Sea Security News

Ship-refuelling companies along Africa's coast are seeing a surge in business as more vessels divert around the Cape of Good Hope, with war in the Middle East reshaping global shipping routes and boosting the continent's role as a bunkering hub.Carriers have been avoiding the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since late 2023, when Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping began. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have reinforced the shift,…

Ship-refuelling companies along Africa's coast are seeing a surge in business as more vessels divert around the Cape of Good Hope, with war in the Middle East reshaping global shipping routes and boosting the continent's role as a bunkering hub.Carriers have been avoiding the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since late 2023, when Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping began. U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have reinforced the shift,…

Poland said on Wednesday it had chosen Sweden's Saab to supply it with three submarines, in a multi-billion-dollar deal that forms a key element of Warsaw's efforts to bolster its defences in the Baltic Sea.Warsaw has been ramping up investments in the armed forces to counter what it sees as a growing threat from Russia after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.The deal with Sweden under the "Orka" programme to boost Poland's military exemplifies Warsaw's efforts to build a Baltic alliance…

The 2022 sabotage of gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea marked a turning point: maritime infrastructure is no longer seen as a passive utility, but as a strategic asset at risk of disruption. The Joint Baltic Declaration on Security in the Baltic Sea was signed on November 20 by the Norwegian State Secretary Marte Gerhardsen, in the presence of the Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.According to an official statement by the Norwegian State Secretary…

At least 54 migrants died when a boat carrying around 150 people sank off Yemen's coast in bad weather on Sunday, with dozens still unaccounted for, health officials said.The boat capsized off the Ahwar district in Yemen's southern Abyan province on the Arabian Sea, security sources said.Abdul Qadir Bajameel, a provincial health official, said 10 of the around 150 people on board were rescued - nine Ethiopians and one Yemeni - but dozens remained missing. Two medics said rescuers…

Several Greek-managed tankers transporting Russian oil to Asia are increasingly avoiding the Red Sea, opting instead for the longer route around Africa, due to escalating security threats from Houthi attacks, three oil traders and LSEG shipping data show.The rerouting follows a deadly drone and speedboat assault earlier this month on a Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier off Yemen, which killed four seafarers. The Iran-backed Houthi group also sank another vessel in July…

Chicago wheat futures were hesitant on Wednesday after Russia said that a number of conditions must be met before a Black Sea security deal with Ukraine can be activated, further questioning the agreement's impact on exports from the region.However, prospects that the deal would pause attacks at sea and on energy targets, along with favourable weather in the Black Sea region continued to pressure prices.The most-active wheat contract Wv1 on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was down 0.2% at $5.42-1/4 a bushel as of 1257 GMT.

China's Ministry of State Security said on Tuesday that it had retrieved spying devices both on the ocean surface and in the depths of the sea, including underwater "lighthouses" that could guide the transit of foreign submarines.The ministry said it had uncovered devices that had been hidden on the ocean floor and were sending back information that could "pre-set the field for battle," in an article on its official WeChat account, China's most popular social media app.Recent…

New Zealand will deploy a six-member defence team to the Middle East as part of an international coalition to uphold maritime security in the Red Sea, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Tuesday.The United States and Britain have been carrying out air strikes against the Iranian-allied Houthi group in Yemen, who have been targeting civilian ships in the Red Sea for weeks in what they say is a protest against Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip."Houthi attacks against commercial and naval shipping are illegal…

U.S. President Joe Biden hoped to present a firm international response to Yemen's Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping by launching a new maritime force, but a week after its launch many allies don't want to be associated with it, publicly, or at all.Two of America's European allies who were listed as contributors to Operation Prosperity Guardian - Italy and Spain - issued statements appearing to distance themselves from the maritime force.The Pentagon says the force is a defensive…

Shipping companies remain in the dark over a new international navy coalition being assembled by the United States to combat attacks in the Red Sea, with many vessels continuing to avoid the area or cancelling contracts, sources said on Wednesday.The sources, who include shipping and maritime security officials, say few practical details are known about the initiative launched on Tuesday by Washington or whether it will directly engage in the event of further armed attacks at sea.Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have since Nov.

The United States on Tuesday launched a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea as attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants forced major shipping companies to reroute, stoking fears of sustained disruptions to global trade.The Houthi militant group, which controls vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, has since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea - attacks it says respond to Israel's devastating assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.This week…

When Russia attacked Ukraine, the nearest naval vessel of a major NATO ally was in the Mediterranean. The last such ship from a major naval member of the Western military alliance left the Black Sea – an area roughly the size of California bordering Russia, Ukraine and NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania – over a month ago.A French warship completed a tour in early January and no major NATO naval ally has patrolled its waters since, according to Turkish maritime website Turkishnavy.net, which tracks the movements of foreign warships.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) began its north-bound transit of the Dardanelles Strait, en route to the Black Sea Feb. 19 to conduct maritime security operations and enhance regional maritime stability, combined readiness, and naval capability with our NATO allies and partners in the region.The ship last visited the Black Sea in January 2019, during which it visited Batumi, Georgia and conducted an exercise with two Georgian Coast Guard ships. During its time in port the ship's crew was warmly received by their Georgian hosts and were greeted on the pier with an arrival ceremony that included a traditional Georgian dance."Each visit here affords us the unique opportunity to work with our regional maritime partners," said Cmdr.

