Qatar knew of an Iranian plan to attack four ships off the UAE coast in May but failed to warn its US, French and British allies, according to a western intelligence report. Two Saudi tankers, a Norwegian tanker and a UAE vessel were targeted by explosions near the port of Fujairah on May 12 amid rising tension between the United States and Iran over US sanctions seeking to block all Iranian oil exports. “Credible intelligence reports indicate that the IRGC-Quds Forces Naval unit is responsible for the Fujairah Port attacks, ...

Mexico will reinforce military surveillance along its Gulf coast following recent incidents of piracy, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. “We are beginning to deal with that … it’s a plan by the Naval Ministry that will include control of the ports, all of the ports,” the president said at his daily press conference. The measures aim to establish a naval base at the port of Dos Bocas in southeast Tabasco state, to increase military presence there. According to local media, a ship sailing under the Italian flag was attacked ...

Indonesia: Likely robber targets tanker at Belawan 07 November An unidentified person attempted to board a Singapore-flagged product tanker at Belawan port Indonesia. The individual was using a grabbling hook to board the vessel but fled after he was spotted by crew during security rounds. PGI Analysis: Criminals regularly target anchored vessels at Belawan. Three similar incidents have been reported earlier in 2019, including a violent robbery in August. Some incidents are likely to go unreported. West Africa Sao Tome and Principe: Suspected pirates attack tanker 54 nm offshore Pirates ...

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre released the October 2019 Monthly Report on Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. Overall Summary A total of seven incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in October 2019 No piracy incident was reported There were also no reports of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah; and no hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargo reported in October 2019 However, the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern ...

Following the attack on Norwegian-flagged bulk carrier ‘MV BONITA’ on 4 November, yet another incident happened later that day on Greek vessel ‘ELKA ARISTOTLE’ resulting in the abduction of four of its crew members. The shipping industry is extremely concerned about the rise of armed attacks on merchant ships in the Gulf of Guinea. Such attacks on crew and ships are first and foremost a human tragedy certainly if seafarers are kidnapped. In addition they threaten the smooth conduct of maritime trade in the region and cause severe repercussions on ...

Pirates attacked an Italy-flagged offshore supply vessel in the southern Gulf of Mexico, injuring two crew members, the Mexican Navy said on Tuesday, in the latest outbreak of robbery and piracy to hit oil platforms and infrastructure in the area. One of the crew members of the boat, “Remas,” received a bullet wound, and the other suffered a concussion, and both were transferred to a nearby hospital, the Navy said in a statement. Owned by Italian offshore contractor Micoperi, the boat is a supply vessel for Mexico’s oil industry. It ...

Warnings, advisories and piracy incidents in the Indian Ocean Area by the UKMTO in the past week.

Benin: Pirates kidnap nine crew members near Cotonou 02 November Pirates kidnapped nine crew members from a Norwegian-flagged cargo ship around 14 km off Cotonou. The assailants boarded the vessel while it was at anchorage. The vessel managed to notify the authorities and has reached the port of Cotonou. Togo: Pirates kidnap four crew members off Lome 04 November Unidentified gunmen attacked a Greek-owned oil tanker 18 km off the port of Lome at 0300 hrs local time and kidnapped four crew members. The assailants shot and wounded one security ...

A U.S.-led coalition created to secure sea lines vital to oil shipping in the Middle East formally launched operations in the most concerted international response yet to months of tensions in the region. Formed in response to a series of attacks on vessels and onshore facilities that some coalition members blamed on Iran, the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), formerly known as Operation Sentinel, will protect ships transiting the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Bab el-Mandeb. One-third of the world’s seaborne crude and fuels passes from the Persian Gulf ...

Iranian tankers have been targeted in the Red Sea three times in a six-month period, the Islamic Republic said last week, warning the international community the shipping route was unsafe. Just one of the three incidents, an October 11 missile attack off Saudi Arabia’s coast, had previously been reported. The other two involved the Happiness 1 in April, which saw “engine failure and loss of control” and the Helm in August, which suffered unspecified “technical issues,” the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing an Iranian government letter to the International ...

The effect of piracy on crew and their safety continues to be a cause for concern and transiting West African waters remains particularly difficult. So far in 2019, the Gulf of Guinea region accounts for almost 90% of crew taken hostage and more than 80% of crew kidnappings globally, according to the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau (IMB). While the IMB in its report for the third quarter of 2019 published on 14 October 2019 demonstrates fewer incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships than the first ...

Pirates operating in the Gulf of Guinea have kidnapped a total of 13 people on two European-flagged ships in the last three days. Four crew members on a Greek oil tanker were kidnapped after pirates boarded the boat off the coast of Togo on Monday morning, while eight people were kidnapped from a Norwegian cargo boat during a similar incident off the coast of neighbouring Benin on Saturday. The four kidnapped crew on the Greek ship consist of two Philippine nationals, one Greek and one Georgian, the Togolese navy said. ...

Pirates attacked a Greek oil tanker off the coast of Togo on Monday and fled after taking four crew members as hostages, the West African nation’s navy and Greek authorities said, two days after a similar attack in the waters of neighbouring Benin. Of the missing crew members, two are Filipinos, one is Greek and one is Georgian, the navy said in a statement. One security guard was also shot and wounded in the attack, it said. “Monday, 4th of November 2019, around 0300, the tanker boat Elka Aristotle was ...

The Norwegian flagged bulk carrier ‘MV BONITA’, owned by Ugland Shipping AS was boarded by pirates, while she was at anchor off Cotonou in Benin, early Saturday morning. Nine crewmembers, including the captain were taken off the vessel. The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) jointly denounce the attack on ‘MV BONITA’ and are monitoring the situation closely. Our absolute priority is the return of the nine crewmembers back to safety. The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, member of both ICS and ECSA, is in close ...

Nine of the crew members on the MV Bonita, owned by J.J. Ugland company, were kidnapped by the criminals, as the remaining crew notified the local authorities. Norwegian Shipping Firm J.J. Ugland reports that one of its vessels was boarded by pirates off the coast of Benin on Saturday. The remaining crew members anchored at the port city of Cotonou later the same day and informed the local authorities of the incident. The company’s emergency team says that they are in charge of the situation and will provide further updates ...