Tag: anti piracy measures

A t least 120 companies provide protection for many of the 40,000 vessels that sail in piracy waters The growing use of armed guards on merchant ships plying the piracy-plagued waters of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean has spawned increasingly violent encounters with Somali marauders, maritime security experts say.This development illustrates how the pirate menace, which a few years ago was limited to the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen, has grown, and with it a maritime security industry that embraces at least 120 companies, more than half of them British, that provide protection for many of the 40,000 vessels that sail those waters every year.The Financial Times reports the violent encounters at sea "could become more common as some shipping companies have reduced ships' speed through the highest-risk area to save on fuel."Quoting maritime industry officials in London, the business daily reported: "The shipping companies have switched to relying on guards, rather than speed, for protection because a single-day at lower speeds can save $50,000 in fuel at current prices -- enough to pay the guards for the whole journey."Ron Widdows, chief executive officer of major ship owner Rickmers Holding of Germany, said several security firms ...

Hopes for political change The EU's anti-piracy mission Atalanta off the Horn of Africa has recorded modest success. Now, the German parliament is set to vote on a controversial enlarged mandate that would see troops also going ashore.Named after the virgin hunter from Greek mythology, the EU's Atalanta mission is meant to crack down on pirates off the Horn of Africa. The mandate to do so was first approved in 2008 and has two major goals: getting aid into the politically unstable and drought-stricken country and protecting international merchant shipping from pirate attacks.Around 230 such attacks were counted last year. The head of the mission, British Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, says the project has been successful: In the second half of 2011 there have been only three successful pirate attacks. In the first half of the year it was still 28. The mission now is to be beefed up. A land mission?"This demand is to a large extent coming from our British partners," said the defense spokesman for Germany's opposition Social Democrats, Rainer Arnold. The commanding officer from Britain was of the opinion that stepping up the Atalanta efforts would have a psychological effect on the pirates as it would ...

Attacks can be avoided if crews maintained a careful anti-piracy watch and raised the alarm quickly A new stance by Indonesia has made a major difference in what was once the world's top piracy blackspot.Noel Choong, of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), said now most attacks in the busy shipping lanes between Indonesia and Malaysia could be stopped, as long as crews maintained a careful anti-piracy watch and raised the alarm quickly.A decade ago, Indonesia's lawless waters headed the world's list of piracy trouble spots, particularly the Malacca Straits between Sumatra and West Malaysia.Choong, head of the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur, said alerting the Indonesian authorities then brought few results. But international pressure prompted Indonesia's navy and marine police to take a tougher stance.Located on a shipping route linking China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries to Europe and the Middle East, the waterways around Singapore and Malaysia carry a massive proportion of the world's commercial shipping.Ships must pass through the Malacca Straits, Singapore Straits and the South China Sea, and into Indonesian waters. Often they carry vast sums of cash in the ship's safe - frequently the pirates' prime target.The nature of the attacks is quite ...

Energy efficiency and anti-piracy measures Imabari Shipbuilding has developed the Aero-Citadel, a newly designed superstructure which brings to realization both energy efficiency and anti-piracy measures.The Aero-Citadel is a superstructure with slimly streamlined shape which combines ship's accommodation, engine room , and funnel casing. Wind pressure during navigation will be reduced by 25-30% (as the result of the wind tunnel testing). In case of Cape size bulk carrier, it will enable a decrease of about 2% in fuel consumption.(*) New marine use LED lighting is also introduced to the accommodation and engine room lighting system, which reduces electric power consumption used for lighting by about 50%. (* at normal output, about 9m/sec.(Beaufort 5) head wind)The slim, streamlined shape makes it easy to turn the bow of the ship toward windward during anchorage, and decrease the risk of anchor dragging. All stairs are placed inside the superstructure as an anti-piracy measure, the entrance on lower level deck has thicker, reinforced steel doors. The accommodation windows are bulletproof, and water cannons are placed on the upper deck to prevent pirates entry into the accommodation.There is a citadel facility which is refuge area in the superstructure that can accommodate all crewmembers for several days, ...

The Netherlands will intensify its anti-piracy policy off the Somali coast In line with European decisions, the Netherlands will intensify its anti-piracy policy off the Somali coast. The EU hopes to get a grip on the problem by tackling pirate munity on the shoreline itself.Started in 2008, the operation is to extend until at least late 2014. But just how far should the Netherlands get involved? It certainly won't be a walk on the beach.Dutch rescue missionsHans Lodder sailed to the Gulf of Aden in 2010 as a commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy's frigate Hr. Ms. Tromp. He looks back on what he describes as a "challenging time".It was under Captain Lodder's command that a team of special forces freed the crew of a German merchant vessel."We went over there with a beautiful rescue team," said Lodder with pride."We overpowered ten pirates. They were sent through the Netherlands to Germany, where the trial is still in progress." An excerpt of that mission was recorded and released on YouTube.In its total years of sailing, the Hr. Ms. Tromp apprehended 83 pirates. All but ten were picked up before they could conduct any act of piracy, so had to be let ...

