Johnson South Reef Johnson South Reef Johnson South Reef (; ), also known as Chigua Reef in China, Gạc Ma Reef in Vietnam and Mabini Reef in the Philippines is a reef in the southwest portion of the Union Banks in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea. It is controlled by the People's Republic of China (PRC), but its ownership is disputed by the PRC, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Johnson South Reef lies adjacent to the Vietnamese-controlled Collins Reef (also known as Johnson North Reef) which lies to the northwest. It is naturally above water only at low tide. Prior
Piracy off the coast of Somalia set sail from Djibouti and was headed to Mogadishu. This was alleged to be the first "successful" hijacking of a large vessel since 2012. While initially the pirate crew demanded a ransom, the ship and its crew were released with no ransom given after the crew learned that the ship had been hired by Somali businessmen. Piracy off the coast of Somalia Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War, around 2000. Fishing communities responded by forming armed groups to deter the invaders by hijacking commercial