The outbreak of COVID-19, and the increasingly draconian measures taken by states to control the spread of the virus has led to the widespread disruption of global supply chains. The knock-on impact of restricting the placement of embarked security teams in the Indian Ocean has been keenly felt in the global shipping and security markets. The decision to embark security personnel requires operators to balance commercial considerations with the risks faced. In a world where the logistics of embarking security personnel has become increasingly complex, many of Dryad Global’s clients ...

The container vessel MSC Talia F has been attacked by pirates off the coast of Gabon, with seven crew abducted. The vessel was attacked on Sunday whilst halfway between Sao Tome and Libreville, Gabon. Apparently seven of the 17 Ukrainian crew were kidnapped. According to Dryad Global, this is the first incident within this area in 2020. Within 2019 there were four recorded incidents at Port Libreville and the Owendo Anchorage involving a spate of incidents in December 2019. “One of those incidents resulted in the kidnapping of four Chinese ...

The emergence of COVID-19 as a severe global public health issue has created significant ramifications, including economic disruption and the threat of a global recession, logistical complexities, geopolitical considerations, and security issues. The shipping industry and maritime domain has not been insulated from these. It is expected that COVID-19 will be the defining threat trend of the year, which will shape commercial and security trends within shipping. During this period of instability, it is key that vessels, vessel owners and the maritime community rely on clear-headed, data-driven and reliable solutions, ...

Southeast Asia Philippines: Robbers board chemical tanker at General Santos Harbour Anchorage 11 March The duty officer and duty able seaman on routine rounds onboard a Singapore-flagged chemical tanker anchored at General Santos Harbour Anchorage saw an unspecified number of robbers on the forecastle at 0157 hrs local time. The duty officer informed the master who activated the general alarm. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers escaped in a small boat. Ship security conducted a search and found that the padlock to the bosun store was broken. All crew were ...

Until relatively recently, topics relating to cybersecurity have been the domain of the IT department. Today, however, securing Operational Technology (OT) is becoming critical for business. In the marine industry in particular, ships are becoming more reliant on smart, cutting-edge tech. The IMO has recognised the need to make sure these systems are secure with its requirement that all maritime administrators appropriately address the cyber risk of their Safety Management Systems by January 2021. Operators who use Wärtsilä solutions are already ahead of the game, however. In December 2019, Wärtsilä’s ...

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to evolve, states are increasingly taking measures to restrict the movements of personnel into and within their borders. A number of states have effectively closed their borders to people coming from perceived high-risk areas. These travel restrictions are placing a considerable logistical burden on the wider shipping industry and are very likely to increase as time goes on. With such an evolving situation, there is a corresponding increase in uncertainty. An example of this was seen in the recent decision by Sri Lanka to ...

A daring robbery attempt by three pirates in the Singapore Strait on Monday (March 16) morning was foiled by the close cooperation between the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Indonesian navy (TNI-AL). The Maritime Port and Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) Port Operations Command Centre received a report from a Liberian-flagged shipping vessel Sam Jaguar at 5.11am that pirates had boarded the ship, and had been locked in the engine room by the ship’s crew. The RSN’s Maritime Security Task Force immediately began to monitor the vessel closely and ...

Today, Rear Admiral lgnacio Villanueva Serrano was appointed as new force commander for the EU naval operation Atalanta. His mandate will start on 17 March. He will exercise command and control of all military forces in the Area of Operations during the 34th rotation, and will be responsible for the planning, orchestration and execution of tactical military activities. Rear Admiral Villanueva Serrano, a Spanish national, will take command from Commodore José Vizinha Mirones. He previously held senior positions within the Spanish Maritime Forces (SPMAFOR), and was Commanding Officer of the ...

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre released the February 2020 Report on the situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. Overview § A total of 10 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in February 2020 § No piracy incident was reported § There was no report of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah § However, the abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah remains a serious concern § ReCAAP ISC is also ...

On July 21, 1987, a gigantic 414,000-ton supertanker entered the Persian Gulf with an unusually prominent escort—a U.S. Navy missile cruiser and three frigates. The narrow straits of the Persian Gulf had become a shooting gallery due to the Iran-Iraq War, still raging seven years after Iraq’s surprise invasion of Iran in 1980. As Iran counterattacked into Iraqi territory, Baghdad—supplied and armed by the Soviet Union, France, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia—began blasting Iranian oil tankers with missiles, often with assistance from U.S. surveillance assets. Iran retaliated by targeting Kuwaiti tankers ...

Dramatic photos shared by the Saudi government Wednesday may show a new form of explosive boat developed by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The pictured boat was one of four involved in an attempted attack on an oil tanker 90 miles off Yemen’s southern coast that failed, according to the Saudi account. While many details have yet to be confirmed, including that it is a Houthi design, this could indicate a new threat to tanker traffic in the region. The Iranian-backed Houthi movement are involved in a bloody civil war ...

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

Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Iryani accused Iran of being behind a foiled attempt to attack an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea. “(Iran’s) Islamic Revolution Guards Corps stands behind the foiled terrorist attack on the oil tanker as it was sailing toward the Gulf of Aden,” Iryani said in a statement carried by the state-run Saba News Agency. “The terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthi militia … using four remotely controlled boats,” he added. The attempted attack “confirms the Houthi militia’s escalation of its terrorist activities,” the Yemeni ...

A Greek-flagged chemical tanker with a crew of 22 has been attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea off western Africa, the ship’s management company said Thursday. There were no immediate reports of injuries. A spokeswoman for Minerva Marine said the Minerva Virgo was boarded some 45 miles (72 kilometers) off the coast of Benin on Thursday on its way from The Netherlands to Lagos, Nigeria. She said most of the crew — including six Greeks — were able to take refuge under standard safety procedures in a safe ...

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen fighting Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels said Wednesday it had foiled an attack on an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea by four remote-controlled boats. Colonel Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the coalition, said that attack occurred on Tuesday around 90 nautical miles from Yemen’s Nishtun port, the state-run SPA news agency reported. He did not give further details. Last month, the coalition said it destroyed an explosive-laden boat planted by the Houthis in the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia often intercepts and destroys Houthi missiles targeting its cities ...