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UK ships may fire on pirates

New guidance issued to UK-flagged ships Armed guards on ships in the Indian Ocean have permission to fire first to fend off Somali pirates, under new guidance issued to UK-flagged ships.Foreign Office minister Henry Bellingham said the new advice was clearer than earlier versions and was intended to give security teams instructions on when they can act.Mr Bellingham made his remarks in a Commons debate on Somalia, called to discuss a report on the country by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.He told MPs: "The starting point must be our current common and statute law - which is pretty clear on what you can and cannot do."We make it clear it is illegal to use force for retaliation or revenge."If a security attachment believes a threat is imminent, it is not necessary for them to wait for the aggressor to strike the first blow before using reasonable and precautionary force to defend themselves."It's that of a graduated response."Mr Bellingham said if a boat was spotted but was not obviously engaged in an act of piracy, it would be illegal to use force against it - though this would not forbid firing any warning shots.Source: news.scotsman.com

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U.S. Efforts To Fight Piracy

Piracy off the coast of Somalia remains a critical issue Piracy off the coast of Somalia remains a critical issue for the United States, the international community, and the global economy, said U.S. Principal Deputy Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Thomas Kelly. Since 2008, Somali pirates have hijacked 175 vessels and attacked at least 445 others. They have kidnapped 3,000 crew members from over 40 countries and are still holding 241 hostages today. They hijacked 27 ships last year and six already this year.Somalia offers pirates nearly ideal conditions.Along the coastline where pirates operate there is little governance and weak institutions provide them with safe haven. Furthermore, Somalia sits along one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.In confronting piracy, the U.S. has pursued an integrated multi-dimensional approach, which has begun to turn the tide on this transnational crime. In 2009, the U.S. helped establish the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia to promote action and coordinate efforts to suppress Somali piracy. It will also be critical to re-establish stability, responsive law enforcement, and effective governance in Somalia.In addition to diplomatic efforts, the U.S. has taken steps to increase security at sea including the Combined Task Force ...

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Piracy on the decline, French commander

Attacks dropping considerably this year compared to last year It's welcome news for shipping companies and the governments around the world, piracy is on the decline with attacks dropping considerably this year compared to last year.According to Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis, force commander, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) operation Atalanta (Task Force 465), who was in Muscat yesterday, piracy is on the decline due to increased vigilance by the anti-piracy forces. He presented statistics to support his remarks.In 2011, the total number of attacks between January and May was 176, while in 2012 during the same period it came down to mere 30. Similarly in 2009, 163 cases were reported while in 2010 the number stood at 174.Since EU launched European Naval Force Somalia -" Operation Atalanta (EU Navfor -" Atalanta) in 2008, it has been successfully performing its mission and contributing to improving maritime security off the coast of Somalia and in the Indian Ocean within the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor.The Council of the EU has decided to extend the operation until December 2014.Source: Times of Oman

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No armed guards on Dutch ships

Says minister There will be no armed private security guards on Dutch ships sailing the coast of East and West Africa where piracy is rife, defence minister Hans Hillen told parliament on Monday evening.Hillen was reacting to calls by insurers and ship owners who say if they cannot hire armed guards, ships will be registered under the flags of countries where they can. This would be detrimental to the government as ship owners would pay tax to the country under whose flag they sail.The Dutch government does not allow ship owners to have armed guards on board, but it does provide marines as protection. However, ship owners and insurers say there are not enough of them.Hillen says he thinks the ship owners are protesting at the cost of the marines, who cost twice as much as private security guards, say press reports. He will see if the cost can be reduced but can give no guarantee.Source: Dutch News

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Indonesia says no to private armed guards aboard vessels

Due to the absence of national and international legal instrument While calling for global efforts to combat piracy and vessel hijacking, Indonesia opposes the proposed recruitment of private armed security guards (PCASP) on ships aimed to ensure security and safety on international waters.Transportation Minister E.E. Mangindaan said the hiring of private armed security guards on ships had been a pretty hot issue at the recent meeting of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) maritime safety committee in London; it had also been the subject of prolonged debate among stakeholders at home."But the government will consistently oppose the proposal due to the absence of national and international legal instruments," Mangindaan said during the opening of the International Transport Workers' Federation's Asia-Pacific regional conference in Jakarta on Tuesday."In addition, we must also comply with the Maritime Safety Convention 1 circulars 1333 and 1334, which stipulate that state flags should try to prevent the use of firearms among sailors. Moreover, the use of private armed security guards could raise security problems and crimes on board ships," he added.Indonesia fell victim to a recent hijacking of one of its cargo vessels in Somali waters off Africa. The MV Sinar Kudus, which at the time of ...

