Page 56 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΜΑΙΟΣ 2023

ON THE SEAFRONT

EUROPOL’S AUTOPSY ON SMUGGLING ernments to play by making people aware of just
IN EUROPE’S PORTS how important mining is. If we want to decar-
Europol has launched a joint analysis report with bonise, we're going to need metals to do that.
the Security Steering Committee of the ports We're going to have to develop resources,'' he
of Antwerp, Hamburg/Bremerhaven and Rotter- concluded.
dam that looks into the risk and challenges for At the same conference, Graeme Train, Com-
law enforcement posed by criminal networks in modities Analyst at Trafigura, spoke about the
EU ports. drivers in copper demand and emerging new
The EU’s critical infrastructure - notably high- sources of demand beyond electric vehicles
ways, railways and ports - enables the EU way and renewable energy sources. “Requirements
of life; the free movement of goods and people for data storage are doubling every three years,
is a major foundational factor for economic and therefore the need to build new data cen-
growth, personal freedom, and prosperity. tres and related infrastructure is great. There is,
Unfortunately, criminal networks driven by the therefore, high demand for copper from a whole
constant desire to increase profits and expand new sector,” he commented.
their illegal activities are increasingly working
toward infiltrating and controlling major logisti- IMB RECORDS THE LOWEST LEVEL OF
cal points. EU ports are examples of such major Q1 PIRACY SINCE 1993
crime hubs, which is why the Security Steering The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB)
Committee of the ports of Antwerp, Hamburg/ calls for a continued, robust and coordinated
Bremerhaven and Rotterdam, together with regional and international naval presence to act
Europol, agreed to draft a joint analysis report as a deterrent to prevent and respond to piracy.
assessing the threat of infiltration of port infra- The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB)
structure by organised crime in the EU. has recorded the lowest reported global piracy
Main findings: and armed robbery incidents since 1993 but
-Misappropriated container reference codes calls for continued vigilance and naval response
(or PIN code fraud) are gaining traction among in its first quarter piracy and armed robbery
criminal networks as a modus operandi for report for 2023.
extracting illicit goods from ports. The report reveals that 27 incidents were
-Criminal networks arrange the infiltration of reported in the year’s first quarter, representing
ports by coordinating local networks of cor- a marked decline from 37 incidents for the same
rupted port insiders. period in 2022.
-As a side effect of the criminal operations in Of the 27 incidents, perpetrators boarded
ports and the rivalry it entails, violence often the victims’ vessels in 24 cases; two vessels
spills out of major transportation hubs onto the reported attempted incidents, and one vessel
streets of surrounding cities, where competition was hijacked. Despite the drop in numbers, the
for distribution takes place. threat of violence remains – six crew members
were kidnapped, two were taken hostage, two
THE IMPORTANCE OF METAL MINING threatened, and one assaulted.
IN THE GLOBAL ENERGY TRANSITION Gulf of Guinea
Trafigura’s Executive Chairman and CEO, Jeremy Pirate and armed robbery activity continue to
Weir, recently analysed the contribution of min- decrease in the Gulf of Guinea, an area which
eral and metal mining to the global economy’s had become a relative hotbed for this crime in
decarbonisation at the sidelines of the CRU recent history. Just five incidents were reported
World Copper Conference 2023. in Q1 2023 compared to eight in 2022 and 16
"It is important that we don't just focus on in 2021.
electric vehicles when it comes to the discus- Despite these improvements, the IMB Piracy
sion about critical metals. For example, a wind Reporting Centre is calling for coastal response
farm requires nine times more copper than a agencies and international navies to maintain
coal-fired power generation, and solar power efforts in the region. On 25 March, a product
requires five times more copper'' commented tanker was hijacked 140nm WSW of Pointe
Mr Weir, adding that the supply of copper is a Noire, The Congo. The vessel effectively lost
necessary condition for the global energy tran- all communications for nearly five days, and
sition. when located by a French naval asset, six crew
"I don’t think broader society fully realises the were reported as kidnapped. This highlights the
importance of mining and copper when it comes continued need for vigilance and swift naval
to climate change. And there is a role for gov- responses when incidents are reported.

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