TIG Post

Tag: Navy

  • River guards, navy to patrol river bodies to stop galamsey – Lands Minister

    River guards, navy to patrol river bodies to stop galamsey – Lands Minister

    The Ghanaian government plans to deploy river guards and the navy to patrol the nation’s river bodies as part of a robust strategy to combat illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey.

    This announcement was made by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, during an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on October 8.

    Mr. Jinapor described a recent meeting with Organised Labour regarding their planned strike on October 10 as “very productive and fruitful.”

    He emphasized that the government’s strategy to fight galamsey will commence with the repeal of Legislative Instrument LI 2462, which currently allows mining in forest reserves.

    “Consensus was reached that the government will take steps to repeal LI 2462 when Parliament resumes and also ensure the expeditious trial of offenders,” he stated. The minister hinted at additional interventions that will be revealed soon, including the patrolling efforts to prevent illegal mining activities.

    While discussing the causes of deforestation, Mr. Jinapor clarified that agriculture is the leading driver, though he acknowledged that mining contributes significantly to environmental degradation.

    He reassured the public that the government is committed to tackling the galamsey issue, emphasizing that mining near water bodies is strictly prohibited and that efforts are underway to extend the restricted distance from 100 to 200 meters. Small-scale mining is also not permitted in forest areas.

    “The impression should never be created that we are just waking up to take action against this menace. Operation Halt has been happening almost every fortnight, and we are going to intensify that,” he affirmed.

  • Two Japanese navy helicopters crash, leaving one dead and seven missing

    Two Japanese navy helicopters crash, leaving one dead and seven missing

    Two Japanese navy helicopters with eight crew members crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Tokyo during a training flight at night. It’s possible they collided with each other. The defense minister of Japan said this on Sunday. One person from the crew was found in the water and died. Rescuers are still looking for seven others who are missing.

    The two SH-60K helicopters from the Maritime Self Defence Force had four crew members on board each. They lost contact near Torishima island, which is about 600 kilometers south of Tokyo. Defence Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters about this on Saturday.

    “We don’t know why the crash happened yet, but it’s possible that the two helicopters ran into each other before they crashed into the water,” Kihara explained.

    Rescuers found a device that records flight data, a piece from each helicopter’s blade, and some broken parts that are thought to be from both helicopters in the same place. This indicates that the two helicopters were flying near each other, Kihara explained. Authorities will study the information from the flight to find out what caused the plane to crash.

    The MSDF sent eight warships and five aircraft to look for the missing crew and help them if they need it.

    The helicopters called Seahawks were made by Sikorsky and then changed and built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. They were practicing finding and stopping submarines at night in the ocean, Kihara said. One person lost their contact at 10:38 pm and a minute later, they sent an automatic emergency signal.

    Only one signal for help was heard. This shows that the two helicopters were close to each other because their signals were on the same frequency and couldn’t be told apart, according to Kihara.

    One was from an air base in Nagasaki, and the other was from a base in Tokushima prefecture.

    The SH-60K helicopter is often used on warships to find and attack submarines.

    On Saturday, only the Japanese navy did training. It was not part of a training with other countries, according to defence officials. They said they didn’t see any aircraft or warships from other countries in the area.

    Japan is making its military stronger by building up its forces in the islands in the Pacific and East China Sea. They are doing this to protect themselves from China’s growing military actions. In the past few years, Japan has done a lot of practice with its navy, both by itself and with the United States and other friends.

    A helicopter crashed last Saturday, one year after another helicopter crashed and killed all 10 crew members off the coast of Miyako island in Japan. In January 2022, a military plane crashed into the sea near the middle of Japan, and two people on board died.

    NHK public television in Japan said they did not warn about the weather in the area at the time of Saturday’s crash.

  • Russian navy warship arrives in Eritrea amid regional tension

    Russian navy warship arrives in Eritrea amid regional tension

    A Russian navy warship, the Marshal Shaposhinkov, made a notable arrival at Eritrea’s primary Red Sea port of Massawa amidst regional tension stirred by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

    Senior Eritrean military officials and dignitaries greeted the vessel upon its docking on Thursday, alongside Russia’s ambassador to Eritrea.

    Eritrea’s Minister of Information, Yemane Gebre Meskel, revealed that the frigate belongs to Russia’s Pacific Fleet, clarifying that its presence marked the “30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Russia and Eritrea”.

    Amid concerns over Houthi attacks, a US naval task force patrols the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to safeguard commercial and military vessels navigating the critical trade route.

    Eritrea, historically wary of Western military presence in the region, has recently strengthened its relationship with Moscow.

    Houthi militants, controlling northern Yemen, have targeted ships in the Red Sea amid conflict in Gaza, aligning themselves with the “axis of resistance” against Israel. Despite claims of targeting Israeli-affiliated vessels, they’ve attacked others unrelated to Israel.

    In January, US and British warships launched strikes against Houthi positions in response to their missile and drone assaults.

