Category Archives: MARSEC Updates

UGS MarSec Digest 25 June 2014

  June 25, 2014 ,
UG

 “Even Marine Police Armed Guards Are No Longer Legal in Nigerian Waters” By Ilias Papadopoulos Master in International Relations & Strategic Studies               This past week we had a very significant development in Nigeria. That is the ban of all security personnel, both private (already the case anyway) and state provided, on board vessels operating in Nigerian waters and its EEZ.             To take matters from the top, Nigeria never allowed the employment of PMSCs on board vessels operating in its waters and gives the alternative of employing locally provided guards from their Joint Task Force (JTF – a unit composed of Navy and Coast Guard personnel) or the Coast Guard (Marine Police). The measure by itself has attracted … Continue reading

UGS MarSec Digest 19 June 2014

  June 19, 2014 ,
UGS

UGS MarSec Digest 19/06/2014 By Ilias Papadopoulos Master in International Relations & Strategic Studies               Last week saw the rise of an unexpected danger in the Middle East, the radical Islamic ISIL (Islamic State for Iraq and the Levante), an offshoot of al Qaeda that operates in Iraq and Syria. Iraq is a country populated by three distinct groups, Sunni Muslims, Shi’a Muslims and Kurds, with the Shi’a being the majority. After the US intervention in the country in 2003 the later came to power and conducted along with their US allies counterterrorist operations against the radical Sunnis (then called al Qaeda in Iraq).             However two factors changed the largely successful approach in the country. The first was … Continue reading

UGS Weekly Digest 27 May – 01 Jun 2014

  June 10, 2014 ,
map of ghana west africa

Weekly Digest 02/06-08/06 By Ilias Papadopoulos Master in International Relations & Strategic Studies               This last week we had a major incident in maritime security, the hijack of Greek owned tanker MT Fair Artemis operated by Fairdeal S.A..             To take the events from the top, ‘Fair Artemis’ was operating in offshore Ghana waters on 04/06, with the last contact being made in 18:00 hrs. In 05/06 the vessel was declared as missing and a search for it was initiated. Subsequently an unnamed Ghanan official stated that the coast guard of Ghana received in 06/06 a distress signal from the vessel claiming that it was hijacked and looted 36nm in Togo national waters. Particularly the last clause should be … Continue reading

UGS Weekly Digest 19 – 25 May 2014

  May 29, 2014 ,
Indian Ocean Piracy Updates

Indian Ocean MARSEC Updates By Ilias Papadopoulos Master in International Relations &    Strategic Studies             This last week was a busy one for maritime security in the Indian Ocean, with three incidents taking place. While these events did not escalate to a full scale engagement they remind us that while severely hampered, piracy business in Aden is still around.             To take events from the top, in 20/05 at 07.47 a vessel was approached by four skiffs that circled around it for 20-30 minutes. The skiffs seemed to bear no arms, but nevertheless the on board security team showed its weapons as the rules of engagement dictate and the skiffs broke contact. Further to that, 20 minutes after the first … Continue reading

UGS Weekly Digest 12 – 18 May 2014

  May 21, 2014 ,
HMAS-Darwin-Seizes-132-Mln-of-Drugs-off-Somalia

Illicit Trade by al Shabaab Bringing Terrorism to the Indian Ocean By Ilias Papadopoulos Master in International Relations & Strategic Studies               In 15/05, an Australian Navy warship, HMAS Darwin, patrolling the coast of Somalia seized a total of 449kg of heroin ($123 mn value). This brought to the forefront again the ways that Somali terrorist groups, particularly al Shabaab, an al Qaeda offshoot, operating in southern Somalia acquire their financing.             Initially the goal of al Shabaab being strictly politico-religious forbade it from embarking in petty crime. Thus their source of financing until 2010 was from other states that either supported their radical cause (e.g. Saudi Arabia), or that wanted to destabilize the targets of the terrorist group … Continue reading

UGS Weekly Digest 05 – 11 May 2014

  May 14, 2014 ,
ISO 28000 with UKAS Blue

ISO/PAS 28007 The Accreditation for Maritime Security Companies By Ilias Papadopoulos Master in International Relations & Strategic Studies           The year 2008 saw the formation of a new trend in maritime commerce, piracy. The phenomenon of course was not unheard of, but at that time it became so menacing that shipping companies had to acknowledge it and took steps to protect their assets and interests. At first the states tried to play the role of the protector against maritime crime but the measure soon proved ineffective, both financially and legally. Meanwhile the reality remained unchanged, and demand of security from the ship owning companies and the charterers, soon produced supply from the private sector.             Thus a whole new … Continue reading