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IMO issues warning to vessel owners over piracy in Nigeria

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 ...

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Somali pirate attacks hit record level

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 ...

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IMB says world piracy attacks at a new high

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, ...

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Pirate hijackings show decline in 2011

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

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Piracy soars but fewer hijacks

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 ...

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IMB Piracy Report

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 ...

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As world piracy hits a new high, more ships are escaping Somali pirates

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 ...

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Maritime piracy attacks hit all-time high of 266

Up from 196 in 2010! Global attacks on ships rose to an all-time high of 266 during the first six months of 2011, up from 196 in 2010, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).More than 117 ships were attacked and 20 seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia alone since January 1, 2011, with 28 ships and 518 hostages held for ransom as of the end of April 2011.These issues will be discussed by industry experts at the Middle East Money and Ships conference, scheduled to take place in Dubai on October 16, it has been announced.The organisers of the Middle East Money and Ships conference, Seatrade, said the conference will review the current situation after global attacks touched an all-time high of 266 for the first half of 2011. The problem costs the industry up to $16 billion annually.Industry professionals lined up to speak at the event include the Shipping Corporation of India Chairman & Managing Director, Mr Sabyasachi Hajara, and ABS Director Environmental Solutions, Mr Sean Bond.According to a report last year by the Council on Foreign Relations, there is no quantitative research available on the total cost of global piracy.Estimates vary widely because of a ...

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Navies prevent pirate attacks

A German warship stopped and boarded a suspicious group of two small boats Naval patrols have prevented attacks on shipping by Somali pirates in the last week.On 28 September, a German warship stopped and boarded a suspicious group of two small boats, a whaler and skiff 70 nautical miles off Mogadishu, Somalia. The crew threw weapons and other items overboard. The skiff and whaler were destroyed to prevent their potential use for piracy, and the crew were released close to the Somali shore.On the following day, the same warship located and destroyed a suspicious whaler 100 nautical miles south west of Mogadishu. The whaler was loaded with piracy equipment but no crew were seen on board.The Indian navy also thwarted potential hijacks by Somali pirates of two cargo ships, Fairchem Bronco and Conqueror, in the Gulf of Aden in separate incidents on 20 and 24 September. A naval patrol vessel escorting the ships warned pirates in approaching high-speed skiffs to stay clear. The patrol vessel sent marine commandos to investigate the skiffs, where they found pirates and recovered arms and ammunition.In a further incident, pirates boarded the Turkish-owned Cihan in the Red Sea over the weekend of 24/25 September but ...

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Advisory Notice on Activity in Mozambique Channel

Recent pirate activity in the Mozambique Channel Recent pirate activity in the Mozambique Channel has prompted Neptune Maritime Security to issue the following Advisory Notice to shipping partners transiting the area and maritime media outlets, in order to raise awareness of a potential hotspot in the region.The International Maritime Bureau had previously warned1 of potential activity in the area and, ironically, on the day of the first attempted attack (as described by the IMB's Live Piracy Reporting Centre), September 21st,Defence analyst Helmeod-Römer Heitman told a security seminar in Pretoria that: "Both sides are not particularly densely populated, are seriously under-policed and there is a lot of shipping going through."2 The two incidents we draw attention to took place on September 21st and 23rd in the area of the Glorioso Islands in the Northern Mozambique Channel, off the coast of Madagascar.In the attempted attack on September 21st, the IMB report3 stated that the crew of a container ship underway at position 12:46.6S-046:18.5E spotted two skiffs at 0643 UTC, with three to four people aboard each skiff at a distance of approximately 1.5nm. The skiffs increased speed to around 18 knots and approached the container ship from different sides. The vessel carried ...

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