This film looks at the subject of cyber security in the maritime industry and gives simple, clear non-technical advice for seafarers and shore-based colleagues on avoiding the most common cyber threats.

Source: Fidra Films

On 25 March 2018, the French Marine Nationale destroyer Jean de Vienne secured their second drug seizure this year in support of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150. A total of 530 kilograms (kgs) of heroin was seized during an operation in the international waters of the Arabian Sea. Jean de Vienne’s seizure is the tenth for CTF150 since January this year; which together with Her Majesty’s Australian Ship Warramunga and Pakistani Naval Ship Aslat totals in excess of 22 tonnes of narcotics seized.

The Jean de Vienne’s Lynx helicopter was conducting routine surveillance in the international waters of the Arabian Sea as part of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Detecting a vessel of interest, the Jean de Vienne tracked the dhow to investigate further and determined the vessel was suspicious. Boarding teams from Jean de Vienne then conducted a non-destructive search of the vessel and found 20 bags of heroin weighing a total of 530 kgs, a street value of over $120 million USD. After a thorough search, the illegal narcotics were recorded and transferred to Jean de Vienne for safe destruction at sea.

Commander of CTF 150, Commodore Mal Wise, Royal Australian Navy, said the remarkable success of CTF 150 is due to the teamwork between partner nations within the task force and stated that: “Providing security and stability in the international waters of the Middle East is essential to ensure the free flow of commerce in the region. CMF accomplishes this through a flexible mix of nations and ships committed to working together in a common purpose. Successful operations, like the recent heroin seizure by Jean de Vienne, are a testament to the important effect strong, multinational partnerships can have in this challenging maritime environment. ”

In 2018, multinational assets in support of CTF150 have seized over 22 tonnes of hashish and over 2 tonnes of heroin, valued street value in excess of $1.6 billion USD. This is the tenth confiscation of drugs in 2018 by CTF 150, currently under Australian leadership, with a combined Australian and Canadian staff and supported by assets from a cross-section of the 32 partner nations that form CMF.

Source: COMBINED MARITIME FORCES (CMF)

Last week, Vietnam and Cambodia held the 50th iteration of their joint maritime patrols. The interaction offered a glimpse into one manifestation of the the defense realm of the bilateral relationship amid a series of ongoing activities for 2018.

As I have noted before in these pages, Vietnam and Cambodia share an important defense relationship as part of their wider diplomatic ties. Most notably, Vietnam provides the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) with military equipment, infrastructure, and training, while both countries have also looked to manage more sensitive areas of the relationship such as outstanding issues over their shared 700-mile long border and managing illegal fishing in surrounding waters (See: “What’s Next for Vietnam-Cambodia Military Ties in 2018?”).

The past few years have seen an uptick in activity in defense ties due to a range of factors, including symbolic markers for the relationship such as commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2017 to Cambodia’s preparations for elections in July 2018 and Vietnam’s ongoing concerns about China’s deepening influence in Cambodia, where Hanoi also is a major actor (See: “The Truth About US-China Competition in Cambodia”).

As part of their defense ties, both sides have tried to forge maritime collaboration as they seek to better manage challenges in surrounding waters, including illegal fishing. One example is basic joint patrols focused on areas such as search and rescue and communication in order to build trust and cooperation and improve the level of coordination. These patrols have become a regular feature of the relationship, and the 49th iteration was held in early January as scheduled.

On March 22, both sides carried out the 50th iteration of their joint patrol as they had indicated in previous discussions on the schedule for patrols. According to Vietnamese official accounts, this time around, the patrols featured Ship 251 from Brigade 127 of Naval Region 5 of Vietnam and Ship 1134 from the Royal Cambodian Navy’s Ream Naval Base.

The patrol featured similar sorts of activities that we have seen with previous iterations, including ones focused on preventing smuggling, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, weapons and explosives transportation, piracy, maritime environmental protection, and addressing issues related to fishermen. Activities themselves included practicing flag and lamplight signals, conducting a search and rescue exercise, and other exchanges at sea. As with previous iterations, few additional details were publicly disclosed about exactly what these activities involved and what other discussions occurred.

