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.
The UK P&I Club informs operators that during the recent XIX Party Congress in Beijing, the local authorities in China implemented enhanced security measures at all ports.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ meeting, held in Clark, Philippines, this week, focused on the importance of high-level discussions of strategic defense and security matters, including North Korea, terrorism and maritime security.
As part of Australia’s and the Philippines’ cooperation, defense forces will also work together to strengthen intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the southern Philippines, as well as enhancing maritime security engagement and maritime patrols between the two countries.
As navigation and propulsion systems on board ships and offshore units become increasingly dependent upon computer technology, the threat of cyber attack has emerged as a significant exposure. In a recent article, Standard Club outlines how standard P&I cover operates in respect of shipboard cyber risks.
Immigration Authorities boarded a non-Chinese flag ship alongside in Ningbo and asked the entire crew to surrender their mobile phones, content of which was uploaded to authorities’ laptop for inspection, West of Engalnd P&I Club informed citing the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.
The battle occurring in the southern Philippine city of Marawi between supporters of Islamic State and the Philippine’s government, has raised many fears for piracy, kidnapping and terrorism. SQE MARINE consulting company informs about the new security transit corridors which have been set in the aforementioned areas.