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Sea Change

The Piracy Bill, introduced in Parliament recently, seeks to tackle the growing incidence of piracy Abimanyu Nagarajan examines the proposed lawPiracy on the high seas has been rampant in recent years. Many of these pirates are from Somalia. On several occasions Indian merchant ships in the Arabian Sea and elsewhere have been attacked by them, so much so that Indian merchant vessels have now been given permission to hire mercenaries to protect themselves.An International Maritime Bureau (IMB) report says there have been 148 attacks and 17 hijackings around the world this year with Somali pirates accounting for 61 of these attacks and 12 of the hijackings. Around 188 crew members have been taken hostage so far, the report adds. Although the IMB does not have India-specific figures, it does say that since Indian seamen form the bulk of the world's merchant shipping industry, they have been held hostage by pirates the most number of times.In an effort to curb this problem, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) recently came up with the Piracy Bill, 2012. The main aim of this bill is to facilitate legal procedures for prosecuting pirates. The bill was felt to be necessary because at present the ...

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Dutch parliament: more troops to fight Somali pirates

Dutch parliament has agreed to expand involvement in the NATO operation The Dutch parliament has agreed to expand involvement in the NATO operation Ocean Shield, targeting piracy in Somali waters. But ships wanting to hire private security forces to give them extra protection will not be allowed to do so.The Netherlands will send extra personnel, two Cougar helicopters and an unmanned plane to the region.Meeting a NATO request, the Netherlands will also send a submarine to join the mission in the second half of 2012. The additional involvement is targeting intelligence gathering and will cost 13 million euros. The Dutch government says the aim is to help detect piracy early on and prevent the escalation of violence. The pirates are well-organised, have substantial financial backing and operate from well-equipped mother ships supplied from camps along the Somali coast. Their main targets are merchant ships and (food) aid convoys, at least fifty-nine merchant ships were attacked last year, thirteen of them were hijacked.Private security forcesOn Tuesday Dutch insurance companies backed an earlier appeal by ship-owners to allow merchant ships to hire private protection forces. They claim the Dutch naval forces are underequipped to protect all ships passing through the Gulf of ...

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UK signs agreement with Mauritius to transfer suspected pirates for prosecution

Mauritius is the latest in a series of countries to agree to take suspected pirates for prosecution Mauritius is the latest in a series of countries to agree to take suspected pirates for prosecution.This Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) allows for the transfer of suspected pirates from Royal Navy vessels to Mauritius for prosecution. The UK has signed MOUs with the Seychelles (2010) and Tanzania (2012).The UK is leading international work with countries in and around the Indian Ocean to build penal, judicial and law enforcement capacities, and to encourage regional states to change national laws to allow prosecution of cases where they have been detained at sea with piratical equipment, but no actual piracy attack can be proved.We particularly want to see an end to pirates being captured and then released purely because there is nowhere to prosecute and imprison them. We must break the piracy business cycle. A key part of achieving this is the willingness of countries in the region to take suspected pirates for prosecution.Today the Prime Minister joined a meeting between FCO Minister Henry Bellingham and Mauritian Prime Minister, Dr Navin Ramgoolam in Downing Street to sign an agreement which will allow the Royal Navy to ...

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French prosecutor seeks jail for six Somalis in piracy trial

Up to 15 years The prosecutor in the Paris trial of six Somalis charged with holding crew of a luxury sailing ship hostage in the Gulf of Aden in 2008 on Monday called for sentences of up to 15 years."These six men you are going to judge ... seriously endangered French lives," prosecutor Bruno Sturlese told the court."They were ready to sacrifice them to get money," he added.Somali pirates seized 30 crew members of the luxury yacht Le Ponant in the pirate-infested waters in April 2008 and held them for ransom.French special forces arrested the six men, aged 25 to 50, in an airborne operation after a ransom had been paid.Only one of them admits to being a pirate. Two admit to having been aboard the elegant 88-metre (290-foot) three-master but only to sell goats, cigarettes and the mild narcotic khat. The other three deny ever having set foot on the boat.Sturlese called for a 15-year sentence against Ismael Ali Samatar, 31, the only one to have admitted his role in the crime. The prosecutor said he had played a greater role in the hostage-taking operation than the others.But he said the others were also implicated, having been arrested aboard ...

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Monsoon Season Dampens Pirates Efforts

Attacks drop to 16, but sheltered locations could be targeted in June Pirate attacks dropped for the second consecutive month in May off the coasts of Africa.Activity in May dropped to 25 attacks, with 16 in the waters surrounding Africa. One vessel was hijacked, a Liberia-flagged tanker, and no vessels were released last month. Attacks increased in the northern Gulf of Oman, where swarm tactics were reported for the first time.GAC attributes much of the decrease to the onset of the monsoon season."Weather conditions in the Somali basin, Indian Ocean and southern Arabian Sea gradually worsened over the course of May, explaining the drop in attacks in those areas," GAC said. "More attacks are therefore likely in sheltered chokepoints such as the northern Gulf of Oman and Bab al-Mandab straits in the coming weeks."May saw the first land-based operation by the European Union's anti-piracy force. A helicopter destroyed a Somalian pirate base.In other anti-piracy efforts, Ghana has begun training staff for its new vessel traffic management and information system to provide electronic monitoring of its coast in an effort to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea. The system is being installed by Eltel Networks of Finland.The VTMIS consists of ...

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