Tag: maritime piracy

Hijacked on December 25 last year Somali pirates today said they received a ransom of $4.77 million to release the MV Thor Nexus, a Thai cargo vessel hijacked on December 25 last year."The ship was freed yesterday afternoon. The pirates had received five million from the owners the previous day," Abdi Yare, a pirate commander in the central Somali coastal town of Hobyo, told AFP."Our colleagues in Puntland had taken this ship a few months ago... It was released from Eel Dhanaane and it is now sailing free," Yare said.Eel Dhanaane is a small village which lies between the pirate lairs of Hobyo and Garaad, further north.The 20,377-tonne MV Thor Nexus was on its way from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates with a crew of 27 from Thailand and a cargo of fertiliser when it was captured.According to Ecoterra International, an NGO monitoring maritime activity in the region, Somali pirates still hold more than 40 vessels which have been confirmed hijacked and around 700 seafarers.Source: The Australian

Call for better information from anti-piracy agencies and operators A ship register official has defended flag states against accusations they are failing to employ best practices to prevent pirate attacks and has called for better information from anti-piracy agencies and operators.Arsenio Dominguez of Panama Shipping Register told a recent IMO piracy workshop in London that flag states are sometimes aware of pirate attacks only from media reports and cannot take steps to improve onboard security and awareness without better feedback.

Constitution of a welfare fund for the victims of piracy India is lobbying for a reference to the sufferings of hostages in a proposed United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution against maritime piracy so that there is greater pressure on ship owners to resolve hijack situations.India also wants the constitution of a welfare fund for the victims of piracy.The UNSC is scheduled to take up a resolution on piracy April 11 that is expected to moot an international judicial mechanism for prosecuting captured pirates."India is hoping that this resolution will also have a reflection on the plight of hostages," a senior external affairs ministry official told IANS, not wishing to be identified because of service rules.According to latest figures, 53 Indian sailors are being held hostage on five different ships. Of them, 17 have been held the longest on MT Savina Caylyn, an Italian ship which was captured over a year ago Feb 8, 2010.Russia has circulated a draft resolution which aims to set up a judicial mechanism to prosecute pirates caught by international navies patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa. It calls for the establishment of three specialised courts, as well as the construction of two new ...

A 150 per cent jump The cost of imported goods is set to rise following decision by shipping lines to more than double fees charged to facilitate emergency security measures in case of pirate attacks.The shipping lines have announced that they will increase the emergency surcharge fee per container from Sh16,740 to Sh41,550, a 150 per cent jump.This will pile pressure on the cost of imported goods like petroleum, cooking gas, electronics and machinery already hit by the increased cost of commodities at the international market and the weakening Shilling."The costs associated with piracy are increasing and this is affecting business at the port," said Agayo Ogambi, a senior official of the Kenya Shippers Council (KSC).He said the Council plans to oppose the new fees.The increase in emergency surcharge fees -that enables shipping lines to take security measures in case of an attempted attack - apply to the ports of Mombasa and Dar as Salaam.It is another blow to these ports that have been given a wide berth by cruise tourists wary of attacks by gangs from Somalia.The new fees are understood to have been triggered by the increasing cost of hiring private security for vessel escort because of shortage ...

Laser to prevent pirates from aiming their weapons UK defence company BAE Systems is developing a device that uses a laser to prevent pirates from aiming their weapons.It has tested a prototype ashore, but informs that there are many more requirements to meet before a non-lethal laser weapon can be deployed on commercial ships.The company believes its system provides "an effective non-lethal deterrent" against pirate attacks on commercial vessels, and said the laser " would leave only temporary effects, to distract and deter potential attackers from a distance".Source: Safety4Sea

Deals with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security On April 12, 2010, by Executive Order 13536, I declared anational emergency pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security andforeign policy of the United States constituted by the deterioration of the security situation and the persistence of violence in Somalia, and acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, which have repeatedly been the subject of United Nations Security Council resolutions, and violations of the Somalia arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council.Because the situation with respect to Somalia continues topose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on April 12, 2010, and the measures adopted on that date to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond April 12, 2011. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13536.This notice shall be published in the FederalRegister andtransmitted to the Congress.BARACK OBAMATHE WHITE ...

