ReCAAP ISC today issued an Incident Alert (01/2021) on incidents against ships in the eastbound lane of Singapore Strait. The incidents of armed robbery against ships continued to occur to ships while underway in the Singapore Strait.

During 25 – 29 Jan 2021, three incidents were reported on board ships while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait.

The three incidents occurred in close proximity to each other and in particular, two incidents occurred within an interval of four hours. In all three incidents, the perpetrators were sighted in the engine room. However, nothing was reported stolen and the crew was safe with no confrontation with the perpetrators.

“ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait,” the organisation stated.

In 2020, a total of 34 incidents were reported in the Singapore Strait; of which 30 incidents occurred in the eastbound lane, two in the precautionary area, one in the westbound lane and one just outside (south) of the TSS.

The ReCAAP ISC had issued five Incident Alerts on the incidents occurred in the eastbound lane of the TSS in the Singapore Strait and one Special Report on incidents against ships in the Singapore Strait in 2020.

“All ships are advised to exercise enhanced vigilance, adopt extra precautionary measures and report all incidents immediately to the nearest coastal State.”

Ship master and crew are advised to keep abreast of the latest situation (at https://www.recaap.org/) and tune-in to advisories and navigational broadcasts announced by the littoral States, ReCAAP ISC stated.

“The ReCAAP ISC urges the littoral States to increase patrols and enforcement in their respective waters, strengthen coordination among them and promote information sharing on the latest situation, and the criminal groups involved in order to make arrests of the perpetrators.”

Source: seanews

The Iranian-flagged MT Horse and Panamanian-flagged MT Freya oil tankers were seized in waters off Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province and were escorted to Batam Island in Riau Island province for further investigation, said Indonesian Maritime Safety Agency spokesman Wisnu Pramadita.

He added that the vessels are suspected of a variety of infractions, including:

– Failing to display national flags.

– Turning off their identification systems.

– Illegally anchoring.

– Clandestinely transferring fuel between ships.

– Oil spillage, affecting the seabed in a bloody manner.

– Sixty-one crew members from both vessels have been arrested.

In addition, the International Maritime Organization requires ships to use transponders for safety and transparency reasons. Crews can turn off the devices if there is a danger of piracy or similar dangers. But transponders are often turned off to hide a ship’s location during illicit activities.

Each of these tankers has the capacity to carry 2 million barrels of oil. The Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) MT Horse, owned by National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), was almost fully loaded with oil, while VLCC MT Freya, managed by Shanghai Future Ship Management Co, was empty.

The Iranian territory that has been characterized as possessing large oil and natural gas reserves, has found its overseas sales deeply affected by US sanctions after former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018.

Iran’s regularly traveling fleet of state-owned tankers turn off their Automatic Identification System trackers to try to cover up where they deliver their cargo. Those AIS beacons, a security measure to let other ships know what is around them, can be tracked. The analysts say these ships often transfer their oil to other vessels, and use false excuses to then sell the oil.

Source:  fullavantenews

The NOAA Ocean Prediction Center is predicting seas in excess of 60 feet associated with a low pressure system that has rapidly intensified in the North Atlantic off the northeast coast of the U.S.

“Low pressure rapidly intensified yesterday and overnight, and continues to produce #hurricaneforce winds to 75 kt today,” the Ocean Prediction Center said in an update posted to Facebook.

At 12:00 UTC, National Weather Serviced meteorologists analyzed significant wave heights of 52 feet, or 16 meters, associated with the storm. The latest NWS North Atlantic High Seas Forecast showed a Hurricane Force Wind Warning is in effect for the area with seas forecasted to build to 60 feet, or more than 18 meters, over the next 24 hours!

Pirate attacks against merchant ships off the African coast have been reported regularly over the past decade. And despite measures to suppress it, Somalia-based piracy remains a concern. On the other side of the continent, the Gulf of Guinea is now viewed as presenting a much more serious piracy problem.

Last year a record 130 crew members were kidnapped in 22 separate incidents, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The cluster of attacks in November and December has once again led to alarming headlines about the Gulf of Guinea being the world’s piracy hotspot.

But an increase in officially reported attacks does not necessarily mean that the actual number of attacks has increased. And individual cases must be analyzed carefully. Attacks against small cargo ships trading solely in the Gulf of Guinea, for example, are often linked to criminal disputes or other illicit activities at sea. These incidents are very different from random attacks targeting merchant ships in international trade which are solely aimed at kidnapping seafarers to collect a large ransom and are, therefore, a profit-driven crime.

Similarly, reports about suspicious approaches against merchant ships off Somalia are still frequent. Most are related to smuggling operations between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula or simply to everyday fishing activities.

Pirate attacks may grab most headlines, but maritime security is important for wider reasons. Illicit activities at sea limit the potential benefits of economic activities linked to the sea – what’s referred to as the “blue economy”. This includes maritime trade, fishing activities, offshore oil and gas production or coastal tourism. Also, criminality at sea and on land are closely linked. Government agencies need to recognize this if security is to be improved.

