Tag: anti piracy measures

EU, China agree to regular defense, security talks

NATO Senior Officials Discuss Challenges of Anti-Piracy Mission (Gulf of Aden)

Compliance with Best Management Practices (BMP) is recommended as the "default" position but a full risk assessment should be part of the area specific evaluations. The BUDD Group, Gard's correspondent in Togo, reported on 26 June 2012 that the Togolese government has reached an agreement with security companies for the provision of armed guards for vessels at anchorages in the port of Lome and ha

UAE aiding the fight against pirates

UAE , Navy chief , GCC alliance , piracy

A two day operation in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea After a two day hunt in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, NATO's flagship HNLMS Evertsen boarded a pirated dhow on June 29 and released seven hijacked Indian and Bangladeshi crew members. The Omani flagged dhow Nebarkad had been hijacked on 20th June off the coast of Oman, and was used by the pirates to attack merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea.The two day operation was the conclusion of a longer period in which a group of suspected pirates used dhows to conduct attacks on merchant vessels throughout the Arabian Sea. On 27th June an alarm call came in from the MV Namrun a Maltese flagged bulk carrier. The captain stated that an unknown dhow had attempted to attack it and shots were fired.After swift consultation with the other maritime forces, including the EU, in the operating area the commander of NATO's Task Force, Commodore Ben Bekkering, dispatched the Evertsen.The warship covered almost 300 nautical miles in 10 hours to the area north-east of Socotra. Although known positions seemed to indicate the dhow was heading south toward for Somalia, the bad weather caused by strong monsoon winds ...

He also points out that the easiest way to counter piracy is to stop ransom The chief of Somalia's anti-piracy task force has thanked the UAE government for contributing to a programme that is helping the war-ravaged African country turn the tide in the battle against pirates.In an interview with Khaleej Times, Dr Muhyadin Ali Yosif said funds from the UAE have helped get the Somalia Maritime Security Forces (SMSF) off the ground."Funds from the previous year were managed to develop the capacity building of the Somali Maritime Security Forces," said Yosif. "This team aims to fight pirates from their home base within Somalia. And with their development through international fund-raising strategies, the force will have new systems and logistics that could easily lead them to the source of these pirates and capture them before launch."Yosif also highlighted the success of inland counter piracy. By detecting informants on land, the force is able to quickly apprehend pirates out at sea. "We've recently discovered that many undercover members, linked to the pirates, send information about the ships' destinations, timing, crew and cargo to the pirates. However, we are developing a new system that could possibly detect such information and the source, ...

Mr Sharif Sheikh Ahmed will attend the global anti-piracy conference Somalia's president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed will attend the global anti-piracy conference that begins here tomorrow to affirm his country's commitment to fight the menace.Mr Ahmed will also seek to shore up support and funding for development initiatives to root out piracy.He will be among foreign ministers, senior government officials from more than 50 countries and heads of maritime industries at the two-day convention, which ends on Thursday.Titled "A Regional Response to Maritime Piracy: Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships and Strengthening Global Engagement", the conference was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the port operator DP World. It will take place at the Madinat Jumeirah."The president is here to show the world that the country wants piracy to be eradicated once and for all," said Hussein Mahamed, the charge d'affairs of the Somalia embassy in the UAE."We also want to thank the UAE government for the initiative it has taken."Source: The National

Dubai, 27-28 June 2012 The United Arab Emirates, in a partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and global ports operator DP World, will convene a high-level, public-private counter piracy conference, in Dubai, in June 2012. This follows the highly successful inaugural conference held in April last year.The Conference is by invitation only and is a platform for the international and regional community to come together with the aim of:Continuing to build awareness of all aspects of the current threat, internationally and in the region, including issues related to land-based solutions;Furthering industry-government cooperation in the joint response, including extending support to seafarers who are suffering from maritime piracy on the frontline;Supporting capacity development among regional states, especially Somalia, so that they are able to present viable responses to the piracy threat;Build on the work and achievements of the London Conference in Somalia in galvanizing international attention to the issue.For more information, click here.Source: www.counterpiracy.ae

Delegates discuss ways to stem piracy impact on region Six days ago on the high seas 13 kilometres east of Masirah, Oman, Somali pirates attacked a commercial dhow, boarded her and took a terrified seven-man crew hostage at gunpoint.On the same day of June 20 only a few hours later, Somali pirates in a dhow - possibly the same one that just been hijacked - appeared 35 kilometres northeast of Masirah Island, Oman, and confronted an LNG tanker with guns blazing, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau piracy reporting centre."Pirates were armed with RPG . The dhow closed in to 50 metres from the ship and fired shots from their guns, of which, three hit the vessel. The captain enforced anti-piracy measures and managed to evade boarding," the IMB reported.The incidents were anything but isolated.On June 18, in the Gulf of Aden, six skiffs with up to six pirates in each were observed approaching on the starboard bow of a bulk carrier steaming at 25 knots. The carrier increased its speed and issued a distress call that she was under attack.According to the IMB reporting centre, the skiffs attempted to get near enough for the pirates to board as ...