Tag: navy

pirates approached the Flintstone - ship that dumps rocks to protect oil and gas pipelines Dutch marines guarding a merchant ship have warded off an attack by pirates after it was accosted in the Arabian Sea south of Yemen, the Dutch defence ministry said Tuesday."Dutch marines warded off the attack when pirates approached the Flintstone", a ship that dumps rocks to protect oil and gas pipelines, at around 6:00 am (0500 GMT), it said in a statement.The Flintstone's crew sheltered in a safe room as a fishing vessel launched a fast moving skiff towards the merchant vessel."The marines tried in vain to stop the fast-moving skiff, occupied by six men armed with an assortment of weapons including a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), by firing tracers as a warning," the ministry said.After one of the men aimed the RPG at the ship, the marines fired on the skiff, which turned around and joined the larger fishing vessel."It's not excluded that there may have been casualties among the attackers," the ministry said.The Flintstone was underway from Singapore to Malta through the Suez Canal when the attack happened, it added.Dutch marines teams of the Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) are in certain instances put on ...

Video of the Royal Navy action

Six pirates have been taken on board the Patino, of which five are injured, ministry says A Spanish navy ship fought off a gun attack by pirates on the Somali coast Thursday, then chased and captured six of the attackers while one was reported killed, authorities said.The support-and-combat vessel Patino, part of a European Union security mission, early Thursday "suffered an attack by a pirate skiff that led to the detention of six of the attackers," the Spanish defence ministry said.The pirates opened fire on the Spanish ship, prompting it to respond with "light fire," the ministry said in a statement. When the pirates continued shooting, the ship responded with "neutralisation fire in self-defence".The ship eventually sent out a helicopter to chase the pirates. The pirates threw their weapons overboard and surrendered when the helicopter caught up with their boat."Six pirates have been taken on board the Patino, of which five are injured," the ministry said. "Those detained said that another companion died in the incident and was thrown by them into the sea."The Patino operates under the EU's Operation Atalanta, a multinational mission to protect ships in the perilous shipping route off the coast of Somalia, where hundreds of ...

A pirate attack in the Indian Ocean has been foiled by the Royal Navy RFA Fort Victoria, which is on patrol near Somalia and is part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, a civilian-manned fleet which provides support for the Navy, forced pirates to abandon an attempt to hijack cargo ships.The Somali pirates were planning to use a hijacked ship called the Liquid Velvet to launch further attacks on shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.The Liquid Velvet, a Greek-owned chemical tanker, which had a crew of 23, was hijacked in November. On Tuesday, the pirates began moving the ship towards the Gulf of Aden and into international waters.Fort Victoria, which is operating as part of Nato's Operation Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean, cut off the vessel's progress when it was 90 miles from the coastline and forced it to return to Somalia.Fort Victoria approached the Liquid Velvet under cover of darkness, before circling the vessel at speed. The ship's Lynx helicopter was also used. Fort Victoria then followed Liquid Velvet as she retreated towards Somalia.The pirates usually use fishing boats as "motherships" for launching attacks on shipping from small speedboats.The Liquid Velvet would have provided the pirates, ...

US navy has rescued 13 fishermen held hostage by Somali pirates

The pirates did not resist the boarding and surrendered quickly Forces assigned to the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, rescued an Iranian fishing vessel from Pirates in the northern Arabian Sea, Jan. 5.At approximately 12:30 p.m, an SH-60S Seahawk from the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai. Simultaneously, a distress call was received from the master of the Al Molai claiming he was being held captive by pirates.A Visit, Board, Search and Seizure team from the Kidd boarded the Al Molai and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The Al Molai had been pirated and used as a "mother ship" for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, according to members of the Iranian vessel's crew. The pirates did not resist the boarding and surrendered quickly."The Al Molai had been taken over by pirates for roughly the last 40-45 days," said Josh Schminky, a Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent aboard the Kidd. "They were held hostage, with limited rations, and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations."According to members of ...

Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that Iran will do anything to preserve the security of the area Iran's defense minister on Wednesday stressed his country's warning against the U.S. navy presence in the Gulf, reinforcing a threat dismissed by Washington as a sign of "weakness" by Tehran."Iran will do anything to preserve the security of the Strait of Hormuz" at the entrance to the Gulf, Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said, according to the website of Iran's state television."The presence of forces from beyond the (Gulf) region has no result but turbulence. We have said the presence of forces from beyond the region in the Persian Gulf is not needed and is harmful," he was quoted as saying, according to AFP.The comments echoed a warning issued Tuesday by Iran's military that it would unleash its "full force" if a U.S. aircraft carrier is redeployed to the Gulf."We don't have the intention of repeating our warning, and we warn only once," Brigadier General Ataollah Salehi, Iran's armed forces chief, said as he told Washington to keep its aircraft carrier out of the Gulf.The White House on Tuesday brushed off the warning, saying it "reflects the fact that Iran is in a position ...

Extending activities to the beaches of Somalia The European Union's anti-piracy naval force, Operation Atalanta, is reflecting deeply on extending the range of their activities to the beaches of Somalia, where the piracy developments are deemed to be the most intensive.The EU committee has requested the force's commander to develop plans for revising the rules of engagement between EU forces and Somali pirates. According to the German Foreign Minister Spokesman said the topic of discussion is the limited destruction of piracy logistics on the beach and not a full deployment of forces on land.Directing the Horn of Africa's anti-piracy mission to the beaches would enable EU forces to destroying the pirates' equipment on the beaches of Somalia instead of just patrolling the seas off the coast.The spokesman added that no certain decisions have been made however the talks are evolving.Source: Naval Today

Sink the Ark Royal! The Royal Navy's former flagship, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, could soon be transformed into a shipwreck for deep sea divers.A company which aims to turn the 600ft vessel into a reef off the coast of Devon has just secured 6.5million in funding.Two firms have backed Wreck the World's plans to sink the warship, just over 30 years after she was launched in 1981.Plans: The Royal Navy's former flagship, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, could soon be transformed into a shipwreck for deep sea divers.The 22,000-ton Invincible Class carrier, put up for sale online by the Defence Equipment and Support agency after it was axed by the Government in 2010's Strategic Defence and Security Review, could be underwater as soon as this summer if the bid is successful.The hulk would become a magnet for sea life, making it an attraction for divers.Scrap metal firm GH Newbery and Son has agreed to pay the 3.5million cost of buying the vessel and defence engineering firm A&P Falmouth would act as 3million financial guarantor.Other proposals for the ship include a commercial heliport in London and a casino in Hong Kong.The Ministry of Defence is expected to announce ...

Concern for disruption to shipping in conjunction with future Iranian naval excercises The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) has issued the following advisory:Reports from maritime forces and commercial maritime interests indicate concern with the potential for localized disruption to shipping in conjunction with future Iranian naval exercises.During previous exercises Iranian maritime forces conducted boardings and inspections of merchant ships, including those flagged to European nations. The possibility exists that Iran will attempt to conduct boardings and inspections during exercises between December 2011 and March 2012. The most likely location for this activity would be in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz, particularly in areas closer to Iranian territorial waters."If a Marshall Islands flagged vessel is hailed for boarding by the Iranian navy in international waters, the ship's Master should "protest but comply," if circumstances warrant.Please note that the inspections may take the form of port State control wherefore it is advisable that ship Masters make sure that all documentation is in order, that there be no PCASP on board and any permanently stored firearms and ammunition be properly inventoried and secured.Source: ONI