Tag: maritime piracy

Take on a more dynamic role Brutal murders of seafarers in recent weeks galvanised the Global Maritime Education & Training Association (GlobalMET) to take the bull by the horns. Instead of waiting for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to come up with a lasting solution to the problem of piracy, it has decided to put its act together,take on a more dynamic role by ensuring that within the training and education programme sufficient awareness is created so that seafarers closely adhere to the Best Management Practices, which can assure safety while in piracy infested waters.The conference it organised on 28th February in Mumbai on "Piracy - Orchestrating the Response" (conforming with the IMO theme for 2011) it became evident at that it has more on its hands then it bargained for.With regards creating awareness on piracy among seafarers Capt Rod Short, Executive Secretary of GlobalMET said that the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention did not have the necessary direction for the seafarers for tackling piracy. The next amendment to the STCW convention was only due in 2015. Dr. Agnihotri, Director General of Shipping, Government of India cautioned, "Many are looking at piracy as a business opportunity. It ...

Guards retook a yacht from Somali pirates The head of a private security company says his guards retook a yacht from Somali pirates after the Dutch couple on board locked themselves in a safe room.Thomas Jakobsson of Naval Guards said Thursday that six of his guards were accompanying the Capricorn yacht on a separate motorboat. Six armed pirates were able to get aboard the Capricorn but the Dutch couple barricaded themselves in the boat.Jakobsson says his men had a brief exchange of fire with the pirates before retaking the Capricorn with no casualties on either side.The Indian Ocean attack follows the deaths of four Americans last month after their yacht was taken. Last week a Danish family and two crew aboard a yacht also were hijacked.Source: Associated Press

No information on condition of the crew The MV IZUMI, which was pirated on 10 October 2010, was released from pirate control on 25 February.The Panama-flagged vessel and her Filipino crew of 20 are believed to be making for a safe port. There is no information on the condition of the vessel or the crew.Source: EUNAVFOR

12 Somali suspects were detained Pirated Comoran-flagged vessel MV Zulfecar has been rescued by Madagascar officials after running out of fuel on the coast of the island, 12 Somali suspects were detained The MV Zulfecar was travelling from the Comoros Islands towards Tanzania in the Indian Ocean when it was seized by Somali pirates in November 2010. The skipper of the vessel holding 21 Tanzanian and Comoran passengers sent out a distress signal to Comoros only last week. Subsequently, Madagascar answered to the signal by deploying Navy officials on a search and rescue mission. The Madagascar Navy located the 131-foot ship floating adrift 80 miles offshore the Indian Ocean depleted of fuel and supplies after 4 months of captivity on the water. None of the 21 hostages were injured and upon boarding the ship, the pirates possessed no weapons or identification papers, which were reportedly tossed to sea. Navy officials towed the Zulfecar to a northern port where all 12 hijackers were taken into custody of the Madagascar government without resistance. Prosecutors are unsure of whether they will be able to charge foreigners with piracy laws that have not been used since the 19th century, or if they are even ...

4 million dollars in exchange for the 6 captured Indians For 201 days, six Indians have been facing the terror of Somali piracy at close quarters, yet there has been no move from the government to ease their plight.Somali pirates, who have hijacked MV Suez, a ship of Red Sea Navigation, in the Gulf of Aden spoke to TIMES NOW have insisted on the week long deadline. The pirates have also said that they will not accept anything short of 4 million dollars in exchange for the 6 captured Indians on board the ship. Speaking to TIMES NOW, one of the Somali pirates said, "Our demand is ransom money, you know ransom money. We want four million from the company which is working for this crew. Last time when we called the company, we demanded the ransom. He told us he did not want the ship or the crew." "We are also running short of time, last 8 months we have been going on like this. All we want is the ransom, if someone comes with the money tomorrow morning, one week is maximum. Now there is no reason and I will not say what we are going to do ...

25 February 2011 Gulf of Aden/Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC)No attacks were reported over the past week in the GoA. However, skiffs blending in withthe local traffic to conduct piracy can be expected at any time with little or no warning. The main piracy threat remains in the central and eastern part of the GoA/IRTC. Overall, reports of attacks remain below 2010 and 2009 levels.Arabian Sea/Greater Somali BasinExcept for the far southeast of the Indian Ocean, weather is not affecting the greater Somali Basin and Arabian Sea. During the past week (19 -25 February) piracy activities were concentrated in the southern Arabian Sea between 10 to 15 Degrees North and 58 to 64 Degrees East. One yacht has been pirated and several merchants been attacked or approached in that area. Numerous calls of suspicious sightings close to the Omani coast indicate another focused area for pirates operating area. Pirates are using dhow mother ships to launch their attack skiffs against any targets of opportunity. A significant number of pirated regional dhows, particularly Iranian flagged Jelbut-type and Yemeni flagged Yemeni-type vessels are currently in pirate possession and regularly being taken out on mother ship operations.We currently assess that at least five ...

Pirates stole two computers and some engine spare parts A Liberian-registered tanker was robbed by pirates while anchored off southern Malaysia early on Sunday morning.The tanker, Simon, was anchored 2.1nm south-southwest of Pulau Mungging, Malaysia when it was boarded by five pirates armed with machetes and handguns at 04-35hrs on Sunday morning. According to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre the pirates stole two computers and some engine spare parts from the engine room, before escaping in a speed boat. None of the crew was injured in the attack. It is the second attack on a tanker in the area this month.Source: Seatrade Asia

Relationship between pirates and Al-Shabaab GAC Protective Solutions says a maritime security alert has been issued for Somalia following a development in the relationship between pirate syndicates and radical Islamist organization al-Shabaab.The U.S. has designated al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224 (as amended).Pirates in the harbor town of Xaraardheere have agreed to pay 20 percent of their ransom money to al-Shabaab in exchange for being allowed to use the town as a base for their activity, says GAC Protective Solutions.This cooperative relationship may not last, given that the two groups are ideologically opposed to one another. Furthermore, the agreement only came about after pirate syndicate leaders were captured by al-Shabaab, which indicates that it was not based on a particularly solid foundation and may not last for very long. The monetary relationship between the two sides is not likely to last.The town has previously been contested by groups such as Hizb ul-Islam and pirates will still be able to operate further north if they are forced to leave the area.Source: Marinelog

Nine incidents of piracy in Asia The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued its Report for January 2011. During the month, nine incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia.To view the report please click hereSource: ReCAAP

Crew of 8 people On the 13 February, the Yemeni Fishing Vessel ALFARDOUS was believed to have been pirated close to Socotra Island in the Gulf of Aden.The vessel has a reported crew of 8, nationalities presently not known. There is no further information on the condition of the crew.EUNAVFOR is monitoring the situation.There are now at least 31 vessels and 694 hostages being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia. A list of FV ALFARDOUS and other pirated vessels can be found here.Source: EU NAVFOR