Tag: maritime piracy

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Global Piracy Acquires a New Dimension

Gulf of Guinea has emerged as a new 'hot spot' for pirates Piracy attacks off the Horn of Africa and in Southeast Asia have attracted most attention but the Gulf of Guinea has emerged as a new "hot spot". Increased assaults are threatening the economic development of the region, particularly the exploitation of its marine resources, according to a maritime security expert.The menacing dimensions of such attacks are underlined by the fact that the Gulf of Guinea adjoins the shores of West and Central Africa between Guinea Bissau and Angola. Eminent countries in the region include Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria. Large quantities of oil, fish and other marine resources make the region a potentially rich economic zone, which produces more than 5 million barrels of oil each day and more than three quarters of the world's supply of cocoa.The Gulf of Guinea region, along with the Congo River delta and Angola further south, are in fact expected to provide around a quarter of the United States' oil imports by 2015. The region is regarded as one of the world's top oil and gas exploration hotspots.However, as Sam Bateman points out, "the region has more than its fair share of problems, ...

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Indian, Bangladeshi Crew Members Saved by NATO Flagship

A two day operation in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea After a two day hunt in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, NATO's flagship HNLMS Evertsen boarded a pirated dhow on June 29 and released seven hijacked Indian and Bangladeshi crew members. The Omani flagged dhow Nebarkad had been hijacked on 20th June off the coast of Oman, and was used by the pirates to attack merchant vessels in the Arabian Sea.The two day operation was the conclusion of a longer period in which a group of suspected pirates used dhows to conduct attacks on merchant vessels throughout the Arabian Sea. On 27th June an alarm call came in from the MV Namrun a Maltese flagged bulk carrier. The captain stated that an unknown dhow had attempted to attack it and shots were fired.After swift consultation with the other maritime forces, including the EU, in the operating area the commander of NATO's Task Force, Commodore Ben Bekkering, dispatched the Evertsen.The warship covered almost 300 nautical miles in 10 hours to the area north-east of Socotra. Although known positions seemed to indicate the dhow was heading south toward for Somalia, the bad weather caused by strong monsoon winds ...

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Pirates attack oil tanker off Nigeria

The six pirates chased the tanker and shot at it, slightly damaging the vessel An international watchdog says pirates have attacked an oil tanker off Nigeria but failed to board it or harm its crew.The attack occurred early yesterday in the Gulf of Guinea off western Africa, according to the London's-based International Maritime Bureau.The six pirates chased the tanker and shot at it, slightly damaging the vessel. The watchdog's brief statement did not name the tanker or say where it is based or where it was traveling.Piracy off Nigeria's oil-rich delta has escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings and cargo thefts. Some believe militants involved in fighting in Nigeria's southern delta now take part in the piracy. Source: AP

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Tackling the piracy threat

Piracy buffets India in several ways There's been a spate of anti-piracy gatherings. The United Arab Emirates hosted its second such international conference-A Regional Response to Maritime Piracy: Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships and Strengthening Global Engagement-over 27-28 June in Dubai. A global conference in Turkey in early June preceded this. Even as that was in play, India's national security adviser Shivshankar Menon addressed a high-level global meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, that focused on anti-piracy ways and means.In several respects, piracy-specifically, piracy off the Somali coast and Gulf of Aden-has come home to India. Even as Menon delivered his address, 43 India sailors were held hostage by pirates. This is a key global shipping channel that links Asia with Europe. A little further to the east is the Persian Gulf. Nearly 90% of India's oil imports move through this zone.The danger, which Menon called "a growing industry" in his presentation, is increasingly immediate, with expansion last year of the definition of the high-risk area related to piracy. It has expanded from the 65th meridian east to the 78th meridian east, which covers the entire west coast of India; and effectively covers the sea lanes that skirt Sri Lanka. A handsome chunk ...

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Piracy causing wobbles in the East African region

Piracy off the coast of Somalia remains a critical issue A European Union ambassador and a French military naval officer have called for support from countries in the East African bloc, other African countries partners to find a proper solution to the political turmoil which has engulfed Somalia over the past two decades.The call was made by European Union Ambassador to Tanzania Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, to media representatives, who were invited to attend an EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Force Headquarters media event, held on board the French warship FS MARNE.At this event, EU NAVFOR Force Commander Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis from the French Navy elaborated on a series of activities that his ship will conduct in order to get rid of the piracy threat which has been affecting a lot of the traffic on the Ocean.The warlike marine vessel is on a four-month assignment against pirates, but it will also deal with other crimes going on around the ocean, in particular illegal fishing."A military action to prevent piracy must be accompanied by massive support from other partners, including the United Nations and the African Union, towards finding a political solution to Somalia, which is the main source of the ...