At least 10 pirates In the early morning of 8 April, theGeneral Cargo ship MV SUSAN K was pirated approximately 200 nautical miles North-East of Salalah, Oman; a location only 35 nautical miles from the Omani coastline.The vessel was attacked and boarded by at least 10 pirates although exact details of the attack are not known at this time.The Antigua & Barbuda flagged and German owned vessel was on its way to Port Sudan (Sudan) from Mumbai (India) when it was attacked. The MV SUSAN K has a crew of 10 (4 Ukraine and 6 Filipino). There is no further information about the crew at present.The MV SUSAN K wasregistered with MSC(HOA) andwas reporting to UKMTO. EUNAVFOR are continuing to monitor the situation.Source: EU NAVFOR

A recent spurt in pirate activity in the Arabian Sea In a bid to strengthen their antipiracy operations, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard have combined forces to provide a safe passage to merchant vessels charting waters off Lakshadweep Islands. The move comes in the wake of a recent spurt in pirate activity in the Arabian Sea.Chief public relations officer (Defence) Captain Manohar Nambiar said, "As part of the Operation Island Watch, two ships-naval and Coast Guard-are keeping a hawkeye in the waters to ensure safety of merchant vessels navigating the shipping lanes off Lakshadweep Islands."In addition to the ships, reconnaissance aircraft are carrying out sorties at regular intervals to pre-empt any adventure by the pirates. The naval ships are equipped with adequate arms and ammunition to protect the ships. The Indian Navy has also deployed its elite force of Marine Commandos or MARCOS to counter any offensive by the pirates.A Yellow Gate police officer said that the pirates are funded by big-time players. "The arrested pirates have told us that they were approached by contractors to hijack vessels and were paid $500 for each successful operation . The contractors paid them money to buy arms."According to the statistics ...

Planning to allow shipping companies recruit armed guards The government is planning to allow shipping companies recruit armed guards to fight pirates, who have hijacked 12 Indian merchant ships in last four years.Ministries of shipping, external affairs and defence are working in tandem to come out with an enabling framework that will help to improve security apparatus on commercial vessels.The industry has been seeking government permission to strengthen their on-board security apparatus specially on ships that use the busy Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean route, where Somali pirates have recently hijacked ships with Indian crew. Although the pirate have not attacked any passenger ship, they have hijacked 12 Indian merchant ships since 2007 and taken 171 crew members hostage."The government is considering the proposal (to allow armed guard on board ships),' the official spokesperson of the Indian Navy said. The three ministries involved in the process have already held discuission with the industry to finalise the contours of the proposed norms."We are considering two options. One is to bring out a law and the second is to issue an executive order, which will be a faster way to safeguard our ships. However, the talks have not concluded as ...

One way to deal with pirates The scourge of modern-day piracy has undermined international shipping and added millions to ship owners as insurance premiums skyrocket.Off Somalia, the act of piracy has become commonplace,almost a rite of passage for young men who believe that the only way to succeed is by taking helpless mariners hostage, terrorising them until such a time large sums of cash are extorted.Over the past decade, international efforts have tried to combat this scourge of the seas, but incidents of ships being taken still occur with a regularity that is frustrating. Increased patrols and greater vigilance has helped in lessening acts of piracy. But the perpetrators of these acts are often simply released, allowed to continue their crimes on the next poor merchant ship to come across their bows.The UAE, however, has taken a hard line in dealing with these criminals. A special forces team on Saturday freed a UAE-flagged carrier from the clutches of pirates, detaining the pirates and bringing them to Jebel Ali to face justice.Other nations should follow that action of the UAE special forces. There is but one way to deal with pirates as the UAE has shown - armed force will keep ...