Tag: anti piracy measures

From 6 to 9 September 2011 A groundbreaking international anti-piracy conference will take place this week at the Le Meridien Barbarons hotel. Co-hosted by Seychelles and the South Asia and Africa Regional Port Stability Cooperative (SAARPSCO), the conference opens tomorrow and will run until Friday.The high-level meeting, the first of its kind, will serve as a catalyst for the international community to forge powerful global alliances, ultimately to defend the sea, one of the planet's most valuable treasures. In this unprecedented forum, to be held under the theme 'Piracy: Orchestrating Response', global leaders or "captains" from throughout the word will assemble to address the most vexing piracy issues.Representatives from key ministries in the Seychelles, as well as the Ports Authority and the Financial Intelligence Unit, will be joined at the conference by corporate and government leaders from throughout the European Union, New Zealand, South Korea, Mauritius, India, the United States and other partner nations, as well as the United Nations, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, and the US Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).The comprehensive agenda will cover key issues related to piracy, and workshops and panel discussions will include: The global challenge of piracy: Piracy, maritime security and information sharing. The impact of ...

Presidents signed a Protocol on Cooperation to Combat Maritime Security Threats President Mohamed Nasheed has met with the President of Seychelles James A. Michel yesterday. At the meeting held at the State House, the Official Presidential Residence of Seychelles, discussions were held on the close bilateral relations between the two countries, and ways to further strengthen these ties.President Nasheed briefed President Michel on the current status of the Maldivian economy, and the government's economic development plans. The President also highlighted on the tax bills and other bills the government has submitted to the Parliament, as part of the economic reform programme.The President of Seychelles commended President Nasheed for his accomplishments in the growth of the Maldivian economy.Following the meeting, a signing ceremony was carried out, where the Memorandum of Understanding on Fisheries Cooperation between the Government of Republic of Maldives and the Government of Republic of Seychelles, and the Protocol between the Government of Republic of Maldives and the Government of Republic of Seychelles on Cooperation to Combat Piracy and other Maritime Security Threats, were signed between the Maldivian and the Seychellois governments.The Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Naseem signed the two agreements on behalf of the Maldivian government, while ...

40% of ships transiting are still not complying with BMP MSCHOA released interesting statistics on the implementation of Anti Piracy Measures, including the following data:There have however being no successful attacks in the Gulf of Aden (GoA) in the last 9 months.While the number of piracy incidents in the region continues to increase, the pirates' rate of success is however decreasing, so tangible results are being achieved in piracy prevention.Attacks have been taking place up to 1,750 nautical miles off the Somali coast, and up into the southern Red Sea.In the last year, piracy attacks have been decreasing in the Indian Ocean and becoming more concentrated further North in the Indian Ocean/Arabian SeaCurrently there are 17 ships held captive with 393 hostages onboard, excluding a number of dhows/fishing vessels held. The number of MSCHOA registrations continues to increase, and more recently there has been a rapid increase n registrations as well as an increase in the use of self protective measures. Based on registration reports received, some 12% of vessels registering with MSCHOA are reporting that they are using armed security teams onboard their vessels. MSCHOA believes that many more owners are actually using armed teams. This under-reporting is probably ...

Mission allows authorities take action on uncooperative pirate boats Japan will extend the Self-Defense Forces' anti-piracy mission in the waters off Somalia for another year starting July 23.The SDF also opened its first overseas base since the end of World War II in Djibouti, Somalia's neighboring country, earlier this month to further strengthen its anti-piracy operations off Somalia.The Anti-Piracy Law, which was enacted in Japan's Parliament on June 19, 2009, and took effect on July 24, 2009, allows the SDF to escort foreign commercial ships and fire at pirate boats if they ignore warning signals and approach merchant ships.Japan's post-World War II pacifist constitution imposes strict restrictions on the SDF's activities abroad. The SDF had previously been allowed to escort only Japan-related ships, such as Japanese-registered and Japanese-operated vessels, and its use of weapons had been limited to legitimate self-defense.According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, SDF vessels escorted a total of 1,858 commercial ships in the waters of the Gulf of Aden off Somalia between July 28, 2009, and June 30, 2011, to protect them against pirate attacks under the Anti-Piracy Law.Of the 1,858 commercial ships escorted by the SDF vessels on 217 occasions during the ...

