The action is likely to draw closer scrutiny to other government assets undergoing privatisation.

China: Beijing asks Washington to support maritime talks with Manila 26 July

China has asked the US to support the resumption of talks between Beijing and Manila over the South China Sea dispute. The move comes after the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration on 12 July ruled in favour of the Philippines in a case brought by Manila over China’s claims to the South China Sea. Beijing has refused to recognise the ruling and has accused Washington of stoking tensions in the region. While the previous Philippine government had adopted a tough stance against China on the issue, the new administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed a willingness to negotiate with Beijing. The Philippine foreign minister said Manila was in favour of a peaceful resolution to the bilateral dispute and that the issue did not concern other countries.

Egypt: Suez Canal introduces cheaper rates for empty US oil vessels 25 July

The Suez Canal Authority introduced a toll reduction for empty US oil vessels by between 20 and 45 percent depending on the capacity of the vessel. Vessels with a capacity of 200,000 tonnes will be entitled to the cheaper rate. The reduction will last for six months, after which time it will be reviewed and possibly extended. Companies will have to file a request before transiting the canal to confirm their port of origin, and any stopovers.

France: Authorities evacuate ferry in Marseille over bomb scare 31 July

Authorities evacuated 77 passengers and crew from the ferry Jean Nicoli at the port of Joliette in Marseille over a bomb scare after an explosion was heard on board. Police stated the cause of the noise was unknown as the vessel was not leaking. The incident comes as France is on heightened alert after Islamic State claimed the July Bastille Day attack on Nice, east of Marseille.

Greece: Migration organisation reports 3,000 deaths in Mediterranean in 2016 29 July

The International Organisation for Migration reported that 3,034 people have died so far in 2016 while trying to reach Europe across the Mediterranean. More than 250,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe by sea, mostly arriving in Greece and Italy from North Africa and the Middle East.

India: Conglomerate begins building transshipment port in Kerala 28 July

The Indian conglomerate Adani Group has started building the country’s first transshipment port in Kerala state’s Vizhinjam using USD 240 mn in government funds, with the aim of attracting business from other maritime hubs in Asia. After the project is operational, the government said it will begin construction on the port of Enayam in Tamil Nadu, which will save USD 200 mn in costs for Indian companies every year, according to Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani. Adani aims for the USD 1 bn Vizhinjam port to be operational in 2018.

India: New Delhi signs USD 1 bn deal with Washington to buy four Poseidon-8I aircraft 27 July

India signed a deal worth over USD 1 bn with the US to buy four additional Poseidon-8I long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. New Delhi acquired eight P-81 planes worth USD 2.1 bn from the US in 2009. The latest deal comes amid increased efforts by India to boost its naval surveillance capabilities. India’s P-8I fleet is based at naval air station Rajali, in Arakkonam town of Tamil Nadu, as the navy has sought to monitor the Indian Ocean which has seen forays by Chinese submarines including the docking of a nuclear submarine in Sri Lanka.

Iran: General threatens to close Strait of Hormuz relations with Washington 29 August

The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Army, General Brigadier Ali Shadmani, said Tehran would shut the Strait of Hormuz should the US make “a small mistake”, without elaborating further on what would constitute a mistake. The statement comes months after General Hossein Salami, a deputy commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards, issued a similar warning over the strait should Washington threaten Iran.

Iran: Authorities intercept Emirati vessel over documentation 26 July

The Port and Maritime Organisation in southwest Khuzestan province intercepted an Emirati-owned Panama-flagged tanker, saying that the term “Persian Gulf” was missing from the vessel’s documentation. Authorities said that the documents used a “fake name” instead. Initial reports did not say for how long the vessel was detained. Some Arab states dispute the term used to describe the Gulf.

Israel: Security forces arrest two fishermen off Gaza Strip 27 July

Pro-Palestinian rights organisations said that Israeli forces fired at and then arrested two Palestinian fishermen off the coast near Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials said that the suspects’ vessels left the designated fishing zone. Israeli forces frequently detain fishermen for operating further than 6 nm off the coast of Gaza due to a blockade, though Palestinian groups say that the 1993 Oslo accord sets the limit at 20 nm.

Italy: Terminal operator accuses Port of Piraeus officials of spying 1 August

According to online news site Splash24/7, terminal operator Contship Italia reported that executives from the Greek Port of Piraeus had visited its terminal at the Port of Gioia Tauro uninvited. The operator said the executives used unofficial routes where they could not be filmed and stayed at the quay for an hour. The Port of Piraeus was recently bought by Chinese operator Cosco, who Contship has previously accused of predatory pricing and undercutting market rates.

Jamaica: Authorities arrest five transporting cannabis in Black River 29 July

Anti-drug trafficking agents detained three Costa Ricans and two Jamaicans trafficking a shipment of 216 kg of cannabis in two fishing vessels. The vessels were intercepted by police near the coastal town of Black River. Jamaica is one of the leading producers and exporters of cannabis in Central America and the Caribbean.

Libya: Coast guard detains vessel off Ras Hillal 30 July

According to local media, the coast guard detained an Antigua-flagged cargo vessel off Ras Hillal on suspicion of carrying weapons and supplies to Derna-based Islamist militias from Misrata. Authorities searched the vessel and released it after a search uncovered no weapons. Libyan National Army forces affiliated with the House of Representatives are blockading Islamist militias in Derna.

