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More Nigeria needs private security on vessels to tackle piracy
26th February 2021Nigeria has been advised to review its maritime security rules and enlist the support of private security companies to tackle rampant piracy on its waters.
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More Counterpiracy efforts stepped up as another major kidnapping occurs in Gulf of Guinea
26th January 2021The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has declared its intention to work in partnership with the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) in the fight against piracy and other crimes in the country’s maritime domain.
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More Attacks at sea not all linked to piracy
26th January 2021Pirate attacks may grab most headlines, but maritime security is important for wider reasons. Illicit activities at sea limit the potential benefits of economic activities linked to the sea – what’s referred to as the “blue economy”.
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More EU Council launching pilot case for the Coordinated Maritime Presences concept in Gulf of Guinea
25th January 2021The Council approved conclusions launching the first pilot case of the Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) concept in the Gulf of Guinea.
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More Updated Guidance for vessels in areas with limpet mine threat
18th January 2021After a limpet mine was found attached to the hull of a tanker engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer in the Arabian Gulf, a joint industry group has released an Industry Update Following Incident in the Persian Gulf, recommending guidance to vessels operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
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More Fresh fears of piracy on Nigerian waters in 2021
13th January 2021With the enormous havoc wrecked by the activities of the pirates in the Gulf of Guinea last year, shippers are yet to heave a sigh of relief as they are still in fear as to what the year holds for the seaborne trade.
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More Industry publishes new and improved cyber security guidelines
25th December 2020The fourth edition of the industry cyber risk management guidelines, Guidelines on Cyber Security Onboard Ships is now available and lays the foundation for further improvements and refinement of companies’ cyber security risk assessments.
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More Operation ATALANTA mandate extended to 31 December 2022
23rd December 2020The Council prolonged the mandates of its two Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions in Somalia and Operation ATALANTA until 31 December 2022.
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More Maritime security and the Cabo Delgado insurgency
8th December 2020When Mozambican insurgents known as Al-Sunna captured the port of Mocimboa da Praia in early September this year, it meant the ISIS-inspired group added a maritime dimension to the conflict in northern Mozambique.
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More How the insurance industry handles maritime security issues
20th November 2020Maritime piracy is and has always been a crime with a severe detrimental impact on both the shipping industry and global economy, and, most importantly, in human lives lost, injured or psychologically traumatised.
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More CRITICAL risk in the Gulf of Guinea
11th November 2020The recent flurry of incidents within the Gulf of Guinea has increased the risk profile to a unique and exceptional level. The risk profile for all maritime operations within the Gulf of Guinea at this time is CRITICAL (incidents are highly likely, expected daily).
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More Militant maritime operations along Africa Eastern Coast
4th November 2020Maritime activities are an important aspect of the modern militant’s portfolio. Though there are technical and logistical barriers to entry, coastal and oceanic waters offer militants opportunities for both operational and financial gain.
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More Increased security threats for vessels operating in the Gulf of Guinea
21st October 2020As the dry season approaches and sea conditions abate, an increase in attacks has traditionally been seen, so maritime security risks to vessels operating in the Gulf of Guinea require renewed attention. Masters and crews need to be extra vigilant and ensure all security measures are taken.
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More Do not switch off the AIS in Nigerian waters
20th October 2020On 5 October 2020, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) issued a notice warning its clients and other stakeholders that the Nigerian Navy will investigate, and has arrested, ships that switch off their automatic identification system (AIS) when operating in Nigerian waters.
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More Pirates kidnap seafarer from LNG carrier in the Gulf of Guinea
19th October 2020An LNG carrier has been boarded and attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, resulting in the kidnapping of one crew member.
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More IMB Piracy Report crew kidnappings surge in Gulf of Guinea
14th October 2020The number of seafarers kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea has surged so far this year as pirates abduct bigger groups of seafarers further offshore, the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reported Centre revealed today.
