Tag: maritime piracy

As 10 Somalis are jailed for life in Abu Dhabi for hijacking a UAE cargo vessel, other countries too have had enough of anarchy on the high seas and are taking the fight to the lawless pirate gangs. Laura Collins reportsLooking back, it was a certain numb clarity of thought that gave Adam Zaradzie and his crew the determination to survive.In the early hours of April 1 last year they were hijacked by pirates. Their Somali attackers seized theMV Arrilah-I and laid siege to the ship's master and his crew. For a day and a night they tried in vain to prise them from the tanker's citadel - part-strongroom, part-prison and the iron fist that had closed upon them."We were all over the place," the master recalled. "They tried every possible way to get us out - grenades down the funnel, they tried to set us on fire. We were battling in high temperatures and low oxygen, and there was lot of banging and running around."But he was clear on one point. "If we gave up and we allowed them to sail to Somalia our families would probably never see us again."Thirty hours after the ordeal began, UAE special forces ...

UK prime minister David Cameron has failed to ease concerns that seafarers could suffer as a result of plans to restrict ransom payments to Somali pirates.The maritime professionals' union Nautilus International wrote to Mr Cameron to highlight fears that crew members could pay with their lives if governments go ahead with plans to outlaw ransom payments when ships are hijacked.In a letter to the union, Mr Cameron says the UK is seeking to establish an international task force to examine ways to 'bring about an end to the culture of ransom payments'. The PM said he hoped shipping industry partners would 'engage fully' with the task force and 'offer constructive advice' to it.But Mr Dickinson said the PM's response had not succeeded in easing the union's concern that any moves to prevent payment of ransoms could jeopardise the safety of seafarers being held captive.'Whilst no one wants to see large sums of money being paid to pirates, politicians have failed to provide any realistic alternative,' he added. 'Ransoms are the only way in which we can ensure the safe return of seafarers, and it is clear from a number of cases that any attempt to frustrate the payment can put ...

For SV Quest hijacking A 2013 trial date has been set for three Somali men charged with murdering four Americans aboard a yacht off the coast of Africa.Ahmed Muse Salad, Abukar Osman Beyle and Shani Nurani Shiekh Abrar could face the death penalty if they're convicted.The Quest's owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., and friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death in 2011 after being taken hostage several hundred miles south of Oman. They were the first U.S. citizens killed in a wave of pirate attacks.Prosecutors said during a scheduling hearing in federal court in Virginia on Tuesday that the trial is expected to last five or six weeks. Jury selection begins June 3, 2013.Source: AP

Somali pirates hold captive 232 crew A strong plea was made in the Lok Sabha today for urgent government intervention into the hijacking by Somali pirates of a Panama flag oil tanker holding captive 232 crew, including 35 Indians.Raising the issue during Zero Hour, senior Congress member P C Chacko lamented that the life of those held captive was in danger and no one was there to intervene as the Nigerian owner of the vessel was untraceable.The families of the Indians held captive were getting frantic calls that food and water supply on the ship M T Royal Grace was running out and urgent intervention is needed to save them, he said.Noting that India has the fourth largest Navy in the world and should not remain a silent spectator to the serious development, he wanted a strong action either through negotiations or intervention.Supported by Left MPs from Kerala, he recalled how Italy has been proactive over the arrest of two of their marines over the killing of two Indian fishermen.Source: Zeenews

Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo addresses the Ministerial-level meeting on combating piracy at IMO The Philippine Embassy in London reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that Philippine Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, continued to advocate for better protection of seafarers against pirate attacks off Somalia.In a Ministerial-level meeting to open the 90th Session of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee, the Organization's primary governing body, Ambassador Manalo called on ship owners and the governments whose flag their ships fly to assume the responsibility of ensuring a safe working environment for seafarers, especially when their vessels traverse the dangerous waters off Somalia where pirate attacks have increased in recent years.Ambassador Manalo said: "The Philippine Government ensures that Filipino seafarers are competent and fully qualified. The duty of the crew is to safely operate the ships which carry 80% of global trade. It is in turn the responsibility of shipping companies and Flag States to protect them from the scourge of piracy as they carry out this duty."The Philippine Government continues to advocate for the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) codified by the commercial shipping sector as the primary defense against pirate attacks. These practices include ...

