Warning of kidnapping activities in Sabah
According to the ReCAAP ISC, there are information that a group of approximately 10 ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) members armed with pistol, rifles and grenade launcher is planning to carry out kidnapping activities in Sabah.
These activities may take place at any opportune time in undisclosed areas in Sabah, mainly targeting businessmen or ship’s crew of foreign vessels passing through the area.
The group is using unmarked coloured blue and white motorbanca locally known as jungkong.
Ship masters and crew are called to be extra vigilant when transiting the waters off Eastern Sabah and Sulu-Celebes Seas.
Source: SAFETY4SEA
Two ships robbed in Philippine and Indonesian anchorages
In its weekly report for 23-29 October, ReCAAP ISC informed of two actual incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia, one in Batangas, Philippines and another one in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The first incident involved the Maltese-flagged oil tanker ‘Searacer’. While at anchor at Tabangao Customary Anchorage, Batangas, Philippines, the security personnel sighted two perpetrators armed with knives at the forecastle of the ship. The duty officer sounded the ship’s alarm, and the perpetrators escaped in their motor boat. Six scupper plugs, two fire hose nozzles and 15 hydrant caps were stolen, but the crew was unharmed.
The second incident involved the Marshall islands-flagged bulk carrier ‘Super Caroline’. While at anchor at Muara Berau Anchorage, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, two perpetrators armed with machetes boarded the ship through the anchor chain. Two other perpetrators were on standby onboard a motorized boat.
The duty AB, upon seeing the two perpetrators on the forward deck, immediately informed the duty officer who sounded the alarm and mustered the crew. The chief mate and other crew rushed to the scene. The duty officer informed the pilot station through VHF as well as the ship’s agent. Padlocks were damaged and three mooring ropes were stolen. The crew was not injured.
The ReCAAP ISC urges ship master and crew to report all incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships to the nearest coastal State and flag State, exercise vigilance and adopt relevant preventive measures taking reference from the Regional Guide to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia.
Meanwhile, special attention in the last hours has been given to information received from Philippine Coast Guard that about 10 Abu Sayyaf members armed with pistols, rifles and grenade launcher are planning to conduct kidnapping activities at an opportune time in Sabah. They are using unmarked coloured blue and white motorbanca, locally known as jungkong, and targeting businessmen or ship’s crew of foreign vessels passing through the area.
As the threat of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off eastern Sabah remains, ReCAAP ISC maintains its advisory issued via the ReCAAP ISC Incident Alert dated 21 November 2016 to all ships to reroute from the area, where possible. Otherwise, ship masters and crew are strongly urged to exercise extra vigilance while transiting the Sulu-Celebes Seas and eastern Sabah region, and report immediately to the Centres as shown in map below:
Source: SAFETY4SEA
IMB: 156 piracy incidents reported in the first nine months of 2018
The ICC International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) reported a total of 156 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the first nine months of 2018 compared to 121 for the same period in 2017.
These incidents can be broken down as following:
- 107 vessels boarded;
- 32 attempted attacks;
- 13 vessels fired upon;
- 4 vessels hijacked.
However, no vessels were reported as hijacked in the third quarter of 2018, marking the first time since 1994 when no vessel hijackings have been reported in two consecutive quarters.
Nevertheless, incidents of this crime remain, with the number of crew members held hostage increasing, compared with the same period in 2017—from 80 incidents to 112 by the third quarter of 2018.
Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB, stated:
While the record low number of hijackings in the second and third quarters of 2018 is of course to be celebrated, incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery remain common
Credit: IMB
Piracy trends in the Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 57 of the 156 reported incidents. Most of these incidents have been reported in and around Nigeria (41), and there has also been a noticeable increase in the number of vessels boarded at the Takoradi anchorage, in Ghana.
In addition, 37 of the 39 crew kidnappings for ransom globally have taken place in the Gulf of Guinea region, in seven separate incidents. A total of 29 crew members were kidnapped in four separate incidents off Nigeria, including a 12-crew kidnapping from a bulk carrier off Bonny Island, Nigeria in September 2018.
Moreover, no new incidents have been reported off the coast of Somalia in the third quarter of 2018, while two fishermen were reported kidnapped off Semporna, Malaysia in September 2018. Incidents in the remaining regions include border on low-level opportunistic theft.
Types of ships attacked
As far as what kind of vessels were attacked, IMB reported the following:
- 56 tankers attacked;
- 51 bulk carriers attacked;
- 13 container ships;
- 36 other.
Commenting on the above, IMB called masters and crew members to be vigilant and report all incidents to the 24-hour manned PRC.
Pirates seize 11 crew from Dohle boxship
Pirates have abducted 11 seafarers from a Peter Dohle containership off Nigeria.
This is according to Poland’s Radio RMF FM, which said eight Poles, two Filipinos and a Ukrainian were kidnapped.
Poland’s ministry of foreign affairs has been in contact with the shipowner.
Dohle’s Isle of Man manager Midocean said in a statement that the ship was attacked and boarded while en-route to the port of Onne.
“We regret to confirm that upon leaving the ship the attackers took eleven of the ship’s crew ashore against their will,” it added.
“The other nine seafarers remain onboard and are safe and unhurt.”
The vessel has proceeded to safe waters.
Working to release crew
“All relevant authorities were informed immediately after the attack. Our priority is securing the earliest release of the eleven crew who have been taken and we are working closely with our partners and the local authorities to achieve that,” the statement said.
“The families of those crewmembers taken are being kept informed of the situation.”
Midocean will not be releasing any further details at this stage in order not to jeopardise the crew.
The attack took place in the early hours of Saturday, 50 miles off the coast.
