Tag: citadel

Festive season is a special time of the year for relaxing and a good book can be the best company or a good present for beloved ones. SAFETY4SEA has made a list of the best books we read throughout the year, for those who are part of the maritime workforce or not, with themes varying from leadership and soft skills to the hidden world of piracy and the book type varying from academic writings to joyful action readings.

S. Korean ships to build safe areas against pirate attacks

Crew members of the ship, MV Spar Rigel A Norwegian ship, with 20 Indian crew members, was hijacked by Somali pirates Tuesday morning off the coast of Nigeria but freed from their control soon after by security forces, a maritime authority said here.The crew members of the ship, MV Spar Rigel, locked themselves in the citadel - a safe house - on board and sent an SOS to the security forces patrolling the area, according to the directorate-general of shipping (DGS).The ship was now free of the pirates and the crew, which also included a Ukrainian, were safe, the DGS said.On Feb 8 last year, a ship, MT Savina Caylyn, with 17 Indian crewmen was hijacked. The ship has now been released and the crew members returned home via Fujairah after an 11-month ordeal.Besides these incidents, another 36 Indians are on board four hijacked ships. MV Iceberg-1 of Panama hijacked Mar 3, 2010 has six Indians abroad, MT Fairchem Bogey of Marshall Islands hijacked Aug 20, 2011 has 21 Indians among its crew, MV Al Bedo of Malaysia hijacked Nov 26, 2010 has two Indians and MT Enrico Ievoli of Italy hijacked Dec 27, 2011 has seven crew members from ...

Citadel Symposium, hosted by SAMI Leading figures from across the maritime industry gathered last week to discuss the use of citadels onboard ships.Parallel to the debate on armed guards, the use of citadels is on the rise and the Citadel Symposium, hosted by the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), heard from a panel of industry experts.The International Maritime Organization has stated that citadels can only be established with the input and guidance of professional security experts, and security consultant John Twiss, COO of UK-based Independent Maritime Security Associates (IMSA), spoke of his personal experience of successfully withdrawing a crew into a citadel.The audience heard how he and three colleagues had boarded the Maltese-flagged chemical tanker Sichem Pandora last October to carry out a security appraisal and put measures into place when the vessel was approached by a skiff carrying pirates as they were crossing from Mozambique into Tanzania waters.Fortunately a citadel had been created and after five hours in which the crew had managed to make contact with a coalition helicopter and Turkish Naval coalition warship, the pirates gave up their attempts to penetrate the citadel and fled.The symposium, held onboard HQS Wellington in London, also heard from ...

The 23 strong crew successfully reached the vessel's citadel before pirates boarded The 23 strong crew of the 55,600-dwt Montecristo (built 2011) successfully reached the vessel's citadel before pirates boarded, TradeWinds it told.Two NATO warships are understood to be racing to the aid of the bulker and are expected on scene shortly.However, despite the fact pirates did successfully board the vessel, there is growing confidence the ship and the crew will escape the drama.The vessel was hit about 620 miles east of Somalia on Monday morning, D'Alesio has confirmed."The last message received from the ship Captain indicated that the vessel has been attacked by a ship with five armed people," it said."The Captain has immediately activated the security operating procedure to prevent the attack," the company said."After 10 hours without news, we can consider the ship hijacked," a spokesman told the AFP news agency yesterday.The Montecristo only joined the company's fleet in June after being handed over by Hyundai Mipo in Korea.It is the first time the Italian owner has been a victim of piracy.The crew consists of seven Italian, six Ukrainian and 10 Indian seafarers.The vessel had departed Liverpool in the UK on 10 September with a cargo of ...

The document has received approval from Round Table members Industry has produced a set of guidelines aimed at giving guidance on the construction and use of citadels in waters affected by Somalia piracy. The document has received approval from Round Table members - INTERTANKO, BIMCO, ICS and INTERCARGO - as well as other industry associations. NATO, EUNAVFOR and the Combined Maritime Force (CMF) have also approved the document.A citadel as defined in BMP4 is "A designated pre-planned area purpose built into the ship where, in the event of imminent boarding by pirates, all crew will seek protection. A citadel is designed and constructed to resist a determined pirate trying to gain entry for a fixed period of time."Since January 2010, there have been 26 cases where pirates have actually boarded vessels, but have been unable to take control because the vessel's crew have all successfully sought refuge in a pre-planned citadel. However, there have also been five cases where citadels have been breached - these may be attributed to a number of factors including poor construction and location of the citadel. With the use of citadels increasing, the pirates have similarly gained experience in defeating a citadel - this includes ...

For the construction and use of citadels in waters affected by Somalia piracy BIMCO has developed new and updated guidance relating to the construction and use of citadels in waters affected by Somalia piracy.Since January 2010 there have been 26 cases where pirates have actually boarded vessels but have been unable to take control because the vessels' crew have all successfully sought refuge in a pre-planned citadel. However, there have also beenfive cases where citadels have been breached - these may be attributed to a number of factors including poor construction and location of the citadel.The citadeltrack record to date and the many potential trip wires for the safety of the crew when using citadels has necessitated this new guidance, which discusses elements such as the location and construction of a citadel, its use and operation, its survivability time-frame and military considerations for rendering assistance in cases wherea citadel is being used by a ship's crew.For further information, click here.Source: BIMCO