Tag: maritime piracy

The Dhow changed course and made its way back toward Somalia On the morning of 10 June, the EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Niedersachsen detected a suspected Pirate Action Group (PAG) whilst conducting a routine patrol in the Southern Somali Basin.The PAG, which is suspected of carrying out a number of attacks on merchant vessels in the area, consisted of a fishing dhow and 2 attack skiffs. Small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG)s were also seen on board.As the Dhow was considered to be a real threat to shipping in the area, the German warship decided to disrupt the vessel but fears for the safety of the hostages on board prevented the Niedersachsen from taking direct action against the vessel.Instead, to remove the Dhow's ability to launch further attacks, the warship opened fire on the 2 attack skiffs sinking them in the process. Without attack skiffs, it is highly unlikely that the suspected pirates could successfully board a vessel.Having lost its skiffs, the Dhow changed course and made its way back toward Somalia.This disruption has undoubtedly hampered pirate action and avoided highly probable attacks on merchant shipping and vulnerable vessels in the area.Source: EU NAVFOR

Crew members sent a message saying they can see boats around them that appear to be dangerous The MV Suez, a ship with six Indian sailors on board, is reportedly in trouble again after being released by Somali pirates less than 48 hours ago.Crew members on the ship have reportedly sent a message saying they can see boats around them that appear to be dangerous. The Suez has 22 people on board, including four Pakistanis. The Indian Navy, however, denies the latest reports.The Suez, a merchant vessel owned by an Egyptian company, was taken over by Somali pirates last year. They wanted 2.1 million dollars as ransom - which was paid in full, some of it coming via donations in Pakistan.Ansar Burney, a Pakistani rights activist, played a key role in the negotiations that led to the pirates freeing the hostages late on Monday. However, Mr Burney says he has been messaged now by the crew warning him of the new threat.Families of the Indian sailors on board say their appeals to the Indian Navy to help escort the ship to safer waters were ignored earlier this week. But a spokesperson for the Navy told NDTV that the Suez was ...

The vessel was hijacked on March 28 a The Filipino seafarer manning a ship released by pirates last week is in good condition, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Tuesday."Captain Gaudencio Collado, Armed Forces of the Philippines liaison officer to the combined maritime forces, and the vessel's local manning agency reported to the DFA that all crew members are in good condition," the DFA said.The DFA confirmed the MT Zirku, a United Arab Emirates-flagged and Arab-owned crude carrier, was released from captivity by Somali pirates on June 10.The vessel was hijacked on March 28 approximately 250 nautical miles South East of Salalah, Oman. It had 29 crewmembers of mixed nationalities.Last week, Somalia Report cited diplomatic sources who said the vessel was released Saturday morning. "The UAE-flagged vessel has a crew of 29 (1 Croatian, 1 Iraqi, 1 Filipino, 1 Indian, 3 Jordanians, 3 Egyptians, 2 Ukrainians and 17 Pakistanis). All of the crew members were said to be safe and in good health," the report said.The ship was heading to Singapore at the time it was seized, Somalia Report said.Unconfirmed information revealed the pirates may have received a $12-million ransom payment, it added.Source: GMA News

Piracy is leading to a rise in shipping costs Commander of Iran's Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the country's naval forces have escorted about 1,000 cargo ships and oil tankers since April 2009.Rear Admiral Sayyari told IRNA on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic's Navy has foiled over 13 pirate attacks in open waters since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (on March 22).The Iranian commander noted that the Iranian naval forces are conducting active patrols in open seas, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea region and northern Indian Ocean.Sayyari went on to state that the country's patrolling warships have even saved some foreign ships and tankers from pirate attacks. Earlier in May, he asserted that the Iranian Navy ranks first in the region in terms of its possession of advanced naval equipment, facilities and technologies.According to Sayyari, the Navy's sphere of operation has currently expanded to 2,000 kilometers from the previous 400 square kilometers, and the logistical coverage for naval groups has also been extended to more than 6,000 or 7,000 kilometers off the coast.The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean Sea, is the ...

Proposal for having armed naval guards on merchant vessels has been ruled out As the government continues to discuss measures to check pirate attacks on the high seas, a proposal for having armed naval guards on merchant vessels has been ruled out.The Navy has expressed its inability to the government to take up the task in view of the limited manpower for its various missions, informed sources told The Hindu. Besides being on an anti-piracy patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden, the Navy has also been carrying out a vigorous campaign against piracy closer to the Indian shores.Sources in the government said discussions are on to work out modalities as also the agency to be tasked with providing armed security aboard ships.As of now, there is no policy in the country of having armed private guards for protection on the high seas, a practice cleared by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as an interim measure.Last month, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee issued interim guidance that the use of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) should not be considered an alternative to the Best Management Practices to Deter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and in the Arabian Sea area ...

After 73 days in captivity On the 10 June, the MV ZIRKU was released from pirate control after 73 days in captivity.She was pirated on the 28 March 2011, approximately 250 nautical miles South East of Salalah in the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden.The UAE flagged and Kuwaiti owned vessel was on its way to Singapore from Bashayer (Sudan) when she was pirated. The MV ZIRKU has a crew of 29 (1 Croatian, 1 Iraqi, 1 Filipino, 1 Indian, 3 Jordanians, 3 Eqyptians, 2 Ukrainians and 17 Pakistanis). There is no further information about the crew at present.MV ZIRKU is on her way to a safe port.Source: EU NAVFOR

Eight Indian crew members released Indias largest shipowner has applauded the Indian Navys approach to combating piracy, following the return to Mumbai of eight Indian crew members from the released bulker.We are very grateful to them and wish that other navies would adopt the same tactics, he said. It is believed that the pirates kept the other seven crew members because they are Indian, as revenge or some such other, but there has been absolutely no official communication from the pirates that this is the case and that assertion thus remains nothing other than pure conjecture."

There is a tendency for vessels with poor PSC and these less know to the maritime associations Bulk carriers with poor Port State Control records are more likely to fall victim to pirate attacks, according to Intercargo, the dry cargo shipowners organisation. Since January 2008, 36 bulk carriers over 10,000dwt have been seized by pirates and 821 seafarers taken hostage.Eight bulk carriers are currently being held by pirates. One-third of vessels seized have been en route to or from the Middle East or North Africa. There is an increasing tendency for vessels to be seized from companies with poorer Port State Control performance figures or those less well known to the maritime associations, said secretary-general Rob Lomas.

Inside Story - A private navy to fight pirates? As Somali pirates extend their operation deeper into the Indian Ocean, Western security firms are taking action. They are considering a private fleet - about 20 patrol boats with armed guards, costing around $12mn - to escort ships passing through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.

The human cost of Somali piracy report Seafarers are being subjected to increasing levels of violence at sea including physical and psychological abuse - even torture - according to a new report.The report, The human cost of Somali piracy, published by the Oceans Beyond Piracy Project, which looks into achieving a long-term, sustainable solution to piracy, claims that in 2010 alone, more than 4000 seafarers were attacked - some vessels and crew multiple times.It also outlines how 342 seafarers endured hours or days of persistent attacks while sheltering in ships citadels or fortified safe rooms; pirates have reportedly fired rocket-propelled grenades at citadel doors at close range and used plastic explosives. They even set fire to three ships while terrified crews huddled below decks.More than 1000 seafarers were held hostage often for months without proper nutrition, access to medical care, or contact with their families. It is understood that this has led to the deaths of some, both through suicide and malnutrition.Meanwhile, 516 seafarers were used as human shields in attacks on other vessels as the crewmembers of some captured ships are forced to continue to operate these ships as motherships to capture others.In addition up to 21 of the ...