Tag: IMB

USA has passed legislation enabling ships to carry armed guards The USA has passed legislation enabling ships transporting cargo for US agencies - including aid - to carry armed guards through high-risk waters to prevent piracy.The move comes as part of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act, passed by the House of Representatives. The law also includes provision to improve training for seafarers on the acceptable use of force against pirates, as well as defence tactics and procedures if taken hostage. It also authorises a general accounting office to report on ways to track ransom payments to pirates and options to improve their prosecution.The legislation comes as a major trial of an alleged Somali pirate leader is due to open in the USA. The charges relate to the hijacking of the US yacht Quest off Somalia in February 2011 in which four Americans died - six pirates have already been given life sentences for this crime and a further eight are awaiting sentence or trial.The defendant Mohammad Saaili Shibin, captured in Somalia in April, is alleged to have been the hostage negotiator, and reported to be the highest profile pirate to have been captured and put on trial. 

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Eventually, the regained control of their vessel Taiwanese fishers fought off a hijack by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, regaining control of their vessel. The Chin Yi Wen and its 28 crew were attacked and hijacked around 260 nautical miles south west of the Seychelles on 3 November.On 5 November, some of the crew overcame the hijackers, freed themselves and retook the boat. The Chin Yi Wen then met up with a British warship nearby, which provided assistance, and later continued its journey to the Seychelles. Three crewmembers are reported to have sustained minor injuries.Over in the increasingly dangerous waters off West Africa, pirates have now released the Greek-operated, Malta-flagged oil tanker Halifax and its 25 mainly Filipino crew, hijacked about 100 kilometres off Port Harcourt, Nigeria on 30 October. The tanker was taken to a position off Lagos/Benin where part of the cargo was siphoned off, and then taken back to Bonny, Nigeria. The crew were reported to be safe, although some personal belongings were stolen.According to figures from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) for 7 November, Somali pirates are currently holding captive about 11 vessels and 194 hostages. Hostages continue to include seven Indian seafarers from the ...

The shipments had taken place up to three months prior and often with different carriers The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has identified a number of suspect Bills of Lading for shipments into Nigeria.The shipments, all containerised, were for small quantities of consumer products and were due to be shipped into Lagos. The Bills of Lading were all purportedly for cargoes transported by major carriers and featured the logos of the respective liner companies.IMB enquiries found that the shipments had taken place on board the stated vessels, between the stated ports, however, the shipments had taken place up to three months prior the stated dates and often with carriers different to those on the presented Bills of Lading.IMB Deputy Director Michael Howlett commented: "It is clear here that there have been underlying shipments in these cases, but the documents the IMB was asked to verify related to a different shipment. It would appear that bills of lading had already been issued by the physical carriers for the original shipments, suggesting that someone with a degree of inside knowledge had lifted these details wholesale and transposed them onto a set of false documents."It is common for different shipping companies to share ...

Currently, piratesseized an oil tanker with over 20 crew on board off the coast of Nigeria Following the seizure of a Malta flagged vessel by pirates in Nigeria, the International Maritime Organisation, (IMO) has warned vessels owners on the danger of sailing to Nigeria.Confirming the development the influential International Maritime Bureau (IMB) stated, weekend, that gunmen boarded the Malta flagged tanker; MT Halifax as it sat in waters off the coast of Port Harcourt.According to security report, the pirates took over control of the ship and sailed off into the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, and are holding onto the crew as they offload the crude oil in the ship's hold.According to GAC, "communication was reportedly lost with the vessel around 1100 local time on 1 November in an area around 175NM south of Lagos, and 243 NM west of Port Harcourt. The vessel's last reported point of contact is near to where two vessels were boarded in October, one of which was successfully hijacked and held for five days before release."It remains unclear how many crew members were taken or if any have been injured. The Halifax, registered in Malta, is managed by Ancora Investment Trust Inc. of ...

The number of hijackings is down - Pirates have only seized 24 ships so far in 2011 Attacks on shipping by increasingly sophisticated Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean reached record levels in the first nine months of the year, the International Maritime Bureau says.Indian shipowners, who have been increasingly hit as pirates have extended their raids up to 1,500 nautical miles east of the gulf, deep into the India Ocean, say the piracy scourge is costing the global shipping industry more than $9 billion a year.U.S. risk management company Aon reports there has been a 267 percent year-on-year increase in attacks in the Arabian Sea.The attacks are carried out mainly by Somali pirates.IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan says there were 352 attacks on shipping worldwide in the January-September period, up from 289 in the first nine months of 2010."But what's significant," he said, "is that the number of hijackings is down."Pirates have only seized 24 ships so far in 2011, compared to 35 in the equivalent period last year. This has been attributed to more vigorous action by naval forces -- and more ships carrying armed guards, a practice once considered too provocative to be ...

