Tag: maritime piracy

Piracy off the Somali coast is estimated to be costing the shipping industry nearly $7bn (4.4bn).Along with the growing terrorist threat, it is one of the main reasons David Cameron has convened this week's Somalia conference in London.Over 100 seafarers and several ships are currently held for ransom in often atrocious conditions.Frank Gardner has become the first British journalist to be allowed aboard an Australian maritime patrol aircraft, as it flew a counter-piracy mission over the Somali Basin.

Said US state secretary deputy assistant International community appreciates considerable role of Russian Navy in counter-piracy campaign, said US state secretary's deputy assistant Tomas Kelly saying that"we very much value Russian participation in the coalition".According to official figures, in the last year Russian warships escorted over 30 convoys through the Gulf of Aden with 168 vessels flying flags of 27 countries including 62 Russian-crewed ships. Security of 448 Russian citizens was ensured. Currently, anti-piracy watch off Somalia is kept by Northern Fleet (NF) destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov.Experts say actions taken against Somali pirates bring certain results. According to French defense ministry, only 200 pirate attacks were registered in 2011 comparing to 700 ones in 2010. Pirates managed to hijack only 13 commercial ships while in 2010 they captured up to 30 vessels.Director of the Atlantic Council research center Peter Pham considers armed security on board merchant ships has played a large part in reducing pirate attacks. Goal-oriented steps taken by commercial shipping companies hinder piracy in the region, pointed out Pham.However, in spite of all countermeasures, there are still many cases of piracy in the Indian Ocean, and demanded ransoms are permanently growing. According to American organization Oceans Beyond Piracy, ...

After being held captive since October 31 last year A Greek-owned chemical tanker, with 21 Filipino sailors onboard, was released from captivity by Somali pirates earlier this month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.Raul Hernandez, Foreign Affairs spokesman, said that M/T Liquid Velvet was released on June 4 after being held captive since October 31 last year.The Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned chemical and oil tanker has a full crew of 21 Filipino sailors on board."The families of the crew members were already informed by the local manning agency of this development," Hernandez said.He added that the vessel was already sailing towards Salalah in Oman."The DFA has instructed our Philippine embassy in Muscat to meet and extend assistance to the crew members once the vessel docks at the Port of Salalah," the official said.Currently, there are still 45 Filipino seafarers on board five vessels being held captive by the pirates in the Gulf of Aden.Source: Neptune Maritime Security

There have been a crack down on Somali pirates in the region A group of Puntland officials on Thursday visited Bargal town, Bari region, where there have been a crack down on Somali pirates in the region.The eight member officials led by the area regional governor Abdisamad Mohamed Gallan reportedly travelled to the area to convene a security meeting with the local population.Speaking to the press before leaving the Bosaso town, Mr Gallan said they will hold talks the local with elders in Bargal to chat the way forward in maintaining peace in the area and to rally support for their fight against pirates.Meanwhile, normalcy has reportedly returned to Bali-dini area where there was an aerial attack on Wednesday targeting pirates' base in the area.Puntland's marine forces have been conducting security operations aimed at clearing out Somali sea gangs from the coastal region of Bari.Source: Hayaan Press

Nigerian Justices are brainstorming in Abuja Justices of the High Courts and Courts of Appeal are brainstorming in Abuja at a 3-day maritime seminar jointly organized by the Nigerian Shippers Council and the National Judicial Institute.The seminar which was declared open yesterday by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, is aimed at discussing recent developments in international maritime law.Musdapher said, "it is imperative to regularly organize seminars on a sustained basis for judicial officers, maritime law practitioners and other stakeholders in the maritime industry."The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, said most maritime laws are international in nature and directed the House Committee on Marine Transport to commence the process of domesticating international maritime laws with a view to getting them passed into law to enable the country's maritime laws to conform with international laws.Source: Daily Trust

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre posted a Special Report on fishing activities off the southwest coast of India. With pirate attacks occurring more frequently in the central portion of the western Indian Ocean, merchant vessels are increasingly transiting closer to the southwest coast of India.This has resulted in more encounters between merchant vessels and local fishing vessels. If a fishing vessel believes that a merchant vessel is transgressing its fishing gear, the fishing vessel may sail toward the merchant vessel and sound the alarm.If persons on the merchant vessel mistake the fishing vessel's approach as a pirate attack, unfortunate consequences may ensue. A better understanding of the local fishing practices and procedures may reduce the number and seriousness of these encounters.For more information, click here.Source: ReCAAP