Source: The Diplomat

ABS granted a Certificate of CyberSafety Compliance for Samsung Heavy Industries’ (SHI) Smart Ship Solution demonstrating adherence to the ABS Guide for Cybersecurity Implementation for the Marine and Offshore Industries and ISO 27000 series, IT Security Control Code of Practice.

The goal of SHI’s Smart Ship Solution is improving vessel efficiencies using real time data from hull and equipment sensors in collaboration with land-based technical and fleet managers. Real time data transfer between ship and shore facilities, to enable automated operations, presents a growing cybersecurity challenge for the marine and offshore industries.

“SHI Smart Ship Solution was successfully tested and evaluated for compliance with the ABS Cybersecurity Guide,” said Paul R. Walters, Director of the Global ABS CyberSafety® program. “As a global leader in marine cybersecurity, ABS is pleased to be working with SHI to ensure the next generation of vessels is better equipped to address the increased level of cyber risk they will certainly face.”

“Gaining the ABS Certificate of CyberSafety Compliance is an important first step to apply the Smart Ship Solution in the marine and offshore industries.” said SHI Ship and Offshore Performance Research Center Vice President, Dr. Dong-Yeon Lee. “Through the ABS/SHI Joint Development Project, SHI is proud to acquire the world’s first ship system ABS Certificate of CyberSafety Compliance.”

ABS continues to lead the marine and offshore industries in cybersecurity guidance and will work with SHI on next generation cybersecurity technology for smart ships focused on both the ship’s onboard architecture and its onshore fleet management cybersecurity architecture going forward.

Source: ABS

Update 02 Apr 2018

Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a fishing vessel underway. The Owners of the fishing vessel reported the incident to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) who immediately contacted and liaised with the Ghana Navy Ops Centre. As the fishing vessel moved from Ghanaian waters into Togo and Benin waters the PRC continually updated the respective naval authorities. Naval boats were deployed by the respective navies within their waters to look for the fishing vessel. On 28 Mar 2018, the Owners confirmed that the fishing vessel has been released and it is sailing to a safe port. Three crew members were reported missing. All navies were informed accordingly.

Source: ICC

A Ghanaian fishing vessel is reported to have been hijacked by some unknown persons believed to be pirates.

The Deputy Director of Environment and Safety Standards at the Ghana Maritime Authority, Captain Inusah Abdul-Nasir, who confirmed this on Eyewitness News, narrating the circumstances under which the vessel was hijacked, said the incident was reported to the Ghana Navy around 6:00pm on Monday.

“This incident was reported at about 6:00pm on Monday.We have a system at the Ghana Maritime Authority which we use to track vessels in the Maritime domain so during this monitoring system at about 1800 hours of Monday, there was a call from the vessel. Actually these vessels do not call but they were calling the navy, and there was no response so we intercepted the call and called back, but unfortunately the vessel did not respond. The operator subsequently called to say a fishing vessel was purportedly hijacked.” he narrated.

Mr. Abdul Nasir could not give further details as to where the vessel was coming from or heading to, despite clarifying that it was “registered under the Ghanaian flag with the Ghana Maritime Authority.”

According to him, recent reports indicate that the vessel had sailed into Togolese waters after being hijacked, adding that the Togolese Navy had been informed of the development, and are working frantically to rescue the vessel.

Mr. Kamal indicated that, this occurrence is not new, considering that this year [2018] alone, there had been “some significant number of hijackings in the West African sub-region”

Source: Modern Ghana

A series of missiles were launched into neighbouring Saudi Arabia on Sunday night, killing one and injuring several others.

Two soldiers reportedly killed after explosion at a security checkpoint outside parliament in Mogadishu.