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More East African terror groups are exploiting the seas
13th October 2020Violent extremist groups operating in East Africa such as al-Shabaab, Ansar al-Sunna and the Islamic State in East Africa Somalia (IS-Somalia) are increasingly making use of gaps in maritime security.
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More Piracy in 2020 trends you need to know
3rd September 2020The IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre recorded 98 incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the first half of 2020, up from 78 in the first half of 2019.
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More First conviction under Nigerian Anti-Piracy Law
12th August 2020The Federal High Court Port Harcourt yesterday convicted three of the nine accused of hijacking an Equatorial Guinea flagged vessel, MV ELOBEY VI off Equatorial Guinea coast during March this year.
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More African ports need to learn the lessons of Beirut
6th August 2020The disaster puts a spotlight on the global trade in hazardous materials and the importance of port security
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More Yaounde Code of Conduct taking shape in the Gulf of Guinea
4th August 2020The Yaoundé Code of Conduct was signed in 2013 by 25 countries in West and Central Africa. It provides the structure for joint operations, intelligence sharing and harmonized legal frameworks.
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More Ocean governance and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea
31st July 2020Addressing the Gulf of Guinea’s challenges is a significant task, while ocean governance is a daunting issue which demands an interdisciplinary approach and innovative solutions.
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More Regional maritime security governance and the challenges of state cooperation on piracy
24th July 2020To govern maritime piracy through state cooperation, three agreements have been set up in different regions of the world. The members to these regional agreements agree to arrest, investigate, and prosecute pirates on the high seas, and to suppress armed robbery in their respective territorial waters.
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More IMB Piracy and Armed Robbery report shows rise in ship violent attacks in 2020
15th July 2020International Commercial Crime services on 15 July 2020 said violent attacks against ships and their crews have risen in 2020, with 77 seafarers taken hostage or kidnapped for ransom since January, reveals the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest piracy report.
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More US Maritime Advisory Gulf of Guinea Security
13th July 2020Piracy/Armed Robbery/Kidnapping for Ransom (KFR) continues to serve as a significant threat to U.S. flagged operators with vessels transiting or operating in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
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More Piracy and Nigeria security failure
6th July 2020The authorities could do more to make Nigerian waters safe
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More A Gulf Between Narratives Maritime Security in the Gulf of Aden in 2020
26th June 2020Six incidents were reported across the whole of 2019, yet by the midway of 2020, there have been eight incidents reported within the Gulf of Aden alone.
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More Nigeria begins trial of pirates under new law this week
22nd June 2020Aiming to rid Nigeria’s waterways of criminalities and reassure the global community that it is getting on top of the security issues in its maritime domain, the country will this week commence the prosecution of suspected pirates under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act.
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More Why piracy is a growing threat in the Gulf of Guinea
9th June 2020The potential for high profits, along with high unemployment along the coast, weak security and a lack of judicial enforcement of maritime laws in many West African countries, makes the Gulf of Guinea especially attractive for pirates and other criminals.
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More Enhancing regional maritime security cooperation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
9th June 2020A virtual meeting of the Steering Committee of the revised Djibouti Code of Conduct was held on 9 June 2020 to discuss ways of continuing to enhance regional maritime security efforts amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
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More Cypriot Shipowners Call for Action on Gulf of Guinea Kidnappings
28th May 2020The Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC) expressed "growing frustration at the ineffectiveness of the international community" in solving the longstanding problem of piracy and maritime kidnapping in the Gulf of Guinea.
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More Piracy is on the rise and coronavirus could make it worse
18th May 2020The first three months of 2020 have seen a 24% increase in pirate attacks and attempted attacks, over the same period in 2019. As a scholar of sea piracy, I worry that the coronavirus pandemic may make piracy even more of a problem in the coming months and years.
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More Sea Piracy in 2025
22nd April 2020Pirates have demonstrated their ability to revise their modes of operation in response to maritime industry behavior and the responses of coastal states. When looking the Gulf of Guinea, confirmed as the main world maritime piracy hotspot for almost five years, it’s interesting to consider that evolution.