Many problems, few resources
Piracy remains arguably the most visible symptom of insecurity at sea. But coastal states also have other reasons to be concerned about it.

Illegal fishing, for example, has a direct impact on coastal communities where artisanal fishing is one of the few opportunities to earn a living. Smuggling on maritime routes even affects government income directly. Virtually all African countries rely heavily on customs revenues. When fuel, cigarettes or agricultural goods are smuggled, no import or export duties are paid. Less money can then be spent on schools, roads or hospitals, as my research has shown.

Governments are also concerned about drug trafficking or weapons smuggling at sea, underlined by international agreements which have been adopted by the majority of African coastal states.

Limited monitoring of maritime trade allows for a steady flow of pharmaceutical products – including fake drugs – into Africa as well as lucrative exports of unlicensed timber or illegal wildlife products.

Despite the widespread impacts, maritime security has only come into the political focus over the past decade. African countries have initiated international meetings about it. The African Union adopted a maritime strategy in 2014 and held a follow-up summit in Togo’s capital Lomé in 2016. But progress has been limited. National governments have largely failed to take concrete actions. Strategies aren’t supported by financial and human resources.

Even Ghana, where a comprehensive maritime strategy has been under development for years, is still unable to provide reliable funding for patrol boat operations.

The way forward
Some examples highlight that it is possible to provide more security at sea. In West Africa, Nigeria is leading the way with its $195 million Deep Blue project, scheduled to be fully operational in the coming months. This project is primarily aimed at better surveillance and enforcement across the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone, an area that stretches out up to 200 nautical miles (around 360 kilometers) from the coastline.

Benin, Gabon and Tanzania have partnered with environmental organizations like Sea Shepherd to combat illegal fishing in their waters. Such non-traditional partnerships may help overcome short-term challenges and focus on urgent problems.

But it’s necessary to build capacity for the long term.

In many African countries, the blue economy could help to increase economic growth and development, although it should not be limited to economic gains. Acknowledging the needs of local communities and environmental sustainability are equally important. Investments can yield direct benefits which are five times higher than the initial outlay, according to a recent study. And the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal 14 on ocean resources could strengthen efforts to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Despite some alarming headlines, there is no evidence to suggest that the coronavirus pandemic has had an immediate impact on security threats at sea. But growth forecasts have been slashed and governments are unlikely to prioritize spending on navies and other maritime agencies.

Security concerns on land are much more immediate threats, and even relatively limited stimulus packages are another burden for government budgets.

A closer analysis of sea piracy is important for law enforcement and longer-term prevention whether these are solely aimed at pirates or at organized criminal groups. It is also important for shipping companies because it affects the threat assessment when attacks are linked to criminal activities and aimed at specific ships rather than random targets.

Short-term solutions for long-standing problems are impossible. Even small steps, however, are important to improve maritime security in the medium to long term. That would be in line with the AU’s maritime strategy which highlights the blue economy’s potential contribution to economic growth and development across the continent.

Source: marinelink

With more containerships arriving daily, the backlog at the Southern California ports has grown to record levels. For the first time in seventeen years, ships are being held in drift positions outside the anchorage in San Pedro Bay with predictions that the congestion will continue at these levels at least until mid-to-late February.

The Marine Exchange of Southern California, a ninety-plus-year-old, non-profit organization that oversees the flow of maritime commerce throughout the region, reported on Wednesday, January 27, that the San Pedro Bay port complex had set a new record with 55 ships at anchor. That topped the previous high by three vessels, but the record would only last for hours. Five additional ships entered the anchorage on January 28, raising the record to 60 vessels.

Source: maritime-executive

An experienced commercial fisherman is the client for Dongara Marine’s first new vessel for the South Australian Rock Lobster fishery.

Customised to client preferences, the 17.8m long aluminium hull features the hallmark fine entry of Southerly Designs’ offshore capable monohulls, topped by a single level wheelhouse – an arrangement that is common for lobster boats built for South Australia.

Like Dongara Marine’s recent vessels for the Western Rock Lobster fishery, the superstructure will be manufactured from composites using resin infused moulding techniques to deliver a very high standard of finish as well as lightweight and noise, vibration, and thermal insulation.

Dongara Marine’s Managing Director, Rohan Warr said the ability to provide this composite wheelhouse was a key factor in the owner’s decision to choose Dongara Marine as the builder of the new boat.

In addition to the helm station, galley and mess in the wheelhouse, accommodation for three crew is provided to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) AL 36-72 standards. This includes two berths in a forward cabin and an owner / master’s cabin with Queen sized berth beneath the wheelhouse.

The monohull will be single screw with propulsion power coming from an MTU 8V 2000 M72 diesel; an engine selection made by the owner and accommodated within Dongara Marine’s custom design and build approach. Driving a fixed pitch propeller through a Twin Disc gearbox this is expected to give a maximum speed of 23 knots and economical cruising at 18.5 knots.

The boat will have capacity for 750kg of live lobster and 4000 litres of fuel.

Source: marinelink

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Source: nace