Tag: maritime piracy

India has gone head-to-head with Somali pirate leaders and lost India has gone head-to-head with Somali pirate leaders, and lost. From now on, the Indian navy will no longer arrest Somali pirates it encounters, even those caught in the act of attacking a ship.Instead, the pirates will be disarmed and allowed to go back to Somalia. If the pirate vessel is not seaworthy, the Indian warship will take the pirates back to Somalia, where they will be left on the beach. This is the same "catch and release" method used by most European navies, mainly because the legal systems back home make it difficult for the pirates to be prosecuted, and easy for the pirates to claim asylum if brought back.The Indian policy change began on April 15, when the pirates released a tanker, after the ransom was paid. But seven of the eight Indians on the 15 man crew were not released. The pirates demanded that India release 120 pirates held in India, if they wanted these seven Indian sailors freed. This outraged the shipping companies, who expect the pirates to keep their promises to free ships and sailors once the ransom has been paid. India first reacted by ...

$3.6 Million ransom drop to relese two vessels from pirates went wrong Three Britons have been arrested in Somalia after a $3.6m ransom drop to release two vessels from pirates went wrong, according to diplomats.The Foreign Office confirmed the arrests on Friday, three days after they were seized. "We are aware of the arrest of three British nationals in Somalia. We are in touch with their employer," it said, without identifying the company."Our ability to provide consular assistance in Somalia is extremely limited, as there is no British representation in any part of Somalia."The UN-backed Transitional Federal Government government in Somalia, a failed state, does not approve of ransom payments to pirates, many of whom base themselves in the north of the country.The UK connection is an embarrassment for the British government, which does not condone such payments, saying it encourages future hijacks.Pirates are taking to harsher tactics in an effort to raise ransoms and secure early pay-out: some hostages are locked in freezers. Estimates put ransom pay-outs for last year at $238m, up four times on 2009."This is really the first obvious disruption of a ransom payment, officially we should be congratulating the TFG," a senior western diplomat told ...

For the deaths of the yatch crew After cruising the high seas for nine days, a young crew of Somali and Yemeni pirates spotted a U.S.-flagged yacht and boarded the vessel unbeknownst to its sleeping passengers in the hopes of cashing in on a big ransom, according to a court statement of facts.But the February hijacking went awry when the men allegedly opened fire on the yachts four American passengers amid a standoff with U.S. Navy ships more than 400 miles off the coast of Oman.On Tuesday, two men involved in the incident pleaded guilty to acts of piracy in a Norfolk, Virginia, federal court.A 22-year-old man named Said Abdi Fooley said he had been looking for a job and joined the group, carrying a semiautomatic assault rifle during the hijacking, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Norfolk.The other man, Abdi Jama Aqid, said he had hoped to net between $70,000 and $80,000 a fortune in Somalia, a poverty-stricken east African country for a job that involved spotting potential targets for his pirate crew.According to court documents, the groups financier was expected to receive 35% of any bounty paid, while the rest of the money would go to the ...

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In 2010, the economic cost of piracy estimated $7-12 billion In 2010, the economic cost of maritime piracy on the supply chain was estimated to be $7-12 billion, said the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) quoting the One Earth Foundation. Piracy is a concern to any industry having to navigate through the Gulf of Aden to deliver goods by water, said the ICC, a global representative body that speaks on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world.For India, piracy is a serious issue as a large number of Indian seafarers work on board foreign ships that pass through the Somalia coast every day. In January, India voiced its concern on the increasing piracy at the United Nations, and proposed a five-point plan, including tracking the trail of ransom money, to curb piracy.The Union Minister of Shipping, Mr G.K. Vasan, at the Maritime Summit 2011 at Oslo on Tuesday too highlighted India's concerns about increasing incidents of piracy and the need for concerted unified action under the UN. Ministers from 10 other countries also participated in the Summit.Increasing attacksThe past year has witnessed an escalation in both violence and the number of attacks on ships and ...

