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Page 1: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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22nd November 2017

Issue 103Maritime Intelligence Report Series

Page 2: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

MAST ServicesMAST has the experience, capability and global presence to provide comprehensive sup-port to our clients.

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

This report is copyright of Maritime Asset Security and Training (MAST) © 2017. All rights reserved.

This report is intended to provide general information about maritime intelligence topics but does not provide individual advice and the creators assume no liability for the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of any information contained herein, or though links you will find in it. Furthermore, using this report or sending MAST emails does not create a service provider- client relation-ship. It is intended only as an introduction to ideas and concepts only. It should not be treated as a definitive guide, nor should it be considered to cover every area of concern or regarded as an advice.

If you copy from this report, you have to refer to Maritime Asset Security and Training (MAST) Ltd as the source of the copied material. You may not, except with our express written permission, commercially exploit the content.

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Page 3: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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The Maritime Intelligence Report Series focuses on:

• Operational risks in areas of instability which could affect the safety of commercial and private vessels and personnel ashore and at sea.

• In country reporting on key countries where civil conflict are directly impacting on maritime opera-tions; and

• Reporting and analysis of incidents of terrorism, pi-racy and other related criminal activity. MAST has a global reach and presence, delivering firsthand, accurate and exclusive intelligence. MAST isentrenched and committed in continuing to supportand promote the awareness of the very real risks thatseafarers and other stakeholders face. This Intelligence Report Series is a brief snapshot ofMAST’s Intelligence capabilities. MAST Intelligencespecialises in providing clients with a suite of prod-ucts and services, including; political and economic risk analysis, detailed port and vessel security briefs, vessel passage plans, threat and risk mitigation and travel risk management. Working closely in conjunction with a host of experts,MAST Intelligence offers a market leading service pertaining to all maritime affairs.

Follow MAST on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep abreast with these insightful weekly reports and more — including real time security updates.

Editor: David Riderwww.mast-security.com

Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile and conflict af-fected coastal states Libya, Somalia and Yemen. The Mediterranean migrant crisis, incidents affecting maritime security and influencing maritime news are also reported and analysed, focusing on the keys theatres of maritime instability.

“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

Issue 103

Contents:

Mast Services

Indian Ocean region

Somalia

Yemen

Yemen Ports

Mediterranean

Libya

Gulf of Guinea

South East Asia

Central & South America

Severe Weather Warnings

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22nd November 2017

24/7 Emergency Telephone+44(0) 117 916 6012

MAST UK+44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected]

MAST Singapore+65 8302 [email protected]

Page 4: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

Indian Ocean Region EU NAVFOR Somalia’s Flagship, the Italian vessel ITS Virginio Fasan, has apprehended six suspected pirates and seized their vessels. Six crew of a motor whaler, acting as mother ship, and a skiff have been detained following attacks on a 52,000 tonne container ship and a fishing vessel. These events reportedly took place over a 24 hour period on 17th and 18th November in the Southern Somali Basin, in an area known for piracy incidents.

Incidents: 1. MV (at time unstated) in position 14:04N - 051:47E, near IRTC Point B (around 128nm NW of Socotra Island), Gulf of Aden, reports sighting one skiff w/ ladder, approached to within 1nm. MV increased speed and is safe. Reported (UKMTO) 18th/19th Nov.

2. Fishing vessel reported suspicious skiff at 0555 UTC in posi-tion 01:56S - 049:23E, around 341nm SE of Mogadishu, Somalia. One skiff w/ 4 POB approached the FV to within 1000 yards. Embarked AST fired warning shots resulting in skiff withdraw-ing. FV is Safe. Reported (UKMTO) 18th Nov.

3. Container ship reported sighting suspicious skiff at 0917 UTC in position 01:55.9S 047:56.8E, around 284nm SE of Mogadishu, Somalia. Vessel approached at speed to within 1.6nm by one skiff w/ 4 POB, weapons sighted. Suspected pirates attempt-ed boarding vessel, deterred by razor wire, skiff fired two RPG rounds before withdrawing. Vessel is Safe. Reported (UKMTO/Source) 17th Nov.UPDATE: EUNAVFOR Italian warship chased and captured six suspected pirates in a motor whaler, acting as mother ship, and a skiff. Suspects being transferred to Seychelles. 19th Nov.

4. Whilst underway, a mother ship with two skiffs picked up speed towards Japan-flagged tanker at 1500 LT in position, 13:38N - 070:55E, approx 194 nm southwest of Panjim (Goa), India, on a collision course. The crew raised the general alarm, the anti-piracy alarm and fog horn was sounded. After a few minutes, the skiffs stopped approaching the ship. Master was not able to see skiffs POB or the mother ship. Master reported the incident to authorities and continued voyage. Reported (ReCAAP) 13th Nov.

Suspected Pirate Vessels in Gulf of Aden Dispersed By Chi-nese NavyA destroyer from the 27th Chinese naval escort taskforce suc-cessfully dispersed a number of suspected pirate vessels aim-ing for two container ships, reports China Central Television. At approximately 4:30pm local time, as the Haikou was escorting the vessels, registered in Hong Kong and Italy, towards the Gulf of Aden, three targets travelling at high speed were detected 5.1 nautical miles ahead.

To see MAST’s services in the Indian Ocean Region, please click here.

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

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Kidnap

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Suspicious Activity Theft

1st December 2015 HRA limits

Page 5: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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SomaliaThe Pentagon announced in a statement Thursday there are now “more than” 500 US troops on the ground in Somalia. A significant increase from early 2014 when roughly two dozen troops arrived for the first time since 1993 and the Black Hawk Down incident. US Africa Command says there have been 28 airstrikes this year, mostly from drones against al-Shabaab, long considered the greatest terror threat in Africa. At a press conference on Thursday 16th at the Pentagon, a top defense official denied any “ramp-up.”

Control of Somali territory (February 2017) Source: Wikime-dia Commons

UAE violates UN arm embargo in SomaliaThe UAE is violating internationals sanctions on the sale of arms to war-torn countries by supplying Somalia weapons, a UN report has revealed. The report said that it had enough proofs that a UAE ship could have been carrying illegal weap-ons and banned materials to Somali before it was intercepted and cargo offloaded. The report noted that EU drones record-ed the Emirati ship changed its route, got closer to Somali beaches, two small boats approached it and exchanged ship-ments with it.

AU, UN envoys assess security in Somalia ahead of troops exitThe United Nations and African Union envoys in Somalia have kicked off security assessment visits across the Horn of Afri-ca nation ahead of the troops exit next year. The pan-African troops are expected to relinquish the security of the key towns, to the Somali forces, through a conditions-based transition plan, to allow them to take the lead as part of the planed exit.

Soldiers don’t smuggle charcoal in Somalia - KDFKenya Defense Forces yesterday disputed allegations its soldiers are involved in charcoal smuggling in Somalia. KDF spokesman Col David Obonyo said it [the report] is similar to the one the group has been making “with a little variation in wording every year around the same time since 2012”.

Al Shabaab/ISIS• Al Shabaab militants captured Geed Faqi town, Lower Sha-belle region, southern Somalia on November 20th.• Suspected rival ethnic clan members killed 13 civilians with small-arms in the Baba Dogo slum, Nairobi, Kenya on Novem-ber 19th.• Somali National Army (SNA) forces detained nine Al Shabaab senior officials in Afgoi, Lower Shabelle region, southern So-malia on November 16th.• Al Shabaab militants attempted to seize a SNA base on No-vember 16th along the Afgoi-Mogadishu highway in the Hawa Abdi area.

