Tag: maritime piracy

Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia Meets in New York

Seamen kidnapped by Somalia pirates return home

Reports from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) indicate a significant reduction in incidences of piracy in the Gulf of Aden in the first quarter of 2012.There was 163 instances in the first quarter of 2011, the first half of this year has so far seen 69 incidences, which indicates a drop in global piracy figures of by about a third.According to a leaked advance copy of the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia report, the decrease in piracy in the region can be attributed to three main factors.The first is the adoption of best maritime security practices by shipping companies plying the routes.The second is the pre-emptive and disruptive counter-piracy tactics employed by the international naval forces currently operating in the territorial waters of Somalia, including the recent widening of their mandates to include the ability to attack pirate bases on land.The third has to do with the increasing use of private maritime security companies to provide security for shipping companies using the route.While these factors are largely external to Somalia, there are a number of important internal developments that could also have contributed to the success of the fight against piracy.These include Puntland's counter-piracy campaign and increased stability in Mogadishu, ...

Pirates Beating a Retreat From Nigeria Waterways

Nigerian navy deploys to fight piracy

There were 69 hijacking incidents by Somali pirates from Jan. 1 to July 12 this year The threat from Somali pirates is receding but the international community must continue to work together to eliminate the menace, a NATO official said on Saturday."We are getting more successful in reducing the Somali piracy threats with our constant patrolling but the international community must continue to exchange ideas and increase efforts to completely eradicate the problem," Commodore Ben Bekkering, NATO's counter-piracy commander, said at a news conference on Dutch war vessel HNLMS Evertsen in Muscat.According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were 69 hijacking incidents by Somali pirates from Jan. 1 to July 12 this year, a drop of 32 percent compared to the same period in 2011."We are happy to say that Oman's navy is cooperating and helping us to find the hijackers but it is like looking for a needle in a haystack," Bekkering said. Pirate gangs can stay out at sea for long periods using captured merchant vessels as mother ships and have been using Yemen's remote island of Socotra as a refueling hub.Oman lies at the mouth of the Gulf, a strategic, heavily patrolled waterway which channels the bulk ...

Hawks to take on sea pirates

Somali to Stand Trial, but not for Piracy

Taiwan crew freed by Somali pirates aided by Chinese vessel

Somali Pirates