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Friday, November 22, 2024
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Maritime Security News

19 Nov 2024

Australia and India Talk Maritime, Renewables at G20

Source: Indian Government

Australia will partner with India to boost investment in renewable energy, including solar manufacturing, battery and mineral processing, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a meeting with his Indian counterpart on the G20 sidelines.Australia and India will also look to enhance defense and maritime security cooperation, Albanese said in a meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.The two countries, along with the United States and Japan, are members of the Quad, which has sought to balance China's rising military and economic clout in the Indo Pacific r

17 Nov 2024

Call for Release of Galaxy Leader Crew on Seizure Anniversary

Screenshot from video shared by Yemeni Armed Forces

November 19 marks the one-year anniversary of the seizure of the crew of the car carrier Galaxy Leader by Yemen’s Houthis, with the International Chamber of Shipping renewing calls for their release.Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, said: “It seems incredible that a year has passed, and the crew of the Galaxy Leader are still being held hostage. Innocent seafarers and families who have had their lives irrevocably changed by geopolitical forces wholly out of their control.“The seafarers…

17 Nov 2024

Japanese Troops to Train in Australia

Source: Australian Department of Defence

Japanese troops will begin regular deployments in northern Australia as part of military cooperation with Australia and the U.S., Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said on Sunday.Around 2,000 U.S. Marines are already hosted in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, for six months of the year amid growing concern among Washington and its allies about China's growing military power in the Indo Pacific region."Today we are announcing that there will be regular deployments of Japan's amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade to Australia…

17 Nov 2024

Nigeria and India Forge Deeper Maritime Security Ties

Source: Indian Government

Nigeria and India on Sunday agreed to deepen collaboration in maritime security, intelligence and counter-terrorism during a state visit to the West African country by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Modi is the first Indian premier to visit Nigeria in 17 years after an invitation by President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking investments from some of the world's biggest economies.Modi arrived in the capital Abuja on Saturday night and met Tinubu at the presidential villa on Sunday where the two leaders also discussed economic development, defence, healthcare and food security, a joint statement

17 Nov 2024

Ship Has Close Call with Missile in Red Sea

© Robert / Adobe Stock

A ship passing through the Red Sea 25 nautical miles west of Al-Mukha, Yemen, reported on Sunday that a missile had splashed into the sea nearby, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said.It did not name the vessel or the owner but cited the relevant company security officer as saying the vessel and crew were safe and proceeding to the next port of call.Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for more than a year in a bid to enforce a naval blockade on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in I

14 Nov 2024

Japan and South Korea Join US Naval Drill

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class August Clawson)

U.S., Japanese and South Korean naval forces exercised together in East Asian waters on Thursday in their most complex and final joint drills before President Joe Biden hands over one of his signature national security initiatives to Donald Trump.Led by the USS George Washington carrier and its jet fighters, the Freedom Edge naval exercise in waters south of the Korean peninsula and west of Japan's main islands comes after a pact brokered by Biden in 2023 in which Seoul and Tokyo…

13 Nov 2024

China, Philippines Spar Over South China Sea Laws

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (Source: Philippines Government)

The Philippines' foreign ministry said on Wednesday it summoned China's ambassador to protest Beijing's drawing of baselines around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea."The said baselines infringe upon Philippine sovereignty and contravene international law," the ministry said in a statement.The move follows China's definition on Sunday of the baseline for "territorial waters" around the shoal, which Beijing claims as Huangyan Island. The shoal is a key point of contention over sovereignty and fishing rights.In response…

13 Nov 2024

US Warships Repel Houthi Missile Attack

A U.S. Marine uses a portable maintenance aide aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo)

U.S. warships shot down drones and missiles fired by Yemen's Houthis while they were transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.Earlier on Tuesday, the Houthis said they conducted two military operations against U.S. naval vessels in the Red and Arabian seas which the group's military spokesperson said lasted for eight hours.Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said that on Monday two U.S. warships were attacked by at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles.

12 Nov 2024

Russian Frigate Conducts Drills in English Channel

© Wojciech Wrzesień / Adobe Stock

A Russian Navy frigate equipped with new generation hypersonic cruise missiles has conducted drills in the English Channel and is carrying out tasks in the Atlantic Ocean, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday.The crew of the frigate, equipped with Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic anti-ship missiles, conducted counter-terrorism drills, repelling air and sea drone attacks of a mock enemy, Russian state agencies reported."The Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Golovko has completed its…

10 Nov 2024

Russian, Indonesian Navies Hold Joint Drills

© pavalena / Adobe Stock

Russian and Indonesian ships practiced freeing a vessel captured by terrorists and fought unmanned boats during the first joint naval exercises between the two countries in the Java Sea, Russia's RIA state news agency reported on Monday.The joint exercise, which started last week, came as newly inaugurated Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto pledged closer ties with Russia on defence, in a bid to forge links with any country as part of Jakarta's long-held non-aligned foreign policy.The crews of the joint detachment of ships practiced manoeuvring and communication…

07 Nov 2024

Taiwan Offers Reward for Reports of Chinese Activity

© sanchesnet1 / Adobe Stock

Taiwan's coast guard said on Friday it would offer rewards worth thousands of dollars for spotting Chinese activity at sea, including warships or submarines, saying it was harnessing "people power" to boost its own limited workforce.Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past five years of stepped up Chinese military activity, and the Taiwanese coast guard has increasingly been involved in patrolling sea areas.China's coast guard's involvement in these activities has grown, which Taiwan officials say is part of a "grey zone" strategy that stops short of war and

28 Oct 2024

China Seizes Underwater “Lighthouses”

© noraismail / Adobe Stock

China's Ministry of State Security said on Tuesday that it had retrieved spying devices both on the ocean surface and in the depths of the sea, including underwater "lighthouses" that could guide the transit of foreign submarines.The ministry said it had uncovered devices that had been hidden on the ocean floor and were sending back information that could "pre-set the field for battle," in an article on its official WeChat account, China's most popular social media app.Recent…

28 Oct 2024

Merchant Vessel Reports Explosions off Yemen

© Robert / Adobe Stock

A merchant vessel reported two explosions near a ship travelling 14 nautical miles southwest of Yemen's Al Dhubab, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Monday.The report followed statements by the U.K.