AnalysisAl Shabaab continues to mount operations against civilian and military targets in Somalia, seizing military bases and equipment before being driven off by AMISOM forces, despite combined ac-tion against them from Somali, African Union and US forces. Threat AssessmentSomalia held Presidential elections in February 2017. After a peaceful transition of power, Somalia continues to face familiar problems. Al Shabaab frequently ambushes AMISOM and local security forces denying any significant process to the shaping of a stable country which is vital before Somalia can tackle humani-tarian and economic issues. Somalia is recovering from a severe drought which led to widespread famine with an identified 2.9 million people facing food insecurity. Youth unemployment in Somalia has not improved with 67% of Somali male youths aged between 14 to 29 unemployed. Pirate financiers offer lucrative and attractive opportunities, and were seen to be increasingly active in the last inter-monsoon period. Somalia continues to be a permissive location for kidnap and ransom piracy operations. Somalia has both an EU and UN arms embargo in place under UNSCR Resolution 2317 in place until November 2017, which will likely be extended. The ongoing threat to shipping in the region has been made clear by the military bodies which monitor the region. A lack of adherence to BMP4 protocol, particularly not maintaining a safe distance off the coast, has increased risks to shipping. BMP4 advises: “non-Somali fishing vessels should avoid operating or transiting within 200nm of the coast of Somalia, irre-spective of whether or not they have been issued with license to do so”. Merchant vessels would be wise to maintain the same dis-tance from the coast, particularly ensuring that the Socotra Gap isn’t taken. All vessels are advised to update risk assessments and register with UKMTO/MSCHOA prior to entering the Indian Ocean High Risk Area.

“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

Under control of Al Shabaab and allies Under control of neutral forces Under control of Government and allies Somaliland Government Territory disputed by Puntland and Somaliland

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Control of Yemen territory (November 20thth 2017)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

YemenUN humanitarian agencies in Yemen have pleaded with Saudi Arabia to permit the delivery of two urgently needed shipments of medicine and food aid blocked outside the port of Hodeidah, warning that the 15-day Saudi-imposed blockade was endangering tens of thousands of lives. Jamie McGol-drick, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said: “The position is very precarious. One of the aid shipments contains medicine to combat the cholera outbreak, and the other urgently needed food aid including grains and rice.”

al Qaeda “cleared” from Mahfad districtUAE-backed Yemeni forces have completely cleansed al Qae-da militants from Mahfad district, al Qaeda’s major stronghold in the southern province of Abyan, local government and mili-tary officials said on Sunday 19th.

Threat Assessment Bordering the southern Red Sea and the GoA, Yemen’s civil war shows no sign of abating. At present, neither side has the military superiority to reunite the country under a single gover nment. The front lines have remained relatively stable for the last few months, but no political solution has been agreed upon, despite UN led negotiations. The resultant humanitar-ian crisis in Yemen is severe and deepening with 14.1 million people identified by the UN as currently at risk from extreme hunger and famine.Not entirely surprisingly given that the Saudi led coalition re supplies its military operations from the sea, the conflict has spilt into the maritime domain. The main protagonists have been the Houthi rebels and they have been remarkably suc-cessful at targeting warships and auxiliary vessels with missiles, anti-tank rockets and remotely controlled boats laden with explosives. While it is possible that a commercial vessel could fall victim to poor targeting the most worrying development is the deployment of sea mines by the Houthis in the entrances to harbours. We believe these have been locally manufac-tured and the clear and present danger is that any that are not identified and removed by the Saudi forces will in time break free from their moorings and drift. While there is little cause for concern right now, this is something we will be watching closely for in the coming months.The terrorist threat, likely to be led by AQAP, has been dem-

