Tag: Gulf of Aden

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Security keeping Gulf of Aden pirates at bay

Top officials, however, say new rules needed to guide security trend The adoption of private armed security forces on ships traversing the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden shipping corridor has led to a serious drop in piracy incidents in 2012, delegates heard on Wednesdayday at the second international piracy conference in Dubai.Mike Penning, Minister of Shipping for the Department of Transport in the UK, said the adoption of more self-defensive measures by private shipping companies to fend off pirate attacks is certainly helping to stem the onslaught of marauding pirates.Statistics by EU Naval Force for the first six months of 2012 show 30 recorded piracy incidents off Somalia as compared to 176 incidents reported last year."There are different reasons. The international military community has really gotten its act together. The weather has played its part this year. We all know about the downtime season. But no ship with an armed guard have been attacked since we changed the rules," Penning told Gulf News yesterday in Dubai.Efforts are now underway, he said, through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and partners to establish a set list of international protocols by which private armed guards aboard commercial shipping vessels would adhere.The establishment of ground ...

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Yemen captures 14 Somali pirates in Gulf of Aden

Coast Guard have transferred them to security authorities for investigation Yemen's Costal Guard forces on Sunday captured 14 Somali pirates off the country's island of Socotra in the Gulf of Aden, the defense ministry said."The Yemeni Coastal Guard forces captured 14 Somali pirates off Socotra Island early on Sunday and have transferred them to security authorities for investigation," the ministry said in a brief statement on its website.On April 19, the Yemeni interior ministry said that a Spanish warship helped release nine Yemeni fishermen who were captured by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea.In November, 2011, a Yemeni criminal court sentenced 10 Somalis to 10 years in prison after convicting them of piracy in Yemen's territorial waters, according to the state-run Saba news agency.The Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden, well-known pirate- infested waters between Yemen and Somalia, is the main route for about 25,000 ships every year.Source :Xinhua

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Two French Warships Join EUNAVFORs Counter-Piracy Mission in Gulf of Aden

Frigate FS GEORGES LEYGUES and Amphibious Assault Ship FS DIXMUDE As of 23 March 2012 the Counter-Piracy force of the European Union (EUNAVFOR) which normally includes between 4 and 7 warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa will be joined by two new warships of the French navy; Frigate FS GEORGES LEYGUES and Amphibious Assault Ship FS DIXMUDE.FS GEORGES LEYGUES, named after the 19th Century French Navy minister and commissioned in 1979, is a multi role frigate. In addition to its high top speed, the ships two Lynx helicopters will significantly increase the EU forces capability to patrol the Indian Ocean and disrupt potential pirates.On the same day the helicopter carrier FS DIXMUDE, the French Navy's newest warship also joins the counter-piracy operation. At over 20,000 tons the DIXMUDE is capable of acting as a sea borne, mobile operating base for up to 16 helicopters, adding to the speed of response and reach of EU NAVFOR.Source: EUNAVFOR

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Chinese Navy fights piracy in Somalia

The Chinese Navy is once again sending forces to Somalia to target piracy in the Gulf of Aden The Chinese Navy is once again sending forces to Somalia to target piracy in the Gulf of Aden. China first began patrolling the waters along with an international flotilla in 2008. Since then, it's undertaken ten such missions - protecting some 4500 ships.The farewell ceremony is becoming more and more familiar to the Chinese navy these days. A fleet left the port Qingdao on Monday morning, ready to carry out its orders.Yang Junfei, fleet commander, said, "Fleet 113 ready for duty." Ding Yiping, deputy commander of Chinese navy, said, "Set Sail!"The fleet brings a destroyer, missile frigate, support ship, 2 helicopters and special forces to bear on the region - a total of 800 naval personnel are involved.The UN Security Council has been urging member countries to combat piracy along the Somali coast since the 1990s. The Chinese navy joined in 4 years ago and has been an active partner ever since.Last Thursday, The People's Liberation Army Navy held the International Symposium on Counter-Piracy and Escort Operations in China's eastern city of Nanjing. Delegations from more than 20 states and organizations gathered ...