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Shipping Surveyor Killed for Standing Up to Pirate Fraud Gang

He had been investigating the Brilliante Virtuosocase A British marine expert was killed for standing up to a gang who tried to cash in on false claims that Somali pirates had attacked their ships, an inquest heard.David Mockett defied the "bully boys" and paid for it with his life when a bomb blew apart his car as he drove from work in Aden in July last year, the hearing was told.He had been investigating the Brilliante Virtuoso, a Liberian registered oil tanker allegedly attacked by Somali pirates 20 miles off the Yemen coast. In an email to his wife, Cynthia, 65, Mr Mockett had said that he "could not find any evidence of bullet holes or exposure to grenades".After his death, Mrs Mockett spoke to one of her husband's friends, John Murphy, who claimed that Mr Mockett had been killed "because of his investigation" into the tanker.She said that Mr Murphy told her two other ships had the same captain as the Brilliante Virtuoso and both had also allegedly been attacked by Somali pirates, which was described as 'unusual'.Mr Mockett had been in the Middle East for 34 years and Aden for the past decade.Det Supt Jonathan Tottman, from Scotland ...

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President of the UAE Ship-Owners Association calls for international cooperation to contain piracy

Combating piracy in neighbouring regions remains one of the major challenges A senior shipping industry official has called on the international community to join hands together to contain maritime piracy.Addressing the Counter Piracy Conference currently underway in Dubai, Chief Executive Officer of ADNATCO- NGSCO and President of the United Arab Emirates Ship-Owners Association Ali Obaid Al-Yabhouni stressed that combating piracy in neighbouring regions remains one of the major challenges facing the international community."This issue is of great concern to members of the UAE Shipping Association, which has a membership of more than 30 companies or organisations", he said.More than a third of our members are either ship-owners or ship operators. Including Abu Dhabi National Tanker Company and National Gas Shipping Company, (ADNATCO '&' NGSCO), which together form the shipping arm of ADNOC, operating the newest and fastest growing fleet in the region, noted Al-Yabhouni.It goes without saying that shipping is of enormous strategic importance to the entire Arabian Peninsula. Almost all the region's oil and gas exports are transported by ships to global markets, and the vast majority of our imports, including food, are also brought in by sea. Rail links are almost non-existent and the land transportation corridor connecting ...

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Security keeping Gulf of Aden pirates at bay

Top officials, however, say new rules needed to guide security trend The adoption of private armed security forces on ships traversing the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden shipping corridor has led to a serious drop in piracy incidents in 2012, delegates heard on Wednesdayday at the second international piracy conference in Dubai.Mike Penning, Minister of Shipping for the Department of Transport in the UK, said the adoption of more self-defensive measures by private shipping companies to fend off pirate attacks is certainly helping to stem the onslaught of marauding pirates.Statistics by EU Naval Force for the first six months of 2012 show 30 recorded piracy incidents off Somalia as compared to 176 incidents reported last year."There are different reasons. The international military community has really gotten its act together. The weather has played its part this year. We all know about the downtime season. But no ship with an armed guard have been attacked since we changed the rules," Penning told Gulf News yesterday in Dubai.Efforts are now underway, he said, through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and partners to establish a set list of international protocols by which private armed guards aboard commercial shipping vessels would adhere.The establishment of ground ...

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Somalia anti-piracy chief thanks UAE

He also points out that the easiest way to counter piracy is to stop ransom The chief of Somalia's anti-piracy task force has thanked the UAE government for contributing to a programme that is helping the war-ravaged African country turn the tide in the battle against pirates.In an interview with Khaleej Times, Dr Muhyadin Ali Yosif said funds from the UAE have helped get the Somalia Maritime Security Forces (SMSF) off the ground."Funds from the previous year were managed to develop the capacity building of the Somali Maritime Security Forces," said Yosif. "This team aims to fight pirates from their home base within Somalia. And with their development through international fund-raising strategies, the force will have new systems and logistics that could easily lead them to the source of these pirates and capture them before launch."Yosif also highlighted the success of inland counter piracy. By detecting informants on land, the force is able to quickly apprehend pirates out at sea. "We've recently discovered that many undercover members, linked to the pirates, send information about the ships' destinations, timing, crew and cargo to the pirates. However, we are developing a new system that could possibly detect such information and the source, ...

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$1 million UAE grant will help us fight the pirates, says Somalia

To finance Somalia's navy and army A million-dollar grant from the Government will go to financing Somalia's navy and army.The UAE is the first to dedicate funds to Somalia armament, according to Faris Mohammed Al Mazroui, assistant to the Foreign Minster for Security and Military Affairs."This initiative started by the UAE is expected to be developed with other countries. Our objective is to go for US$5million and there are a lot of nations who showed interest," he said.The $5m will be used primarily to develop a national guard in Somalia, Mr Al Mazroui explained."We need to set up a national guard base, equip them and train them, as well as provide boats."With the initial million, he added, Somalia will be able to set up a coastguard through the United Nations."We will put the funds under the UN system, which will be worked out from now until September finding the right window and dimension to utilise it," he said.According to the latest figures, 185 seafarers and 13 ships are currently held captive by Somali pirates."These are sailors from around the world. Some of these ships belong to UAE-based companies, although none is UAE flagged," he said.The Somali deputy prime minister and ...

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