Covering key issues for 2012 such as piracy and shipping emissions To coincide with its Annual General Meeting, in Queensland Australia, on 24-25 May, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published its latest Annual Review of maritime policy and regulatory developments.Copies are being distributed free of charge via ICS's 36 member national shipowners' associations which, through ICS, collectively represent all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world merchant fleet to the international regulatory bodies that impact on shipping, including the International Maritime Organization (IMO).The comprehensive Annual Review covers key issues for 2012 including ICS's response to Somali piracy and the debate about reducing CO2 emissions, as well as current developments in maritime safety and environmental regulation. The Review also addresses developments in labour affairs and manning and training, maritime law and insurance, and with respect to the maintenance of open shipping markets.In his final introduction to the Annual Review, Spyros M Polemis, who will be standing down at the AGM after six years as ICS Chairman, remarks:"The influence that ICS brings to bear on maritime regulatory affairs is considerable; something which, despite the huge political and technical complexities involved, ICS does with considerable success, but with characteristically ...

They are charged with taking the 30 crew of luxury sailing ship Le Ponant hostage Six Somalis go on trial in a Paris court on Tuesday charged with taking the 30 crew of luxury sailing ship Le Ponant hostage in the emerald, pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden in 2008.The six men, aged 25 to 50, face life in prison if convicted of kidnapping and theft as part of a gang after they were arrested in a French airborne operation on land in Somalia after a ransom was paid.Only one admits to being a pirate, two admit to having been aboard the elegant 88-metre three-master but only to sell goats, cigarettes and the mild narcotic khat. The other three deny ever having set foot on the boat.Le Ponant left the Seychelles on March 30, 2008 with 30 crew and no passengers on board, headed for Yemen where they were to take on passengers for a cruise.On entering the notorious Gulf of Aden on April 4, the ship was boarded by pirates armed with assault rifles who forced the crew to head for Somalia.A week later, the ship's owner, shipping giant CMA-CGM, paid a $2.15-million (1.7-million-euro) ransom, the crew was ...

More than 62 seafarers have been murdered and more than 3,000 have been held hostage Piracy was top of the agenda at this year's Asian Shipowners' Forum annual meeting in Douglas, Australia with participants coming together to demonstrate their support for the Save our Seafarers campaign.Over the pastseven years, more than 62 seafarers have been murdered and more than 3,000 have been held hostage from the almost 200 ships hijacked by Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia, Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Piracy has cost the global economy an estimated $5billion to $7bn in 2011, including protective measures to safeguard ships and crew, increased insurance costs, as well as the millions of dollars in ransom money.The ASF backed the decision by the European Council to take disruptive action against known pirate supplies on the Somalia shore. Noel Hart, Chairman of the 21st ASF said: "The operations carried out by EU Naval Forces has sent a clear signal that piracy cannot be tolerated. Blatant attacks on innocent ships and seafarers must be stopped! The ASF urges continuing and stronger political will to address the root causes of piracy - on land in Somalia."Patrick Phoon, Chairman of the ...

After months of uneventful patrolling in the northern Mozambique Channel, the call to action for the South African Navy (SAN) came in early April. Somali-based pirates launched an unsuccess- ful attack on a merchant ship from the Philippines at the northern entrance to the channel.Perhaps ironically, the SAN vessel on patrol duty was not one of the country's four modern frigates. They had all done antipiracy patrols in the area, under Operation Copper, and, to give the frigate squadron a break, the navy had sent its replenishment tanker (officially designated as combat support ship by the SAN), the SAS Drakensberg, to shoulder the burden. South African-designed and -built in Durban, the Drakensberg can carry two Denel Oryx helicopters from the South African Air Force's 22 Squadron, as well as a number of troops. Thus, anti-piracy operations are well within her capabilities.The pirate mother ship was found by a French Navy patrol aircraft on the third day after the attempted attack. A multinational operation followed, involving the Drakensberg, the Tanzanian Navy (which only operates coastal and inshore patrol boats) and the European Union's (EU's) Naval Force Somalia (better known by its code name, Atalanta).For 24 hours, the Drakensberg and its Oryx ...

The European Union naval attack on a Somali pirate base is a vast improvement The midnight attack by European Union naval forces - or rather, by a task force largely drawn from the French navy - against a pirate base on the Somali mainland represents a welcome improvement in the West's efforts to tackle one of the more resolvable security challenges of the modern age. Although the pirates, for the most part, use simple boats and basic weapons to terrorise shipping passing through the Gulf of Aden, the previous reluctance of some Western states to support robust counter-piracy measures has often meant the pirates have escaped scot-free.The nadir of the European mission arguably came last summer when the Royal Navy, having captured a party of Somali pirates, was obliged to let them go a few days later, but not before they had been given full medical checks and provided with packets of nicotine patches to help them overcome their smoking addictions.This embarrassing incident highlighted a worrying preference for observing health and safety regulations rather than ensuring the safe passage of shipping on the high seas. One of the main purposes of February's London conference on Somalia was to address this ...