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EU NAVFOR warship FGS BERLIN responds to emergency call in the Gulf of Aden

Suspects have been transferred to FGS BERLIN and further investigations are ongoing On 22 February 2012, the EU NAVFOR combat support warship FGS BERLIN responded to a distress signal from a tanker that was under attack by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden.On receipt of the radio call the FGS BERLIN immediately dispatched her two Seaking helicopters to the area while she closed and when the skiff had been relocated it was stopped and the suspect pirates immediately surrendered to the ship's boarding team.The suspects have been transferred to FGS BERLIN and further investigations are ongoing.Source: EU NAVFOR

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Securing Safe Passage – SAF In The Gulf Of Aden

Ship Tank RSS Endeavour The Republic of Singapore Navy's Landing Ship Tank RSS Endeavour slips off from Oman, and sets a course for the Gulf of Aden. On board are over 270 personnel and the hardware of the 3rd SAF Task Group deployed for operations there.Endeavour is just days away from the area of operations but the tri-service task group is already dealing with a mounting number of suspicious contacts.

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Pacific Fleet Task Unit Escorts Fourth Convoy Through Gulf of Aden

At present, Admiral Tributs escorts five ships flying flags of Liberia, Malta, Croatia, and UAE Pacific Fleet (PF) task unit headed by Capt 1 rank Ildar Akhmerov and comprising large ASW ship Admiral Tributs, tanker Pechenga, and seagoing tug MB-37 started escorting of the fourth commercial convoy within the framework of anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, PF spokesman Capt 1 rank Roman Martov told Central Navy Portal.At present, Admiral Tributs escorts five ships flying flags of Liberia, Malta, Croatia, and United Arab Emirates along safety corridor towards eastern part of the gulf.Seagoing tug MB-37 with PF marine unit on board also escorts one merchant ship towards the Red Sea.The seventh PF antipiracy task unit arrived in the deployment area early Jan 2012. Since that time PF mariners have escorted over 20 commercial vessels in convoys. The unit command met with NATO counterparts and held joint underway replenishment drill.Six previous PF task units deployed off Africa have effectively accomplished their anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.All ships have specially trained PF marine units on board. Sixth PF task unit headed by large ASW ship Admiral Panteleyev is presently completing deployment and will reach homebase on Feb 12.Source: Russian ...

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Pirates hijack Iranian ship in Gulf of Aden

The Iranian ship is carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical products Pirates in the Gulf of Aden have hijacked an Iranian ship carrying 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical products to a North African country, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Tuesday.Somali sea gangs have seized vessels and crews across the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, extracting millions of dollars in ransoms.Mehr did not say where the information on the latest reported attack came from.Separately on Tuesday, the Pentagon said American forces had rescued six Iranian mariners who said their ship was taking in water off the coast off Iraq.The announcement came less than a week after U.S. naval forces rescued 13 Iranian fishermen who were taken hostage by pirates in the Arabian Sea for more than a month.The rescue operations have taken place at a moment of heightened tension between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at building an atomic bomb. Tehran denies the charge, saying its nuclear activities are only for peaceful purposes.Tehran and Washington do not have formal diplomatic relations. The U.S. State Department last week said there had been no official communication with Iran about the first rescue, which ...

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NATO warship disrupts pirate attack group in Gulf of Aden

Pirates should not be under the illusion that the Christmas season is a good time to attack Earlier this week USS Carney, part of NATO's counter piracy task force Operation Ocean Shield, worked with other NATO forces and coalition partners to disrupt pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden.A Japanese maritime patrol aircraft patrolling the area on counter-piracy operations spotted a suspicious skiff with seven suspected pirates aboard and contacted the NATO flagship ITS Andrea Doria who in turn tasked USS Carney to investigate.In a co-ordinated operation, Carney approached the skiff, while the patrol aircraft circled overhead. As the warship appeared on the horizon the skiff attempted to flee however it stopped when hailed. The patrol aircraft and Carney observed the suspected pirates throwing items overboard. The items were visually confirmed by the patrol aircraft as ladders and other pirate-related equipment.A team from Carney boarded the skiff and after a thorough search seized the excess fuel and other items useful to piracy activity, before ensuring the skiff had enough fuel to return to the Somali coast.In 2009, 45 ships were hijacked in the region; so far in 2011, 21 ships have been hijacked effectively halving the number of ships taken. ...

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