Following the incessant attacks of vessels by sea pirates in Onne and Rivers Ports, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) says it is partnering with the Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Maritime Safety and Administration (NIMASA) to tackle the menace.
NPA also said, plans are in the pipeline to acquire two 1.7 meters offshore monitoring vessels to complement the efforts and make the waterways safe for traffics.
Managing Director, NPA, Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman disclosed this at the weekend in Port Harcourt during the quarterly stakeholders forum held at NPA Dockyard, Rivers Port.
Represented by, the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mohammed Bello Koko, Usman said, soon the Nigeria Navy will be deployed to Onne and Rivers Ports to enhance surveillance and security of the facilities.
The MD also said, NPA has gotten approval for the procurement and purchase of six water tanks patrol boats.
She said the six patrol boats will enable the security agencies to patrol in and around the ports for safety.
Hadiza Usman also insisted that arrangements are in top gear with the Nigeria Navy and the office of the National Security Adviser for installation of a 3 c i, a security system that would enable NPA to monitor vessels and ships and pick them up when there is any distress.
She noted that, the disastrous system faced by the ports will soon be curbed through the NPA’s collaboration with the Navy and NIMASA.
According to the MD, the federal government is working assiduously to improve security of lives and property nationwide to the benefit of everyone.
On equipment, Hadiza Usman said, NPA will soon acquire more tugboats and construction of six pilot cutters in Onne Port to enhance productivity.
The Managing Director also said, procure processes is ongoing for the purchase of six marine boats, even as NPA is planning to dualise Bonny channel to accommodate more sea going vessels to increase traffics.
She also told the stakeholders that NPA will soon embark on the dredging of Rivers Port dockyard, to accommodate more vessels.
Usman decried that the facility at the dockyard is near moribund as budgetary provision has been made to upgrade the dockyard.
She assured terminal operators and stakeholders that, NPA will soon embark on concession reviews in the port.
Earlier, Port Manager, Rivers Port, Alhaji Abubakar Umar lauded the Managing Director, Hadiza Bello Usman for embarking on the restructuring of NPA.
Umar said, the restructuring has helped in achieving optimum operation efficiency in the ports.
On the achievements, Umar said the serene atmosphere enjoyed by the stakeholders has attracted more importers and increased ship traffic in the port which has led to more revenue generation.
The port manager also disclosed that, Rivers Port maintains cordial relationship with the stakeholders and terminal operators for efficiency.
Management, he said recently allocated two new security patrol vans to the port.
Other achievements by Umar include, responsive management, reduction in vessel turnaround time.
Alhaji Abubakar also said, Rivers Port recorded improvement in revenue generation and collection, improvement in service delivery and improved safety guidelines.

Source: The Tide

The spokesperson for the coalition forces fighting to restore legitimacy in Yemen confirmed that air defense forces were able to intercept seven ballistic missiles that targeted Saudi territories from Yemen.

According to Col. Turki al-Maliki, three of the missiles were directed at Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh, which one missile each was fired toward Khamis Mushait and Najran. Two missiles were fired toward Jazan and was launched indiscriminately to target civilian areas and population.

A statement on Saudi Press Agency said all ballistic missiles were successfully intercepted and destroyed.

Fragments of some of the destroyed missiles landed on residential neighborhoods, according to preliminary sources of information.

At the time of publication, at least one Egyptian national is said to have died as a result of the attack on Sunday night.

Al-Maliki said that this hostile and indiscriminate action by the Houthi group backed by Iran proves the continued involvement of the Iranian regime’s support for the Houthi armed militia with qualitative capabilities in a clear and explicit challenge to the violation of UN resolution (2216) and resolution (2231) in order to threaten the security of Saudi Arabia.

It also threatens regional and international security, Maliki added, and that the firing of ballistic missiles towards populated cities and villages is contrary to international humanitarian law, stressing that the actions of the Houthi militia is a serious development in the war of terrorist organizations and those behind them of the state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran’s regime.

Source: alarabiya