Tag: maritime piracy

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

Incedents of piracy and armed robbery The IMO has issued its monthly report MSC.4/Circ.167 dated 7 February 2011 giving all incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported to the IMO between 31 December 2010 and 31 January 2011.The report makes a distinction between acts of piracy, and acts of armed robbery against ships, and attempted attacks.Source : IMO

A major security lapse It was a joyous homecoming on Tuesday when 43 sailors, all but four Kenyan, landed in Mombasa after a gruelling four months as captives of Somali pirates.They became hostages when their Korean-owned shipping vessel, the Golden Wave, was captured on October 9, last year.The ship and crew were released on February 8 after payment of a reported Sh50 million ransom. Docking in Kenya a week after their release obviously made for emotional reunions, and there were heart-rending stories of the ill-treatment, deprivation, and sheer horror of life in captivity.A key element that we should all pay attention to, however, is the threat to national security posed by Somali pirates as well as the collapse of the Somali state. It is worrying that the Golden Wave was hijacked deep inside Kenyan territorial waters, a mere 10 nautical miles off the Kenyan coast.The freed sailors spoke of their captured ship prowling Kenyan waters in search of other ships to hijack.Their captors seized five other vessels in Kenyan waters during the four months of the terrifying ordeal, and at no time were Kenyan security forces anywhere in the vicinity.The conclusion then is that our security agencies do not have ...

14 February 2011 12.02.2011: 1218 UTC: Posn: 20:15.43N - 064:16.09E, around 280nm SE from Ras al Had, Oman, (Off Somalia) Pirates have hijacked a bulk carrier underway. The owners received a distress alert from the ship and informed the coalition forces. A coalition aircraft was sent to the location, which noticed two suspected pirate skiffs on board the ship. There has been no communication with the ship. 10.02.2011: 1440 UTC: Posn: 13:09.6N - 043:06.5E, Bab el Mandeb, Red SeaFour skiffs chased a bulk carrier underway. D/O altered course and alerted the armed security team on board who made themselves seen. Warship contacted for assistance. The skiffs came close to 0.3 nm and the duty lookout saw 4-6 pirates in each skiff armed with guns. The pirates observed the ship with binoculars and aborted the attempted attack upon noticing the armed security guards. 10.02.2011: 0045 LT: Posn: 05:31.9N - 003:38Ee, around 50nm off Lagos, Nigeria Seven to eight armed robbers in a fishing boat approached a drifting chemical tanker from astern. The duty officer noticed the suspicious movement of the boat and informed master. Master raised alarm, activated SSAS alert, increase speed and took evasive manoeuvres. Robbers open fire while attempted ...

SA deployed a frigate South Africa has deployed a frigate to the Mozambique Channel off east Africa to help fight the southward creep of piracy, the public broadcaster SABC reported.The deployment marks the first time South Africa has sent a ship to take part in anti-piracy operations, and follows international pressure on the key regional player to step up its role in the fight against piracy.The ship, the SAS Mendi, will join five other frigates and 18 smaller boats in the operation, SABC said.Somali pirates have been striking farther afield as the European Union and other countries have cracked down on piracy off the coast of Somalia.In December, pirates staged their southernmost attacks yet when they tried unsuccessfully to hijack two ships in the Mozambique Channel. According to the International Maritime Bureau, Somali pirates are currently holding 31 vessels and 700 hostages.Source: AFP

The vessel has a crew of 23 On the afternoon of 12 February, the MV SININ is believed to have been pirated approximately 350 nautical miles East of Masirah (Oman) in the North Arabian Sea.The vessel, which has a crew of 23 (13 Iranian and 10 Indian nationals), sent out a distress signal, saying she was under attack, late afternoon on Saturday to which an aircraft from the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) immediately responded. The aircraft photographed 2 suspected pirate skiffs on board the vessel. There has been no communication with the ship since the distress signal was sent and the MV SININ has now changed course towards the Somali coast. There is no information on the condition of the crew.The MV SININ is a Maltese flagged and owned Bulk Carrier. She has a deadweight of 52,466 tonnes and was on route to Singapore from Fujairah (UAE) when she was attacked. The ship was not registered with MSC(HOA) and was not reporting to UKMTO. EUNAVFOR is monitoring the situation.Source: EU NAVFOR

Charged with firearms offences Seven Somali pirates were charged with firearms offences in a Malaysian court on Friday in a move that could see some of them hanged if they are found guilty in the first prosecution of Somali pirates by an Asian country.The pirates - three of who were 15-years old - were captured in January by Malaysian commandos after they attempted to hijack a Malaysian-owned chemicals tanker.They seven, wearing bright orange jump-suits, did not enter a plea after the charges were read in a court in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and prosecutor Mohamed Aba Zafree said the 15-year olds would not face the death penalty as they were minors.The decision to prosecute came as pirate attacks hit a seven-year high in 2010, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau which collates statistics on attacks, disrupting shipping lanes at a time when the price of raw materials has moved sharply higher.Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have hijacked vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden for years, making millions of dollars in ransoms by seizing ships, including oil tankers, despite the presence of dozens of foreign naval vessels.There were 445 actual and ...

15 pirates had ben arrested The successful apprehension of Somali pirates off Lakshadweep by Indian Navy and Coast Guard on Sunday has brought along a tragic story of hostages. At least five crew members of the three Thai trawlers hijacked by pirates have been reported to have died of hunger and sickness after the owner of the trawlers refused to pay ransom leading to a 10-month-long hostage crisis.According to sources, the pirates had hijacked three trawlers, Prantalay-11, Prantalay-12 and Prantalay-14, in April last year off Somalia coast with 49 crew members. The trawlers were going to Djibouti when they were hijacked off Somalia coast. The pirates demanded a ransom of US$ 9 million from the owner to release the vessels, but the owner refused to pay. "His three trawlers cumulatively cost only US$ 600,000. The pirates, however, would not relent. This led to a stand-off that stretched for 10 long months, before a Naval operation ended it on Sunday," said an officer from Yellow Gate police station. Strapped of resources, the pirates during this time provided little food to the hostages. "Four crew members on Prantalay-14 fell sick and died due to lack of medical supplies. One crew member from ...