The Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) is one of the busiest trade routes in the world. Nearly half of all global seaborne trade passes through this marine corridor making it a strategic chokepoint for Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean imports. Between September and December 2019, there were 16 incidents of piracy in the SOMS, double the total number of incidents in 2018. With piracy threatening security in the strait, littoral states will have to come together to protect their imports. What is behind the surge in piracy in the Straits ...

South Korea is considering sending its own ships to the Strait of Hormuz to safeguard its vessels rather than joining an international maritime security alliance, a presidential aide has said. Around 70 percent of its oil imports pass through the waterway, making it crucial for the country’s ships to be protected from piracy and other threats. But, amid tension in the Middle East following the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani from a US airstrike and in a bid to avoid a feud with key oil producer Iran, the South might ...

The South Korean government has yet to complete a review of options on how to contribute to security in the Strait of Hormuz, a Cheong Wa Dae official said Saturday amid reports that a final decision on whether to send troops there may be imminent. “As you know, we will have to make a decision in consideration of the people’s life and security as well as oil supply,” the official said, adding relevant options are “still being reviewed.” Consultations with Iran are under way as well, he added. Cheong Wa ...

On 18 January 2020, two incidents occurred within an interval of five hours to the same barge carrying scrap metal while underway in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait. In both incidents, the perpetrators stole some scrap metal. There was no confrontation between the perpetrators and the crew. With these two incidents, a total of three incidents have been reported in the Singapore Strait since January 2020. [The first incident in 2020 occurred on 8 January 2020 to tanker, British Mariner while underway in the eastbound lane of the ...

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

East Africa and the Indian Ocean UK/Straits of Hormuz: British Royal Navy increase escort capability for British shipping in Straits of Hormuz 10 January The British Royal Navy will increase the complement of Royal Navy vessels to escort British-flagged commercial ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the region. The Royal Navy previously escorted British ships in the area between July and November 2019, after the seizure of a British vessel by Iran. The decision comes following the increase in tensions between Iran and the US ...

The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) have published their 2019 report on Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships. The report states that 162 incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported against ships worldwide, in comparison to 201 incidents in 2018. There has been an unprecedented number of crew kidnappings in the Gulf of Guinea. Of the reported incidents there were four hijacked vessels, 11 vessels fired upon, 17 attempted attacks and 130 vessels boarded. Gulf of Guinea The Gulf of Guinea saw more than a 50% increase in kidnappings ...

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) released its Annual Report 2019 (January to December 2019). Highlights of the Report, whose information is verified by the respective government agencies, also known as ReCAAP Focal Points, and regional authorities, are as follows: Overall Situation A total of 82 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia were reported from January to December 2019, comprising 71 actual incidents and 11 attempted incidents. This represents an increase of 8% (6 incidents) in the total number of incidents and an increase of 15% (9 ...

Despite overall piracy incidents declining in 2019, there was an alarming increase in crew kidnappings across the Gulf of Guinea, according to the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) annual piracy report. In 2019, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre received 162 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships worldwide, in comparison to 201 reported incidents in 2018. The incidents included four hijacked vessels, 11 vessels fired upon, 17 attempted attacks, and 130 vessels boarded, according to the latest IMB figures. While the overall decline in piracy incidents is ...

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

North P&I Club has announced details of a new benefit for its Members to encourage them to better understand their vulnerabilities to cyber risk and to improve their cyber security processes and systems ahead of the International Maritime Organization’s deadline for safety compliance in January 2021. North has partnered with HudsonCyber to offer its Members access to their HACyberLogix platform. HACyberLogix is a secure, cloud-based programme, designed specifically for the maritime industry. It will enable North’s Members to assess their cyber security capabilities and gain insight into what changes need ...

Not so long ago, the coast of Somalia was plagued by pirates. At the peak of the problem, in 2011, there were 237 incidents of piracy off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden (the sea separating Somalia and Yemen), accounting for more than half of all such incidents worldwide. The pirates would often hold shipping crews hostage for ransom. Somali piracy cost an estimated $6.6 billion in 2011 in international naval activities, maritime security, insurance and other costs. A couple of years earlier, a group of Danish businessmen and journalists ...

East Africa and the Indian Ocean UK/Straits of Hormuz: British Royal Navy to escort British shipping in Straits of Hormuz 05 January The British Royal Navy will escort British-flagged commercial ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions in the region. The Royal Navy previously escorted British ships in the area between July and November 2019, after the seizure of a British vessel by Iran. The decision comes after a US air strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad, prompting fears of a major escalation in the ...

The issue of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea which is predominantly Nigerian maritime sphere has been on global radar for a long time now. In this interview with the team of Vanguard Maritime Report, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Commission, NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside, gave details of the strategic initiatives to address the challenges. He also spoke about other key development issues in the Nigeria’s maritime economy. Excerpts What is the way forward on the maritime security around the Nigerian waters and the Gulf of ...

Three foreign sailors kidnapped by pirates in the oil-rich south of Nigeria last week have been rescued, the Nigerian Navy said Wednesday. The three — two Russians and one Indian — were saved in an operation late Tuesday by a navy team in the southwestern coastal state of Ondo, spokesperson Suleman Dahun told AFP. “The rescue happened yesterday around 11pm,” he said, adding that one of the hijackers had been arrested. Separately, security sources said several pirates had been killed and operations were underway to seize the others. Last Thursday, ...