Tag: maritime piracy

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MV SUSAN K pirated

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

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Pirates got $500 for each hijack

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 ...

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Shipping firms may hire armed guards to improve security

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 ...

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Armed action will keep high seas safe

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 ...

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EUNAVFOR transfers Suspected Pirates to the Seychelles

Agreement between the EU and the Seychelles 11 suspected pirates detained by the EUNAVFOR Spanish warship, ESPS CANARIAS on 28 March 2011 were today transferred to Seychellois legal authorities for possible prosecution.The suspected pirates were detained by the EUNAVFOR warship after they allegedly threatened a Seychelles-flagged fishing vessel 260 nautical miles North West of the Islands. The transfer has been made possible due to the agreement between the EU and the Seychelles.Source: EU NAVFOR

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EU NAVFOR Warship Disrupts Suspected Pirate Whaler

Pirate disruption On the afternoon of 3 April 2011, the EU NAVFOR Spanish warship ESPS INFANTA ELENA, identified and boarded a suspected pirate whaler 89 Nautical miles South-East of Mombasa.The warship had received a short notice tasking to locate a suspected Pirate Action Group (PAG) that had attacked a merchant vessel earlier the same day.Boarding team stop suspecte pirate whalerOn arriving in the area, the INFANTA ELENA found a whaler-type boat, which together with 2 attack skiffs, was suspected of being responsible for the earlier attack. There were two suspected pirates onboard together with significant numbers of fuel barrels, as well as other suspected pirate-related paraphernalia, all of which were seized. The suspected pirates were detained by the warship and the whaler was destroyed. There was no sign of the attack skiffs which are thought to still be at large.As there was insufficient evidence to secure a prosecution, the suspected pirates will be returned to Somalia as soon as operations allow.This disruption has hampered pirate action in the area and is assessed to have prevented attacks on merchant and other vulnerable vessels.Source: EU NAVFOR

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Piracy In The South China Sea

Lessons From Gulf Of Aden Analysis There has been a marked increase in the total number of piracy incidents against ships in Asia in 2010 compared to previous years. In terms of location, the South China Sea stood out. Can the counter-piracy actions in the Gulf of Aden be applied to the South China Sea?THE ANNUAL report released by the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) in January 2011 noted a marked increase in the total number of incidents or piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in 2010. This compares unfavourably to the period of 2006-2009 when there was a 60 percent increase in incidents over the numbers in 2009. Much of the increase can be attributed to incidents occurring in ports and anchorages but one area stood out - the South China Sea.In 2010, 17 actual incidents were reported in the South China Sea, the highest number of incidents reported during the five-year period from 2006-2010. The number of incidents also represented a 55 percent increase over 2009, which also saw an increase of 120 percent over 2008.Most of the incidents occurred in international sea lanes off Pulau Anambas and Pulau Mangkai. What is a cause for concern ...

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MV ZIRKU pirated in the Eastern part of the Gulf of Aden

No further information about the crew At approximately 0900Z on 28 March, theCrude Oil Tanker the MV ZIRKU was pirated approximately 250 nautical miles South East of Salalah in the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden.The UAE flagged and Kuwaiti owned vessel was on its way to Singapore from Bashayer (Sudan) when it was attacked. The vessel was attacked by 2 pirate skiffs firing RPGs and small arms.The MV ZIRKU has a crew of 29 (1 Croatian, 1 Iraqi, 1 Filipino, 1 Indian, 3 Jordanians, 3 Eqyptians, 2 Ukrainians and 17 Pakistanis). There is no further information about the crew at present.The MV ZIRKU wasregistered with MSC(HOA), andwas reporting to UKMTO. EUNAVFOR are continuing to monitor the situation.Source: EU NAVFOR

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Dutch MPs agree to troops on merchant ships

Only the Socialist Party was against The Dutch parliament has agreed to deploy Dutch troops on board a number of Dutch merchant ships to protect them against piracy in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.The only party to vote against the measure was the Socialist Party, which said too many things about the mission were unclear.The first Dutch sailors will embark in the Indian city of Mumbai on Wednesday. Thirty sailors will join two tow boats sailing under the Dutch flag and a crane ship sailing under the Panamanian flag. The convoy will sail to the United Arab Emirates.Later this month 20 other sailors will sail with a Dutch ship sailing from China to the Netherlands - the troops will join the ship for 22 days at Singapore and disembark in the Republic of Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.The operation will cost 1 million euros altogether and the costs will be shared between the Ministry of Defence and the shipping companies. Most of the costs will be for the ministry as it covers the costs of transporting troops and military hardware. The cabinet has promised to take another look at how the costs are divided as MPs ...

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Maersk hikes piracy surcharges

Surcharges imposed earlier on containers Maersk Line announced a steep increase in emergency risk surcharges imposed earlier on containers moving via ports in the Indian Ocean Islands and East Africa, starting April 1.The new surcharge on cargo shipped to and from the Indian Ocean Islands and Europe will be $350 per 40-foot container, compared with $250 per FEU now.For the Middle East and East Africa trade, the surcharge will increase to $400 per FEU from $250 per FEU.The revised surcharge on the U.S.-East Africa route will be $400 per FEU, up from $300 per FEU."As a result of increased piracy activity, and in the light of our continuous efforts to prevent piracy attacks and protect our crews and cargo, we have revised our emergency risk surcharges to mitigate higher security expenses," the Danish carrier said Tuesday.Source: Portnews

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