Counterterrorism News

The United States on Thursday imposed new Iran-related counterterrorism sanctions against Oceanlink Maritime DMCC and its vessels, citing its role in shipping commodities on behalf of the Iranian military.The United States is using financial sanctions to isolate Iran and disrupt its ability to fund its proxy groups and support Russia's war in Ukraine, the Treasury Department said. The United Arab Emirates-based Oceanlink operates a fleet of more than a dozen vessels deeply involved in shipping Iranian commodities, Treasury said.The U.S.

The U.S. Navy will for the first time reward individuals for providing information that leads to the seizure of illicit cargos such as illegal weapons or narcotics in waters across the Middle East, it said on Tuesday.The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), which is headquartered in Bahrain and covers strategic waterways such as the Suez Canal and Strait of Hormuz, said the rewards could be in cash or items such as boats."NAVCENT could potentially reward a maximum $100,000 payout for information or non-lethal assistance that supports counterterrorism operations or leads U.S.

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…

The United States on Monday imposed fresh Iran-related sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic's oil sector, including the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum, in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Tehran.The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it was slapping sanctions on key actors in Iran's oil sector for supporting the Quds Force, the elite foreign paramilitary and espionage arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."The regime in Iran uses the petroleum sector to fund the destabilizing activities of the IRGC-QF…

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is not taking appropriate steps to review and assess potential maritime terrorism risks facing U.S. sea ports, the Justice Department's internal watchdog has found.The audit, released on Thursday by Inspector General Michael Horowitz, found that while top FBI officials believe the country faces a low maritime terrorism threat, that view is actually based on "incomplete and potentially inaccurate information."Moreover, the audit found that the FBI had not conducted its own formal assessment of the matter.In a letter to Horowitz dated Aug.

MarineNews showcases the ten best of North America’s 2018 workboat deliveries. Domestic shipyard production is robust, innovative and getting greener. And, that translates into two kinds of ‘green.’As the domestic offshore energy support sector slowly awakens, other sectors have been happy to take the spotlight in its absence. As always, and if a hull was delivered in 2018, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For my part, I’m always excited when the U.S. boatbuilding sector can deliver for a foreign buyer. We’ve checked that box here. And, that’s because we can compete on price, quality and when we do…

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.

Following a visit aboard Philippine naval ship BRP Gregorio Del Pilar on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama said the American government plans to transfer two ships to the Philippine Navy, bolstering what Obama called an “ironclad commitment” to the defense of treaty ally the Philippines. Obama said the two vessels – a Hamilton-Class Coast Guard Cutter and research ship – are part of the U.S. effort to increase maritime security assistance to its allies in the Asia-Pacific region, where tensions with China have heated up over recent years.

Recently, The Namibian reported the existence of a "confidential letter from Namibia's ambassador to China, Ringo Abed, to Namibia's foreign minister stating that 'a Chinese delegation will visit Namibia ... for discussions ... The reports say that Beijing has told Namibian diplomats that a "Chinese naval presence will deter any would-be illegal trawlers and smugglers.”  China's Indian Ocean-based "string of pearls" naval base strategy to protect the country's 21st Century vision of a "maritime silk road" looks like it may now extend all the way to the South Atlantic. China’s annual trade with Africa soared 11-fold in the decade to 2013, exceeding $200 billion, and the country’s companies have invested on the continent.

The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state members have agreed to set up a joint maritime security force and enhance cooperation in naval operations in response to increasing regional maritime conflict, according to reports in local media. A joint naval exercise would begin in the UAE on Monday and run until Thursday as a first step towards a unified command system to be used in emergencies, a GCC statement said. The exercise would help raise the level of GCC’s preparedness, combat efficiency and cooperation. Saudi Arabia is participating in the GCC exercise with a number of naval units, boats, special naval security units and Super Puma aircraft.

Exelis say they have received a $32 million, 5-year IDIQ (indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity) award to supply airborne surveillance radars, spares, support equipment and technical services to the U.S. Coast Guard. The company explains that integrated on the U.S. Coast Guard’s HC-130J Super Hercules long-range surveillance aircraft, the AN/APY-11 multimode radar is designed to support the service’s maritime reconnaissance mission, which includes long-range surveillance, search and rescue, drug interdiction, counterterrorism and maritime environmental support.

A Change of Command Ceremony is scheduled for U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton at Coast Guard Island, Alameda, Calif., Thursday, at 10:30 a.m. During the ceremony Capt. Andrew M. Sugimoto will relieve Capt. Charles L. Cashin III, as Stratton’s commanding officer. Vice Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, Commander, Pacific Area and Defense Forces West, will preside over the ceremony. Cashin is a native of Chelmsford, Mass., and has served aboard seven cutters, commanding three of them. He is a 1988 graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

Security Dynamics LLC, a global security and risk management advisory firm, added three new Senior Advisors to its team of Subject Matter Experts. The news was announced by Kim E. Petersen, the firm’s Chairman and President. The new Senior Advisors will compliment Security Dynamics’ current team of experts bringing with them decades of career experience in intelligence, homeland security, infrastructure protection, intermodal transportation security and law enforcement training.

