Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 26 November - 26 December 2018 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 20 - 26 December 2018

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U. S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 5 February - 7 March 2018 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 1 - 7 March 2018

Of particular note this week from the WTS:

(U) MEXICO: On 1 March, the U.S. embassy in Mexico issued a travel alert for a popular tourist destination in southeast Mexico. This came a little more than a week after an explosion on a ferry in Playa del Carmen injured more than 20 people, some of them U.S. citizens. The alert was issued the same day as another explosive device was found on another ferry owned by the same company in Cozumel, another tourist hub in the area. According to the alert, which advised U.S. travelers to exercise caution, purchase travel and medical-evacuation insurance, and contact the nearest embassy or consulate for assistance. (www.businessinsider.com; www.cbsnews.com/news)

Though it seems to defy logic, the Mexican government is denying that this is a "terrorist" act as set out in Mexico: Crude bomb caused ferry blast; terrorism ruled out:

Prosecutors said they believe there is no motivation for a terrorist group to have carried out the attack and also think criminal gangs would not have done it, knowing it would draw unwanted attention and increased security.

"Responsibility by terrorist organizations or organized crime has been ruled out," Deputy Attorney General Arturo Elias Beltran said at a news conference.
***
He added that the bomb "had a very limited capacity" and "was not intended to do major damage."

The Feb. 21 explosion ripped through the upper section of the ferry as it was moored to the dock at Playa del Carmen, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the vessel.
***
As a result of the investigations, it can be concluded that the remnants of the explosive artifact (in the Feb. 21 incident) show similarity to the one discovered days earlier, and it is clear that it was a rudimentary or homemade artifact," the office said.

On March 2, another object said to be a possible bomb was found attached to the underside of a ferry belonging to the same company whose boat was bombed earlier. That vessel was anchored about 500 yards (meters) off Cozumel. There were no passengers aboard at the time, and authorities said it had been out of service for over 10 months.

Investigators are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry but have not made any arrests or advanced a definitive theory about a motive for the explosion.

I guess it could be some sort of labor dispute, but the definition of terrorism is not stretched by calling the planting of even "rudimentary or homemade" devices to influence actions by some party. As even Wikipedia has it,

Terrorism is, in the broadest sense, the use of intentionally indiscriminate violence as a means to create terror, or fear, to achieve a financial, political, religious or ideological aim.

I suppose, though, that using that word might shake up the local tourism industry a tad.

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 18 September - 18 October 2017 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 12 - 18 October 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 17 July - 16 August 2017 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 10 - 16 August 2017

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U. S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 10 July - 9 August 2017 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 3 - 9 August 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 5 June - 5 July 2017 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 29 June - 5 July 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence: Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 29 May - 28 June 2017 and Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 22 - 28 June 2017

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Good News: US shipping terminal reopens after 'dirty bomb' threat

US shipping terminal reopens after 'dirty bomb' threat

A terminal at the Port of Charleston in South Carolina will reopen and the safety zone has

Maersk image of containership

been lifted, the U.S. Coast Guard said on Thursday, after investigating a threat of a "dirty bomb" on a container ship.

It said the "original reporting source of the threat" had been detained for questioning.

Law enforcement agents scanned four containers aboard the Maersk Memphis ship in the Wando Terminal after reports of a "potential threat" on Wednesday, the Coast Guard said.

Maersk Line, the world's biggest container shipping company, said the U.S. Coast Guard had informed it of a threat of a dirty bomb aboard one of its vessels. It said all crew members were safe and ashore.

"Unified Command determines no existing threat to the port. Terminal will reopen and safety zone has been lifted," the U.S. Coast Guard said on Twitter.

Testing response or just a whack job being an idiot?

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 8 May - 7 June 2017 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 1 - 7 June 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 17 April - 17 May 2017 and HORN OF AFRICA/GULF OF GUINEA/ SOUTHEAST ASIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 11 - 17 May 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 3 April - 3 May 2017 and Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report for 27 April - 3 May 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 30 January - 1 March 2017

In addition to the execution of a German sea kidnap victim by a Philippine terrorist group, note:

Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden Commercial vessels in the region of the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden should operate under a heightened state of alert as increasing tensions in the region escalate the potential for direct or collateral damage to vessels transiting the region. These threats may come from a variety of different sources such as missiles, projectiles or waterborne improvised explosive devices. Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for an 01 October attack on a UAE vessel. Vessels in the region should report hostile activities immediately and contact coalition naval forces via VHF bridge to bridge radio

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 2 January - 2 February 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 12 December 2016 - 11 January 2017

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 5 December 2016 - 4 January 2017

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More on the Philippine Coast Guard and its thwarting of an attack on a merchant ship from the Philippine Daily Inquirer here:

Arrow points to vicinity of attack

A firefight ensued between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel and suspected pirates off the waters of Zamboanga on Tuesday afternoon as the government’s maritime security personnel rescued a cargo vessel from being hijacked.