The gunmen used two motor boats to reach the vessel.
The crew had time to send a distress signal and no injuries were reported.
AIS data shows the vessel stopped off the coast on Monday.
Source: TradeWinds
Pirates free kidnapped crew of ‘Glarus’ after one month
The 12 crew members of the Swiss cargo ship ‘Glarus’, who were kidnapped off Nigeria in mid-September, were freed on 26 October, according to data provided by Swiss authorities.
Pirate whaler seized and destroyed by EU NAVFOR
In the morning of Sunday 28th October 2018, EU NAVFOR military personnel seized an active Pirate Action Group (PAG) whaler and destroyed it. This followed a sustained period of surveillance after a piracy attack was conducted against the Hong Kong-flagged Bulk Carrier KSL Sydney. EU NAVFOR is committed to disrupting PAG’s wherever and whenever the opportunity arises and Sunday 28th October was one such occasion.
The attack against the KSL Sydney took place on 16th October 340 Nm off the coast of Somalia. Rear Admiral Alfonso Perez de Nanclares, the EU NAVFOR Force Commander, ordered counter-piracy forces to the area for further investigation. EU NAVFOR Spanish Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) flew over the area to gain as much detailed information on suspected pirate activity as they could. The ability to deploy aircraft and ships immediately to this area proved vital in identifying this latest PAG. The information the MPRA provided made it apparent that PAG whalers were active in the area, which would be used to launch further attacks on maritime shipping transiting the area.
The suspicious whaler identified by the MPRA was later tracked down by the crew of ESPS Castilla to a small bay just off the Somali coast. The Force Commander then ordered it to be seized and towed out to sea where it was safely destroyed.
Admiral Nanclares said: “Using the resources of Op Atalanta we were able to identify, track and destroy the equipment of a Pirate Action Group making it harder for them to attack maritime shipping in the future. We will continue to deter and prevent acts of piracy with every chance we get in order to ensure vulnerable shipping and their crews remain safe while they transit the Western Indian Ocean”.
Source: EU NAVFOR
Hodeidah heats up
Clashes between Houthi rebels and government forces near Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah broke out late on Wednesday, residents told The National.
The renewal of violence in the contested city saw UAE Apache helicopters target Houthi vehicles on the road stretching from Hodeidah airport to the university inside the city.
According to a resident, the exchange of fire took place in Kilo 10, east of Hodeidah, where Iran-backed Houthi fighters were shelling from within residential areas.
The resident, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of repercussion, said rebel fighters had been shelling pro-government areas indiscriminately while taking cover in residential areas.
The Arab Coalition cautioned residents to avoid Houthi gatherings and to stay indoors, worried that civilians would get caught in the crossfire.
The renewed offensive follows the deployment by the Arab coalition of new forces near Hodeidah, including highly trained brigades equipped with “new modern military equipment,” said Colonel Mamoon Al Mahjami the spokesman for the Giant Brigade.
“Thousands of trained fighters including thousands of Sudanese soldiers were transported to the southern areas of the port city of Hodeidah as a part of big preparations for a wider offensive aimed to be launched in the two weeks to take full control over the city and its ports,” Col Al Mahjami said.
The coalition said on Wednesday night that navigation into Hodeidah’s port would not be interrupted. At least six vessels docked in the harbour while another four vessels were on waiting for permission to enter.
Also on Wednesday 10 Houthi fighters were killed and 19 injured in an air strike just south of Hodeidah. The Arab coalition-backed forces say the strike targeted a Houthi gathering close to a fruit and vegetable market. In the Bayt Al Faqih the hospital director told Associated Press the victims were all civilians.
Yemeni security officials confirmed the strike but didn’t know what the intended target was.
Dangerous waters
An estimated 300,000 fishermen still ply the waters of Yemen’s Red Sea coast amid the Saudi-led coaltion’s battle to recapture Hoidedah from Houthi rebels.
The fishermen try to avoid coalition warships, which are on the lookout for weapons smugglers and rebels armed with rockets and explosives.
They also risk being hit by Houthi rocket attacks on Red Sea shipping off Yemen’s coast.
The fishermen share advice on Facebook, warning each other to avoid international waters; to stay five kilometers from any ships; and to wave white flags or fish in the air if one approaches them.
Source: Maritime Security Review
Swiss open investigation into Nigerian pirate kidnappings
Basel’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the case of a Swiss-registered ship hijacked off the coast of Nigeria in September. Ransom negotiations with the attackers, who kidnapped 12 crew members, are ongoing.
Though none of the hostages are of Swiss nationality, the fact that the MV Glarus is registered with a Swiss company (Massoel Shipping in Geneva) warranted the opening of a Swiss enquiry, the SonntagsBlick newspaper reported on Sunday.
Indeed, due to the flag being flown, the kidnappings must be investigated as if they had taken place in Switzerland, the Keystone-SDA news agency explained.
Police spokesman René Gsell, contacted by the agency, did not give further details on the progress so far, nor about the hostages, who include seven Filipinos, a Croatian, a Bosnian, a Slovenian, a Ukrainian, and a Romanian.
As well as can be expected
Massoel Shipping told the SonntagsBlick that the crew members were doing as well as could be expected, given the conditions. The newspaper also reported that negotiations were ongoing in Nigeria as to their release; the attackers, purportedly from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), are demanding ransoms.
The ship was attacked on September 22 last while on route from Lagos to Port Harcourt with a cargo of cereal. It was boarded by the pirates some 45 nautical miles southwest of Bonny Island.
Due to the non-involvement of Swiss citizens, the SonntagsBlick reports, the Swiss foreign affairs ministry is providing neither consular assistance nor financial aid.
Source: HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS