Tag: Gulf of Aden

32 people onboard The Iranian Navy foils attempts by pirates to hijack a Hong Kong ship in the Gulf of Aden.The merchant vessel, with 32 people on board, which was sailing en route from Italy to Australia, was attacked by Somali pirates during the course of Friday night, but they were swiftly encountered by ships of the 12th Fleet of the Navy. The Iranian Navy has so far dispatched a number of military warships to the Gulf of Aden to guard Iranian and foreign vessels sailing in international waters. Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have expanded the reach of their hijacking attacks on merchant vessels and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden over the past 2 years, making tens of millions of dollars in ransom, despite the fact that dozens of foreign naval vessels are patrolling the area.Source: Tehran Times

Extended by 6 days Malaysian authorities have extended by six days a detention order against seven Somali pirates captured by Malaysian forces last month in a raid to free a hijacked oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.A police spokesman told AFP that investigators need more time to complete their probe into the case, a historic bid by an Asian country to prosecute bandits operating off the coast of lawless Somalia."The extended detention is to enable police to complete their investigations," a spokesman from police headquarters in the capital Kuala Lumpur told AFP.The seven have been held on remand in Malaysia since January 31 when they arrived on board the tanker MT Bunga Laurel, which was seized by pirates along with its crew of 23 on January 20.The tanker was headed to Singapore with a cargo of lubricating oil worth more than $10 million when high-seas bandits armed with AK-47 assault rifles boarded and took control of the ship.Malaysian naval commandos from a vessel protecting shipping in the Gulf of Aden, along with a navy attack helicopter, responded to a distress call and captured the pirates after a brief firefight.A day later, South Korean forces captured another five pirates in ...

The vessel escaped unhurt An Iranian vessel carrying two million barrels of oil has successfully managed to escape unhurt after being attacked by Somali pirates in the waters of the Gulf of Aden.The Iranian oil tanker dubbed "Haraaz" was sailing in the water of the Gulf of Aden on Monday at 22:45 p.m. local time (1905 GMT) when it was waylaid by pirates in their first night time attack against an Iranian vessel cruising in the Gulf of Aden, Mehr news agency reported on Thursday.The vessel got away unscathed after a series of chase and escape attempts, which lasted for nearly two hours, and all the crew on board of the Iranian ship are reported to be in complete health, the report said.It was the 31st reported attack on an Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Aden and the first such attempt in 2011.According to Jamal Mayahi, the technical Director of National Iranian Tanker Company, the ship is now on its way to Egypt, where it is expected to make a port call and to unload its cargo.In July, Somali pirates failed in their previous attempt to hijack an Iranian vessel carrying crude oil to Spain en route the Bab ...

NATO Shipping Center launches a Piracy Alert Map NATO Shipping Center has launched a new initiative on the NSC webpage. The so-called "Alert Map" will make the work of Masters and Company Security Officers (CSO) easier when they have to choose routes through the pirate infested waters. The "Alert Map" can be foundon the Operation Ocean Shield subpage, and on there will be posted the latest piracy relatedalerts, in co-operation with MSCHOA.This geographical presentation of the alerts makes it easier for shipowners, operators and charterers to get an overview of the situation in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and NW Indian Ocean, asit will contain the latest week to 10 days of piracy activity, making it easier to see the hotspots on the map.The map reflects all piracy events dating back to and including 2008, and will be updated on normal work days; To see the latest updated version click here.Source: NATO Shipping Center