West Indian Ocean News

International Maritime Organization (IMO)  is providing training to countries in the west Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden on managing insecurity in the maritime domain in a regional workshop at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (9-13 December).The countries are Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Tanzania, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, the Sudan and Yemen.It’s the latest in an ongoing series of capacity-building initiatives in the region, targeted at national focal points and key personnel in maritime security.Participants include officers from coast guards, marine police, navy and maritime administrations…

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.

The Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC) has been equipped with a modern computer-based training simulator as part of International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s efforts to promote maritime safety and security in the West Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. Equipment installation, funded through a contribution to the Djibouti Code of Conduct Trust Fund by the Kingdom of Denmark, has been completed and the first cohort of six Djibouti officers have been trained to operate it. The simulator training room consists of 11 trainee consoles and an instructor's work station. The package includes software for many modules such as Marine Communication, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and Search and Rescue (SAR).

A high-level workshop in Djibouti has seen an exchange of ideas on preventing a resurgence of piracy in the West Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, as well as addressing other transnational organized crimes at sea that threaten the security of navigation. The event (29 October) was hosted at the Djibouti Regional Training Centre, which is part-funded by International Maritime Organization (IMO) and supports implementation of the Djibouti Code of Conduct – the international treaty that has been instrumental in repressing piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region. Co-hosted by Japan and France, the workshop was attended by Ambassadors from France…

Royal Australian Navy will commission the first of three new destroyers today (On 23 September). In continuing our reflective stories of previous ships that have carried the name HMAS Hobart, this is the story of Hobart (II). The second ship to bear the name Hobart was one of three Perth class guided missile destroyers built in the United States for the Royal Australian Navy. She was commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 18 December 1965 under the command of Captain Guy Griffiths. Following sea trials and exercises in the United States and Canadian waters, Hobart arrived in her namesake city on 1 September 1966. She berthed in her home-port of Sydney for the first time on 7 September 1966.

Maritime forces from East Africa, West Indian Ocean nations, Europe and the United States, as well as several international organizations, will begin the sixth iteration of the annual multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express, Jan. 31. Cutlass Express 2017, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF), is designed to assess and improve combined maritime law enforcement capacity and promote national and regional security in East Africa, inform planning and operations. • Cutlass Express 2017 (CE17) will test participating nations’ ability to respond to illicit trafficking, piracy, illegal fishing, and search and rescue situations.

​Merchant shipping should continue to take protective measures against possible piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean through diligent application of International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidance and Best Management Practices (BMPs). IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and Operation Commander Major General Rob Magowan of the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta, which operates off the coast of Somalia, reiterated this key message when they met at IMO Headquarters in London on 6 October. The two agreed that naval forces are still very much required in the West Indian Ocean to help prevent a possible resurgence of piracy and Lim welcomed the extension of the Operation Atalanta counter-piracy mandate to the end of 2018.

The construction of the Djibouti Regional Training Centre (DRTC) in Doraleh, Djibouti is moving forward in earnest, with a view to completion by the end of September 2015, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said. IMO’s Chris Trelawny and  Kiruja Micheni made a site visit Tuesday, July 7, accompanied by Said Nouh Hassan,  Secretary-General of the Ministry of Equipment and Transport, Djibouti. During the visit to Djibouti, the IMO team also met Moussa Ahmed Hassan, Minister of Equipment and Transport and representatives of the construction company.

Piracy attacks in South East Asian waters are up year-on-year, as are incidents in the Indian subcontinent, with Bangladesh a new hotspot, reveals Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE’s (AGCS) third annual Safety and Shipping Review 2015. Although there has been good progress tackling activity in Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea, ensuring global attacks (245, according to International Maritime Bureau) are down for a fourth year in a row, piracy thrives elsewhere. Asia now accounts for up to 60 percent of all piracy incidents in the world with 145 reported cases. The region’s share of global figures is increasing as the number of attacks in other parts of the world – particularly the Gulf of Aden and Somalia – continues to trend downwards.

The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issued a circular advising masters of ships transiting or operating in the High Risk Area for piracy attacks in the West Indian Ocean to register with both the UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) and the Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa (MSCHOA).  It also notes that the Vessel Movement Registration process with the MSCHOA has recently been amended to include an entry boundary to the North of the High Risk Area (23°N).  Shipping Circular 10-2011 (5/9/11).   (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)