Tag: maritime piracy

Surcharges imposed earlier on containers Maersk Line announced a steep increase in emergency risk surcharges imposed earlier on containers moving via ports in the Indian Ocean Islands and East Africa, starting April 1.The new surcharge on cargo shipped to and from the Indian Ocean Islands and Europe will be $350 per 40-foot container, compared with $250 per FEU now.For the Middle East and East Africa trade, the surcharge will increase to $400 per FEU from $250 per FEU.The revised surcharge on the U.S.-East Africa route will be $400 per FEU, up from $300 per FEU."As a result of increased piracy activity, and in the light of our continuous efforts to prevent piracy attacks and protect our crews and cargo, we have revised our emergency risk surcharges to mitigate higher security expenses," the Danish carrier said Tuesday.Source: Portnews

Immediately used as a mothership At approximately 0730Z on 16 March, theBulk Cargo Carrier MV SINAR KUDUS was pirated approximately 320 nautical miles North East of the island of Socotra in the Somali Basin. Within 24 hours of being taken, she was used to launch an unsuccessful attack on the MV EMPEROR.The MV SINAR KUDUS, which is Indonesian flagged and owned, was on its way to Suez (Egypt) from Singapore when it was attacked. Details of the attack are not known at this time but initial reports from the crew stated that 30 to 50 pirates had boarded and taken control of the vessel. The MV SINAR KUDUS has a crew of 20, all Indonesian.Within 24 hours of the attack, the MV SINAR KUDUS was used to launch a further attack on the Liberian flagged Bulk Carrier MV EMPEROR. A skiff with 5 pirates on board was launched from the SINAR KUDUS and attacked the EMPEROR but was repelled by the armed force from the merchant vessel. The EMPEROR was subsequently reported to be safe.The MV SINAR KUDUS and the MV EMPEROR were registered with MSC(HOA), andwere reporting to UKMTO.Source: EU NAVFOR

More operational and legal teeth to Navy and Coast Guard India now plans to take the battle to the pirates, with measures finalized to give more operational and legal teeth to Navy and Coast Guard. This will enable the two maritime forces to operate "much more aggressively" against sea brigands on the high seas than ever before.Under the new "rules of engagement" and standard operating procedures firmed up, Indian warships will now engage or disable pirate ships in "a far more pro-active manner"."Till now, our warships were usually opening fire in self-defence or if pirates were found attacking or hijacking merchant vessels. The new measures will also include stepped-up VBSS (visit, board, search and seizure) operations. But force used will be proportional to resistance offered, in line with UN laws," said a source.There will also be some additional deployment of warships off the coast of Somalia as well as Arabian Sea to "sanitize" the routes being taken by Indian-flagged merchant vessels.With the government being criticized for its lackadaisical attitude to the entire piracy issue, and 53 Indian sailors still in the captivity of Somali pirates, the Cabinet Committee on Security met under PM Manmohan Singh on Friday to approve a ...

Combating piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia The Government on Friday announced a four-pronged strategy - including establishment of an inter-ministerial group, naval cooperation with friendly countries in the Gulf of Aden and intensifying diplomatic efforts - to counter the menace posed by pirates taking hostage of Indian ships and seafarers on the high seas.Making a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha immediately after the question hour, the Union External Affairs Minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, said the Cabinet Committee on Security met earlier in the day and approved a series of measures to address the "legal, administrative and operational aspects of combating piracy" in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia.Stating that a broad policy framework covering all these aspects was approved, he said this would entail actions in the medium and long term by the Ministries of Shipping, External Affairs and Defence.Mr Krishna said the Committee discussed the immediate situation arising out of Indians held hostage by pirates. It noted that currently 53 Indian seafarers are in captivity on five different ships, and expressed its sympathy for their families and resolved to take the necessary action to safeguard their ...

