The US Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection responded to a report of three stowaways on the merchant vessel, Diana J, on January 16, about three miles off the Port of Miami. The boarding teams found no additional stowaways, rescinded the Captain of the Port Order and the stowaways were taken into custody.
In its weekly report for 8-14 January 2019, ReCAAP ISC said it has not received any incident of piracy or armed robbery against ships in Asia. However, the report includes an incident of armed robbery outside Asia, involving a tanker anchored in West African waters.
Terrorists are making about US$ 7 million a year by smuggling charcoal illegally off Somalia, a conference on maritime security, attended by the multinational maritime security coalition Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), has heard.
Piracy and armed robbery in Asia decreased in 2018, says the latest ReCAAP ISC report. However, recognizing the challenge in other parts of the world too, particularly in in the West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, there is still great need of law enforcement agencies to continue their effective ship protection measures.
IMB issued its annual piracy report for 2018, confirming a rise in piracy figures on the world’s seas last year, and specially in West African waters. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) recorded a total of 201 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships worldwide in 2018, up from 180 in 2017.
South African authorities have seized 706 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of R720 million, hidden on a container ship coming from Brazil, in the Port of Ngqura, Coega Harbour. The ship was coming from Brazil and was to dock in Singapore before reaching its final destination in India.
The 2017 Annual Report of the International Maritime Bureau reported a decrease in piracy incidents globally with 180 reported incidents in 2017, down from 191 in 2016 and 246 in 2015. On the other hand, ReCAAP ISC reported that, in Asia, there was a 19% increase in the number of piracy incidents in 2017 in comparison to 2016.
ReCAAP ISC published its annual report ‘Piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia’, addressing that piracy and armed robbery have experienced a decrease by 25%. Additionally, the number of actual incidents showed a reduction of 31%. To this result, the number of incidents remains at a low level, in comparison to previous years. There was no actual incident of hijacking of ships for oil cargo theft in 2018.
The United Nations Secretary General’s office launched the ‘Activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel’ report, focusing on Nigeria loosing approximately $2.8 billion during 2018, as a result of crude oil and maritime crimes. Maritime crime, including piracy, dominated in the coast of West Africa and posed a big threat to peace and development in the region.
A report published by Stable Seas shows how complex issues like illegal fishing, coastal violence, and human trafficking create an insecure maritime environment in Somali waters. Regional conflicts have changed human migration flows, accelerating the smuggling of trafficked persons and arms.
