Week 33 – Maritime Security Weekly Snapshot
Indian Ocean HRA – Maritime Security Incidents
August 18: Yemeni Government Issued Warning to Fishermen. The Yemeni government issued a warning to fishermen operating in their waters, advising them to avoid approaching coalition warships. The warning follows Houthi threats to conduct further attacks against shipping, making it likely that warships would resort to force more rapidly when confronted by suspicious small craft. 15-22 August 18: Offensive Operations Continued around Al Hudaydah. The Yemeni government and Saudi-led coalition continued to escalate offensive operations against Al Hudaydah, including a series of missile strikes which resulted in civilian casualties. Such attacks have previously resulted in the Houthi retaliating against Saudi merchant shipping and warships.Mediterranean – Maritime Security Incidents
15 August 18: Three Killed as Smugglers Sought to Evade Coastguard off Sfax, Tunisia. A migrant smuggler, piloting a small boat with 19 illegal migrants, attempted to repel the Tunisian Coastguard using petrol bombs. He mishandled the devices resulting in the deaths of himself and at least two other migrants before the coastguard succeeded in rescuing the remaining passengers. 15 August 18: Italian Coastguard Vessel denied access to Italian Ports. An Italian coastguard vessel carrying 177 rescued migrants was denied access to Italian ports. The vessel was eventually granted access on 20 August, however the migrants were not permitted to disembark. Matteo Salvini, the Interior minister has indicated that the migrants must be resettled in other EU countries or returned to their country of origin, likely Libya.Gulf of Guinea – Maritime Security Incidents
21 August 18: UPDATE Vessel and 17 Crew Confirmed Missing off Gabon. A 7000 tonne, dual-purpose tanker was confirmed missing off Gabon, with at least 17 crew aboard. The missing vessel, Panelena, vanished from AIS on 14 August, and a potential distress signal was detected by other shipping in the area. The nature of the vessel’s disappearance is broadly inline with that expected following a pirate attack. 21 August 18: Theft From Vessel in Onne Anchorage, Nigeria. A merchant vessel at 04°40”N, 007°09”E was boarded by four armed men who stole a number of oil cans before escaping. No effort was made to enter the ship.South East Asia – Maritime Security Incidents
20 August 18: Impounded Vessels Sunk in Indonesia. 125 vessels impounded for participating in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing were sunk by Indonesian authorities at 11 locations around the country. The vast majority of these vessels were foreign flagged, and the sinkings were only announced afterwards in an effort to minimise political repercussions. Further efforts to impose effective control of Indonesian waters are highly likely.Click link to Download PDF: Solace Global Maritime Security Snapshot – Week 33 A roundup of maritime security incidents – an easy to read format collating suspicious approaches, vessel attacks, boardings, hijacks and media reports. The week 33 Maritime Security Snapshot was compiled by Solace Global’s in-house intelligence team.