piracy report - global maritime hub · lagos port complex. a high number of incidents ......

Copyright © 2018 L. Joubert 1

PIRACY REPORT JULY 2018

_____________________________________________________ Piracy and Acts of Armed Robbery of Ships

For Monthly Reports

Please contact

Lydelle Joubert

[email protected]

Piracy Report Independent Global

Incident Analysis

2

Analysis

Between January and July 2018 the Gulf of

Guinea was the area worst affected by piracy and

maritime robbery worldwide. A high concentration

of incidents was found in Nigeria off Brass and

Bonny, as well as Lagos Anchorages and the

Lagos port complex. A high number of incidents

were also reported in the Malacca and Singapore

Straits and at Samarinda Anchorages, Indonesia.

The Landing Craft, Alpha Kirawira came under

mortar attack by presumably Al Shabaab in the

vicinity of the Port of Baraawe, Somalia in July

2018. The vessel has been carrying supplies for

AMISON for several years. It is likely that the

vessel was targeted for this reason. Attacks by Al

Shabaab on vessels are very uncommon.

The EU Council extended European Union Naval

Force (EU NAVFOR) Operation Atalanta Mandate

to counter-piracy operations off the Somali coast

to 31 December 2020.

In July 2018 two Saudi flagged Very Large Crude

Carriers (VLCCs) under escort by the Saudi

Frigate RSN Al Damman 816 came under attack

by Houthi militia off Hudaydah, Yemen. The

VLCC, Arsan sustained damaged after it was hit

on the stern. After the attack Saudi Arabia

suspended oil tankers movement through the Bab

al Mandeb Strait for ten days. Shipments were

resumed on 6 August 2018.

Attacks by Houthi militia on civilian vessels

associated by parties in the conflict continued

through 2018. The risk to vessels transiting the

Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden remains low to

vessels not affiliated with any of the warring

parties in Yemen, but it is possible that vessels

could be caught in the crossfire.

An attempted robbery on a Product Tanker was

reported at Lagos Secure Anchorage, Nigeria in

July 2018. Between January and end of July 2018,

23 incidents of robbery and attempted robbery of

vessels were reported at Lagos Anchorages and

the Lagos port complex. Most could be

categorized as petty theft.

Twenty attacks were reported off Bonny and

Brass, Nigeria between January and July 2018.

Attacks are violent in this area and attackers fired

on vessels in almost all cases. Three attacks

resulted in the kidnapping of 19 crew members.

2017 Incidents

July 2018 Incidents

2018 Incidents

Copyright © 2018 L. Joubert

3

Incidents of Piracy and Robbery of Vessels: 2016 to 2018


0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Southeast Asia

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20


West Africa

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10


Americas & Caribbean

2016

2017

2018

Linear (2016)

Linear (2017)

Linear (2018)

4 Copyright © 2018 L. Joubert

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

JUL2017

AUG2017

SEP2017

OCT2017

NOV2017

DEC2017

JAN2018

FEB2018

MAR2018

APR2018

MAY2018

JUN2018

JUL2018

Incidents by Region July 2017 to July 2018

EAST AFRICA AND ARABIAN GULF WEST AFRICA INDIAN SUB CONT SE ASIA SOUTH AMERICA

BC B CS C D FB OSV PMB MT TB SY FB FV PBRo-Ro

Other

Americas 8 2 11 7 1

Indian Sub Continent 6 2 1 2 2 3 1

SE Asia 23 2 1 9 8 2 1 1

West Africa 11 1 6 5 5 2 29 4 4 1 3

East Africa/Arabian Gulf 1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

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12

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31

Incidents 2018: Type of Ship Attacked

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Type Vessel Code

Barge

Bulk Carrier

Cargo ship

Coast Guard/

Patrol Boat

Container

Dhow

Ferry

Fishing Boat

Fishing Trawler

Offshore Supply

Vessel

Passenger Boat

Roll-on-Roll-off

Cargo Ship

Tanker

Tug

Yacht

B

BC

CS

PB

C

D

F

FB

FV

OSV

PMB

Ro-Ro

MT

TB

SY

72 1 19

47 29


6

Southeast Asia


Six incidents of robbery of vessels were reported in Southeast Asia in July 2018. All these incidents could

be classified as petty theft. A robbery on the Bulk Carrier Capt Stefanos was reported at Muara Berau

