Maritime Security Issues News

Is neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea the answer to West Africa’s maritime crime crisis?In October 2020, China’s transport ministry established an ad hoc workgroup to lay down precautionary measures for ships and seafarers passing through high piracy risk West African waters.The move came as China told its vessels to up vigilance and implement a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of ocea-going vessels and seafarers amid rising attacks and a surge in kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea.Plans outlined by Wu Chungeng…

Suriname is the latest country to benefit from International Maritime Organization (IMO) maritime security training.Participants at a workshop in Paramaribo, Suriname (7-8 May) took part in table-top contingency planning exercises involving a variety of maritime security issues.The UN boday said that these included threats to cruise ships, border security issues involving ports, airports and land border crossing, as well as potential incidents involving proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and arms and drugs consignments.The main objective of the exercise was to encourage a multi-agency, whole of government approach to maritime and port facility security and related maritime law enforcement issues – with participants working to identify gaps in national procedures or legislation…

Signatory States to an agreement aimed at repressing piracy, armed robbery and illicit maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden Area have agreed that building response capability and information sharing are vital steps towards achieving a more safe and secure maritime environment. The signatories to the revised Code of Conduct concerning the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden Area, known as the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017, were meeting In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for a high level workshop (7-10 May) for all signatory States and States eligible to sign the Jeddah Amendment, donors and implementing partners.

The first in a series of regional maritime security courses, funded by the Government of Japan, has been held at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC). During a five-day workshop (22-26 April 2018), officials from 10 countries (Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa and United Republic of Tanzania)  were able to learn about and share ideas on best practices for maritime domain awareness, including measures to promote coordination and sharing of information at national level as the basis for effective regional cooperation. This is in line with the objectives of the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct…

As part of its continuing efforts to help African countries improve their maritime security capabilities, International Maritime Organization (IMO)  frequently works with other partners to help support their initiatives. The United States, for example, leads two major annual maritime security exercises in Africa and one of these, Cutlass Express, is underway now (Feb 2018). Cutlass Express puts special emphasis on encouraging different agencies and different countries to work together, as envisaged in existing frameworks such as the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) – a regional agreement against maritime crime in eastern Africa, the West Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, which IMO helped to establish.

BIMCO has appointed Philip Tinsley as its new Head of Maritime Security. Tinsley joined the association in 2015 and assumes his new position after the sad and untimely death of his colleague, Giles Noakes, earlier this year. Before joining BIMCO, Tinsley spent 31 years with the Royal Marine Commandos – an elite specialist unit of the British Royal Navy, where he reached the rank of Major. His time with the military included both coastal and shore-side operations on a global scale and warfighting, with a specialisation in cold weather warfare. Tinsley left the Royal Marines Commandos in 2010, and joined a global risk consultancy where he managed offshore security in the Indian Ocean high risk area in support of seismic operations, which included two Somali pirate attacks at sea.

European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA)'s Maritime Security Working Group recently had an exchange of views with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in Warsaw on maritime security issues. The Shipping industry is directly affected by challenges, such as migrants at sea. Whereas the number of migrants rescued from the sea has gone down from the peak-year of 2015, merchant vessels are still often involved in the Search and Rescue (SAR) operations in central, western and eastern Mediterranean. Concerning the “Operation Triton” of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, in 2016, out of all 1629 incidents, 4% involved merchant vessels assistance while in 2017 out of 470 so far the share is 12%.

A meeting in Singapore (11-12 January) has seen African and Asian countries join efforts to promote greater networking and communications across anti-piracy contact points in the two continents. Speaking at the meeting, International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Head of Maritime Security, Javier Yasnikouski, commended the initiative, saying that the efforts contribute directly to IMO’s work to raise awareness of maritime security issues that have an impact on international trade and the welfare of seafarers; and encourage a co-operative approach amongst IMO Member States and other partner organizations. The event was organized by the…

An international agreement that has been instrumental in repressing piracy and armed robbery against ships in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden has seen its scope significantly broadened to cover other illicit maritime activities, including human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. A high-level meeting of signatories to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (10 to 12 January 2017) has adopted a revised Code of Conduct, which will be known as the “Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017”. The participatory States agreed to work together, with support from IMO and other stakeholders…

The inaugural Meeting of Anti-Piracy Contact Points and Workshop on Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships involving participants from Africa and Asia was held in Singapore today. Organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC), the two-day meeting gathered about 20 participants to foster closer linkages amongst anti-piracy contact points to enable more effective information sharing and communication. Timely sharing and dissemination of information can often play a decisive role in deterring incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships.

A seminar looking at maritime security issues ranging from cyber security on board ships to piracy and illegal maritime activities concluded in Copenhagen (12-13 December). Industry security experts have concluded that maritime crime will not be stopped any time soon – and that cyber incidents would continue to expand in frequency and severity. This was the consensus at BIMCO’s first ever Maritime Security Seminar in Copenhagen. There was further consensus that regional instability in the Horn of Africa confirms the need to retain legacy systems such as the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) initiative to continue to deter piracy.

