Maritime Security Updates Archive

11th April 2018
A surge in armed attacks against ships around West Africa is pushing up global levels of piracy and armed robbery at sea, warns the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

6th April 2018
This week's missile attack on a tanker off Yemen sparked diplomatic outrage, but it is unlikely to affect merchant traffic in the Red Sea, according to multiple assessments.

23rd March 2018
International experts and port managers are meeting in a workshop in Yaounde to analyse the current situation of stowaway passengers on ships and define strategies to reduce their number.

23rd March 2018
The latest Africa Center Maritime Security program examined the Seychelles’ approach to combatting criminality on the seas and lessons for other maritime states in Africa.

11th January 2018
A total of 180 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported to the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in 2017, according to the latest IMB report. It is the lowest annual number of incidents since 1995, when 188 reports were received.

5th January 2018
Eromosele Abiodun writes that the report by the International Maritime Bureau on rising cases of piracy in Nigeria focused on government agencies responsible for tackling the menace.

18th December 2017
The increased threat of piracy off Somalia and Yemen since the Aris 13 hijacking in March is set to continue due to heightened insecurity in the High Risk Area.

12th December 2017
The G7 Friends of the Gulf of Guinea Group met in Nigeria to join forces with regional stakeholders to tackle the issues of maritime crimes bedeviling the region.

12th December 2017
Friday 8th December 2017 marks the ninth anniversary of EU Naval Force Somalia’s Operation Atalanta, the successful EU Naval Force counter- piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin.

11th December 2017
There have been 15 attacks against commercial ships reported within a 60 nautical miles radius of Bony Island over recent weeks, data from maritime security firm Dryad Maritime shows.

19th November 2017
EU NAVFOR Somalia’s Flagship, the Italian vessel ITS Virginio Fasan, has apprehended six suspected pirates and seized their vessels.

9th November 2017
The UN Security Council encouraged flag States and port States to consider development of measures on board vessels, including, where applicable, developing regulations for the use of privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships, aimed at preventing and suppressing piracy off the coast of Somalia.

1st November 2017
The United States of America has issued a Maritime Alert to warn ships to be vigilant when approaching Nigerian waters.

31st October 2017
The Nigerian Government has entered into a three years agreement with an Israeli firm over maritime security issues.

26th October 2017
Nigeria's navy recently reinforced its longstanding policy against embarked private maritime security contractors

23rd October 2017
Bulk carrier Friederike requested assistance after 4 Nigerian stowaways mutinied and were a threat to crew.

19th October 2017
A total of 121 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in the first nine months of 2017, according to the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest quarterly report on maritime piracy.

2nd October 2017
Even though the working ports are now considered safe for ships and crew, maritime insurance company Gard cautioned ships’ crews to remain vigilant as the situation in Libyan territorial waters remains volatile.

6th September 2017
Recent attacks against merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Bab Al Mandeb have highlighted the risks associated with transiting these waters. The multiple types of risks and the broad expanse of ocean on which these attacks can occur dictate that Naval Forces must be used in the most efficient manner possible. To assist in this, CMF is establishing a Maritime Security Transit Corridor (MSTC).

8th August 2017
The line between maritime human trafficking and a flow of refugees at sea has been blurred. In response to the ongoing migrant wave, the group Defend Europe recently raised enough money to charter a 422-ton ship, the C-Star, to convey a team of its activists to Libya.

8th August 2017
UKMTO operating from Dubai, has issued an advisory following information from the UK Government relating to ship transits through the Bab El Mandeb (BeM) and associated waters. This UKMTO Notice 001 August /2017 replaces previous guidance UKMTO Notice 001 July 2017 (which refers to CMF advice dated 16 July 2017) and UKMTO Notice 002 July 2017.

17th July 2017
New advice from Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) issued yesterday says that recent attacks against merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandeb have highlighted there are still risks associated with transits through these waters.

16th July 2017
The African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa (the Lomé Charter) is the outcome of the African Union Extraordinary Summit held in Lomé, Togo in October 2016. The idea of the Lomé special session was to build up on the results of previous summits held in Yaoundé (June 2013) and the Seychelles (February 2015) and to take the African blue economy and maritime security agendas forward.

8th July 2017
Following the hijacking of the Aris 13 in March, the first merchant vessel to be taken by pirates operating from Somalia since May 2012, at least half a dozen further instances of attacks have been reported in its coastal waters.