onstrated against LNGC Galicia Spirit in October 2016 and MT Muskie in May 2017. Both were attempted but failed attacks which occurred in the BAM and were against fuel laden ves-sels. The intent of the attacks was to detonate a bomb either on or alongside the target vessel in order to cause a spec-tacular and/or considerable environmental damage which would detrimentally affect navigation through the strait. Offi-cial reports on the Galicia Spirit detail evidence of attempted boarding and substantial damage to the hull and superstruc-ture of the vessel. The bomb detonated prematurely and was supported by RPG and small arms fire. Similarly, the second attempt on the MT Muskie failed. It is feasible that a similar at-tack will be attempted in the future.Advice from the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), recom-mends that merchant traffic transiting the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea are advised to pass through the area between 44 00 East in the Gulf of Aden and 13 00 N in the Southern Red Sea during the hours of darkness and exit the Traffic Separation Scheme to the West of the Hanish Islands in daylight hours. The frequency of these incidents, where vessels are ap-proached and in some cases attacked by armed men in small boats, indicates that the threat assessment remains ‘Substan-tial’ – an attack is a strong possibility. The recent threat by Hou-tis to target oil tankers should not be ignored by CSOs and Masters.

MAST recommends BMP measures be enforced and watches strengthened during transits in the region.

Houthi

Pro Hadi Government Forces

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

Page 7: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM)

The UN’s Secretary-General has decided to institute a UNVIM for the facilitation of commercial imports to Yemen, at the re-quest of the Government of the Republic of Yemen and in line with Security Council resolution 2216 (2015).

UNVIM is operational with immediate effect. Shipping companies or vessel owners shipping commercial goods or services to any port not under the direct control of the Government of Yemen (Salif, Mokha, Hudaydah and associated oil terminals) need to apply for permits upon departure of the port of origin of their cargo. For further details click here.

UN arms embargo imposed by UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015 is in place.

Port Aden:

• The port of Aden is under the protection of the Republic of Yemen security forces.

• Merchant vessels wishing to enter Yemeni ports must first apply for a permit through the Yemeni Ministry of Transportation; contact: [email protected] for more information.

• Final clearance to enter Yemeni ports (with permits in place) is authenticated by the coalition guard ship.

• Port Ash Shihr: Fully operational.

Port Salif: Fully operational.

Port Hudaydah: Fully operational.

Port Mokha: Status - Closed: Currently classified as ‘Not Safe’.

Port Al Mukalla: Fully operational.

Port of Balhaf: Status - Closed: LNG terminal remains closed. Now under control of Saudi and Yemeni forces.

Port of Ras Isa: Status - Closed. Safer oil terminal remains closed, Safer Company (SEPOC) does not allow vessels to berth at Safer Marine Terminal if they do not have an agreement signed by them according to the protocol between buyer and Yemeni government.

Yemen PortsYemeni ports under the control of the legitimate government can receive humanitarian aid, Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief), has said. Al-Rabeeah said that the Kingdom had offered the Saudi Port of Jazan to be used along with other ports to help the flow of humanitarian aid into Yemen.

“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

Page 8: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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Mediterranean The African Union (AU) has expressed outrage after footage emerged appearing to show sub-Saharan migrants being sold at slave markets in Libya. In the video, released by CNN this week, young men are seen being auctioned off as farm workers. The AU chairman, President Alpha Conde of Guinea, demanded prosecutions over a “despicable” trade “from another era”. Migrants trying to reach Europe have spoken of being held by smugglers and forced to work for little or no money.

No violations against illegal immigrants in Libya, Anti-Illegal Immigration Chief saysThe Chief of Anti-Illegal Immigration Department (AIID) Mo-hammed Besher has denounced the allegations in the media reports about violations against illegal immigrants in Libya.Besher said, in a statement on Sunday 19th posted on Bawa-bat Al-Wasat website, that the reports were lies and fabrica-tions, saying the AIID is ready to cooperate in any initiative aiming at facilitating the work for embassies’ representatives to come and see their nationals in the Libyan migrants’ cent-ers before they are repatriated.

Migrants rescued off SpainAssociated Press reported that Spanish authorities rescued 461 migrants on Saturday 18th who had put to sea from Al-geria.

Algeria stops almost 300 would-be migrants at seaAlgeria’s coast guard has intercepted almost 300 Algerians off the North African nation’s coast as they tried to reach Eu-rope on several boats, the Defense Ministry said. From Thurs-day 16th to Saturday 20th, the coast guard “intercepted and rescued a total of 286 Algerian citizens” attempting the peril-ous crossing on flimsy vessels, it said in a statement.

