Tag: maritime security

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.

In a new report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GOA) recommends that the U.S. Navy should take further measures in order to improve training quality. In fact, with the aim to improve ship-driving skills, the Navy has added classroom and simulator training for the Surface Warfare Officers who drive these ships, since 2017, when ship collisions resulted in the loss of 17 sailors’ lives as well as significant damage to Navy ships.

Four Nigerian and Liberian stowaways were convicted from a UK court for the crime of affray for supposedly throwing fecal matter and threatening the crew of the Grimaldi con/ro Grande Tema last year. The defendants were cleared of the more serious charge of attempted hijacking. 

The Swedish Club has launched a new edition of Navigational Claims, aiming to provide an insight into the causes of incidents such as containers tumbling into the sea and environmental damage, further offering comprehensive loss prevention advice in order to avoid them.

Nautilus International issued the Nautilus Manifesto for the UK election 2019 for safeguarding the British maritime sector in terms of UK seafarers, British shipping, maritime safety and defense. Nautilus stresses that “if the UK is to retain a shipping industry that sustains the country’s global trading requirements and underpins the nation’s continued global lead as a maritime services center, much more needs to be done,” adding that "Britain needs ships and seafarers – perhaps more now than ever before. We live in a complex global economy and maritime trade is of fundamental importance."

The US Navy stated that on Tuesday, November 19, the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG) completed a scheduled transit through the Strait of Hormuz and into the Arabian Gulf.

Nautilus International has welcomed a reduction in risk levels by the UK for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Namely, on November 7 the Warlike Operations Area Committee (WOAC) agreed to downgrade the Strait of Hormuz from a High-Risk Area.

The US Central Command announced the opening of Coalition Task Force (CTF) Sentinel’s new command center at Naval Support Activity, Bahrain, on November 7. The new coalition aims to "ensure freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce in international waters throughout the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Oman."

The tension in the Strait of Hormuz over the last months continues to pose serious threats to commercial vessels. Today, Thursday, November 7, a UK Chamber of Shipping spokesperson called for a de-escalation of tension in the Strait of Hormuz, adding that UK flagged ships will soon transit the area without close Royal Naval protection. 

Last week, IMO organized a regional training course on non-SOLAS ship inspections in San Salvador, El Salvador, aiming to help in enhancing safety of such ships in the region of Central and South America. Participants coming from Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua attended the training on how to combine national criteria on maritime safety, security and further on how to prevent pollution.