Anti-piracy curtain to deter pirates from attacking ships While many think that piracy was part of Captain Jack Sparrow's reign on the high seas, there are most definitely still pirates in existence that will do whatever they can to board and commandeer a vulnerable craft.But it seems one company has found a solution.According to Gizmodo, a new water-based security system by MTI and Yokoi will use a water shield and hoses to deter and hopefully sink pirates before they can board a ship.Designed to work with the fire pumps on both large and small ships, the first step is the shield. It pumps water down the side of the ship so it can fill a boat with water at a rate of one centimeter per minute. That is certainly enough to quickly fill the tiny boats modern pirates use.The second aspect is a set of wild, swinging hoses that are weighted at the end. Like any uncontrolled fire hose, these swing wildly and unpredictably. They should also be enough to deter the pirates from boarding the vessel.If it all works properly, the pirates will be left in the water without a capsized boat and a nasty bump on the head.Source: ...

Draft Anti-Piracy Bill adopted Draft Anti-Piracy Bill adopted on last week by the Cabinet creates new standards in combating piracy incidents against Cypriot vessels, by providing for armed escorts.The Minister of Communications and Works Efthymios Flourentzos said the Bill was pioneering and important, noting that its approval by the Cabinet and its consequent adoption by the House of Representatives will turn Cyprus into a pioneer on a global scale on the matter.The Cyprus Shipping Chamber welcomed from its part the adoption of the Bill, noting that it may provide an answer to the gangrene of the phenomenon of Piracy.Flourentzou said that the Bill regulates the provision of armed escorts to Cyprus-flagged vessels, by specially trained and certified guards.Asked on the way past concerns on behalf of the maritime administration were surmounted, the Minister said that the obstacles and concerns were overcome following a long and coordinated work of all parties involved. A coordinated work has been done by all involved, Flourentzou noted, referring to the Ministries of Communications and Works, Justice and Labour, as well as other competent authorities.All parties addressed the draft Bill by taking into account the international context and with an aim to strengthen Cypriot shipping, the ...

Effort to strengthen maritime security cooperation With the view of strengthening maritime security cooperation amongst regional navies, the Maldivian Coast Guard is currently taking part in a joint naval exercise off the coast of Male along with the Indian Coast Guard and Sri Lankan Navy.The joint naval exercise code named Dosti-XI which began on April 23 will be held till April 27.The Maldivian Coast Guard will be represented by the CGS Huravee (Former Indian Navy Trinkerkat FAC), CGS Ghazee and CGS Shaheed Ali.The joint naval exercise will be focusing on maritime search and rescue, marine pollution response and boarding operations.A Sri Lankan naval official speaking to Haveeru on conditions of anonymity said that the plan to conduct the joint operations were discussed early this year in which the three regional navies agreed to participate in the exercise in order to strengthen maritime security cooperation."Due to the increase in maritime terrorism and piracy it's important to strengthen regional maritime cooperation. Currently the Indian Ocean is threatened by piracy and it has now become the responsibility of the regional navies to work together to combat the current issues. We have previously conducted joint operations with India and Maldives. This will be an ...

More warships in the area are needed Even as India presses for "clear demarcation" of piracy-infested waters as well as clarity on the issue of deploying armed guards on merchant ships, the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) wants New Delhi and other independent players to deploy more assets to fight sea pirates in the Indian Ocean.Holding that Somali pirates had now even started carrying out attacks in the Northeast Indian Ocean region after facing heat in the Gulf of Aden, EU NAVFOR operation commander Rear Admiral Duncan Potts said more warships in the area from independent players like India, China and Japan would be a stronger deterrent against pirates.India, however, wants all nations to come together under the UN flag to battle the menace of piracy before it becomes "cancerous" by developing a nexus with terrorism. Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, during the recent Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in South Africa, stressed the need for "clear demarcation'' of piracy-infested waters as well as setting up "standard operating procedures'' to boost inter-operability among the different navies and taskforces operating in the region.In wake of the recent killing of two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast by Italian naval personnel ...

Thanks to international naval patrols Sea piracy worldwide dropped 28 percent in the first quarter of the year as attacks fell sharply in Somalia's waters thanks to international naval patrols, an international maritime watchdog said Monday.Pirate attacks intensified, however, in Nigeria and Indonesia.The number of worldwide attacks in January to March dipped to 102, down from 142 cases in the same period in 2011, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur said in a report. It said 11 vessels were hijacked and 212 crew members taken hostage, compared with 18 ships seized and 344 people taken hostage a year ago.In Somalia, there were 43 attacks, including nine vessel hijackings, compared with 97 attacks a year ago. The agency attributed the decline to "disruptive actions and pre-emptive strikes" by navies in the region.Multiple navies - including a large U.S. presence - patrol the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean, and many private ships now carry armed guards.The European Union Naval Force recently said it would expand its mission to include Somalia's coast and waterways inside the country for the first time, making its battle against piracy more proactive."It is unlikely that the threat of Somali piracy ...