Tag: terrorism

Saudi Arabia announced a temporary halting of all oil shipments through the Red Sea shipping lane of Bab al-Mandeb, after Houthis attacked two Saudi Very Large Crude Carriers in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia may have proceeded to this move to persuade its Western allies that the Houthis are more dangerous than they think.

Saudi Arabia announced a temporary halting of all oil shipments through the Red Sea shipping lane of Bab al-Mandeb, after Houthis rebels attacked two Saudi Very Large Crude Carriers in the Red Sea on Wednesday morning, slightly damaging one of them, according to a statement by Minister Khalid al-Falih.

Regional conflict and piracy threats continue to pose potential risks to commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Indian Ocean, warned the US MARAD. US flagged commercial vessels are advised to avoid entering or loitering near Yemen’s Red Sea ports.

A workshop has taken place in Sri Lanka, Colombo, on 18-20 June, where maritime law experts and practitioners from around the world met to participate in two main sessions aimed at gathering State practice and interpretation information related to international legal instruments. 

Turkish shipping company Ince Shipping Group confirmed that the explosion onboard the bulk carrier 'Ince Inebolu' off the port of Saleef, Yemen, last week, was caused by a missile attack. The ship was anchored 70 miles off Saleef, just north of the port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea, and awaiting permission to offload cargo in the port. 

The Turkish bulk carrier 'Ince Inebolu' sustained an explosion, while anchored about 70 nm off the port of Hodeidah, Yemen, according to an official confirmation by Saudi coalition forces. The cause of the incident appears to be uncertain at the moment. The explosion seemed to have originated from the hull, as forces conducted a survey onboard and found an explosion from the inside to the outside

The ReCAAP ISC received information from Philippine Focal Point about the planned kidnapping by the members of Abu Sayyaf. The group will be  using a blue 3-Engine Speedboat and expected to be underway to Sabah within the next 24 hours. ReCAAP ISC urged for situational awareness to mariners operating in the area. 

Two Indonesian fishermen abducted by Abu Sayyaf terrorist group more than a year ago were released last Friday and were handed over from the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry to their families. The two men were kidnapped on 5 November 2016, while sailing in Malaysia's waters of Sabah.

OEF Research cites five ways in which criminal networks exploit inadequate governance at sea. By drugs trafficking, robbing countries of their offshore oil, controlling smuggling routes, launching assaults & exploiting archipelagos, they manage to undermine political stability around the world.

The Captain was taken hostage along with five more crew members, when 10 armed men, believed to relate with Abu Sayyaf group, boarded the vessel in November 2016, while underway off Basilan, in South Philippine sea, and abducted six of the 19 crew members onboard.