During a cross fire between U.S. Warship and Somali pirates A Taiwan seaman was recently gunned in a cross fire between a U.S. Warship and Somali pirates off the coast of Somalia in East African, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reported.MOEA was informed of the undated incident on May 21.Wu Lai-yu, captain of Taiwan fishing boat Jih-chun Tsai 68, was taken hostage on March 30, 2010, by Somali pirates. Three Somali pirates were also gunned down. The fishing boat went down with Wu's body on board. Two mainland Chinese employees were rescued by U.S. forces.Somali pirates, who mistook the fishing boat as an assault platform, exchanged fire with USS Stephen W. Groves, a U.S. Perry-class guided-missile frigate in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) anti-pirate operations in the Indian Ocean.Negotiations for the return of the fishing boat and its crew were reportedly making headway when the incident happened.MOEA is in close contact with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) over the matter, and will summon AIT official to explain.Source: The China Post

Attacked by a speedboat carrying seven armed pirates The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy warships have saved the Iranian oil-tanker, Damavand, from a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden. Damavand was attacked by a speedboat carrying seven armed pirates while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, Fars News Agency reported.In their 11th confrontation with pirates this year, Iran's Navy forces thwarted the attack through their speedy action and effective use of firepower. As a result of the conflict, all pirates fled and the Iranian tanker Damavand resumed its journey in complete safety.Iran has recently stepped up efforts to combat piracy in the unstable areas of the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa, and secure its commercial vessels through their journeys throughout regional waters.The Gulf of Aden -- which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea -- is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West through the Suez Canal.Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has also voiced Iran's readiness to protect foreign ships likely to fall victim to pirate attacks in piracy-stricken international waters.Iran's Navy fleets have escorted almost 1,000 Iranian commercial ships ...

Call for immediate action on piracy In a call for immediate action on piracy, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) yesterday urged governments to take action against the increasing number of pirate attacks occurring off the Somali coast. The Call for Action was launched at the annual International Transport Forum taking place in Leipzig, Germany from 25-27 May.The past year has witnessed an escalation in both violence and the number of attacks on ships and their crew. According to the ICC International Maritime Bureau, there were 219 attacks in 2010 off Somalia, in which 49 vessels were hijacked and 1,016 crew members taken hostage.Despite measures taken by the United Nations Security Council and the presence of naval units in the area of the Gulf of Aden, pirates continue to strike. More and more shipowners have had to resort to using private security firms to protect their seafarers and ships.In 2010, the One Earth Foundation estimated the economic cost of piracy on the supply chain to be between US$7-12 billion. "This is of great concern to any industry having to navigate through the Gulf of Aden to deliver goods by water," ICC said.Prepared by the ICC Commission on Transport and Logistics, ...

On board Ships in the high risk area The Republic of Liberia issued Maritime Security Advisory 03/2011 for interim IMO Guidance.The International Maritime Organizations Maritime Safety Committee approved interim guidance on the employment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP) on board ships transiting the high-risk piracy area off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean at its 89th session in May 2011.The IMO interim guidance is largely based on guidance on the use of armed security guard services developed by the Liberian Registry for its shipowners, ship operators, and shipmasters. The Liberian Registry submitted its guidance to IMO recommending IMO develop international guidelines.For further information, click here.Source: The Republic of Liberia

Ship owners face higher costs- additional insurance and protection measures Escalating piracy along the east coast of Africa was having a "material" effect on the costs of shipping companies operating in the region, according to Grindrod CEO Alan Olivier.He said in an interview after the annual shareholders meeting in Durban on Wednesday that acts of piracy had escalated sharply in the first half of this year. There were 97 attacks off Somalia in the first three months of this year, compared with only 35 at the same time last year, according to the website of the International Maritime Bureau.He said ship owners faced higher costs as a result. These included additional insurance, the cost of better management practices, higher costs of bunkers and days at sea due to route deviations, and increased capital expenditure such as for secure rooms on vessels and additional security."Some owners dont want to trade in these areas. If there is an incentive for them to trade there, this also pushes up costs." A Grindrod vessel was shot at 18 months ago. Although there were many international navies present in the waters off East Africa, "they are hamstrung on the action they are allowed to take", ...