A Nigerian man suspected of kidnapping the crew of a Dutch cargo ship last year was arrested upon arrival at Schiphol airport in the Netherlands at around 10 a.m. on Thursday, December 5, after being extradited from South Africa.
Located in the far north of country, the Port of Pemba has recently assured stakeholders that it has undertaken all the necessary security measures in order to protect its facilities as has been granted the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Code by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
On Wednesday, December 4, India gifted the indigenously made patrol vessel CGS Kaamiyaabu to the Maldives National Defense Coast Guard, in order to enhance maritime security in the the Indian Ocean archipelago. It is said that the vessel will be manned by eight Maldives personnel which will be trained in India other than establishing maritime security in the region, it aims to foster its blue economy and safeguard its tourism industry. The initiatives were formally announced during the past year and were launched through a video conference, earlier this week.
In the wake of the recent security issues in the Gulf of Guinea, the Swedish Club presented a case study of a piracy attack onboard a laden product tanker while awaiting 20 miles outside a West African port in late night. In this case, pirates used a ladder to board the vessel from a small boat not detected on the radar.
The Secretary General of InterManager, Captain Kuba Szymanski, is calling everyone to sign a petition concerning the release of Captain Andrzej Lasota, who was arrested by Mexican authorities on Monday, August 5. Captain Andrzej Lasota was arrested for allegedly being unaware of the ship carrying prohibited substances to Mexico, placing the lives and health of the country’s citizens at risk.
Spanish Maritime Authorities refloated a sunken “narco-sub” smuggling vessel and detained 3.5 tonnes of cocaine from its interior, marking the first ever narco-sub to be caught in the EU, as this type of vessel is mostly common in the US.
Ship hardening measures are all physical security measures taken with the aim to improve vessel’s integrity in security threats which can be achieved through three defense layers; either with the implementation of operational measures (1st defense layer) i.e. watchkeeping, maneuvering, speed, armed security contractors, or with equipment related measures (2nd defense layer or with citadels onboard (3rd defense layer).
The Office of Port and Facility Compliance of the USCG has announced the publication of an enhanced report on the status and work completed by Area Maritime Security Committees (AMSCs) for 2018. In particular, the 43 AMSCs submit an annual report to the Office of Port and Facility Compliance (CG-FAC) detailing their activities and common issues relating to challenges, suggestions, accomplishments and best practices. This report then helps CG-FAC and other program offices to create national strategies to address mutual problems and emerging threats.
A European-led mission for protection of Gulf waters expected to operate soon will be hosted by a French naval base in UAE, France’s defense minister said on Sunday. The decision came in the wake of the subsequent tanker attacks earlier this year in the region which triggered global diplomatic tension.
Instead of relying on an ever-shifting number of rules and regulations which are in constant flux, ship managers should instead be looking at more permanent solutions to ensure maritime security, argued Steve Regis, COO, ARX Maritime, in a new article in the wake of the changing security environment in Nigeria.
