Tag: hijacking

Filter By:

Hijacking of cargo on the rise in Asia

Multimillion-dollar losses for companies It was mid-afternoon one day early this year when workers at a factory in the Malaysian state of Perak finished loading more than 700,000 condoms into a shipping container.The container was then driven to Port Klang, the busiest port in the country, and loaded onto a ship bound for Japan.It was a routine procedure for Sagami Rubber Industries, a Japanese company, but by the time the ship docked in the port of Yokohama at the end of January, the condoms had vanished."The container was empty," said K.K. Leung, the administration manager at Sagami's Malaysian factory, whose Japanese colleagues had alerted him to the theft.The case of the missing condoms made headlines in Malaysia, but it was not an isolated case, according to industry groups.Sagami, they say, was another victim of cargo theft, an underreported crime that sometimes includes violent hijackings.The transporting of goods through countries in the Asia-Pacific region is generally safer than in other parts of the world - like the Americas, Africa and Europe - according to data collected by FreightWatch International, an organization in the United States that collates information on cargo theft from around the world.But the organization's global threat assessment report ...

Read more

Special Report on hijacked and missing tug boats and barges in Asia

Increase in such incidents over recent years The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued a Special Report on hijacked/missing tug boats and barges in Asia. Five incidents of hijacking and missing tug boats towing barges were reported during the period March-June 2011.This represents a significant increase in such incidents over recent years. Owners, operators, and masters of tugs operating in Asia should adopt best management practices to minimize the risk of hijacking.To view the Special Report please click hereSource: ReCAAP

Read more

Somali pirate reports fire aboard hijacked ship

The fire was caused by an electrical problem in the ship's kitchen A Somali pirate says a fire is tearing through a hijacked ship that pirates are holding off the country's coast.The pirate, who gave his name as Hassan Abdi, said an undisclosed number of pirates and hostages were forced to abandon the bulk cargo carrier MV Orna. Abdi said it is believed the fire was caused by an electrical problem in the ship's kitchen.Abdi said that plumes of smoke were rising over the ship as the fire moved through it.Cmdr. Paddy O'Kennedy of the European Union Naval Force said he had heard reports of the fire from a credible source but that the EU Naval Force hadn't independently confirmed the information.The MV Orna was seized in December about 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of Seychelles.Source: AP

Read more

Drug dealers behind attacks at sea

They masquerade as fishermen Fishermen at Cedros and Icacos claim drug dealers masquerading as fishermen are making life difficult for them. They are calling on the Government for protection.The fishermen, who spoke to the T&T Guardian on condition of anonymity, said this was what might have led to seven of them being held while fishing at Soledado Rock and thrown into a Venezuelan jail two weeks ago.The men, including brothers Sanjay, Rajesh and Jagdeo Mahase, appeared before a Venezuelan magistrate and were released last weekend, after the intervention of Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan. They claim they were fishing in local waters and did nothing wrong.Rambachan said T&T was holding talks with the Venezuelan Embassy to resolve the outstanding fishing treaty between the two countries. At the beachfront in Fullerton on Monday, a fisherman, who asked not to be identified, declared: Is those drug men who have this going on in Cedros Is those drug men who have this going on in CedrosThe drug men paying them in US dollars..I dont want to mess up myself in this big bacchanal, because they would kill me, but we need some protection from the StateWe are at risk every time we ...

Read more

Guidelines to assist investigators to collect evidence after hijack

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

Read more

Pirates want to talk directly with the Indian government

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 ...

Read more

All 25 crew members of MT Gemini are believed to be safe

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

Read more

NATO warns hijacked vessel still being used as mother ship

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

Read more

MV DOVER pirated in the North Arabian Sea

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

Read more

Niger Delta piracy will escalate in 2011

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

Read more
Page 16 of 17 1 15 16 17