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Pirates make phone threats to hostages’ families as ransom unpaid

Their telephones ring day and night, with Somali pirates on the other end threatening to beat their loved ones, force them to stand in the sun and go without food.Incessant and increasing numbers of phone calls have alarmed the wives, children, cousins and other relatives of the 22 hostages on board the MV Albedo with continuous demands for ransom."They put pressure on me every other day and ask when the money is being dropped," said Shahnaz Jawaid, the wife of the ship's captain, Jawaid Khan. "They are calling families who never received phone calls in all these months."We are all totally tired. I'm so tired mentally, but I try to calm them and convince them that everything will be resolved soon. They are impatient and in a hurry to get the money."Two security teams from Malaysia and a Pakistani citizens' committee are involved in talks with the pirates and hope to resolve the dispute by next month.They will also handle the payment of US$2.85million (Dh10.4m) to the Somali raiders who hijacked the cargo ship.The vessel was taken in November 2010 in the Gulf of Aden after leaving Jebel Ali for Kenya.Seven Pakistanis, seven Bangladeshi, six Sri Lankans, an Indian and ...

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Somali forces storm pirate base

11 pirates arrested Police in Somalia's northern Puntland region have arrested several suspected pirates, including a heavily armed gang accused of holding a Danish family hostage last year, officials said on Monday.Troops from semi-autonomous Puntland attacked the north-eastern pirate base of Hafun on Sunday, arresting 11 men including suspected pirate Mohamed Hassan - known as Dhafoor - and seizing automatic rifles and a machine gun."Dhafoor... is a well-known pirate wanted by Puntland authorities for hijacking commercial vessels travelling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden waterways," Puntland's security forces said in a statement.The authorities accuse Dhafoor of killing five Puntland security officers during a botched March 2011 operation to release a Danish family he was reportedly holding hostage.Pirates captured the seven Danes - a family including three teenage children, plus two crew members - in February 2011 during a round-the-world voyage.They were released in September after the reported payment of a multi-million dollar ransom.Piracy has flourished off war-torn Somalia, outwitting international efforts to stamp out the scourge, including patrols by warships and tough sentencing of captured pirates.The pirates are holding dozens of ships and hundreds of sailors for ransom, and have also branched out into land-based kidnapping. Source: AFP

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Is piracy high enough on GCC agendas?

Middle East supply chains are facing increased risk from piracy With limited alternatives to by-pass the dangerous waters zone, Middle East supply chains are facing increased risk from piracy.A joint Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) and A.T. Kearney report, "Managing Supply Chain Risk: Understanding Piracy Threat", presented three potential outcomes over the next decade: a new piracy wave, lethal force escalation and a permanent solution.This year marks a turning point in piracy activities. The number of vessels captured in 2011 compared to 2010 reduced by over 50% and further reductions are expected in the coming years, it says.However, as the success rate for capturing ships decreases, ransom requests are getting higher and Somali pirates are becoming more aggressive and strategic. Pirates are acting further off the coast of Somalia, and are now in the Gulf of Oman, positioning themselves closer to traffic lanes in search of vessels of opportunity, according to the report.This prompts industry stakeholders to identify how best to prevent and mitigate piracy impact. Understanding piracy in a wider context enables industry stakeholders to interpret the impact on their supply chains, assisting supply chain managers to better prepare flexible, long-term plans."In the short term, Gulf petrochemical companies ...

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Danish family’s captors among pirates taken by Somali forces

The heavily armed pirates that held a Danish family hostage last year were among a number of bandits arrested by police in Somalia's northern Puntland region, officials said Monday.Troops from semi-autonomous Puntland attacked the northeastern pirate base of Hafun on Sunday, arresting 11 men including suspected pirate Mohamed Hassan -- known as Dhafoor -- and seizing automatic rifles and a machine gun."Dhafoor ... is a well-known pirate wanted by Puntland authorities for hijacking commercial vessels traveling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden waterways," Puntland's security forces said in a statement.The authorities accuse Dhafoor of killing five Puntland security officers during a botched March 2011 operation to release a Danish family he was reportedly holding hostage, in a case that made headlines worldwide.Pirates captured the seven Danes - a family including three teenage children, plus two crew members - in February 2011 during a round-the-world voyage.They were released in September after the reported payment of a multi-million dollar ransom.Piracy has flourished off war-torn Somalia, outwitting international efforts to stamp out the scourge, including patrols by warships and tough sentencing of captured pirates.The pirates are holding dozens of ships and hundreds of sailors for ransom, and have also branched out into ...

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EU Must Build on Limited Success against Somali Piracy

Interview with Hans-Georg Ehrhart, conducted by WPR EU naval forces operating off the coast of Somali conducted their first raid on the Somali mainland earlier this month. In an email interview, Hans-Georg Ehrhart, the head of the Center for European Peace and Security Studies of the Institute for Peace Research and Security Studies at the University of Hamburg, discussed the EU's anti-piracy operation. WPR: What is the makeup of the European Union's Operation Atalanta, in terms of force commitments and contributing countries, and how has it evolved over time?Hans-Georg Ehrhart: Operation Atalanta was launched in 2008 and has seen its mandate extended several times, now running to the end of 2014. It operates off the coast of Somalia with up to seven combat vessels, one or two auxiliary ships, 1,400 sailors, eight helicopters, five maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and force multipliers such as medical support. Its main task is to protect vessels of the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) delivering food aid to displaced people in Somalia and of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Its secondary task is to protect vulnerable shipping and to deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery in the area ...

