Tag: security measures

Focusing on maritime security issues Clarion Events announced the launch of its inaugural Maritime Security and Surveillance conference, which will address a variety of issues focusing on developing strategies to maximise coastal security, combatting piracy and other crimes at sea, enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and improving harbor and port security by driving multilateral cooperation and capacity building based procurement.To be held at the Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the Maritime Security and Surveillance conference will take place from 29 - 31 January 2011.According to Dryad Maritime Intelligence, an estimated $150m was paid in ransoms for ships, cargoes and crews to pirate gangs in 2010 and a record of 1,181 seafarers were kidnapped.Efthimios E Mitropoulos, Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), stated that piracy costs the world economy between $7bn to $12bn annually.Joanna Edwards, Portfolio Director, Clarion Events Middle East, said: "The Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) is taking threats seriously and has invested significantly in defense and security. In 2010, Forecast International estimated that $68.3bn was invested by the GCC in defense and security technologies. The same report predicts this investment will grow to $82.5bn by 2015. The Maritime Security and Surveillance conference ...

However, the ministry is capable of carrying out such an operation Contrary to media reports, the Navy has no immediate plans to send a patrol fleet to the Indian Ocean to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the pirate-infested area, a defence ministry official said Monday.However, although it is not on the cards at the moment, the ministry is capable of carrying out such an operation and is well prepared, Deputy Defence Minister Chao Shih-chang said. Chao was responding to recent reports that Taiwan planned to deploy a fleet to the Indian Ocean sometime this month to protect Taiwanese fishing vessels from attacks by Somali pirates.The action was being taken based on a directive from the National Security Council (NSC), the reports said. However, Chao said in a legislative session that the information was false. The military carries out NSC directives in line with government policies and in collaboration with relevant agencies, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on issues such as dispatching flotillas to protect deep-sea fishing vessels and crewmembers, he said.The issue of whether to send a Navy fleet to the Indian Ocean surfaced after incidents of Taiwanese fishing boats being hijacked by Somali pirates in the region ...

The new contract will require private security firms offering armed guards With the increasing use of armed guards on ships and the fear that second-rate security firms may take advantage of the piracy situation, BIMCO is forging ahead with the development of a standard contract for the employment of armed guards.The new contract, which will be drafted by a team of experts of shipowners, lawyers and underwriters, and with the assistance of the International Group of P&I Clubs, will require private security firms offering armed guards to follow the IMO Guidelines for owners on the used privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships (MSC Circular 1405).Of major importance is ensuring that security contractors have in place proper and sufficient public and employers' liability insurance - which is a concern recently raised by the International Group of P&I Clubs. While much of the new BIMCO contract will deal with operational aspects of employing armed security guards, issues of liability and responsibility will be of prime importance.New private maritime security firms are springing up almost daily to meet shipowners' growing demands for their services for vessels operating in high risk areas.It is very important that this new sector is regulated and ...

Indian Ocean in the spotlight The past week saw a number of discussions, in different forums, that turned the spotlight on the Indian Ocean and its strategic importance for countries in the region as well as outside. Coincidentally, it appears. Here in Sri Lanka there was the 'Galle Dialogue,' a two-day international conference on maritime security organised by the Ministry of Defence and the Sri Lanka Navy.A talk held in Colombo on Thursday at the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies as part of the India-Sri Lanka Foundation's inaugural lecture series, also dealt with related issues. On the topic of "India and Sri Lanka and the Asian resurgence," the speaker, former Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran drew attention to the shift in the centre of gravity in the global economy towards India and the Pacific.In his presentation at the Galle Dialog, the US delegate Robert M. Scher, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for South and Southeast Asian Affairs, remarked on the increased importance that US policymakers assigned to the Indian Ocean.He said it "now surpassed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as the "world's busiest and most critical trade corridor." Parts of the speech seemed to reflect the influence of Robert D. ...

The industry can no longer rely on the speed and height of LNG tankers Gas shippers must tackle growing threats to trade as naval containment of piracy falters and surging global demand spurs traffic through high-risk waterways, the general manager of Yemen's liquefaction plant said."There have been incidents when pirates have boarded LNG carriers steaming at 20 knots with high freeboard," Yemen LNG's Francois Rafin told delegates at a conference in Rome."The industry can no longer rely on the speed and height of LNG tankers," he added.LNG tankers are faster and sit higher in the water, known as freeboard, than other tankers, discouraging hijack attempts because of the added difficulties in gaining access.Last year in the South China Sea six pirates armed with knives robbed the crew of a Qatari tanker carrying 216,000 cubic meters of fuel, without causing delays to delivery, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Report 2011.Rafin said some shippers had even imposed no-go areas in order to avoid trouble, adding that private armed guards are being used when naval escorts are not available.Shipowners have confirmed using private armed guards in the last year as they struggle to protect trade as piracy escalates, they said.Tanker traffic ...

Says Union Minister of Shipping G.K. Vasan Union Minister of Shipping G.K. Vasan said his ministry is closely monitoring incidents of piracy through the Director General of Shipping, in close coordination with the Navy, Defence and External Affairs ministries.Addressing the international seminar on "Towards Sustainable Shipping" organised by Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers here, Vasan said: "One of the main and most serious threats to shipping is in the form of piracy off the coast of Somalia. A large area of the Arabian Sea has been affected by this threat thereby pushing up the cost of freight carried through this critical shipping corridor." asan disclosed that the Government has also issued guidelines on providing of armed guards on board merchant ships to deter pirate attacks.Regarding Government's efforts towards handling shipping accidents he said: "While shipping is seen to be an eco-friendly mode of transport compared to road and rail, there is further scope of improvement in controlling noxious emissions while ships are at sea and in port.""The Government has put in place a legal framework to handle shipping accidents by acceding to two international conventions, that is, the Wreck Removal Convention and the Protocol to the Convention on Limited Liability for ...

The countries have signed the historic Nineteen countries from three continents in the Indian Ocean region have announced strategic measures against the growing level of piracy off the Horn of Africa, which poses a threat to international and regional navigation, maritime commerce and the safety of sea farers.The countries stretching from South Africa in the west to Australia in the east have signed in the historic "Bengaluru Communique" (Banagalore Declaration) made at the 11th Council of Ministers (CoM) meeting of Indo-Ocean RIM Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC), which concluded in India's IT hub on Tuesday.According to the Communique, the member countries will fully support the international efforts to at the UN and the several initiatives at the regional level, a swell as the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which is co-ordinating anti-piracy efforts.India has assumed the chair of IOR-ARC for the next two years, while Australia has succeeded India as the vice-chair of the association, members of which agreed for mutual understandings to share common interests, best practices and measures to preserve the peace and safeguard the future of the Indian Ocean region.Republic of Seychelles joined the Indian Ocean RIM family at this summit, in which ...

Council of the European Union adopted various conclusions relating to Somalia The Council of the European Union (EU) issued a press release stating that the Council adopted various conclusions relating to Somalia.Among these was an appeal to Somali stakeholders to implement agreed tasks including development and implementation of an effective maritime security and counter-piracy policy.For more information, click here.Source: EU News

Says South Africa's Deputy Minister of International Relations, Ebrahim Ebrahim A common approach is needed among Indian Ocean Rim countries to combat challenges relating to maritime transport safety and security, says South Africa's Deputy Minister of International Relations, Ebrahim Ebrahim.Speaking at the 11th Council of Ministers meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Co-operation (IOR-ARC) here Tuesday, he said Indian Ocean Rim countries should continue to provide impetus to develop such exchanges among member states to improve the situation.Ebrahim said South Africa was keen to work with India and Australia, as well as the other member states of the IOR-ARC, in their quest to take the association forward, with the view to consolidating and deepening exchanges among member states."Our government will work to ensure that South Africa continues to relate to the Indian Ocean Rim as well as traditional and new partners in a manner that best supports our future growth trajectory," he added."Our development process requires special policies and measures considering developmental challenges such as unemployment and income disparity both within South Africa and our region."Ebrahim mentioned that the South African Development community (SADC) region had already developed a Maritime Anti-Piracy Strategy which was aligned to United ...

In Bight of Benin, Gulf of Benin and Gulf of Giunea The threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has continued to grow. New cases of piracy and armed robbery aboard vessels along the West African coast are being regularly reported,Due to the continuous increase in the number and intensity of piracy, robbery and armed attacks against ships operating in coastal waters and calling the ports in Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Cameroon, ships are advised to implement increased security measures and operational precautions.It is advisable to ensure that the transit along shipping routes between Ghana and Nigeria, as well as to the south toward Cameroon and Angola, is well planned and supported by adequate security. Vigilance, crew preparation, watch rotations and other relevant security measures are all recommended when approaching ports in this region.The Administration recommends owners, operators and Master's implement the following procedures to further enhance the security and piracy deterrence in addition to the procedures required by setting the MANDATORY SECURITY LEVEL 2 for all Liberian flagged vessels when calling on ports, and operating in the coastal waters of Togo, Benin, Nigeria andCameroon.The increase to Security Level II will remain in effect until further notice.Ships arriving in ...