Tag: maritime piracy

Somali pirates reaped US$ 85 million from ransoms last year Somali pirates reaped an estimated US$ 85 million (Dh312m) from ransoms last year, and ships are increasingly using high-speed transits and armed guards to prevent seizures.Shipping officials say pirates also increased their brutality towards hostages in the past six months in an effort to pressure ship owners to settle faster and for higher amounts.The rising concerns brought together government and industry professionals at a high-profile anti-piracy conference in Dubai this week."Ship owners clearly see maritime piracy as the number one challenge and concern," said Peter Swift, the chairman of the steering group of the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme."We would all like to see it eradicated. We also know it is not going to go away overnight," said Mr Swift, who is also a former head of Intertanko, an association for the oil tanker industry .The scourge of piracy, facilitated by the absence of a functioning central government in Somalia since 1991, has cost the global economy $ 7 billion, said Mohammed Adbulahi Omar Asharq, the foreign minister of the transitional federal government of Somalia. The average ransom is $ 4m, and ransoms of as much as $ 9.5m have ...

Reneging on a deal to free seven of its crew A Sharjah ship owner has warned Somali pirates that reneging on a deal to free seven of its crew will cause others to question the point of paying ransom demands.The pirates captured the MV Asphalt Venture and its 15 crew, all Indians, more than six months ago and anchored the ship off the Somali town of Harardhere.After a ransom payment the pirates say was worth $3.6 million (Dh13.2m), eight of the crew and the ship were released at the weekend, but the pirates retained seven - six officers and one crew member -in retaliation for the capture of 120 pirates by Indian authorities over the past few months.It is thought to be the first time pirates have reneged on a ransom deal since the practice of capturing ships off the coast of Somalia came to international attention six years ago.Sunil Puri, a spokesman for both companies, said the pirates were not "directly in touch with the company".The 4,000-tonne vessel had been en route to South Africa last September when it was seized about 100 nautical miles off the coast of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.Indian forces have had four confrontations ...

15 April 2011 During the reporting period (08 - 15 April 2011) overall piracy activities was low again. Several pirate activities were disrupted by naval assets.Despite the success, one general cargo vessel was pirated in the Arabian Sea as well as another attack and one suspicious activity.Although three pirate mothership dhows were disrupted, it is assessed that few Pirate Attack Groups (PAG) continue activity in the Arabian Sea, the IRTC and possibly in the southern Somali Basin.Gulf of Aden/Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC)During the last week there has been one attack. Based on the limited to none piracy activities, it is extremely dangerous to consider the IRTC as pirate free and the previous assessment that pirate skiffs blend into the local traffic and might attack at any time without any warning is still valid.Arabian Sea/Greater Somali Basin Although reduced to one act of piracy and one suspicious activity the overall threat assessment for this area remains to be high. The current assessment is that there is at least one active dhow PAG in the Arabian Sea. In addition, the fishing vessel JIH CHUN TSAI 68 is still missing and assessed to be active in this area and might even spread ...

Condemns their use as human shields In the context of the recently-released Indian ship M/V Asphalt Venture, IMO reiterates its condemnation of all acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships and expresses its concern over the treatment of seafarers being held hostage by pirates operating in waters off the coast of Somalia.In particular, it condemns their use as "human shields" on board recently hijacked ships used as "motherships", or ashore.The M/V Asphalt Venture was hijacked by Somali pirates on 29 September 2010 and was released on 15 April 2011. However, six officers and one rating had been removed from the ship and, at the time of release, were being held at an undisclosed location ashore, where they remain.IMO is concerned for the welfare of all innocent seafarers being held in captivity, and is working towards their timely release. Using seafarers as human shields to continue to engage in piracy - one of the most heinous of crimes against humanity at sea - is totally unacceptable.The IMO World Maritime Day theme for 2011, "Piracy: orchestrating the response" - and its associated action plan - embrace the concept that the safety and well-being of seafarers should be of paramount importance.Source: IMO

Ceremony held at the Commercial Port of Djibouti Today, 14 April, in a ceremony held at the Commercial Port of Djibouti, Portuguese Commodore Alberto Correia took over the command of Task Force 465 (TF 465) as the new European Union Naval Force Headquarters - Operation ATALANTA Force Commander. Commodore Correia takes over the duty from his predecessor, Spanish Rear Admiral Juan Rodriguez.During the handover, presided over by EU NAVFOR Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, Commodore Correia congratulated Rear Admiral Rodriguez for the results achieved during his command and thanked him for his outstanding efforts. He emphasized that "The mission priorities given to TF 465 are absolutely clear to me. No significant changes will be made in the operational planning process and that escorts to World Food Program and AMISOM will remain as the top priorities".For the next four months, Commodore Correia will lead the Multinational Force Headquarters onboard the EUNAVFOR Portuguese warship NRP VASCO DA GAMA.Source: EU NAVFOR

After being held for 81 days The general cargo ship MV BELUGA NOMINATION was released from pirate control on 13 April 2011 after being held for 81 days.The German owned vessel, which is Antigua & Barbudan flagged, had been pirated on 22 January 2011 approximately 390 nautical miles north of the Seychelles. She was on route to Port Victoria in the Seychelles when she was attacked.The vessel is believed to be making for a safe port.Source: EU NAVFOR

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 ...