  • Senegalese Navy intercepts 690kg of cocaine on ultra-fast boat bound for Europe

    Senegalese Navy intercepts 690kg of cocaine on ultra-fast boat bound for Europe

    On Sunday (December 24), the Senegalese navy revealed the seizure of 690kg of cocaine en route to Europe.

    The drugs were confiscated from an ultra-fast go-fast boat, and all five Spaniards on board were arrested, as announced by the army in a statement.

    The interception occurred 220 km off the coast of Senegal, where an ocean-going patrol boat had to issue verbal warnings and fire shots to halt the boat.

    The cargo had already been released by the time of the intervention, but the authorities managed to recover the 690 kg of cocaine.

    This incident follows two other sea seizures announced by the Senegalese army on November 28 and December 16, involving nearly three tonnes of cocaine each time. In January of the same year, the Senegalese navy confiscated over 800 kg of cocaine from a ship off Dakar.

    While West and Central Africa have historically been transit areas for drugs traveling from Latin America to Europe, the region is now facing increasing drug consumption, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    In June 2019, Senegalese customs seized 1.3 tons of cocaine from two Italian-flagged ships at the Autonomous Port of Dakar, marking the second-largest cocaine haul in Senegal since 2007.

    ENACT research also reveals another significant seizure of nearly one ton from a vessel destined for Dakar on the high seas in early November.

  • Govt equipping Navy with drones, coastal radars to improve maritime domain awareness – Akufo-Addo

    Govt equipping Navy with drones, coastal radars to improve maritime domain awareness – Akufo-Addo

    President Akufo-Addo has affirmed government’s commitment to improving Ghana’s security infrastructure to withstand and protect the country from possible terrorist attacks.

    Delivering a speech at the inauguration of the International Maritime and Exhibition Conference held at Burma Camp, the president noted that one of government’s concerns is Ghana’s territorial waters.

    As such, the Navy is being provided the necessary machinery to be armed to the teeth to protect the maritime domain, the president stated.

    According to President Akufo-Addo, “the government recognises the need for a well-resourced and technologically advanced Navy” and has therefore provided the following equipment; “drones, coastal radars, real-time surveillance, and tracking protocols.”

    President Akufo-Addo emphasized Ghana’s susceptibility to terrorist attacks due to the proximity of terrorist activities in neighboring countries.

    Burkina Faso, which shares the northern border with Ghana, has been heavily hit by terrorist attacks.

    On August 6, Twenty people were killed in Burkina Faso in an attack by suspected jihadists in Nohao, near the town of Bittou, in the Center-East region bordering Togo.

    More than 16,000 civilians, troops and police have died in terror attacks, according to an NGO count, including more than 5,000 since the start of this year.

    More than 2 million people have also been displaced within their country, making it one of the worst internal displacement crises in Africa.

  • Tunisian navy rescues 194 illegal migrants

    The Tunisian navy announced the rescue of 194 illegal migrants intercepted at sea while crossing the Mediterranean heading to Europe.

    According to Tuesday’s announcement, the rescue involved nine different operations during two days.

    Most migrants are Tunisian and 76 originated from sub-Saharan African countries, including 42 women and eight children.

    On Monday, eight bodies of migrants, probably Tunisians who had been missing for a fortnight, were recovered from the sea off southeast Tunisia, according to the local Red Crescent.

    According to official figures, since the beginning of the year more than 22,500 migrants have been intercepted off the Tunisian coast. Of these, nearly 11,000 originated from sub-Saharan Africa.

    According to the European agency Frontex, the central Mediterranean route was used by more than 42,500 migrants from January to July, an increase of 44% compared to the first seven months of 2021.

    Source: African News

  • ‘Fat Leonard’ escapes house arrest after US navy bribery scandal with ‘wild sex parties’

    A Malaysian contractor at the centre of the US navy’s worst corruption scandal escaped house arrest in California over the weekend after cutting off his GPS anklet, federal agents have said.

    Leonard Francis, known as “Fat Leonard”, who admitted to offering $500,000 in bribes to US navy officers, has reportedly gone on the run before his sentencing in three weeks.

    Police found his home in the city of San Diego empty on Sunday morning.

    Francis was arrested in 2013, accused of plying navy officers with cash, expensive food and cigars, rare cognac, and wild sex parties in luxurious hotels in exchange for contracts.

    Two years later he pleaded guilty to bribing navy officials as part of a massive fraud and bribery scheme involving his ship-servicing company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, in Singapore.

    Local officials and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are now understood to be searching for him.

    Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Omar Castillo told the San Diego Union-Tribune, a local newspaper: “He was planning this out, that’s for sure.”

    Francis’ neighbours reportedly saw U-Haul moving lorries going in and out of his home in recent days.

    Francis had suffered from ill health in recent years and was placed under house arrest in 2018 while cooperating with investigators and acting as a witness for the prosecution.

    He was due to be sentenced on 22 September.

    The US Justice Department previously called Francis’ scheme a colossal fraud.

    They later brought charges against more than 30 others.

    Many of those charged have pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial.