Tag: security measures

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

China will send five patrol vessels, adapted from merchant ships Starting next month, China and its Southeast Asian neighbors will begin sending armed patrols along the Mekong River, where 13 Chinese crew members were murdered this past month, the Ministry of Public Security said.China's contribution to the patrols will come from a special armed force established under the Yunnan Provincial Border Control Corps, Cheng Jun, the press officer from the ministry's border control bureau, said.Fang Youguo, secretary-general of the Lancang River Shipowners' Association of the autonomous prefecture Xishuangbanna, whose vessels use the Mekong River, which is called the Lancang River in China, said the force will consist of nearly 1,000 armed police officers.China will send five patrol vessels, adapted from merchant ships, along the waters of the Mekong River. Shipping on the waterway came to a standstill after the Chinese sailors were killed there on Oct 5. Commercial traffic is to resume on the river at the end of the month, Fang said.The Chinese patrol force will escort both Chinese ships and those that are under other flags, Yang Xi, the press officer from Yunnan Provincial Border Control Corps, said on Tuesday.Yang said China and its three partners in the ...

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - for maritime security and safety in the East Sea Delegates attending an international workshop in Ha Noi have underlined the role of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in curbing and managing threats to maritime security and safety in the East Sea.They shared the same view that disputes related to the East Sea were becoming more complicated as concerned parties had yet to find a common voice in efforts to settle differences.Tensions had escalated over the East Sea, the location of important shipping routes and large fisheries resources, as countries involved in territorial disputes had increased military spending to modernise their force, speakers at the workshop noted.They said UNCLOS could be applied to clarify sovereignty claims, thus restricting the seizure and construction of buildings in disputed areas and creating a legal basis for claims over territorial waters.The Law of the Sea should be considered an effective tool to protect interests among relevant sides and the most important basis for discussions. The relevant parties needed to strictly implement the UNCLOS in internal and external affairs related to the East Sea, the delegates said.Delegates and scholars ...

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 ...