Tag: MV Montecristo

Italian court sentences eight Somali pirates

Somali Pirates Sentenced to 16 Years

Numerous weapons and piracy equipment were found Following NATO's successful release of the pirated Italian merchant vessel, MV Montecristo, earlier last week, the naval units contributing to NATO's counter piracy operation succeeded in locating and disrupting the suspected pirate mother ship responsible for the attack.Successful coordination of military assets and information sharing amongst naval units operating in the region made it possible to locate the pirate dhow which was stopped whilst heading towards the Somali coast. Under the watchful eye of HMS SOMERSET a boarding team from the RFA FORT VICTORIA boarded the dhow to carry out an inspection.During the inspection clear evidence was found of involvement in piracy with numerous weapons and piracy equipment secreted within the dhows compartments.The investigation also revealed that Somali pirates had forced the Pakistani crew to use their dhow as a pirate mother ship. On completion of the investigation, the dhow and its crew were set free and four Somali pirates were taken into custody by the Italian authorities to join the other eleven suspected pirates involved in the attack on MV Montecristo.Describing the events, NATO's Task Force Commander Rear Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi said that "our determination to disrupt and deter piracy has been ...

British commandos rescued the crew and captured nearly a dozen pirates. The Marines, armed with pistols and SA-80 automatic rifles and operating from a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship, the RFA Fort Victoria, sped towards the hijacked ship in inflatable boats as a British helicopter buzzed overhead.They boarded the 56,000-ton bulk carrier Montecristo and disarmed the pirates without encountering any opposition."It was a compliant boarding - the 11 pirates surrendered without firing a shot," said a Ministry of Defence spokesman. "They were arrested and detained on board the ship." The ship's 23 crew - seven Italians, six Ukrainians and 10 Indians - were released unharmed.Four of the Italians were privately-contracted security guards, but in line with international practise they were unarmed and had been powerless to fend off the pirates.The crew had taken refugee inside a secure, armoured area of the bridge when the ship was hijacked, from where they were able to send out distress signals.They also continued to control the vessel's movements, steering it towards the antipiracy forces.The RFA vessel is part of a Nato operation, code-named Ocean Shield, which is patrolling the waters off the coast of Somalia.Support for the raid was provided by a frigate from the ...

Decision after M/V Montecristo, an Italian cargo ship, was attacked by pirates Italy is to station military forces on its merchant vessels to guard against attacks by Somali pirates, shipping sources said on Tuesday, the day after another of its ships was attacked off the anarchic east African country.Many ships already carry private security contractors to try to prevent hijacks, but deployment of military forces on merchant vessels would mark a clear escalation in measures to combat piracy, which costs the world economy billions of dollars each year.The sources said Defence Minister Ignazio La Russa would sign an agreement later on Tuesday with the confederation of Italian ship owners to put military guards on board vessels in the huge area of the Indian Ocean at risk from Somali pirates, who have hijacked several Italian ships.The Montecristo, an Italian cargo ship, was attacked by five men in a small boat off the coast of Somalia on Monday, its owner the D'Alesio Group said. A pirate told Reuters by phone that it was under their control. The ship had 23 crew from Italy, India and Ukraine.Somali pirates, operating from the shores of the lawless state in the Horn of Africa, have raked ...

The 23 strong crew successfully reached the vessel's citadel before pirates boarded The 23 strong crew of the 55,600-dwt Montecristo (built 2011) successfully reached the vessel's citadel before pirates boarded, TradeWinds it told.Two NATO warships are understood to be racing to the aid of the bulker and are expected on scene shortly.However, despite the fact pirates did successfully board the vessel, there is growing confidence the ship and the crew will escape the drama.The vessel was hit about 620 miles east of Somalia on Monday morning, D'Alesio has confirmed."The last message received from the ship Captain indicated that the vessel has been attacked by a ship with five armed people," it said."The Captain has immediately activated the security operating procedure to prevent the attack," the company said."After 10 hours without news, we can consider the ship hijacked," a spokesman told the AFP news agency yesterday.The Montecristo only joined the company's fleet in June after being handed over by Hyundai Mipo in Korea.It is the first time the Italian owner has been a victim of piracy.The crew consists of seven Italian, six Ukrainian and 10 Indian seafarers.The vessel had departed Liverpool in the UK on 10 September with a cargo of ...