Oman signs Jeddah Amendment on illicit maritime activity

Oman has become the 16th state to sign the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, the instrument developed and adopted by countries in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden to repress piracy and armed robbery against ships operating in the region.

Namely, the Amendment expanded the aims of the Djibouti Code, when it was adopted at a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on January 2017. The Djibouti Code is focusing on the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

The Amendment specifically covers a variety of illegal activities, including piracy, arms trafficking, trafficking in narcotics, illegal trade in wildlife, illegal oil bunkering, crude oil theft, human trafficking, human smuggling, and illegal dumping of toxic waste.

Mr. Said Bin Al-Harthy, Under Secretary for Ports & Maritime Affairs of Oman, deposited the instrument with Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters in London on December 7.

Moreover, Oman, officially known as the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia.

Finally, the 16 states to have signed the Jeddah Amendment are Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania and Yemen.