In response to dangerous and escalating terrorist threats directed at both the private and public sectors, Security Dynamics LLC – a counterterrorism and risk management consultancy – is expanding in size and scope, according to Chairman and President Kim E. Petersen. The Florida-based firm's enhanced focus will include intermodal transportation, energy and petrochemical facilities, hotels and the hospitality industry, and schools and universities. Security Dynamics LLC, a strategic security and risk management advisory firm renowned for its team of counterterrorism and risk management experts, is increasing its global scope of operations in response to rapidly evolving terrorist and criminal threats, it was announced today by Kim E. Petersen, the firm’s Chairman and President.

The Navy's fifth littoral combat ship (LCS), 'Milwaukee', the first to benefit from high-power density waterjets. The product of an Office of Naval Research (ONR) Future Naval Capabilities (FNC) program, the waterjets arrived last month at the Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, where Milwaukee (LCS 5) is under construction. Developed by Rolls-Royce Naval Marine in Walpole, Mass., in collaboration with ONR and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, the new Axial-Flow Waterjet Mk-1 can move nearly half a million gallons of seawater per minute…

Leveraging on its USN Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) experience, Lockheed Martin offers a Multi-Mission Combatant for navies worldwide. With two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) currently in the U.S. Navy fleet, two more in production and two others under contract, Lockheed Martin is leveraging experience gained through the LCS program to offer a Multi-Mission Combatant for navies worldwide. The Multi-Mission Combatant is an agile, modular vessel capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots. It provides the power of a larger platform with a smaller crew, similar to the core 40 sailors the U.S.

The man accused of being the negotiator for the ransom of four U.S. citizens held hostage on the high seas has been indicted for his alleged role in successfully extracting a ransom for a separate vessel and 22 hostages held by Somali pirates. Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office; and Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement. “Mr. Shibin is alleged to be among the select few who are entrusted with one of the most important tasks in Somali piracy – ensuring a ship’s owners pay the maximum amount of ransom possible for the release of a hijacked vessel,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride.

ADM Robert J. Subcommittee. capabilities. For more than 220 years, the U.S. Coast Guard has safeguarded the nation’s maritime interests and natural resources on our rivers and ports, in the coastal regions, on the high seas, and around the world. The Coast Guard saves those in peril and protects the nation’s maritime border, marine transportation system, natural resources, and the environment. Coast Guard men and women – active duty, reserve, civilian and auxiliarists alike – deliver premier service to the public. military force of maritime professionals whose broad legal authorities, assets, geographic diversity, and expansive partnerships provide a persistent presence in the inland waters, ports, coastal regions, and far offshore areas of operations.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and VeriTainer Corporation have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The CRADA will be used to refine and enhance VeriTainer’s patented crane mounted scanning (CMS) technology. The CRADA will be in place for three-and-a-half years and require approximately $4m in funding. LLNL will work in cooperation with VeriTainer’s scientists and engineers to enhance both gamma and neutron detection sensitivity, while maintaining the capabilities of VeriTainer’s CMS. The system has been operated for the past four years in field tests run at three ports and in five different terminals.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard announced Thursday publication in the Federal Register of an outer continental shelf notice of arrival rule designed to enhance maritime domain awareness over outer continental shelf activities. This final rule enhances maritime security and safety by requiring U.S. and foreign vessels, floating facilities and mobile offshore drilling units arriving on and engaging in outer continental shelf activities to report their arrival time and location and information regarding the vessels' voyage, cargo, crew and vessel information. The outer continental shelf includes all submerged lands seaward and outside of the area of lands beneath navigable waters and of which the subsoil and seabed are subject to the jurisdiction and control of the U.S.

Ali Mohamed Ali, 48, has been indicted for conspiracy to commit piracy and other charges that allege he acted as a negotiator on behalf of Somali pirates during the takeover of a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Ali, also known as Ismail Ali or Ahmed Ali Adan, had been residing in Somalia. He was arrested on April 20, 2011 at Dulles International Airport. He is scheduled to make his initial appearance April 26, 2011 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The indictment, returned  April 15…

A Liberian-flagged very large crude tanker, Sirius Star, was attacked more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, Nov. 15. The ship is owned by the Saudi Arabian-based Saudi Aramco and is operated by Vela International. The crew of 25 includes citizens of: Croatia, Great Britain, Republic of the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia. This attack comes amid a decrease in the rate of successful pirate attacks on merchant vessels off the coast of Somalia. Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) data analysis has shown that the combination of both military and civilian involvement in the area has reduced the percentage of successful piracy attacks from 53 percent in August to 31 percent in October.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and VeriTainer Corporation have entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). The CRADA will be used to refine and enhance VeriTainer’s patented crane mounted scanning (CMS) technology. The CRADA will be in place for three-and-a-half years and require approximately $4m in funding. LLNL will work in cooperation with VeriTainer’s scientists and engineers to enhance both gamma and neutron detection sensitivity, while maintaining the capabilities of VeriTainer’s CMS. The system has been operated for the past four years in field tests run at three ports and in five different terminals.