Chinese researchers say they can predict if a particular vessel with a specific cargo on a given area of ocean is likely to be targeted by pirates.Researchers in Hong Kong analyzing the incidence of maritime piracy during the last decade said they can even predict what degree of violence might be involved in an act of piracy.Writing in the International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, researchers said data from the ICC International Maritime Bureau allowed them to assess the type of criminal action that takes place, whether hijacking for ransom or direct theft, and to report on the approach taken by the pirates in terms of arms and violence.Bulk carriers, general cargo ships, container ships, chemical tankers and tankers were the most-frequently targeted vessels, accounting for more than three-quarters of all ships attacked during the 2002-2009 period, they said."In general, merchant ships are not designed or equipped to fend off pirates' attacks and thus they are susceptible to pirate activities, including boarding, hostage-taking and stealing cargo," the researchers wrote.While valuable cargoes, including gas, oil, rice and fishing products, are commonly targeted, whole vessels might also be hijacked and held for ransom. Kidnapping by pirates is also on the rise, ...

Pirate attacks are more frequent, violent and lucrative than ever Pirate attacks on commercial ships sailing Africa's east coast are more frequent, violent and lucrative than ever.Pirates took in an estimated $160 million in ransoms last year, and one study predicts the number will climb to $400 million by 2015, as the high seas thieves continue their brazen reign on the Indian Ocean. Efforts by shipping companies to beef up security, and by the European Union, which has mounted airstrikes on pirate ships, have so far been met with stepped-up attacks. Chillingly, pirates are now chopping off the limbs of captives in extreme cases when the airdrop of cash isn't made quickly enough to suit them."It's an established, structured model, where you have Somalis who are leading and financing operations and then you have pirates who actually go out to sea and conduct the activity," Brian Green, chief of the counter-piracy branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence, told FoxNews.com of the piracy industry. "They are, more or less, foot soldiers. They find targets of opportunity, attack them with the goal of hijacking and bringing that vessel back to Somalia."Piracy worldwide reached an all-time high in 2011, as 544 attacks ...

As attacks intensify off Somali coast While much of the world's economy is in the doldrums, business is booming for Somalia's pirates, whose attacks on commercial ships sailing Africa's east coast are more frequent, violent and lucrative than ever.Pirates took in an estimated $160 million in ransoms last year, and one study predicts the number will climb to $400 million by 2015, as the high seas thieves continue their brazen reign on the Indian Ocean. Efforts by shipping companies to beef up security, and by the European Union, which has mounted airstrikes on pirate ships, have so far been met with stepped-up attacks. Chillingly, pirates are now chopping off the limbs of captives in extreme cases when the airdrop of cash isn't made quickly enough to suit them."It's an established, structured model, where you have Somalis who are leading and financing operations and then you have pirates who actually go out to sea and conduct the activity," Brian Green, chief of the counter-piracy branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence, told FoxNews.com of the piracy industry. "They are, more or less, foot soldiers. They find targets of opportunity, attack them with the goal of hijacking and bringing that vessel back ...

Business is booming for Somalia's pirates Pirates took in an estimated $160 million in ransoms last year, and one study predicts the number will climb to $400 million by 2015, as the high seas thieves continue their brazen reign on the Indian Ocean.Efforts by shipping companies to beef up security, and by the European Union, which has mounted airstrikes on pirate ships, have so far been met with stepped-up attacks."It's an established, structured model, where you have Somalis who are leading and financing operations and then you have pirates who actually go out to sea and conduct the activity," Brian Green, chief of the counter-piracy branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence, told FOXNews.com of the piracy industry.Piracy worldwide reached an all-time high in 2011, as 544 attacks against ships were reported to the International Maritime Organization, an increase of 11 percent from 2010.Nearly half occurred off East Africa, where Somali crews in small boats range hundreds of miles out into the Indian Ocean, boarding container ships sailing south toward the Mozambique Channel.Of the 17 hijackings reported to the International Maritime Bureau so far in 2012, a dozen have been off Somalia's coast.Typically, pirates board a ship, overpower the crew ...