20 October 2011 The IMB has revealed in its latest global piracy report that in the first nine months piracy has risen to record levels, with Somali pirates responsible for nearly 60% of the 352 attacks reported, even though more Somali piracy attacks are being prevented by better anti-piracy measures, including the use of the Best Management Practices ver 4 (BMP4)and better naval responses.In the first nine months this year pirates have captured 625 seafarers hostage worldwide; eight people have been killed by pirates in this period. Although piracy in the Red Sea , Gulf of Aden and Somali basin is the obvious area of concern the incidents of piracy off the coasts of certain West African and South East Asian countries should not be forgotten. These attacks would appear to be also on the increase. Presently off West Africa attacks off Benin, Togo, Guinea, Democratic Rep Congo and Nigeria are of concern. Attacks off Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore Straits are also worrying. The West African coast off Benin has seen an unprecedented increase in piracy with 19 attacks leading to eight tanker hijackings this year.Ships anchored in /off or approaching the ports of Chittagong, Cochin: Indonesian ports of Belawan, ...

Attacks in Asian waters, were 87 in the first nine months compared to 106 in 2010 Pirate attacks that end in successful hijacking off Somalia have declined in the first nine months of the year to 24 vessels from 35 in the same period in 2010 because of naval patrols and counter measures taken by more experienced ship managers and crews. Attacks in Asian waters, including the Indian subcontinent, also continued to see reductions to 87 in the first nine months of the year compared to 106 in 2010."Navies deserve to be complimented on their excellent work: they are a vital force in deterring and disrupting pirate activity," said International Maritime Bureau (IMB) director Pottengal Mukundan. Despite the fall in East African ship seizures, which accounted for more than half of the 352 attacks, worldwide rates of pirate attacks and armed robbery were higher than any other year with 625 seafarers taken hostage, eight killed and 41 injured, he said.Since the monsoon season, Somali pirates have widened their range of attack as far as an Omani port where they attacked a chemical tanker at anchor and under protection by coast security.Source: The Economic Times

According to figures from the International Maritime Bureau There have been a record number of pirate attacks but anti-piracy measures have been successful in reducing hijacks, according to figures from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).The IMB's latest global piracy report shows that Somali pirates were behind 56% of the 352 attacks worldwide reported in the first nine months of 2011 - 199 compared with 126 in the same period of 2010.However, despite the increase in attacks, the pirates have been less successful, hijacking 24 vessels in 2011 to date compared with 35 in the same period of 2010 - representing a 12% success rate compared with 28%.The IMB credits this reduction in hijackings to "policing and interventions by international naval forces, correct application of the industry's latest Best Management Practice - including the careful consideration of the crews' retreat to a 'citadel' - and other onboard security measures".However, the human cost of piracy worldwide had seen 625 people taken hostage with eight killed and 41 injured.As well as more attacks in the Red Sea during the monsoon season in the Indian Ocean, IMB warns that the West African coast off Benin is seeing a surge in violent piracy. While there ...

18 Oct 2011 10.10.2011: Posn: 01:02.80N - 103:38.30E, Singapore Straits Five masked pirates armed with pistol and long knives boarded a tug under towing operations. They stole crew cash and personal belongings and escaped. The incident was reported to Port Operations Control Centre, Singapore. 10.10.2011:2220 LT: Posn: 10:09.1N-107:13.4E, Vung Tau Anchorage, Vietnam Robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored bulk carrier. They threatened the duty watchman with a knife, stole ship's stores and escaped. 07.10.2011: 2200 LT: Posn: 02:21S-079:59W, Guayaquil River, Ecuador Fifteen robbers armed with guns boarded a container vessel underway during river pilotage. Robbers opened and stole contents of two containers. Master raised alarm and searchlights switched on. Seeing crew alertness the robbers aimed their guns towards the bridge and then escaped with stolen cargo. 10.10.2011: 0330 UTC: POSN: 12:31.4N-061:48.5E, Around 430nm east of Socotra, (Off Somalia) Eleven pirates armed with guns fired upon and boarded a bulk carrier underway. The crew retreated into the citadel. On 11.10.2011 NATO warships arrived at the location and a naval team boarded and freed all the crew. All pirates detained. 14.10.2011: 1450 UTC: Posn: 22:02.9N - 064:28.3E, Around 285nm west of Porbandar, India. (Off Somalia) Pirates in three speed boats approached ...

Says IMB report Piracy on the world's seas has risen to record levels, with Somali pirates behind 56% of the 352 attacks reported this year, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) revealed today in its latest global piracy report. Meanwhile, more Somali hijack attempts are being thwarted by strengthened anti-piracy measures."Figures for piracy and armed robbery at sea in the past nine months are higher than we've ever recorded in the same period of any past year," said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) has monitored piracy worldwide since 1991.Demanding millions of dollars in ransom for captured ships and their crews, Somali pirates are intensifying operations not just off their own coastline, but further afield in the Red Sea - particularly during the monsoon season in the wider Indian Ocean. With unprecedented boldness, this August pirates also boarded and hijacked a chemical tanker at anchor in an Omani port, under the protection of coast state security.But although Somali pirates are initiating more attacks - 199 this year, up from 126 for the first nine months of 2010 - they are managing to hijack fewer vessels. Only 24 vessels were hijacked this year ...