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More Piracy and armed robbery a threat to ships crews warns IMB
14th April 2020Seafarers face continuing threats from pirates and armed robbers on the world’s seas, says the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), reporting 47 attacks in the first three months of 2020, up from 38 in the same period last year. Pirates boarded 37 ships in the first quarter of 2020.
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More Security Guidance for Mariners Operating in the Gulf of Guinea
3rd April 2020The Malta Merchant Shipping Directorate wishes to bring to the attention of all concerned the new publication for maritime security guidance for ships and seafarers operating off the coast of West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea, replacing the previous guidelines for the area.
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More How climate shocks may fuel maritime piracy
16th March 2020There seems a never-ending list of consequences to climate change or the global response to it, but here’s another one to add: piracy.
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More Nigerian Government moves to enforce anti-piracy law as proposed stiff penalties await offenders
24th February 2020The Nigerian Federal Government has embarked on measures to ensure a smooth enforcement of the newly enacted anti-piracy law as part of efforts to stem criminality on Nigerian waters.
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More BIMCO boss hits out at Nigerian piracy status quo
5th February 2020The departing CEO of international ship owning organisation BIMCO has hit out at Nigerian authorities’ complete failure to rein in the horrendous piracy situation in West Africa as well as the tacit complicity of oil majors not to speak out on the matter.
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More West African pirates hijacking larger vessels to maximise ransom returns
21st January 2020Time is no longer on the side of the pirates as they expect to be detected quickly after an abduction. What is more, many attacks are being repelled. The obvious answer for the pirates to those two problems is to maximise returns by abducting more people in one go.
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More Unprecedented rise of crew kidnappings in Gulf of Guinea
15th January 2020Despite overall piracy incidents declining in 2019, there was an alarming increase in crew kidnappings across the Gulf of Guinea the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) said in its annual piracy report.
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More Maritime piracy increases business costs in the Gulf of Guinea
27th December 2019The cost of maritime piracy in West Africa was more than $800m in 2017 accoring to Oceans Beyond Piracy
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More Lift for maritime sector in Kenya and Djibouti after fall in piracy
16th December 2019Kenya and Djibouti, two states directly affected by piracy, achieved widespread reform of their domestic maritime sectors through new national initiatives and assistance from external partners.
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More The Joint Maritime Information and Coordination Centre in Somalia
27th November 2019The Joint Maritime Information and Coordination Centre (JMICC) is working hard to achieve the status of Initial Operational Capability by the end of 2020.
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More Fighting piracy in the Gulf of Guinea needs a radical rethink
18th November 2019Demands by the shipping industry for international navies to become more involved in counter-piracy operations won’t lead to lasting solutions. These can only be successful if they are designed based on regional requirements and take on board regional initiatives aimed at tackling a multiplicity of social problems, rather than just one.
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More EU Naval Force rescues 7 Somali Navy sailors
21st October 2019On the morning of 20 October 2019, EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation ATALANTA received a request to assist a vessel belonging to the Somali Navy in distress some 60 km north of Cadale.
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More Nigerian Navy arrests seven for providing maritime security services
18th October 2019The Nigerian Navy recently intercepted a small craft and arrested its occupants for a criminal offense: providing security services to a merchant ship.
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More UNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia mandate extended until 31 March 2020
27th September 2019EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia was launched on 22 June 2015 and it is part of the EU’s comprehensive approach to migration.
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More International Collaboration to Tackle the Security Threats Affecting the Blue Economy
17th September 2019Global maritime security conference to advance international cooperation for a safe, secure and sustainable ocean economy to be held in Nigeria from 7 to 9 October 2019
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More Learning from success and advancing maritime security cooperation in Atlantic Africa
17th September 2019The M/T MAXIMUS and the M/T ANUKET AMBER are vessels that have tested the cooperative architecture for maritime security in West and Central Africa.
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More South Africa toughens its stowaway policy
9th September 2019South Africa has toughened its stowaway policy and no stowaways will be permitted to be landed in South Africa.