Tag: anti piracy measures

A three-year plan to train local forces and provide surveillance for anti-piracy operation France has launched a three-year plan to train local forces and provide surveillance for anti-piracy operations in Benin, Togo and Ghana as part of international efforts to curb insecurity from spreading in the oil-producing Gulf of Guinea.French aid comes after the United Nations Security Council last month pledged to look at ways of tackling the problem, which has long affected Nigeria's Niger Delta region but has spread, hurting Benin's shipping industry in particular."The increased number of kidnappings and the escalating costs for commercial shipping and extraction of resources are clearly a threat to the growth, development and therefore the stability of countries in the Gulf of Guinea," Jean-Paul Monchau, France's ambassador to Benin, said on Thursday.France has pledged to spend 5.2 billion CFA francs on training local forces and buying two surveillance aircraft from French firm LH Aviation, the ambassador said.The Gulf of Guinea, a stretch of West Africa's coast spanning more than a dozen countries, is a growing source of oil, cocoa and metals to world markets.While piracy has not touched the scale of the attacks off Somalia, it is on the increase and navies in ...

India and Japan to step up Bilateral Military Exercises Maritime security, anti-piracy measures, freedom of navigation and maintaining the security of Sea Lanes of Communication to facilitate unhindered trade by the sea routes-are some of the issues that dominated the India-Japan Defence Ministers' Meeting in Tokyo last week. The delegation level talks, led by the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony and his Japanese counterpart Mr Yasuo Ichikawa, recognized the importance of sea lanes and decided to 'actively pursue consultations and cooperation in the field of maritime security both bilaterally and in association with all other countries in the region'.The Indian delegation included the Defence Secretary Shri Shashi Kant Sharma, the Indian Ambassador to Japan, Shri Aloke Prasad, the Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral RK Dhowan and GoC-in-C, Central Command, Lt Gen VK Ahluwalia.Speaking at the meeting, Shri Antony said, Maritime Security challenges are becoming increasingly complex and varied. Shri Antony said India has substantially increased its anti-piracy deployment in the East Arabian Sea since November 2010. He, however, felt that concerted efforts of the world community, under a UN mandate, are necessary to effectively address the problem.Shri Antony said anti piracy efforts need to be supplemented by adoption ...

The biggest problem that governments have is to do with their legislation pertaining to weapons Privately armed merchant ships have a 100-per cent success rate against Somali pirates, experts say, but using guards is wrapped in red-tape and dogged by fears over sending hired guns to sea.Spiralling attacks off the lawless East African state have forced shipping companies to turn to private guards to shepherd crew and cargo through waters that reamin dangerous despite international naval patrols."They're crying out for it and it's a massive trend," Graham Cormac, director of South African firm Specialist Maritime Services, said. "At the moment, demand outstrips supply."His company charges up to US$5,000 (S$6,000) a day for four guards."The biggest problem that governments have is to do with their sovereign legislation pertaining to weapons," Cormac added."Policy has not kept pace with the evolving threat and without policy you can't adapt or change legislation."Each country must grant permission for private guards in its waters, which can conflict with local weapons laws.There are concerns too about the use of mercenaries, a spike in arms, questions of liability, and private militarisation of the seas."This is a contentious topic," said Joyce Marangu, Kenya Maritime Authority research and business development ...

The strategy will entail the drafting of domestic laws and regulations The Security Council condemned all acts of maritime piracy and armed robbery at sea in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea and welcomed the intention by States in the region to convene a summit to consider a comprehensive response to the menace.In a resolution adopted unanimously, the Council encouraged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) to develop a strategy against maritime piracy.The strategy will entail the drafting of domestic laws and regulations - where they do not exist - which will criminalize piracy and armed robbery at sea and develop a regional framework to counter piracy and armed robbery, including information-sharing and operational coordination mechanisms in the region.The regional anti-piracy effort will also include the development and strengthening of domestic laws and regulations to implement relevant international agreements on the safety and security of navigation, in accordance with international law.The Council encouraged ECOWAS, ECCAS and the GGC to counter piracy in the Gulf of Guinea through bilateral or regional maritime patrols, in line with relevant international law, while ensuring that such activities do ...

The country will host an international conference next year to help tackle piracy Australia called on Friday for tougher action against piracy in the Indian Ocean and announced it would host an international conference next year to help tackle the growing problem.Pirates attacked a record number of ships worldwide in the first nine months of 2011, but are making off with fewer vessels due to better policing by international naval forces."Piracy off the Horn of Africa has seen murders and hundreds of seafarers taken hostage," Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd told an Indian Ocean Piracy Forum on the sidelines of a Commonwealth summit in the west Australian city of Perth."Piracy has also increased the costs of international trade, and done enormous harm to regional countries' fishing and tourist industries. More must be done to prosecute, convict and imprison pirates," he said.Cooperation between Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants and pirate gangs is growing as they become more desperate for funding, said the head of the U.N.'s counter-piracy unit, John Steed.Rudd said next year's conference in Perth would seek to assist Somalia and other states tackle the drivers of piracy and compare counter-piracy cooperation in other regions, such as Southeast Asia ...