A project to provide a single display maritime surveillance system for Mozambique has been commissioned and handed over to the country’s Government in Maputo (1 December). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) -supported project is set to boost maritime situational awareness for all concerned agencies in Mozambique and enhance operational decision making and increase cooperation in dealing with maritime security issues. The project, funded through contribution by the Government of Japan to the Djibouti Code of Conduct Trust Fund, provides maritime surveillance systems including the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS)…

India and the U.S. held the first round of discussions under the recently-constituted maritime security dialogue between officials of Defence and External Affairs ministries and their U.S. counterparts. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Manpreet Anand and Vice Admiral Aucoin, Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet, met with their Indian counterparts from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defense to discuss strategic maritime security issues. “Among the issues discussed were Asia-Pacific maritime challenges, naval cooperation, and multilateral engagement,” the U.S. Embassy said. U.S.

India will join US and Japan conduct joint naval exercises in the northern waters of the Philippine Sea, an area close to the East and South China Seas where Beijing is locked in an increasingly tense standoff with other countries. The multinational maritime exercise in the strategically important South China Sea, which will also have the Japan, Russia, Australia and China along with other countries as participants. IANS quoted an official statement said it is part of the Indian Navy’s endeavour to "enhance maritime security in the Indo-Pacific". The exercise is a multinational exercise on maritime security and counterterrorism under the aegis of ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus, or ADMM Plus consortium. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Airavat has already reached Brunei.

An international agreement that has been instrumental in repressing piracy and armed robbery against ships in the western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden is set to significantly broaden its scope. Signatories to the Djibouti Code of Conduct have agreed to work toward extending its remit to address other illicit maritime activity that threatens safety and security in the region, such as marine terrorism, environmental crimes, human trafficking and Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

The United States and Japan have renewed vows to secure the Pacific region, including the Philippines, from maritime threats. In separate speeches during the celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) at Mt. Samat, Bataan yesterday, US Ambassador Philip Goldberg and Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa jointly pledged cooperation to secure the pacific region and the Philippines, notably against maritime threats. The former World War II enemies both vowed to uphold previous agreements with the Philippines in the face of new threats in the region, such as China’s expansion of outposts in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa said: "Our cooperation in maritime security issues based upon the rule of law is a good example.

There are calls for a new institution to manage Asia’s maritime disputes - a proposal for Maritime Organization for Security and Cooperation (AMOSC) is in the offing. Last year (2014) brought new tensions to the South China Sea, particularly as Chinese authorities sought to establish a series of island-like structures in the midst of the disputed Spratly Islands. Such provocative actions, however, are unlikely to generate sufficient political will among the other countries of the region to establish a Political-Security Community under the auspices of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) by the 2015 deadline. But were this collection of ten countries to pool their resources into a security community or even a security alliance…

The Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs returned from a visit to Fiji today, the first visit from a senior Australian military representative in some years. The visit was an important step towards re-establishing a substantive defence relationship between Australia and Fiji, and will form the basis of a new partnership between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF). This is the first time a senior ADF representative has visited the island nation since 2006, and was timely for both countries to discuss working together in the defence context. “I was pleased to have the opportunity to discuss broad priorities for defence cooperation with my Fijian counterparts…

With progress being made against piracy off Somalia, it seems that other maritime security issues are becoming top line issues for shipowners. The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), is a global focal point for maritime security matters, and is well placed to highlight the current maritime security concerns, those which are over the horizon and the initiatives which are being rolled out to counter the threats and mitigate the risks. While there has been a degree of containment of Indian Ocean piracy…

The UK economy is heavily exposed to lawlessness off the coast of Nigeria, a new report published today by the UK Chamber of Shipping says. The report found that almost all of the UK’s annual £6.3bn of trade with the region is put at risk by being moved through the high maritime crime region of the Gulf of Guinea, including 12% of the UK’s oil. Guy Platten, Chief Executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said: “This report sets out for the first time the economic threats of the regions’ lack of maritime security. “The lack of security in the region costs Nigeria £7.2bn a year in oil theft alone, which shows criminal activity is severely hampering the region’s potential for prosperity. Put simply, these countries will remain poor until their maritime security issues are tackled.

The United Kingdom Hydrographic Office's (UKHO) security charts are designed to protect against risks, including piracy. The two new Admiralty Maritime Security Charts, cover the waters around India and Southeast Asia, including the Malacca Straits. These paper charts provide a single point of reference for recording the most up-to-date security information and, taken together with the UKHO’s three existing security and piracy charts, create the world’s first suite of security planning charts. Admiralty Maritime Security Charts are designed to be used by ship personnel, shore-based managers and security specialists as a key voyage planning tool for recording the latest security-critical navigational information…

The current focus on armed support for vessels transiting high risk areas should not become the norm, GAC Solutions' Christer Sjödoff has told delegates from the shipping and offshore industries who gathered in London to debate long-term, effective ways to tackle the threat of sea crime. Speaking at the 'Lunch and Learn' event hosted by GAC Protective Solutions, Sjödoff said that sole reliance on private maritime security companies is not a long-term solution to maritime security threats around the world. GAC Protective Solutions - a strategic partnership between global shipping, logistics and marine services provider GAC and maritime intelligence agency AKE - detailed recent developments in sea crime across East and West Africa.

For the past several years, maritime security has been on everyone's mind. From the halls of Congress to the longshoremen working the midnight shift, the threat of a possible terrorist attack on the maritime interests of the United States and dealing with new security requirements have kept this topic on the front burner. While most in the maritime industry are relatively aware of the legislation that has been promulgated since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, new evolving legislation continues to be implemented. In this regard, the most recent legislation that addresses the continuing implementation of the maritime security regime is the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008, HR 2830 (the "Bill").