Libya: Unity government reaches deal with militia to re-open oil ports 29 July

The UN-backed unity government signed a deal with an armed militia controlling the major oil ports of Ras Lanuf and Es Sider to end the blockade of the ports and restart exports from the terminals. No timeline was set for the re-opening of the ports, though the ports will likely need repairs after suffering damage during clashes. The agreement was signed between Presidential Council deputy Mousa Alkouni and Ibrahim al-Jathran, commander of the Petroleum Facilities Guards, one of many militias to control the terminals. The re-opening of the ports, which were shut down in December 2014, represents a major step forward for the country which has been in civil war since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Libya: Eastern government threatens attacks on foreign oil tankers 26 July

A top military official from Libya’s eastern-based political authority threatened warplanes would attack foreign oil tankers approaching the Libyan coast. The House of Representatives (HoR) Libyan National Army Chief of Staff Abdelrazak Nazhuri said only vessels recognised by the HoR would be allowed to enter Libyan waters. The HoR is not internationally recognised following the establishment of a UN-backed unity government in Tripoli in March and the latest threat could undermine a deal announced earlier in July to unify rival state oil companies.

Malaysia: Manila, Kuala Lumpur agree to set up base over cross-border crime 29 July

Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to form a forward operations base in the Philippines to counter cross-border crimes, amid a spate of abductions and hijackings of tugboats by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the waters between the countries since March. The countries’ police chiefs have also reportedly agreed to work more closely in exchanging intelligence and information on movements of criminal suspects. The waters of the Sulu and Celebes Seas, off Malaysia’s Sabah, have become increasingly dangerous to slow-moving vessels due to the Philippine militant group’s kidnap-for-ransom activities.

Malaysia: Police blame ASG abduction on tug operator 26 July

Police Inspector General Tan Sri Khalid Abu Baka said that tug operators had not been following official guidelines on rerouting to avoid areas where Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) are known to conduct kidnap for ransom attacks. The statement comes after five Malaysian tugboat crew were kidnapped off the coast of Lahad Datu in Sabah on 18 July, the latest in a string of kidnappings in the region by ASG. Baka added that the Celebes and Sulu Seas, where the attacks have taken place, are vulnerable to attack by other terror groups and criminal gangs operating in the region.

Morocco: Authorities seize 224 kg cannabis resin in Tangiers port 28 July

Police officers seized a 224 kg of cannabis resin concealed in diesel oil tanks on a truck in the Tangiers-Med port. Authorities arrested the driver of the truck. Initial reports did not indicate whether the incident disrupted port activities. Morocco is both a major source of cannabis and a transit point for cocaine entering Europe.

Nigeria: Beijing to assist in counter-piracy operations 29 July

Chinese Major General Qian Lihua announced that Chinese troops will be deployed to assist in regional capacity building in the Gulf of Guinea’s anti-piracy operations. Lihua called on the international community to help train and fund the region’s counter-piracy force as incidents of kidnapping and suspicious approaches continue to be reported, predominantly off the Niger Delta where criminal gangs are known to operate. The announcement comes ahead of the African Union’s maritime security summit in October 2016.

Panama: ACP reports one incident on expanded Panama Canal in first month 26 July

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) said it had only recorded one incident since the inauguration of its first set of locks on 26 June, and that this was due to intense rainfall and wind. The comments come amid fears over the safety of the newly expanded canal after a China Shipping Container Lines ship, the Xin Fei Zhou, hit the wall of the canal, following two other less serious incidents. The ACP said that “scratches” sometimes occur, and added it has a USD 5 mn annual budget to address damages.

Philippines: Tropical storm strands 5,000 people at seaports nationwide 1 August

About 4,931 travellers were stranded at various seaports across the country due to rough seas from tropical storm Carina. Some 46 vessels were also stranded at ports including Matnog, Pilar, Bulan, Pasacao, Tabaco, Victory, Pioduran, San Andres, Virac, Bapoor and San Pascual. The storm caused travel disruption in the central provinces of Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate.

Portugal: Police seize two tonnes of cannabis near Tavira 27 July

Portuguese police say they seized some two tonnes of Moroccan cannabis from a boat during a night-time operation on the country’s southern coast. The drug was stowed on a 7 metres boat that entered a coastal inlet near Tavira, about 220 km south of Lisbon. Officers intercepted the boat and a van that was waiting on a bank and arrested a Spanish man. Several other suspects are believed to have escaped. Large seizures of cannabis from Morocco are not uncommon in southern Portugal and Spain due to their proximity to North Africa.

Singapore: Maritime authorities revoke bunker licences over documentation 1 August

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) cancelled the bunker fuel supplier and operator licences of AC Oil Pte Ltd over incorrect declarations and discrepancies and the violation of bunker regulations, following an investigation into the firm. Bunker tankers operated by AC Oil were found to use class B petroleum, a more flammable substance that they were not authorised to carry, and were also found to have conducted unauthorised fuel transfers.

Source: Protection Vessels International

Source from : Piracy and Security News

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