30th June 2017
The carriage of firearms on board merchant ships is a complex legal issue with IMO Member States taking diverse positions. Given the truly global nature of the shipping industry with many stakeholders, shipping benefits from harmonization of procedures, adoption of common minimum standards and clarity with respect to national legal regimes, which represents the core of the IMO's work.

27th June 2017
Following primary research recently conducted at Montagne Posse Prison, Seychelles, little has changed behind the drivers to commit maritime crime. To prevent piracy, a more nuanced approach to understanding the behaviour might be key to a solution.

9th May 2017
Yemen’s worsening conflict is contributing to a spike in piracy in the region, with Somali pirates taking advantage of a reduced international naval presence and more readily available weaponry to carry out attacks.

1st May 2017
Despite reduced pirate activity off the western Indian Ocean in recent years, the pirate networks responsible for the original Somali piracy crisis have sustained themselves through small-scale attacks and involvement in an various maritime crimes, the piracy watchdog Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) said in its annual report released Monday.

27th March 2017
Piracy problems are just the tip of the iceberg of Africa’s maritime security challenges.

17th March 2017
Somali pirates released a hijacked oil tanker and eight Sri Lankan crew on Thursday, a Somali security official and the pirates said, bringing the first hijacking since 2012 to an unusually swift conclusion without the payment of a ransom.

3rd March 2017
Strategies to combat piracy already exist, but countries must navigate the pitfalls that hinder implementation.

1st March 2017
Despite having drawn up several key maritime strategies, the African Union (AU) is failing to implement them owing to lack of resources and expertise. This inertia must change in 2017, else the AU risks marginalising maritime security work.

13th January 2017
The Djibouti Code of Conduct has seen its scope significantly broadened to cover other illicit maritime activities, including human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

15th December 2016
Industry security experts have concluded that maritime crime will not be stopped any time soon – and that cyber incidents would continue to expand in frequency and severity. This was the consensus at BIMCO’s first ever Maritime Security Seminar in Copenhagen yesterday.

29th November 2016
A new research project hosted by Politics and International Relations academics and Cardiff University’s Crime and Security Research Institute will study lessons from maritime security capacity building in the Western Indian Ocean.

25th November 2016
NATO has ended Operation Ocean Shield after a sharp drop-off in attacks by Somali pirates.

25th November 2016
On 25 November 2016, the European Council extended Operation Atalanta’s mandate to deter, disrupt and repress acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia, until 31 December 2018.

14th November 2016
The International Chamber of Shipping Annual Review 2016 addresses preventing piracy on pages 36 and 37.

8th November 2016
Merchant vessels sailing through busy shipping lanes between Somalia and Yemen may be underestimating the risk of piracy and terrorism following two attempted attacks last month, maritime officials say.

17th October 2016
The African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development aims to solidify Africa’s commitment to an efficient and effective management of its oceans, seas and waterways so as to ensure sustainable, equitable and beneficial exploration of these critical resources.

10th October 2016
Africa boasts of an abundance of natural resources, in particular aquatic and marine resources, with a potential that has not yet been fully tapped in the context of economic growth and sustainable development.

9th September 2016
An International Maritime Organization (IMO)-led maritime security table top exercise took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon from 6 to 8 September for participants from a range of government departments and national agencies, including the Maritime Authority.

26th July 2016
Despite their strategic importance, many African ports are easily accessible to criminals and susceptible to various threats.

25th July 2016
Namibia officially opened its first naval school in a move to deal with threats to national security.

12th July 2016
Stuart Edmonston, Head of Loss Prevention at UK P&I Club, together with Hellenic War Risks and Terra Firma Risk Management, highlights the importance of preparation in kidnap response management for shipping companies operating in West Africa.

4th July 2016
While the matter of maritime piracy has seemingly subdued from its high profile peaks of a few years ago, Stuart Edmonston, Head of Loss Prevention at UK P&I Club, together with Hellenic War Risks and Terra Firma Risk Management, highlight the growth of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and considers the reasons behind the rise in kidnaps for ransom.

21st June 2016
An maritime security chart dated 14 June 2016 for West Africa is available

18th June 2016
The new FR/UK Centre, called Marine Domain Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG), will commence operations at 0800 GMT on 20th June 2016.

14th June 2016
A recent incident involving a drone in the Suez Canal is causing a marine insurance company to warn over their usage onboard vessels.

28th May 2016
Cost of shipping goods to Nigeria has increased rapidly due to rising pirates’ attacks on vessels and crew on Nigerian territorial waters.