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Capt. Miro Alibasic spent 87 days a hostage of Somali pirates

Hostage of Somali Pirates Sailors Nightmare What started out as a response to illegal fishing 15 to 20 years ago has escalated particularly over the last five years, into a booming business in Somalia called piracy, and it is costing the international community dearly.Oceans Beyond Piracy calculates that maritime hijackings cost the world between $7 billion and $12 billion annually. Currently, 400 seafarers are living a nightmare of deprivation, starvation, thirst, squalor, captivity, restraint, isolation from family, and friends, and in some cases torture, says Save Our Seafarers (SOS), a campaign of 30 maritime organizations working to raise awareness about and end Somali piracy."The main cause is financial gain. Piracy is seen as a highly profitable industry in a country that has been ravaged by civil war," says John Walding, spokesperson for SOS.Nightmare on SeaCapt. Miro Alibasic from Croatia was en route to Oman aboard his crude-oil tanker Zirku. As they passed through the notorious Gulf of Aden, every sailor's nightmare since antiquity materialized before his eyes-pirates were attacking his ship from all directions.Around 50 heavily armed Somalis in small skiffs, dispatched from a mother ship, surrounded the supertanker, attempting to board."I was trying to avoid it by zigzagging and ...

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IMO Maritime Safety Committee Outcome

90th SESSION 16 18 and 21 - 25 May 2012 The IMO's Sub-Committee on Maritime Safety (MSC) held its 90th session from Wednesday 16 through Friday 25 May 2012 under the Chairmanship of Mr Christian Breinholt (DENMARK). A Drafting Group of Amendments to Mandatory Instruments and three Working Groups were convened on:(1) Passenger Ship Safety(2) Goal-based Standards and Formal Safety Assessment, and(3) Measure to enhance Maritime Security and PiracyPrior to sending out the Working Groups, the Committee (in Plenary) engaged in a long debate which was reinforced by high-level (Ministerial/Ambassadorial) participation from governments on the issue of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) on board ships. Three main issues were addressed in the high level debate:1. Guidance and standards for private maritime security companies (PMSC) providing PCASP2. Issues related to PCASP of concern to littoral states, and3. Guidelines on the use of firearms.It was agreed that:the carriage of firearms by seafarers should continue to be strongly discouraged;the use of PCASP is an exceptional measure to be used only in exceptional circumstances in a high-risk area and that use of armed personnel on board ships should not become institutionalised;following a thorough risk assessment exercise and consultations with the shipowner concerned, the ...

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ICS Meets in Australia

Focus on piracy, shipping emissions and BWM Convection The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) held its Annual General Meeting in Port Douglas, Queensland, from 24 to 25 May, hosted by the Australian Shipowners' Association. The meeting was held back-to-back with the AGM of the Asian Shipowners' Forum (ASF) which comprises the national shipowners' associations of Asia.At the ICS AGM, national shipowners' associations from Europe, Asia and the Americas, representing all sectors and trades and 80% of the world merchant fleet, considered pressing international issues of concern to global ship operators. Matters discussed included the continuing piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean and the challenge of further reducing ships' CO2 emissions. Another pressing concern discussed by ICS members was the serious problems for shipowners created by the delayed entry into force of the IMO Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention. Ballast Water ChaosThe newly elected ICS Chairman, Mr Masamichi Morooka (Japan) commented:"ICS members identified genuine concerns about the availability of suitable ballast water treatment equipment, the robustness of the type approval process and the huge expense of retrofitting existing ships."Because of major changes proposed at IMO to important draft guidelines on ballast water sampling and analysis that will be used by port ...

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Somalia’s Puntland police arrest 11 pirates

Hijack success rate for Somali pirates has dropped sharply in recent months Police in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland arrested 11 pirates and recovered rifles, a heavy machinegun and a truck, the region's authorities said.Somali pirate gangs typically seize ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, holding their cargo and crews for ransom. They have raked in an estimated $150 million in ransoms, security analysts say, in what has become a highly organised, international criminal enterprise."On Sunday morning ... PMPF (Puntland Maritime Police Force) captured 11 pirates in a security operation in Hafun District," Puntland's Security Ministry said in a statement."The pirates arrested ... include Mohamed Mohamud Mohamed Hassan (Dhafoor), who is a well-known pirate wanted by Puntland authorities for hijacking commercial vessels travelling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden waterways," it said.The ministry said the police also recovered a Toyota truck, seven AK-47 assault rifles and one heavy machinegun.The statement said Hassan was part of a gang that killed five members of Puntland's security forces during an operation to rescue a kidnapped Danish family last year.Despite successful efforts to quell attacks in the Gulf of Aden, international navies have struggled to contain piracy in the ...

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