Migrant dinghy overturns near Spanish enclave of CeutaAt least three migrants were killed when their dinghy over-turned in waters close to the Spanish north-African enclave of Ceuta, Red Cross sources confirmed Sunday 19th. The in-cident happened at around 4:00 a.m. local time on Sunday as the dinghy with at least 24 people onboard was approaching the shore.

The current migrant smuggling situationWith fighting ongoing in the migrant hub town of Sabratha, new doubts about arrangements between the EU-backed Govern-ment of National Accord and local militias have emerged. Sa-bratha has always been a smuggling hub for fuel and people traffickers, but as the rival militias continue to fight, they’re taking their eye off the migrant boat ball, allowing more to put to sea. New threats from the Libyan Navy against NGO rescue missions to seize their vessels underlines the difficult operating environ-ment in the Mediterranean. As weather conditions continue to worsen, it is likely that the death toll will continue to rise as more migrants put to sea in un-suitable craft. While the number of crossings has fallen this year, the rise in fatalities is of huge concern to the UN who continue to look for ways on shore to prevent migrants reaching Libya in the first place.

“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

Migrant crossings 2015-2017. Source: UNHRC

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.

Map depicting major migrant routes in the Mediterranean (Nov. 21st 2017). Source: UNHRC

Page 9: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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LibyaUN-led talks on a new political deal to unite Libya’s rival governments are making progress, the UN envoy said on Thursday 16th, expressing optimism that a deal is within reach. “I am quite confident we are close to a consensus,” Ghassan Salame told the UN Security Council which met to discuss the cri-sis in Libya. One of the main stumbling blocks is the inclusion in the new government of Khalifa Haftar, the powerful leader whose Libyan National Army dominates the country’s east.

“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

Libyan army carries out combing operations on IS sitesArmy units on Saturday 18th carried out extensive sweeps in the region known as the “oil crescent” to monitor movements of IS members, according to a military source. “Patrols of army units are securing desert areas of the oil crescent region, in search of IS fighters,” an army officer told Xinhua.AnalysisWith oil production relatively stable, the National Oil Company (NOC) has announced plans to open a US office in the hope that oil reconstruction contracts can be secured. The head of the NOC stated that they and partner companies expect to spend $20 billion over three years, rebuilding inrastructure. News that the Eastern House of Representatives (HoR) gov-ernment believes that a unity deal could be in place by the end of the year is positive, although the sticking point will be whether the rival Government of National Accord will agree to allowing former regime figures such as Field Marshal Haftar to stand in elections. Oil production in Libya remains stable, although output will drop as the Ubai gas-fired power station will initially use up to 50,000bpd when it comes online.Following reports of its sinking after being shelled by the Libyan Coast Guard, the tanker Goeast was reportedly seen moored in Maltese waters. At the time of writing, the full story has yet to be made public, but the incident led the Liberian Registry to issue a warning to all Liberia-flagged vessels trans-iting the Mediterranean and Libyan waters. The risk to shipping remains, with Libyan Navy and CG elements clearly happy to open fire on merchant traffic they believe to be involved in smuggling. The crackdown on fuel smuggling to Malta and Italy highlights just how lucrative the trade is. It is likely that as weather con-

ditions worsen, making migrant operations less viable, Libyan militias will return to this as a source of revenue. Ports currently operational in Libya are: Benghazi, Zawiyah, Tripoli, Misrata, Marsa El Brega, Tobruk, Al Khoms, Marsa El Hariga. Farwah, Bouri, Zuwarah, Zuetina and Es Sider.