70,000 ship movements every year through the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden Oman is becoming a key hub for the private maritime security market as merchant shipping firms look for ways to combat the pirate scourge that threatens approximately 70,000 ship movements every year through the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.The Somali-based pirates have moved further eastwards in search of victims as international naval forces organised safe corridors of transit along the East African coastline and Gulf of Aden.Oman now finds itself on the front line in this modern re-enactment of an ancient mariners' problem, as newly formed private security firms begin to base themselves in ports adjoining the Indian Ocean.One such firm, Protection Vessels International (PVI), initially based themselves in Salalah, before moving to Muscat as the scope of the challenge has increased every year.Speaking in an exclusive interview with Muscat Daily, Simon Osborne, Business Development Director at PVI, said that they first arrived in Oman in 2008. "We are the largest maritime security company and started down in Salalah, which was then where the main threat was.""As the pirates expanded their operations so did we, as our customers and clients wanted protection further afield. So we ...

Major general Buster Howes OBE Piracy in the Indian Ocean continues unabated, despite the continued presence of multinational naval forces in the region. But, with more than 400 hostages and 18 vessels currently being held, and an increase in the use of lethal violence by pirates, the situation remains serious.Current head of the Royal Marines and Operation Commander of EUNAVFOR, Buster Howes discussed current piracy trends and how EUNAVFOR is seeking to counter the ongoing threat. While the drivers for piracy remain on land, the force has been tasked with limiting the effects of piracy on international commerce in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

South Korea to provide counter-piracy training The UAE has invited specialist naval forces from South Korea to provide counter-piracy training as part of efforts to boost its defences against the growing high-seas threat.About 10 underwater demolition troops will arrive in mid-July, supplementing 130 Korean "Ahk" special forces already stationed in Al Ain to provide antiterrorism training, said Col Romano Lee, the defence attache at the South Korean embassy in Abu Dhabi.South Korea successfully freed a ship from Somali pirates in January - an event that left an impression on the UAE, a South Korean defence official told the South Korean Yonhap news agency.In January, its navy commandos rescued the South Korean cargo ship Samho Jewellery, which had been hijacked in the Arabian Sea en route from the UAE to Sri Lanka.All 21 Samho Jewellery crew members survived, including the captain, though he suffered a serious gunshot wound. Eight pirates were killed, while five were captured and now face trial in South Korea.The announcement of the arrival of the 10 Korean troops' arrival comes just days after Abu Dhabi received a Turkish naval delegation to do exercises related to counter-piracy.South Korea and Turkey participate in a multinational counter-piracy group called the ...

The Obama administration is currently reviewing its policy against piracy The United States has pledged to help Tanzania in the war against piracy. The US secretary of State, Mrs Hilary Clinton, made the pledge during a co-press conference with his host, President Jakaya Kikwete, at the State House in Dar es Salaam yesterday.Her remarks came after President Kikwete informed her that lack of facilities such as navy ships that could fight the pirates in the deep water hindered Tanzania's crusade against piracy. President Kikwete said the country was considering talking to the US to see how it could help Tanzania fight piracy in the Indian Ocean.However, in her response, Mrs Clinton was non-committal and didn't specify if her country was ready to send the appropriate facilities to contain pirates who were operating from Somalia."The Obama administration is currently reviewing its policy against piracy. We will try to see what we have not been doing and what should be done in the future regarding piracy," she said. She added: "I cannot say precisely that we will give you the required navy ships because that will depend very much on the outcome of the review."Mrs Clinton also commended Tanzania for its efforts ...

Newsletter May 2011 EMSA issued Newsletter with the latest news for May 2011 including subjects as following:- Port reception facilities directive reviewed- Malta plays host to safeseanet and LRIT traing- Website makeover for EMSA- EMSA now training over 500 experts a year- EMSA-contracted vessels now on EU's MaratlasFor further information, press here.Source: EMSA

Anti-piracy efforts by Iran Iran's Navy is ready to provide protection for foreign ships that may be targeted by sea pirates in international waters, says Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari."We also help ships belonging to any foreign country that is ambushed by sea pirates and requests help in the region," Rear Admiral Sayyari said, quoted in an IRNA report on Friday."All Iranian and foreign ships that are under the escort of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy fleets, will safely pass through the region," he added.In line with international efforts against piracy, Iran's Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008.The Iranian Navy commander went on to say that Iran is among the countries that are independently carrying out anti-piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden and was one of the first countries to deploy fleets to the region to fight sea piracy."Iran's Navy fleets have escorted almost 1,000 Iranian commercials ships and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden... over the past two years," he noted, adding that during the same period, 30 cases of heavy clashes have occurred between Iran's Navy and sea pirates but no casualties or economic losses ...