The conflict in Yemen is reportedly escalating and maritime authorities continue to urge vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden region to operate in a heightened state of alert. The conflict in Yemen is escalating and two missile attacks on vessels operating off the coast of Yemen have now been reported. The first attack occurred on 1 October 2016 and targeted a vessel operated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) military; the second occurred on 9 October 2016 and targeted a US Navy vessel. The most likely targets in the region are still considered to be military vessels, however, commercial vessels transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait may face increased risk of collateral damage and must continue to operate in a heightened state of alert.

The Indonesian Navy has instructed all commercial vessels to avoid piracy-prone waters around the southern Philippines, a spokesman for the Indonesian military said on Thursday, following a spate of kidnappings and piracy in recent weeks. "The Indonesian Navy, through the Western Sea Security Cluster, is increasing the intensity of patrols up to the exclusive economic zone border with the Philippines and Malaysia to prevent acts of piracy and hijacking," Indonesian military spokesman Tatang Sulaiman told Reuters in a text message. The busy shipping route along Indonesia's maritime border with the Philippines carries $40 billion worth of cargo each year, notably fully laden supertankers from the Indian Ocean that cannot use the crowded Malacca Strait.

China's naval commander told his U.S. counterpart that a minor incident could spark war in the South China Sea if the United States did not stop its "provocative acts" in the disputed waterway, the Chinese navy said on Friday. Admiral Wu Shengli made the comments to U.S. chief of naval operations Admiral John Richardson during a video teleconference on Thursday, according to a Chinese naval statement. The two officers held talks after a U.S. warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of one of Beijing's man-made islands in the contested Spratly archipelago on Tuesday. China has rebuked Washington over the patrol, the most significant U.S. challenge yet to territorial limits China effectively claims around its seven artificial islands in one of the world's busiest sea lanes.

Indonesia signaled its intent to purchase two submarines from Russia to bolster its current fleet, reports the Jakarta Post. The government's plan to purchase Kilo-class submarines from Russia has received support from the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defence and foreign affairs. The Indonesian Military (TNI) had proposed a budget of Rp 37 trillion (S$3.6 billion) and an additional budget allocation of Rp 14.5 trillion for the Navy (TNI AL), larger than the budget allocations for the Army (TNI AD) and the Air Force (TNI AU) says  the commission's member Sukamta. Sukamta said that Indonesia is a maritime country, since around 70 per cent of its territory is oceanic, so sea security must be prioritized.

The Republic of Singapore Navy ( RSN) disrupted a sea robbery on a tugboat in the eastern approaches of the Singapore Strait, says Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). The sight of a warship from the RSN Maritime Security Task Force sent sea robbers who had boarded a tugboat in the Singapore Strait fleeing on Tuesday (Sep 1). The Malaysian-flagged tugboat Permata 1 was then escorted safely to Singapore waters by the RSS Resilience, a Fearless-class patrol vessel. The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said that the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore's Port Operations Control Centre had received a report from Permata 1, at about 9am. Those on the boat had sighted robbers boarding their barge while they were transiting the eastern approaches of the Singapore Strait, MINDEF added.

Sea Security Group has warned commercial ships passing through the Malacca and Singapore straits to be alert for possible theft by local people and pirates while traversing Asia's busiest straits, says a report in Jakarta Post. Based on information from seafarers, the straits were vulnerable to theft by locals using pancung (small wooden boats). According to intelligence data, from January to February there were 17 reports of theft using pancung filed by commercial ships moored or sailing in the area, he said. The commander said the Navy was stepping up patrols to catch the pirates. The high rate, according to Rasyid, was of concern of the Navy leader who had ordered Guskamla Armabar to act quickly and to strengthen patrols on the Malacca Strait and its surroundings.

"Initially the doors within the shipping industry had been closed to private maritime security companies, and there was a definite “them and us” divide. SAMI has joined the United Nations Contact Group on piracy, and this has allowed the maritime security industry a voice at the highest levels, and a conduit for information to be channelled. For a long time there was antipathy towards PMSCs – but now, it is able to communicate as respected, integrated and involved parts of the wider shipping community. Maritime security has come a long way in a short time, and it is a testament to the quality providers who have worked hard to provide excellence to their clients…

Four agencies have held the largest maritime exercise in Singapore. The aim was to guard against potential attacks along the Singapore Strait, and to secure the safe passage of vessels carrying vital cargo essential not just for Singapore but the world economy. It is up to agencies like the Singapore Armed Forces, Police Coast Guard, Maritime Port Authority and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority to keep the waters safe. Since 1993, the APEX exercise between these four agencies has enhanced their inter-agency operations. The events of September 11, 2001 gave even more motivation to protect not just sea lanes, but also ports, installations and maritime infrastructure.

Global maritime anti-terror laws introduced last year have broadly enhanced sea security, but many challenges lie ahead, a principal architect of the measures said in an interview, according to a Reuters report posted on www.btimes.com. James F. Wall, until 2004 chair of the UN International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) security arm responsible for drawing up the law, said merchant ships were generally more secure than the ports which still need more security. The International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) code, drawn up in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in the US, has been described as the toughest the industry has faced since World War II.