Tag: ICC

Small tanker hijacks by armed gangs are escalating While pirate attacks on the world's seas have fallen for the third consecutive year, small tanker hijacks by armed gangs are escalating in Southeast Asia, reveals the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in its latest piracy report.IMB's 2014 third quarter global piracy report notes a total of 178 incidents so far this year, down from 352 for same period in 2011. In the first nine months of 2014, pirates killed three crew, kidnapped five from their vessels and took 369 seafarers hostage. A total of 17 vessels were hijacked, 124 were boarded and 10 were fired upon. There were 27 further reports of attempted attacks."It's encouraging to see the huge decrease in maritime piracy and armed robbery over the last few years, thanks mainly to international navies deterring pirates off East Africa, and improved onboard security," said IMB Director, Pottengal Mukundan. "However, there has been a worrying new rise in attacks against small coastal tankers in Southeast Asia. We advise small tankers in particular to remain vigilant in these waters and report all attacks and suspicious small craft to the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre."Oil thievesIMB's Piracy Reporting Centre ...

Small tanker hijacks by armed gangs are escalating While pirate attacks on the world's seas have fallen for the third consecutive year, small tanker hijacks by armed gangs are escalating in Southeast Asia, reveals the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in its latest piracy report.IMB's 2014 third quarter global piracy report notes a total of 178 incidents so far this year, down from 352 for same period in 2011. In the first nine months of 2014, pirates killed three crew, kidnapped five from their vessels and took 369 seafarers hostage. A total of 17 vessels were hijacked, 124 were boarded and 10 were fired upon. There were 27 further reports of attempted attacks."It's encouraging to see the huge decrease in maritime piracy and armed robbery over the last few years, thanks mainly to international navies deterring pirates off East Africa, and improved onboard security," said IMB Director, Pottengal Mukundan. "However, there has been a worrying new rise in attacks against small coastal tankers in Southeast Asia. We advise small tankers in particular to remain vigilant in these waters and report all attacks and suspicious small craft to the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre."Oil thievesIMB's Piracy Reporting Centre ...

IMB warns small tankers to maintain strict anti-piracy measures The ICC Commercial Crime Services' International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is warning small tankers to maintain strict anti-piracy measures in the South China Sea following a spate of tanker hijackings in the region.At least six known cases of coastal tankers being hijacked for their cargoes of diesel or gas oil have been reported since April this year, sparking fears of a new trend in pirate attacks in the area. Up until then, the majority of attacks in the region were boarding's for petty theft.The latest hijackings seem to follow a specific modus operandi, where armed pirates seize a small tanker and siphon off its cargo to large bunker barges or other small tankers in a ship-to-ship operation. In some cases navigational equipment are destroyed but the crew are left unhurt. They then release the hijacked vessels."These types of incidents are not common in this region which makes the situation even more alarming", says the IMB. It has issued a warning to all ships that these attacks have occurred against small coastal tankers primarily in the South China Sea waters off Bintan and Bintulu islands."The pirates appear to be interested in oil products ...

An economic approach to the control of maritime piracy is based on the general economic theory of law enforcement that views offenders (pirates) as rational decision makers who would respond to threatened punishments.

The threat is still present reports IMB The International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed that piracy on the world's seas is at its lowest first-quarter level since 2007, but warns that the threat is still present.The latest IMB Piracy Report, published, shows 49 piracy incidents in the first quarter of 2014 - the lowest first quarter figure since 2007, when 41 incidents were recorded.In the first three months, two vessels were hijacked, 37 vessels boarded, five vessels fired upon and five attempted attacks were reported. Forty-six crewmembers were taken hostage and two kidnapped from their vessel.Off Somalia, five incidents were reported - the same number as the first quarter of 2013. In 2014, three attempted attacks were recorded and two vessels fired upon. IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan stated "Although the number of attacks continues to remain low, the threat of Somali piracy is still clearly evident."The report cites the example of an incident in January 2014 when a Panamax sized product tanker was fired upon approximately 115NM south of Salalah, Oman from a skiff launched from a mother vessel. The attack was repelled and the international navies subsequently intercepted the mother ship - an Indian dhow ...

Shipowners are now facing new dangers from criminal gangs in West Africa There are fears that shipowners are facing new dangers from criminal gangs making spurious oil fraud claims. The 'victims'/fraudsters try to extort money from owners by bringing action against them for failing to deliver cargoes of oil they allegedly own.Such scams were previously confined to West Africa but now appear to have spread to other countries, as a case reported recently to the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) shows.It involves a vessel that trades regularly into the Arabian Gulf. A claim has been lodged against the shipowner to recover over $50 million, the full value of a consignment of oil.The claimant alleges that the cargo of oil it owns was loaded onto the vessel in Russia but was never delivered to the designated discharge port in the Arabian Gulf.Moreover they apparently have documents to prove this, and a local court in the region has now been persuaded to issue a warrant of arrest against the vessel named in the claim.The case has put the shipowner in a dilemma. He is reluctant to risk taking the vessel into the jurisdiction where the warrant was issued for fear it will ...

Emily O'Connor, Executive-Secretary of the Incoterms WG explains the ins and outs of the Incoterms 2010 Rules

Live Piracy & Armed Robbery: Latest ICS Report

In 2010, the economic cost of piracy estimated $7-12 billion In 2010, the economic cost of maritime piracy on the supply chain was estimated to be $7-12 billion, said the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) quoting the One Earth Foundation. Piracy is a concern to any industry having to navigate through the Gulf of Aden to deliver goods by water, said the ICC, a global representative body that speaks on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world.For India, piracy is a serious issue as a large number of Indian seafarers work on board foreign ships that pass through the Somalia coast every day. In January, India voiced its concern on the increasing piracy at the United Nations, and proposed a five-point plan, including tracking the trail of ransom money, to curb piracy.The Union Minister of Shipping, Mr G.K. Vasan, at the Maritime Summit 2011 at Oslo on Tuesday too highlighted India's concerns about increasing incidents of piracy and the need for concerted unified action under the UN. Ministers from 10 other countries also participated in the Summit.Increasing attacksThe past year has witnessed an escalation in both violence and the number of attacks on ships and ...

Call for immediate action on piracy In a call for immediate action on piracy, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) yesterday urged governments to take action against the increasing number of pirate attacks occurring off the Somali coast. The Call for Action was launched at the annual International Transport Forum taking place in Leipzig, Germany from 25-27 May.The past year has witnessed an escalation in both violence and the number of attacks on ships and their crew. According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau, there were 219 attacks in 2010 off Somalia, in which 49 vessels were hijacked and 1,016 crew members taken hostage.Despite measures taken by the United Nations Security Council and the presence of naval units in the area of the Gulf of Aden, pirates continue to strike. More and more shipowners have had to resort to using private security firms to protect their seafarers and ships.In 2010, the One Earth Foundation estimated the economic cost of piracy on the supply chain to be between US$7-12 billion. "This is of great concern to any industry having to navigate through the Gulf of Aden to deliver goods by water," ICC said.Prepared by the ICC Commission on Transport and Logistics, ...