Keith Blount News

Underestimating the security risk in the Indian Ocean could put ships in danger once again, says maritime security company MAST Ltd. “Whilst recent reports and incidents seem to be pointing to the Far East as the next piracy hotspot, the real security risk to shipping remains within the Indian Ocean, which is being ‘under-hyped’ by some commentators,” said Gerry Northwood OBE, COO of MAST. "It is clear that the level of maritime crime in the Far East is high, however in most cases…

Heroin from Afghanistan is increasingly trafficked through the Indian Ocean and more international action is needed to prosecute smugglers on the high seas, the United Nations anti-crime and drug body said on Tuesday. In the last 18 months, more than 4,200 kg of heroin have been seized in the Indian Ocean on the way to East Africa, Europe and North America, and quantities are rising, according to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a multinational maritime force that is seizing narcotics in the area. Most traffickers are let go after the drugs are thrown overboard, said Deputy Commander Keith Blount of CMF at a U.N. meeting in Vienna. National authorities often lack the right or capacity to make arrests outside their territorial waters.

The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP called on the UKMCC headquarters in order to meet personnel and receive briefings on the U.K.’s naval mission in the Gulf. He was accompanied throughout by Lieutenant General Simon Mayall CB, Defense Senior Advisor Middle East. Commenting on his visit, Hammond said, "The Royal Navy's continued presence in the Gulf is essential to ensuring maritime security and to protect freedom of navigation in this important region. The Secretary of State also met Vice Admiral John W Miller, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, during his visit.

Attendees at the IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessels Middle East 2013 conference agree that what happens at sea in the Arabian Gulf and the Middle East has implications that ripple, or more correctly rumble throughout the globe. Speakers and panelists underscored the importance of maritime domain awareness and security for military, commercial, legal and environmental reasons, and how they are all connected. The IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessel conference at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi is being attended by naval, coast guard, security, and other maritime and military professionals.

As policy leaders wrapped up the Manama Dialog, an international security conference in Bahrain, maritime and naval leaders commenced their meetings in Abu Dhabi to discuss practical implementation of those policies and improving abilities of nations and partners to meet growing challenges to maritime security, safety and sovereignty. The IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessel conference at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi is being attended by naval, coast guard, security, and other maritime and military professionals.

At the recent Arabian Gulf Naval Commanders (GCC) conference in Abu Dahbi regional issues were discussed against a background understanding that the location of the Gulf creates a number of security challenges in the maritime domain, including the disruption of the flow of goods & services and piracy attacks, reports 'The National'. Navy commanders pointed out that as globalisation and the importance of the sea for world trade increases, and as the region is a hub of international commerce, the security of oil supplies has become a common concern for nations.

In September 2011, as the monsoon began to blow itself out, there were grave warnings from a number of sources and analysts that the shipping industry could expect to see a significant surge in pirate activity as conditions in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean became more favorable. But as conditions cleared, the anticipated increase in pirate activity failed to materialize, to the surprise of many in the industry. This was all the more remarkable given the business model of Somali pirates…

As the NATO and EU NAVFOR operations Ocean Shield and Atalanta continue their work in the Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Red Sea areas, one could easily be forgiven for thinking, well, that’s that. Tough luck, pirates, the world is on to you. Sadly, as anyone involved in international shipping knows, that is very far from the truth. The fact is that the areas patrolled by the world’s navies are vast and the chance of early interdiction of a pirate skiff or mothership by a naval vessel is small. In the risk versus reward world of the pirate, it’s a virtual no-brainer.