Maritime Security Review 21 Luglio 2017
MSR Newsletter
The latest news for July 21st 2017
| Dear Readers, Welcome to the end of another working week. We made it. Another interesting week on the water, with piracy and security in the foreground as always. We begin with new advice on transiting the waters around Yemen from the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), who have issued new guidance for the merchant shipping community. There has been a spate of suspicious approaches on merchant ships by groups of armed men in skiffs in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the fear is that another ship may be attacked as the Yemen conflict spills over. Remaining in the region, there are calls in America to include Bangladesh in maritime security plans, which would not only send a message to China as they increase regional influence, but would also reassure other nations in the Indian Ocean region. In West Africa, the Nigerian Navy is claiming victory after pirates boarded and then fled a merchant ship off Port Harcourt. At the same time, NIMASA has called on the Nigerian Army to assist in its fight against piracy and other maritime crimes in the Delta. In Southeast Asia, while the threat of kidnap by Abu Sayyaf Group terrorists has been reduced in recent months, ReCAAP have suggested that ships may want to re-route to avoid the Sulu-Celebes area following the deaths of three Vietnamese hostages being held by the terror group. Finally, we look to the Mediterranean, as a group attempting to stop NGO migrant rescue efforts ends up having their vessel held by Egyptian authorities as questions are asked about rumoured armed guards and incomplete paperwork. The group's aims are clear and they will no doubt be closely monitored by the Italian Coast Guard, EUNAVFOR Med and the Libyans, who will not want them in their TTW. Regards, David Rider Editor |
