Tag: hijacking

Discussed by Working Group at MSC89 The IMO has released a circular (MSC.1/Circ.1404) entitled "Guidelines for flag states and other authorities to assist investigators to collect evidence after hijack".This was on the agenda of Working Group 1 during the meetings of the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC89) last week in London.Items discussed by WG1 included:Development of the Maritime Security ManualConsideration of Periodical Survey to Ship Security Alert System (SSAS)Guidelines for flag states and other authorities to assist investigators to collect evidence after hijackDevelopment of guidance to ship owners, ship operators and shipmasters on the use of Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel PCASP) on board shipsImplementation of counter-piracy measures, including Best Management Practices (BMP)To view the Guidelines, click hereSource: IMO 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EL X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

To negotitate over their demands Somali pirates, who have hijacked the vessel MV Asphalt Venture with 46 Indians on board, have offered to talk with the Indian government to negotiate over their demands, media reports claimed on Friday.As per reports, the pirates do not want to carry on any dialogue with the company and instead want to speak directly with the Government of India.The Somali pirates are pressing for the release of their accomplices, who are currently in the Indian jails following their arrests during the Indian Navy and Coast Guard operations in the Indian Ocean in the past few months.Earlier on Wednesday, government ruled out any possibility of holding talks with Somali pirates, and decided to "wait and watch" as ship owners continued to negotiate the release of the hostages.The decision was taken at an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG), which met for the first time after being set up last month to deal with the problem.The meeting was of the view that the government should not negotiate with the pirates or enter into deals for release of crew on ransom, report said.The IMG, headed by Additional Secretary, Shipping, Vijay Chhibber, and including senior official from Ministries of External Affairs, Home ...

The captain confirmed that the crew is alive and unharmed All 25 crew of a hijacked Singapore-registered chemical tanker are believed to be safe, its ship management company said on Thursday after establishing contact for the first time with its captain.The captain of the 29,871 dwt Gemini, which was hijacked by pirates on 30 April, established satellite phone contact on Wednesday with Glory Ship Management. Singapore-based Glory said the satellite phone contact was intermittent as the connection was "very weak"."The captain confirmed that the crew - who are from four Asian countries - were alive and unharmed, but did not communicate any other details," Glory said in a statement."We are relieved that the crew are safe and unharmed. The safety of the crew is our highest priority and we hope and pray for their well-being. We await further contact from their presumed abductors," it added. Gemini, which was carrying Indonesian crude palm, was believed to have been seized off Kenyan waters.Source: Seatrade Asia

Reported in position 14 20N 057 11E NATO is warning that although the recently hijacked MV SINAR KUDUS is now moving south towards the Somali coast, it can still conduct pirate mother-ship operations in the Arabian Sea area. Today (March 22) at 0550 utc the SINAR KUDUS was reported in position 14 20N 057 11E, Course: 228 / Speed: 11ktsSINAR KUDUS is the unarmed ship seized by Somali pirates March 16, that was used the next day to support a pirate attack on the MV EMPEROR, which did have armed security on board with the result that the attack failed.Source: Nato Shipping Center

Greek bulker hijacked At approximately 0600Z on 28 February, theBulk Cargo Carrier MV DOVER was pirated approximately 260 nautical miles North East of Salalah in the North Arabian Sea.The Panamanian flagged, Greek owned vessel was on its way to Saleef (Yemen) from Port Quasim (Pakistan) when it was attacked. Details of the attack are not known at this time. The MV DOVER has a crew of 23 (3 Romanian, 1 Russian and 19 Filipinos). There is presently no communication with the vessel and no information regarding the condition of the crew.The MV DOVER wasregistered with MSC(HOA), andwas reporting to UKMTO. EUNAVFOR are continuing to monitor the situation.Source: EU NAVFOR

Focus on offshore merchant shipping Tankers and supply ships are facing an increased threat of hijacking off Nigeria, according to analysis by maritime-security firm Risk Intelligence, which is predicting an escalation of violent attacks against ships this year.Although overall maritime attacks in the Niger Delta in 2010 fell to just 58, as compared to 91 in the previous year, the bad news is that there was a significant focus on offshore merchant shipping as the pirates spread out from their usual sphere of operation.Risk Intelligence found that as a result of the failure of an amnesty programme, militants are moving away from the inshore rivers and offshore kidnappings for ransom are becoming more common.Source: Safety4Sea

15 pirates had ben arrested The successful apprehension of Somali pirates off Lakshadweep by Indian Navy and Coast Guard on Sunday has brought along a tragic story of hostages. At least five crew members of the three Thai trawlers hijacked by pirates have been reported to have died of hunger and sickness after the owner of the trawlers refused to pay ransom leading to a 10-month-long hostage crisis.According to sources, the pirates had hijacked three trawlers, Prantalay-11, Prantalay-12 and Prantalay-14, in April last year off Somalia coast with 49 crew members. The trawlers were going to Djibouti when they were hijacked off Somalia coast. The pirates demanded a ransom of US$ 9 million from the owner to release the vessels, but the owner refused to pay. "His three trawlers cumulatively cost only US$ 600,000. The pirates, however, would not relent. This led to a stand-off that stretched for 10 long months, before a Naval operation ended it on Sunday," said an officer from Yellow Gate police station. Strapped of resources, the pirates during this time provided little food to the hostages. "Four crew members on Prantalay-14 fell sick and died due to lack of medical supplies. One crew member from ...

The ship is now sailing safely China denied an early report that a Chinese-flagged commercial ship was hijacked by Somali pirates off Yemeni coast.A China Maritime Search and Rescue Center (MSA) told "Xinhua" news agency Sunday that the ship has never been hijacked, and is now sailing safely with escort of the Chinese anti-piracy navy fleet.Both the "Tien Hau" ship, which was registered in Hong Kong, China, and its 22-member crew, are safe, a MSA official confirmed to Xinhua over the phone. The center contacted the ship to make sure it was safe, he added. The ship had been followed by a suspicious boat for a while, but it was never attacked or hijacked, the official said.Earlier, Yemeni Interior Ministry had said the ship was hijacked by pirates some 20 kilometers off the Yemeni island of Al-Tair off the city port of al-Hudaida, and was heading to Somali coast. The Gulf of Aden is considered as one of the world's most dangerous waters because of rampant piracy.Source: QNA

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 ...