Anchorage, Samarinda.1 Thirteen incidents were recorded at this anchorage in 2018. A robbery and an

attempted robbery were reported at Batangas Anchorage, Philippines in July 2018. The Product Tanker,

Maersk Cancun was also boarded at Sandakan Port, Sabah, Malaysia in July 2018. A ship’s bell, a coil of

heaving line and two bicycles were stolen.2 Two barges towed by tug boats were boarded and robbed in

the Singapore Straits while the vessels were underway.


Robberies and attempted

robberies on tug boats towing

barges in the Singapore Straits

and the South China Sea since

October 2017.

Eight robberies and attempted robberies on tug boats towing barges, and in one case an unmanned oil rig,

were reported in the Singapore Straits and the South China Sea south of Singapore since October 2017.

Scrap metal and ship’s and crew’s property were stolen during these incidents. The Indonesian Navy

arrested two robbers on the tug Dabo 105 in January 2018.


Indian Subcontinent

Three incidents were reported in Bangladesh in July 2018. Two robberies on vessels were reported at

Chittagong Anchorages. Twelve fishermen were also kidnapped at Khulna in the Sundarbans.3 Gangs

extort protection money from fishermen in order to fish. If they do not pay the protection money they are

kidnapped for ransom.

East Africa, Gulf of Oman and the HRA

No piracy related incidents were reported off East Africa or the Arabian Sea in July 2018.

Two incidents were reported on 4 July 2018 by UKMTO - A suspicious approach off Muscat, Oman and

an attack south of the Hanish Islands, Yemen. An attack on the Greek Cargo Ship, Chios Freedom was

reported off Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates on 4 July 2018. However AIS data placed the vessel in the

Red Sea at the time of the attack, in close proximity to the reported attack off the Hanish Island.4


Operation Atalanta

The EU Council extended European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Operation Atalanta Mandate to

counter-piracy operations off the Somali coast to 31 December 2020. EU NAVFOR will also continue

protecting World Food Programme (WFP) shipping in the region. EU NAVFOR Operational

Headquarters will relocate from Northwood, UK to Rota, Spain, following the UK decision to withdraw

from the EU. The Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) will relocate to Brest, France.5

Attacks Related to Conflict in Somalia

22 July 2018 – The Landing Craft, Alpha Kirawira came under mortar attack by presumably Al Shabaab

in the vicinity of the Port of Baraawe, Somalia. The vessel has been carrying supplies for AMISON for

several years. It could be presumed that this is general knowledge in the area and the reason for the

attack. The onboard security team returned fire. The vessel reached the Port of Baraawe safely. Al

Shabaab maintains a presence in the Lower Shabelle region.6


Attacks Related to Conflict in Yemen

25 July 2018 – Two Saudi flagged Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) under escort by the Saudi

Frigate RSN Al Damman 816 came under attack by Houthi militia in the Southern Red Sea

approximately 70nm west of Hudaydah, Yemen. The tankers are operated by the Saudi shipping

company, Bahri and each were transporting two million barrels of Saudi Aramco Crude Oil. The VLCC,

Arsan was hit on the stern above the waterline. No oil spill was reported. The vessel sustained damage

to its steering gear which required it to be towed to port. The vessels left Ras Tanura Terminal on 16

July 2018 onroute to Egypt. Saudi Arabia suspended oil tankers movement through the Bab al Mandeb

Strait for ten days after the attack. Oil Shipments have resumed on 6 August 2018.7

On 14 July 2018 a Yemeni Fishing vessel was destroyed by a sea mine near the port of Hudaydah

killing five fishermen. At least six fishermen were also killed in a Saudi coalition attack on Hudaydah on

29 July 2018. Conflict in Yemen has severely affected the livelihood of fishermen around Hudaydah.8

The VLCC, Arsan sustained damage on the stern above the waterline.