Crew of 14 Iranian fishermen On 11 March, the helicopter of the French EUNAVFOR warship FS NIVOSE, while on aerial patrol, intercepted and responded to a distress signal from JELBUT 22, also known as AL MANSUR.The fishing dhows position was 130 nautical miles East of Eyl, on the Somali coast. EUNAVFOR warship NIVOSE sent a team to the assistance of the vessel and, at the invitation of the captain of the dhow, boarded the vessel to assist.The crew reported that the JELBUT 22, with a crew of 14 Iranian fishermen, had been attacked and pirated by two skiffs, carrying 16 suspected pirates, in November 2010.The fishing dhow had then been used as a mother vessel in a number of failed attacks against merchant vessels.The pirates eventually abandoned the dhow when it ran out of fuel and water. FS NIVOSE replenished the dhow with these much needed supplies to allow it to continue to a safe port.Source: EU NAVFOR

More shipowners resort to weapons on board There has been a hundred per cent increase in the ransom paid to pirates followinghijackings in 2010, a senior industry official has said.Experts from the maritime and shipping industry who had gathered in Dubai for the Piracy Seminar on Tuesday were of the opinion that the combined naval forces had failed to control or restrain the pirates during the past 12 months.According to Stephen Askins from the International Law firm, Ince and Co, "the levels of piracy activity in December 2010 and January 2011 have far exceeded those for the corresponding periods in 2010."Although it is difficult to calculate the exact amount that has been paid as ransom, Askins said the number has increased "by almost 100 per cent."Lt Cdr Allan Eastham, Commanding officer at UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO) in Dubai was of the opinion that the battle against pirates cannot be won by the navy alone."The navy cannot win this war. It needs a political solution," he said.According to him the forces currently have about six vessels patrolling the IRTC, while the remaining 25 vessels stationed in other areas. "The area in which the pirates operate has widened quite significantly. Earlier ...

Disaster on sea averted A joint operation by the Coast Guard and Gujarat police helped avert a major maritime disaster by defusing a live grenade lodged in a tanker registered in Greece.According to an official spokesman of the Coast Guard on Monday, the operation in mid-sea was undertaken early on Sunday morning following information that a live Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) was lying in the accommodation structure of the Motor Tanker Aegea. The tanker, which set sail from Antwerp on March 4, was on its way to Sikka port in Jamnagar district of Gujarat. About 400 nautical miles away from Porbandar, the ship was attacked by pirates equipped with small arms and RPGs.One RPG hit the accommodation structure of the ship but did not explode. All the crew members on board were safe.The Coast Guard regional headquarters in Gandhinagar was informed about the unexploded grenade and it immediately formulated an emergency plan to undertake a joint operation with the police and the Navy.Soure: The Hindu

Weekly assessment of pirate activity Overall, piracy activity has increased over the past week compared to the week before. With the diminishing effects of the Monsoon pirates are expected to continue their activity over the coming week spreading into the central and southern Somali Basin.Gulf of Aden/Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).In the past week one attack was noted on 03 March close to Yemeni TTW in the far east of the GoA. Pirate skiffs blending in the local traffic can be expected at any time without or little warning. The main piracy threat remains in the central and eastern part of the GoA/IRTC. Overall, reports of attacks remain below 2010 and 2009 levels.Arabian Sea/Greater Somali Basin.During the past week (25Feb-04Mar) piracy activities was again concentrated in the southern and eastern Arabian Sea and has started in the last few days in the southern Somali Basin. MV DOVER has been pirated near the Omani coast on 28 Feb and further 11 attacks as well as nine pirate related incidents were reported during the last week mainly in the Arabian Sea.Pirates are using dhow mother ships to launch their attack skiffs against any targets of opportunity. A significant number of pirated regional ...

Crew members are well and unharmed The MV EMS RIVER, which was pirated on 27 December 2010, was released from pirate control on 1 March 2011.The Antigua/Barbuda flagged and German owned vessel was on her way to San Nicolas, Greece from Jebel Ali in the UAE at the time of the attack.According to the owner of the vessel, all crew members are well and unharmed.Source: EU NAVFOR

Take on a more dynamic role Brutal murders of seafarers in recent weeks galvanised the Global Maritime Education & Training Association (GlobalMET) to take the bull by the horns. Instead of waiting for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to come up with a lasting solution to the problem of piracy, it has decided to put its act together,take on a more dynamic role by ensuring that within the training and education programme sufficient awareness is created so that seafarers closely adhere to the Best Management Practices, which can assure safety while in piracy infested waters.The conference it organised on 28th February in Mumbai on "Piracy - Orchestrating the Response" (conforming with the IMO theme for 2011) it became evident at that it has more on its hands then it bargained for.With regards creating awareness on piracy among seafarers Capt Rod Short, Executive Secretary of GlobalMET said that the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention did not have the necessary direction for the seafarers for tackling piracy. The next amendment to the STCW convention was only due in 2015. Dr. Agnihotri, Director General of Shipping, Government of India cautioned, "Many are looking at piracy as a business opportunity. It ...