It’s been an active beginning to 2019 in terms of maritime casualties. The phone at the Panama Marine Accident Investigation Department was likely ringing off the hook with three major incidents on Panama-flagged vessels in the first two days. The first three weeks of the year have produced a wide range of serious casualties...and they are likely just the tip of the … [Read more...]
In Venezuela Pirates Now Rule
By Jonathan Franklin (Bloomberg) Their industry all but destroyed, former fishermen now run guns one way, diapers another. On the sea with the desperate and ruthless. Venezuela and the island of Trinidad are separated by only 10 miles of water and bound together by the most lawless market on Earth today. Playing out at sea and on the coasts, it is a roiling arbitrage—of … [Read more...]
The Tankship Triangle: Southeast Asia’s Illegal Oil Market
by Henning Gloystein (Reuters) - An alleged oil heist in Singapore that has already led to 20 arrests, the seizure of at least one tanker and allegations that thieves siphoned thousands of tonnes of fuel from Shell’s biggest refinery is shining a spotlight on an illegal trade worth tens of billions of dollars worldwide. Working routes in a triangle of sea anchored by … [Read more...]
Nigeria Probing Abduction of Polish Crew
By Dulue Mbachu (Bloomberg) -- Nigeria is investigating the abduction of five Polish crew members after their vessel was attacked by gunmen in the country’s territorial waters, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency said. The Cyprus-flagged vessel MV Szafir was attacked on Friday while “approximately seven nautical miles” from the coastal town of Brass, … [Read more...]
Five Kidnapped from Polish Cargo Ship Off Nigeria
WARSAW, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Pirates attacked a Polish-owned cargo vessel off the Nigerian coast and kidnapped its captain and four crew, Polish authorities said, in the first documented incident of its kind in almost year in some of the deadliest shipping lanes on earth. The Cyprus-registered Szafir was boarded overnight by armed men in two boats, who looted the 10,000-tonne … [Read more...]