Security Council urges all countries to adopt laws The UN has issued a news release stating that the Security Council has renewed its call for tougher anti-piracy measures in Somalia and the wider region as follows:The Security Council renewed its call for tougher anti-piracy measures in Somalia and the wider region, urging all countries to adopt laws and cooperate with international organizations to accelerate the prosecution and punishment of piracy.In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member body urged countries that have not already done so to criminalize piracy under their domestic laws and to implement prosecution methods in accordance with international human rights law.Stressing the need for cooperation between countries and international organizations, the resolution urged countries to share evidence and information to enhance the prosecution of suspects, and imprisonment of convicted pirates.The Council emphasized that the failure to prosecute persons responsible for piracy undermines the broader anti-piracy efforts of the international community, making it crucial that all countries work to ensure that pirates are held accountable for their actions.The resolution also emphasized the need to establish specialized anti-piracy courts in Somalia and other countries in the region, and requested the Secretary-General, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ...

The software is designed to provide realistic anti-piracy training VSTEP, developer of maritime training simulators, has announced an enhancement of its simulator software, NAUTIS Naval Task Force. The software is designed to provide realistic anti-piracy training as well as critical response training to possible piracy scenario.VSTEP states that with the improvement of the software it strives to meet its customer's demand for a next generation anti-piracy training.NAUTIS Naval Task Force can be used for identification of suspicious behavior of approaching vessels using visual identification, AIS & ECDIS as well as pirate response training.The software's scenario editor allows for adding different types of motorized pirate vessels and a fully adaptable approach route. The programme thus enables crew to determine and train navy and target vessel response strategy, with helicopters and a range of different navy and coast guard intercept vessels available for simulation.NAUTIS Naval Task Force is designed specifically for the navies and law enforcement agencies. It is expected to aid navigation planning and training, as well as more specific naval tasks.Source: Digital Ship

ITF exchanged letters with Admiral Stavridis for security issues The ITF yesterday welcomed the latest statement of determination to prevent piracy from the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, US Navy Admiral James Stavridis, The organisation was responding to an exchange of letters with Admiral Stavridis, in which he reiterated the NATO task force's determination to 'use all its means to limit the freedom of movement to the Pirate Action Groups in the area'.The Admiral was writing in response to a letter from ITF seafarers' section chair, Dave Heindel, in which he raised the ITF's concerns over the greater use by pirates of violence and now torture, and the failure of many of the major flag states to make any real contribution to the fight against piracy - including the failure even to make sure that ships flying their flags implement best management practice.Dave Heindel wrote: 'We need a more robust response in all areas. This would include disrupting the pirate camps on land and restricting their access to fuel and to their ability to store fuel. We would like to see their "safe anchorages" being made less safe.'We would like to work closely with you and to play an active part ...

Antipiracy operations in the Mozambique Channel The cash-strapped South African National Defence Force will get an extra R81m from the Treasury this financial year to fund its antipiracy operations in the Mozambique Channel.The infamous piracy off the coast of Somalia has been steadily moving south into the Mozambique Channel, forcing SA to deploy a frigate to patrol the area in conjunction with the Mozambique Defence Force. The medium-term budget policy statement says the budget for the defence and criminal justice cluster of departments has increased from R93bn in 2008-09 to R123bn in this financial year and that it will increase to R150bn by the end of the medium-term expenditure framework in 2014-15.The adjusted estimates tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan yesterday show that despite the additional allocation, the Department of Defence will spend R255m less than was originally budgeted in February. The statement notes that the bulk of the funding will go to paying personnel, because of the labour-intensive nature of the defence force, the police and the Department of Correctional Services.There has been a R600m saving on the strategic defence procurement programme because of delays in the supply of equipment. The statement says: "Over the (medium-term expenditure ...

Latest techniques and equipment being used today The Maritime Administration (MARAD) and the Ship Operations Cooperative Program will conduct an anti-piracy technology and training demonstration aboard a MARAD vessel in Baltimore.The demonstration will include some of the latest techniques and equipment being used today, and provides the U.S. shipping industry, labor and government agencies an opportunity to examine and gauge the tools and technology available to reduce the risks associated with piracy.All maritime industry and labor representatives are invited to attend. Registration information is available at http://www.socp.usSource: MARAD