Tag: maritime piracy

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Pirates on trial Pirates accused of kidnapping a British couple off Somalia could be hauled to the UK to stand trial.Paul and Rachel Chandler were seized from their yacht and held in Africa for a year before being freed after a ransom of up to 620,000 was reportedly paid.Now Government lawyers here are working with Interpol to arrest and extradite the Somali gang, who are in custody in neighbouring Kenya.It would be highly unusual for suspects to be extradited back to the UK for a crime committed overseas.But both the Home and Foreign Office are keen to take a firm stance on pirates running amok off east Africa.A source close to Paul, 61, and Rachel, 57, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said: "The family have been told that officials are keen the kidnappers do not go unpunished."Paul and Rachel have doubts about whether the gang would ever be brought to justice if a trial went ahead in Africa."The men accused of being the armed bandits who boarded the Chandlers' boat near the Seychelles in 2009 are being tried in Kenya for an attack on a French ship.Paul has told MPs: "I'd like to see them prosecuted by the UK authorities."A Parliamentary ...

'Wave of piracy' could raise shipping costs by 150% over the coming years! A report by management consultancy AT Kearney and the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association has warned that a renewed 'wave of piracy' could raise shipping costs by 150% over the coming years.This potentially disastrous scenario could come to be if the current situation is allowed to continue. The report suggests that "piracy containment" could be achieved by a greater use of naval forces and an increase in the engagement of private security teams. This form of escalation would, however, cost the shipping industry up to twice what it is currently spending on private security.The report also hints at a 'permanent solution', ergo the stabilisation of the Somali economy. Said solution envisages an end to overfishing off the coast of Somalia and alternatives to piracy. Neither of these goals would cost the shipping community.The scenario in which piracy would be entirely eliminated from the Horn would require an international effort that drew on a number of players and would be dependent on the active involvement of countries belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Indeed the report cautioned that the role of GCC states would be critical.The report's ...

International community must help Somalia build its own security International forces cannot solve Somalia's security problems in the long term and the fragile country needs its own strong force to do the job, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday.Ban spoke spoke at a conference in Istanbul that aims to support Somalia in a transition process calling for a new constitution and parliament, and the election of a president, by Aug. 20. The Horn of Africa nation dissolved into anarchy in 1991 and has endured conflict and deprivation ever since. African Union troops have helped Somalia's transitional government in itsAyhan Arfat/Associated Press - In this Thursday, May 31, 2012 photo photo provided by Turkish Presidency Press Service, Turkey's President Abdullah Gul, right, and Somalia's Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, second left, are seen during a meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. Ali said Thursday that his country has more to offer than pirates, militants and images of the hungry, and that Somalis can even teach the world a thing or twoWhile significant gains have been made in that fight, Ban said the international community must help Somalia build its own security apparatus, establish the rule of law and shed a pervasive culture of ...

Pirates failed to hijack the ship after the crew hid in a safe room Pirates attacked a Greek-owned oil tanker off Nigeria Friday but failed to hijack the ship after the crew hid in a safe room, the International Maritime Bureau said.The tanker was anchored off Lagos when armed pirates boarded early on Friday, said Noel Choong, head of the IMB's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, reports AFP.The 23 crew onboard managed to lock themselves into a safe room and sent out a distress call that was received by the IMB, which in turn alerted the Nigerian navy and other warships patrolling the area, Choong said.Safe rooms are increasingly used by shipping firms to protect crews and thwart pirate attacks.Choong said the pirates, likely aiming to steal the ship's cargo, abandoned their plan as they could not enter the safe room and urged crews of other ships off West Africa to be vigilant."The area remains risky," he told AFP. "We urge all ships to maintain strict anti-piracy watches," he said.At least 21 attacks in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa have taken place this year, with four vessels hijacked, according to Choong.Two seafarers have been ...

Piracy, hunger and al-Shabaab are just some of the issues Somalia must deal with Time is running out for Somalia's discredited transitional government. It is due to be replaced by mid-August and, after months of talks, it seems its members may have accepted that, this time, the deadline is immutable.Augustine Mahiga, the UN secretary general's special representative to Somalia, certainly believes the end is near. After a three-day meeting of senior Somali politicians in Addis Ababa last week, he said the world should already be thinking about life after the 20 August deadline for naming a new president."Somalia is less than 90 days away from the most momentous event in its recent history," Mahiga said in Nairobi on Friday. "There is not a moment to spare as Somalia and its partners get down to work and ensure this process is participatory, legitimate, inclusive, transparent and, above all, Somali-owned."After two decades of on-off conflict, Somalis may be forgiven for feeling sceptical. "There is a sense of deja vu," said independent Horn of Africa analyst Rashid Abdi, adding that Somalis had little faith in politicians renowned for infighting and tainted by allegations of corruption. "There are ... a lot of reservations and ...

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