Threat AssessmentOngoing issues with terminal safety remain an issue for the National Oil Company and Haftar’s forces who control the oil crescent. This situation is unlikely to change in the near future, particularly with the current militia fighting around Sabratha and Melittah and potential to spill over into oil pipeline attacks. The incident involving the Libyan Coast Guard and a tanker suspected of invovlement in fuel smuggling once again un-derlines the extremely dangerous nature of Libyan waters and vessels should ensure they have the correct permission from the appropriate authority before entering. At the time of this report, at least one vessel remains under arrest for illegal fish-ing and tanker traffic is likely to be questioned by the Navy or Coast Guard upon entering Liyba’s TTW. The NGO/migrant exclusion zone remains in effect, although the reduction in mi-grant numbers attempting to cross from Libya has seen sev-eral NGOs downscale rescue missions in response. The majority of vessels calling at Libyan ports are trouble free, however there is scope for vessels to encounter local issues. It is advised that before visiting a risk assessment is conducted on the area of operation and the fast moving political and mili-tary situations monitored closely.MAST is able to provide risk assessments and crew training to improve situational awareness and risk appreciation. The ad-ditional threat to shipping should not be taken lightly.

Control of Northern Libyan territory (Nov. 21st 2017)

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Controlled by the Tobruk led government

Controlled by the Government of National Accord

Controlled by ISIS

Controlled by local forces

Controlled by Tuareg forces

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

Page 10: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

Gulf of GuineaA Niger Delta militant group, identified as the Supreme Egbesu Tigers of Africa, accused the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC of neglect on Nov. 15th and threatened to destroy their oil installations in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Incidents: 1. Crude oil tanker reported attacked by seven pirates in white-hulled speedboat at 0945 UTC in position 03:30N - 006:46E, around 58nm SSW of Bonny Island, Nigeria. As the boat closed to 300 meters the crew noticed a long ladder. Alarm raised, master increased speed, commenced evasive manoeuvres and the crew mustered in a safe place. After chasing the tanker for a while the boat stopped its approach and then once again attempted to close to the ship to board. Due to the harden-ing measures employed by the tanker the boat aborted and moved away. Nigerian Navy HQ notified. Reported (MDAT/IMB) 16th Nov. 2. Pirates attacked underway Liberia-flagged bulk carrier at 1100 UTC in position 04:07N - 006:57E around 20nm SSW of Bonny Island, Nigeria, around 15 minutes after its Nigerian Navy security escort boat moved away. Hearing the “Mayday” transmission, the security vessel returned to the bulk carrier and fired upon the pirate boat resulting in the pirates aborting. The Nigerian Navy security vessel then escorted the bulk car-rier to Bonny Anchorage. Vessel and crew reported to be Safe at 1430 LT. Reported (MDAT/IMB) 16th Nov. 3. Anchored sailing yacht boarded by three robbers armed with knives (time unstated) in position 14:53N – 023:30W, Praia, Cape Verde. Robbers threatened the crew and tied the owner

to the mast. They stole crew’s belongings before escaping with the yachts’ dinghy. Owner managed to get untied and in-formed local authorities, resulting in the arrest of one robber. Two others remain at large. Reported (MDAT) 13th Nov. (Not shown on map)

Nigerian police deploy gunboats to tackle sea piracy in oil rich stateNigeria’s police in southern oil rich Bayelsa had deployed 16 patrol gunboats and 6,000 policemen to tackle sea piracy and criminality on the creeks and waterways to ensure safety of the water channels.The 6,000 personnel had been deployed after undergoing marine training, while some are still being trained, Asuquo Amba, police chief in charge of the state told reporters in Yen-agoa, the state capital.

MAST provides escort vessels in partnership with trusted Ni-gerian partnered MoU holding companies.

To see MAST Services in the region, please click here.

4°30’

5°00’

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3°30’

7°00’6°30’ 7°30’5°00’ 5°30’ 6°00’ 8°00’4°30’

6°00’

5°30’

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Hijack

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

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South East AsiaFive Filipino fishermen abducted by suspected Abu Sayyaf members last month have been rescued by government troops in Tawi-Tawi, military officials said on Monday 20th. The victims were identified as Vergel Arquino, from Davao City; Jushua Ybanez, Emo Fausto, Junald Minalang, and Spriano Sordid, all from Pagadian City. They were crewmen of fishing boat Danvil 8 who were abducted lon October 14th near the coastal area of Poblacion Simbahan, Pangutaran, Sulu.