Source: https://southfront.org


West Africa

Two incidents of piracy and robbery of vessels were reported off Nigeria in July 2018. An attempted

robbery on the Product Tanker BW Petrel was reported at Lagos Secure Anchorage and an attack on a

Reefer off Bonny.9

1 July 2018 – The Reefer, Frio Nagato sustained damage when seven pirates in a blue hull speed boat

fired on the vessel approximately 18.7nm SW of Bonny Island. The master increased speed and the crew

mustered. The navy vessel responded to their distress call and escorted them to a safe anchorage.10


South America

Two robberies on vessels at anchor were reported in this area in July 2018 - one at Mamonal Anchorage,

Colombia and one at Georgetown Outer Anchorage, Guyana.

Copyright © 2018 L. Joubert 13

End Notes

1. https://gisis.imo.org/Public/PAR/Incident.aspx?Action=View&ID=7844 viewed 25/07/2018 2. https://gisis.imo.org/Public/PAR/Incident.aspx?Action=View&ID=7835 viewed 11/07/2018; ReCAAP ISC Weekly Report 10-16

July 2018 3. https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/322487/Pirates-active-in-Bay-Sundarbans viewed 16/07/2018. 4. UKMTO Weekly Report 30 Jun – 6 Jul 2018; http://maritimebulletin.net/2018/07/05/greek-bulk-carrier-attacked-fired-upon-in-

arabian-sea-fake/ 5. http://eunavfor.eu/eu-navfor-operation-atalanta-mandate-continues-business-as-usual/ 6. http://crfimmadagascar.org/en/violent-acts-at-sea/act-terrorisme-maritime-somalie-attaque-dun-cargo-a-proximite-de-

baraawe/ viewed 25/07/2018; EOS Risk Group, Maritime Security Intelligence Report, 12 - 24 July 2018; DNK IOC MONTHLY THREAT ASSESSMENT– AUGUST 2018, Oslo, 31.07.2018.

7. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/curbing-houthi-attacks-on-civilian-ships-in-the-bab-al-mandab viewed 2/08/2018; DNK IOC MONTHLY THREAT ASSESSMENT– AUGUST 2018, Oslo, 31.07.2018; http://www.saudiaramco.com/en/home/news-media/news/Bahri-Ship.html#.W1lcne_EcaE.linkedin; https://splash247.com/saudis-restart-oil-shipments-through-bab-al-mandeb/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

8. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/yemen-years-war-takes-toll-hodeidah-fishermen-180729075140224.html viewed 30/07/2018; DNK IOC MONTHLY THREAT ASSESSMENT– AUGUST 2018, Oslo, 31.07.2018;

9. https://gisis.imo.org/Public/PAR/Incident.aspx?Action=View&ID=7828 viewed 5/07/2018 10. https://gisis.imo.org/Public/PAR/Incident.aspx?Action=View&ID=7837 viewed 23/07/2018

https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/322487/Pirates-active-in-Bay-Sundarbans viewed 16/07/2018












http://maritimebulletin.net/2018/07/05/greek-bulk-carrier-attacked-fired-upon-in-arabian-sea-fake/

























http://eunavfor.eu/eu-navfor-operation-atalanta-mandate-continues-business-as-usual/


















http://www.saudiaramco.com/en/home/news-media/news/Bahri-Ship.html.W1lcne_EcaE.linkedin





https://splash247.com/saudis-restart-oil-shipments-through-bab-al-mandeb/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter















https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/yemen-years-war-takes-toll-hodeidah-fishermen-180729075140224.html viewed 30/07/2018

















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