An Indonesian tanker has been found drifting in the South China Sea with no crew, no cargo but a well- stocked galley. The last AIS signal was in Sept 2010. The vessel is suspected to have been used by pirates to siphon and transport stolen oil from hijacked ships. It was found during the search for missing tanker, Arsenal last month. The Ghana Navy reveals details involving three vessels attacked/hijacked in the Gulf of Guinea in June. The investigations claim the incidents did not take place in Ghana waters, however, MT Fair Artemis taking refuge in a Ghanaian anchorage indicates the trust in Ghana's security arrangements. It was also revealed that AIS on the tanker was switched off 2 weeks prior to the hijack.
The prison facility in Garowe, Puntland, housing convicted pirates is in danger of closure due to electricity shortages. Whilst UN agencies and EU states pay for inmates' meals, education and health services, the Puntland government shoulders the bill for electricity and salaries of prison guards, or not.
Two Korean Coast Guard officials were arrested over the ferry disaster under suspicion of failing to carry out their duties at the time the Sewol ferry capsized, and are alleged to have falsified transcripts of their conversations with the ferry crew. Allegations include orders to erase weeks of CCTV footage inside the Vessel Traffic Services centre.
A Danish tanker, Torm Sofia, was reported to have been approached by a suspicious vessel in the Gulf of Aden, embarked security guards to used force to deter the approach, informing naval forces in the area.
A special report newsletter by MPHRP covers the freeing of the remaining MV Albedo crew, whilst the Ministry of Shipping in India has set up an Inter-Ministerial Group to secure the release of Indian sailors held captive by Somali pirates. Unverified reporting claims Indian crew from Asphalt Venture have been released.
The president of the Singapore Shipping Association stated that the traditional threats of piracy still loom in the SE Asian region, but all at the lower severity in comparison to East and West African waters, and warns that the threat increases the risk of pollution to the environment. Kenyan authorities detain a dhow transporting illegal cargo. after monitoring two vessels. The dhow was involved in smuggling firearms and drugs. An Australian warship boarded a suspicious dhow in the Indian Ocean and seize a record haul of hashish.
The Italian Navy continues to address the issue of hundreds of migrants between Sicily and N Africa, finding dead bodies when rescuing people in distress on the boats being used.
EUCAP Nestor continues to demonstrate the capacity building efforts in the Indian Ocean region whilst a study compares the strategies adopted by China and Russia to increase their reach.
EUNAVFOR is to have a new Op Commander in the form of a Royal Marine, Maj Gen Martin Smith will assume command of Op Atalanta in August.
Captain Phillips, of the hijack and film fame, met President Obama and came out on the offensive over the White House's new counter piracy plan, saying that more must be done to stop pirates. Meanwhile, the female naval officer who masterminded the rescue of Captain Phillips from Somali pirates has been appointed the US Navy's vice Chief of Staff, becoming the first woman to reach the rank of a four-star Admiral, the latest in a series of firsts for Admiral Michelle Howard, who was also the first black American woman to command an American warship.
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