Incidents: 1. Three robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored Saudi Arabia-flagged product tanker at 2130 UTC in position 01:25.64N - 104:35.29E, around 12nm North of Tanjung Berakit, Pulau Bintan, Indonesia. Duty crew on routine rounds noticed the robbers. Alarm raised and crew mustered. Hearing the alarm and seeing the alerted crew, the robbers escaped with ship’s properties. A search was carried out. Incident report to MPA Singapore. Reported (IMB) 17th Nov.

2. Late Report: Whilst underway, two robbers on board a drift-ing craft, approached astern part of Hong Kong (China)-flagged chemical tanker and attempted to board at 0435 LT in position 1:10N - 105:09.5E, approx. 20.57 nm northeast of Pulau Mapur, Indonesia. The duty crew informed the Master who immedi-ately raised the alarm, switched on deck lights and activated the Ship Security Alert System (SSAS). The crew was mustered and a search was conducted. The robbers fled. Reported (Re-CAAP) 9th Nov.

Sabah security forces to launch sea, road checkpoints against militantsThe Sabah Eastern Security Command (EssCom) will imple-ment sea and road checkpoints to strengthen efforts against militant threats in the state’s east coast which shares a sea bor-der with insurgency-plagued southern Philippines.

Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman said the focus of the planned sea checkpoints was to stop the smuggling of firearms and other transborder criminal elements into the state.

Asian War Risk Syndicate LaunchedA new marine insurance facility aimed at protecting Chinese and Asian ship owners from the risks of war and piracy has been launched. Named the Hong Kong China War Risk Syn-dicate (HKCWRS), the facility is supported by Asia Insurance, part of Hong Kong’s Asia Financial Holdings Limited. It is avail-able to shipowners in Hong Kong, China plus all Asian flag, owned, managed or chartered vessels.

Abu Sayyaf terrorists kidnap civilians in SuluMembers of the Daesh-linked Abu Sayyaf Group abducted six civilians, including two children on the island province of Sulu in restive Mindanao, which the military said would be used as “human shields” in the intensified operations against them.

To see MAST’s services in the region, please click here.

“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

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“Making the world a safer place to live and work”

Central and South America Nothing significant to report.

Incidents: 1. Nov. 16th, 0630 UTC: Posn: 10:19N – 075:31W: Mamonal an-chorage, Colombia.Robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored Chemical tanker. Duty crew on routine rounds noticed the robbers and notified the OOW who raised the alarm. Hearing the alarm, the robbers escaped with stolen ship’s property. A search was car-ried out and port control notified. All crew safe.

Standing advice: The repercussions of a vessel being caught acting as a mule with drugs stowed will depend on the type, amount and na-tional laws, but may be disruptive and costly. When and if operating in these areas, especially Columbia and Peru, it is advised that: • Potential stowage areas such as rudder shafts are denied as far as possible, and/or routinely searched. • Access points are closely monitored by a vigilant watch for the duration of the vessel’s call at port.

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

1

Hijack

Kidnap

Approach/Attack

Suspicious Activity

Theft

Page 13: Maritime Intelligence Report Series Issue 103 · including real time security updates. Editor: David Rider Issue 103 of the series reviews, analyses and threat assesses the fragile

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Severe Weather Warnings Warnings detailed on this page are from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and are issued by respective Regional Specialised Metrological Centres, Tropical Cyclone Centres or National Mete-orological Services. For further information on severe weather warnings please click here.

Note: The forecasts are correct as of the day before publication. For latest updates please follow the provided links.

MAST UK: +44 (0)1279 216 726 [email protected] www.mast-security.com

Nothing significant to report.