29 Oct 2024

Houthis Target Three Ships in Red Sea and Arabian Sea

© Yellow Boat / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthis said on Monday that they targeted three ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, attacks they called part of their efforts to enforce a naval blockade on Israel.Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised address the vessels were targeted for attempting to approach ports bound for Israel.According to the latest data from LSEG, all three targeted vessels were Liberia-registered.One of the vessels, identified by the Houthis as bulk carrier Motaro, was last seen off Yemen's western coast in the Red Sea…

29 Oct 2024

AI Assistant Scans Data Streams and Social Media to Identify Maritime Risks

Source: Windward

Maritime AI company Windward has launched Early Detection, an AI-based solution that identifies anomalies that could impact maritime operations.Early Detection analyzes vast amounts of maritime data to spot irregular activities, thus enabling organizations to passively uncover anomalies or new trends automatically with no required user input. The capability alerts stakeholders to global events that would otherwise remain hidden, such as an increase in vessels loitering in specific locations or a surge in ships changing their flags even before the cause is apparent.

20 Oct 2024

Ukraine Attacks Force Black Sea Fleet Relocation

© pavalena / Adobe Stock

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been forced to move many warships from the naval base of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsular, which Russia annexed in 2014, due to attacks by Ukraine, a Russian-installed official was quoted as saying on Sunday.The remarks by Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian-installed senator for the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region and a former head of Russia's space agency, are the first Russian official confirmation that the fleet has had to move from Sevastopol.Ukraine…

14 Oct 2024

Philippines Says Fisheries Vessel Sideswiped

Source: Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries

The Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries said a "Chinese maritime militia" boat deliberately sideswiped one of its two vessels that were conducting a routine maritime patrol in the vicinity of Thitu island in the South China Sea last Friday.The vessel had sustained dents in its starboard bow, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said in a statement issued late on Monday.China and the Philippines have been at loggerheads over a succession of confrontations near disputed features in the South China…

03 Nov 2024

Israel Can't Hide from Houthi Attacks by Selling Ships

© Peter Hermes Furian / Adobe Stock

Yemen's Houthis said on Sunday they would maintain their maritime blockade against Israeli vessels in response to "intelligence information" regarding Israeli shipping companies selling their assets to other companies.The Iran-aligned Houthis have said they are intensifying their attacks to support Hamas and Hezbollah in their resistance against Israeli actions in the region."Intelligence information confirms that many companies operating in maritime shipping affiliated to the Israeli enemy are working to sell their assets and transfer their properties from shipping and maritime transport ship

10 Oct 2024

Six Die in Russian Attack on Odesa

© Oleksandra / Adobe Stock

A Russian ballistic missile attack on Wednesday on the port infrastructure of Ukraine's southern Odesa region killed six people and injured eight, Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.The injured were all Ukrainian nationals, Kiper wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

22 Oct 2024

Germany Opens Baltic Sea Naval HQ Amid Rising Tensions with Russia

Increased presence on NATO’s northern flank in the Baltic Sea: Danish frigate HDMSHis/Her Danish Majesty's Ship “Peter Willemoes” (left) and Swedish corvette HSwMSHis/Her Swedish Majesty's Ship “Nyköping” during Northern Coasts 2023, seen from German frigate FGSFederal German Ship “Hamburg” (Photo: © Bundeswehr / Leon Rodewald)

Germany inaugurated on Monday a new multinational naval headquarters for the Baltic Sea capable of leading operations for NATO during a conflict, as the military alliance increases focus on the area amid rising tensions with Russia."Our message to our partners and to those who threaten our peace is simple: Germany stands firmly by its commitments," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said according to a draft of his speech at a ceremony at the country's naval command in the coastal city of Rostock…

17 Oct 2024

German Warship Shoots Downs Drone Off Lebanon

File photo: Corvette “Ludwigshafen am Rhein” at its home base in Rostock (© Bundeswehr / Matthias Letzin)

A German warship operating as part of the United Nations' UNIFIL peacekeeping mission shot down a drone off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, the German defense ministry told Reuters, as unease builds over the safety of the U.N. troops in the country.UNIFIL positions have come under fire in Lebanon since Israel launched a ground operation against Hezbollah militants on Oct. 1, raising alarm among European governments participating in the mission."The corvette brought an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into the water in a controlled crash…

04 Nov 2024

Windward Launches AI Threat Investigation System

© whitcomberd / Adobe Stock

Maritime AI company Windward has launched a new system: Advanced Intelligence, an AI-powered solution designed to empower intelligence and security organizations to uncover and handle threats more efficiently.The solution streamlines the entire investigation process from early anomaly detection and strategic investigations to vital context provided by MAI Expert™, Windward’s generative AI-powered virtual analyst. By controlling all aspects of the investigative process within one platform…

10 Oct 2024

Liberia-flagged Tanker Struck off Yemen

© fivan / Adobe Stock

A Liberia-flagged tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Red Sea causing minor damage, but no casualties, British maritime security agencies said on Thursday.The incident occurred about 73 nautical miles (135 kilometres) southwest of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, security firm Ambrey said.The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said separately that it had received a report of an incident in the same area, adding authorities are investigating.The chemical/products tanker, en route from Saudi Arabia's Jeddah to Muscat in Oman was struck on its starboard side.