Home Affairs News

The Australian government on Sunday described as "serious and ongoing" a cybersecurity incident that forced ports operator DP World Australia to suspend operations at ports in several states since Friday.DP World Australia, which manages nearly half of the goods that flow in and out of the country, said it was looking into possible data breaches as well as testing systems "crucial for the resumption of normal operations and regular freight movement".The breach halted operations at the containers terminals in Melbourne…

As Europe turns to renewable sources to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil and gas, a peaceful marine scene conceals a billion-dollar security headache.Rising above the Baltic Sea less than 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Denmark, 161 wind turbines spin slowly. They supply around 4% of the country's power, sent to shore through two cable connections.The turbines have no barriers or surveillance."Our technicians are only here until five o'clock in the afternoon, then they go home…

A Chinese intelligence ship was tracked off Australia's west coast within 50 nautical miles of a sensitive defense facility, Australia said on Friday, raising concern amid an election campaign about China's behavior in the region.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Chinese navy vessel was not in Australian territorial waters but its presence was "concerning"."It is clearly an intelligence ship and they are looking at us and we're keeping a close eye on them," he told reporters.Australia…

Australia on Tuesday said it would lift its entry ban for international cruise ships next month, effectively ending all major COVID-related travel bans after two years and boosting a tourism industry hit hard by the pandemic restrictions.Australia banned the entry of cruise ships in March 2020, when they were the source of about 20% of Australia's early coronavirus infections. The vessels became a flashpoint in its pandemic response after symptomatic passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney…

A new examination of the wreck of the ferry Estonia, which sank in the Baltic in 1994 with the loss of 852 lives, will be possible from the summer when a change to Swedish law comes into force, news agency TT reported on Thursday.The official investigation concluded in 1997 that the roll-on, roll-off ferry’s bow shield had failed, damaging the bow ramp and flooding the car deck.But a recent television documentary renewed speculation about the cause of the disaster and prompted…

Sweden said on Friday it would allow an underwater examination of the ferry Estonia, which sank in the Baltic 26 years ago with the loss of 852 lives, after a documentary film showed previously unknown holes in the wreck's hull. The official investigation concluded in 1997 that the roll-on, roll-off ferry's bow shield had failed, damaging the bow ramp and flooding the car deck.However, a Discovery Network documentary shown earlier in the autumn about the disaster included new…

The inquiry commissioned by the Berejiklian government into the Ruby Princess COVID-19 disaster has laid blame on NSW health officials, who made “inexcusable” and “inexplicable” mistakes. It also exonerated the Australian Border Force.In the report, the federal government was sharply criticized for refusing to allow an official to appear before the inquiry, with commissioner Bret Walker SC saying this belied Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s promise of full cooperation.Some 2,700…

Kongsberg Digital (KDI) delivered its first K-Sim Fast Craft simulators to the Singapore Police Coast Guard (SPCG) Training Center in Singapore.Unveiled at an official opening at the center previously this year, the four installed simulators reproduce a variety of high-speed vessel types and are supplied under the terms of a landmark contract with the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs.The simulator is first of its kind in enabling realistic vessel simulation at speeds exceeding 50 knots and integrates with an advanced eye-tracking system in addition to weapons capabilities.

Australia is pushing foreign-flagged cruise ships to leave its territorial waters amid the coronavirus pandemic, walking a diplomatic tightrope as it also tries to bring home citizens trapped on ships abroad.Western Australia state Premier Mark McGowan on Wednesday called on the federal government to kick out the German-owned MV Artania after the crew was reported to have asked the Australian Border Force (ABF) for permission to stay until April 14.“If what’s required is to clean the ship as a condition of getting it underway, well then do that ...

The European Union Council officially adopted the Commission's proposal to reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard, an agency that will acquire its own equipment, such as vessels, planes and vehicles, a will have a standing corps of 10,000 border guards. The move was announced to respond to the challenges facing Europe in managing migration and its external borders.“Today the European Union has achieved an ambitious task of transforming the EU border agency, Frontex, into a fully-fledged European Border and Coast Guard.

A family of six elephants were loaded aboard the freighter El Nino in the port of Walvis Bay and is destined for an upmarket tourism Game Park in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)."This is the first time a consignment of such magnitude involving adult elephants is leaving the country and will definitely not be the last as this was a trial run to guarantee that future exportations are conducted smoothly, said a press release from Namport, operating as the National Port Authority in Namibia, manages both the Port of Walvis Bay and the Port of Lüderitz in Namibia.On the safety of the animals during the transhipment, Dr Ulf Tubbesing…

The Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) has secured an order for providing classification services for nine floating border out posts (FBOPs) and 36 patrol boats of the Border Security Force (BSF).IRClass, a 'Preferred Partner' to the Indian Navy, has considerably increased the range of its services to Ministry of Home Affairs in classing and certifying water crafts for paramilitary forces.The Ministry, in turn, has reciprocated by stipulating that the FBOPs, besides being built to IRClass rules, are also maintained in class for 13 years after delivery. In addition, the scope of inspection services ordered on IRClass for these vessels extends well beyond standard class requirements.The FBOPs are self-propelled and are equipped with navigation…

ST Engineering has announced that its Marine arm has won $560m worth of new contracts in the last quarter of 2018. Fast Patrol Boats For the Singapore Police Coast GuardThe Ministry of Home Affairs has awarded ST Engineering a contract for the design, construction and maintenance of Fast Patrol Boats for the Singapore Police Coast Guard. Construction of the boats is expected to commence in mid-2019.145 MW Floating Power BargeST Engineering and Siemens have jointly received an order for a SCC-800 2X1C SeaFloat barge-mounted power plant from Seaboard Corporation subsidiary Transcontinental Capital Corporation (Bermuda) Ltd., an Independent Power Producer with operation in Dominican Republic.Under a turnkey plug and play concept…

Kongsberg has landed its largest ever simulator contract in a SGD 21.2 million ($15.4 million) deal with the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs. The contract, executed by Kongsberg Digital Maritime Simulation, will see the delivery in Q1 2020 of four advanced K-Sim Tactical Boat Handling and Firing Simulators with a 10 year comprehensive maintenance agreement to the Singapore Police Coast Guard.The new simulator facility is being established to provide highly realistic Tactical Boat Handling and Fast Interception training for the Singapore Police Coast Guard.