The PCG spokesperson, Commander Armand Balilo, said the firefight happened after the suspected pirates apparently attempted to commandeer cargo vessel MV Ocean Kingdom that was travelling from Zamboanga to the Davao region.

Balilo said the crewmembers of Ocean Kingdom sought the help of the Coast Guard.

The MV Ocean Kingdom was attacked at 25 nautical miles east of Matanal Point, Sibago Island, Basilan Province.

“Info received from Coast Guard District South Western Mindanao that at about 3:30 p.m. January 3, 2017, Coast Guard Station Zamboanga received radio call from MV Ocean Kingdom, a cargo vessel of Oceanic Shipping Lines, that they are under attack by unidentified armed men onboard two speed boats at vicinity 25 nautical miles East of Matanal Pt, Sibago Island, Basilan Province,” a report from the PCG said.
***

You might note that the number of kidnappings in the general Sulu Sea area seems to be on the increase. Se the ReCAAP note at paragraph 2.3 in the ONI report.

Also this from the ICC International Maritime Bureau's Live Piracy Report:

03.01.2017: 1524 LT: Posn: 06:36.0N – 122:41.0E, Around 21.6nm East of Basilan Island, Philippines.
Six persons in two speed boats, armed with automatic rifles, chased and fired upon a general cargo ship underway. Master raised the alarm and increased speed. Ship’s distress message was relayed by Zamboanga radio station to the local authorities who dispatched patrol boats to assist the vessel. Due to the firing the vessel sustained multiple gunshot damage on the port and starboard sides. Vessel however, managed to evade the attack. All crew safe.

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 22 November - 21 December 2016

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U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 15 November - 14 December 2016

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U.S.Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 8 November - 7 December 2016

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There is also some interesting news from the Caribbean as some of the ramifications of Venezuela's collapse are felt by sea-going peoples. Report from The Guardian of Trinidad and Tobago, "Pirates preying on Venezuela fishermen as industry unravels,"

Pirates are terrorising the coastal state of Sucre, once home to the world’s fourth-largest tuna fleet and a thriving fishing industry.

That trade has collapsed, along with virtually every industry across Venezuela. Gangs of out-of-work fishermen prey upon those who still venture out into the open sea, stealing their catch and their motors, tying them up, throwing them overboard, and sometimes shooting them. The robberies have taken place daily this year, and dozens of fishermen have died.

“People can’t make a living fishing anymore, so they’re using their boats for the options that are left: smuggling gas, running drugs, and piracy,” said Jose Antonio Garcia, leader of the state’s largest union.

U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 25 October - 23 November 2016 and NATO Ending Indian Ocean Counter-Piracy Operations

In addition to the information in the following ONI report, it is of interest that Voice of America reports NATO has announced that it is ending its counter-piracy operations in the Indian Ocean:

NATO has ended Operation Ocean Shield after a sharp drop-off in attacks by Somali pirates.

The Royal Danish Air Force carried out the last Indian Ocean surveillance missions for NATO.

The NATO operation had been one part of a highly successful coordinated international response to the threat of piracy that also included the European Union, the United States and other independent nations.

During its peak, piracy off the Horn of Africa had an economic impact of $7 billion, with more than 1,000 hostages taken. There hasn’t been a successful piracy attack since 2012, down from more than 30 ships at the peak in 2010-11. The NATO planes flew from the Seychelles.
***
NATO is now shifting resources to deterring Russia in the Black Sea and people smugglers in the Mediterranean.

NATO's spokesman Dylan White said in a statement that the global security environment had changed dramatically in the last few years and that NATO navies had adapted with it.

After more than a decade of NATO-led operations far beyond its borders, the military alliance is shifting its focus to deter Russia in the east, following Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

According to NATO, operations will cease on 15 December 2016.

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U.S. Navy Office Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report 18 October - 16 November 2016

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