A rescue operation in which an Italian towboat rescued more than 100 migrants and returned them to Libya earlier this week may have been in breach of international law, the United Nations said on Tuesday.A spokesman for the U.N. migration agency said it could not establish the location of the rescue, which is key to establishing migrants' rights, although some other parties involved in the case have made contradictory assertions about the incident including where it took place.The rescue coincides with a growing perception among human rights groups that some European countries are taking an increasingly hard line in their efforts to cut the number of migrants arriving on their shores…

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd announced that its Singapore shipyard, Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine) and its US shipyard, VT Halter Marine Inc (VT Halter Marine) have secured new contracts worth $138m in 4Q2016. In Singapore, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has awarded a contract to a consortium formed by ST Marine and Penguin International Limited (PIL) for the design, construct and the system maintenance programme for three vessels - Heavy Marine Fire Vessel (HMFV), Heavy Marine Rescue Vessel (HMRV) and Marine Rescue Vessel (MRV). The consortium allows both ST Marine and PIL to leverage on each other’s capabilities to provide a total package solution to MHA. Construction of the vessels is anticipated to commence in mid-2017 with delivery expected in 2H2019.

European Union law enforcement agency Europol has launched Joint Operational Team (JOT) Mare, in a bid to combat irregular migration through the Mediterranean Sea. Hosted at Europol headquarters in The Hague, JOT Mare will combine Europol’s intelligence resources and the EU Member States’ capabilities to carry out coordinated and intelligence-driven actions against the facilitators. According to Europol, organized criminal groups are actively facilitating the transport of irregular migrants and the groups have also been linked to human trafficking, drugs, firearms and terrorism. The influx of migrants via the Mediterranean Sea has been exponentially rising, with 220,000 migrants crossing in 2014.

A delegation of Bangladesh Coast Guard is on a two-day visit to Kolkata as part of the ongoing cooperation between the coast guards of the two neighbours, aimed at exploring avenues for common approach to maritime issues in the region, reports Economic Times. A release from the Coast Guard said that Rear Admiral Mohammad Makbul Hossain, Director General Bangladesh Coast Guard led the Bangladesh delegation comprising officials from Bangladesh Coast Guard and Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs during its two-day visit. The delegation visited the Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (North East) in Kolkata and interacted with Inspector General V.S.R. Murthy, Commander - Coast Guard Region.

Analysts say intelligent analytics could give firm an edge. A young Israeli technology company believes the expertise it has built up in tracking ships for governments and security agencies could help it break into the much larger market for providing information on seaborne commodities. Windward, founded just over five years ago by two former Israeli navy officers, plans to launch a maritime information service later this year for banks, investors and trading houses, its chief executive Ami Daniel told Reuters in an interview. About 90 percent of global trade is transported by sea, but there is little visibility on what ships are doing and what cargo they carry.

Ocean Mineral Singapore Pte Ltd (OMS) has entered into a 15-year exploration contract for polymetallic nodules at a site within the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone of the Pacific Ocean with the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Sponsored by the Singapore Government, OMS is the first Singaporean company to be awarded an exploration contract for polymetallic nodules. The contract signing ceremony took place between Mr Nii Allotey Odunton, Secretary-General of the ISA and Mr Ong Ye Kung, Director of OMS, and was witnessed by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Masagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos Mohamad, Minister, Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, as well as Ambassador Tommy Koh, Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large, and Mr Loh Chin Hua, CEO of Keppel Corporation.

Transnet National Ports Authority awarded the V&A Waterfront (Pty) Ltd the status of Preferred Bidder for the development of a cruise terminal at the Port of Cape Town, Transnet said on Tuesday. Once all negotiations are concluded, the V&A Waterfront will invest just under R179 million to finance, design, and develop the terminal. In addition, the agreement includes operation, maintenance and transfer of ownership of the facility back to TNPA after a period of 20 years. The facility will remain at E berth, Duncan Dock, in the Port of Cape Town. Once completed, it will be able to accommodate the port‟s current and future passenger vessel fleet. It is also envisaged that the upgraded facility will house value-added retail and hospitality services.

Fincantieri has been awarded the contract with the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) for the supply of four Italian Navy “Minerva” class corvettes to be upgraded and converted into Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), and to provide the related logistics support services. These units, which will be decommissioned by the Italian Navy and replaced by the new vessels covered by the fleet renewal program, have been remised by the Italian Navy through a reselling contract executed by the Central Unit for Naval Armament and Fincantieri. The last lowering of the flag of the first couple of vessels "Minerva" and "Sibilla" was held last 14 May in Augusta. Present at the ceremony the Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy, Admiral De Giorgi.

Fincantieri has delivered today at its shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia the first two units part of the supply contract of four Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), to the Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG), through the upgrading and conversion of the Minerva class corvettes, decommissioned by the Italian Navy. These are the Minerva and Sibilla vessels, renamed Syed Nazrul and Tajuddin, which have been retired from the national fleet in May 2015 and shortly after arrived at Fincantieri’s dock in Genova, where the upgrading and conversion activities started.