Tag: piracy attack

Pirates have failed in an attack on a Seven Seas Maritime bulker off the coast of Oman A gang using a single skiff fired shots at the 50,000-dwt Atlantica (built 2001) close to Oman yesterday, TradeWinds is told.The pirates had second thoughts, however, after being on the receiving end of warning shots from an armed security team stationed on the ship, sources say.The supramax was less than 100 miles from the Masirah Islands when the attack occurred.Ship tracking software indicates the vessel was en route to Richards Bay when the drama arose.Beneficially owned by London-based Seven Seas, the bulker is managed by Alloceans Shipping of Greece.Source: Tradewinds

Pirate attack in the Indian Ocean

They attacked on a vessel that supplies the Seychelles tuna fleet The British navy has detained seven suspected pirates in the Seychelles, using a team of police dogs to detect the presence of firearms or explosives on their ship, officials said."The seven suspected pirates are alleged to have been involved in an attempted act of piracy on a vessel that supplies the Seychelles tuna fleet," the Foreign Office said in a statement.They were detained by Royal Marines accompanied by a police dog team which found traces of explosives or firearms -- evidence which will help prosecutors in the Seychelles, who have agreed to bring a case against the seven."Providing sufficient evidence to convict pirates has been a real problem for the international community as pirates often throw their weapons overboard and claim to be fishermen," the Foreign Office said."However, the dog handling team is able to search the suspected pirate vessel for traces of explosives and firearms."Rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) are a weapon of choice for the pirates, but even if they are disposed of in the sea they leave explosive residue that the dogs can identify."Source: AFP

European Union is hard at work fighting against piracy in the Gulf of Aden

Eight pirates in two skiffs chased the vessel The product tanker 'BW Danube' came under attack by pirates in position 15:51.1N - 055:07.0E on 15th November.Eight pirates in two skiffs chased the vessel while it was underway.The Master raised the alarm, ordered an increase in speed; took evasive manoeuvres and all the crew, except the bridge team, mustered in the citadel.The security team on board the vessel fired flares towards the skiffs as a warning.The pirates fired upon the tanker and finally aborted the attempted attack and moved towards a mother vessel.The dhow mothership was reported to have been intercepted by naval forces and disrupted with the skiffs being destroyed. The pirates were removed and the dhow was no longer considered a threat to shipping.There were also reports of several attacks on chemical tankers in the South China Sea last week.Source: Tanker Operator

Transport Minister Kong says there was a need for a sustainable solution Malaysia has called on the International Maritime Organisation to find a permanent solution to piracy off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said there was a need for a "sustainable solution to conclude this long-running menace to international shipping and trade."He also expressed Malaysia's concern that despite so many initiatives, piracy there remained unresolved.Kong said the country had two Malaysian naval vessels in the area and had even captured some of the pirates who were awaiting trial in Malaysia"We would recommend that this year's World Maritime Day's theme of Piracy - Orchestrating the Response be continued to demonstrate IMO's resolve and efforts to eliminate the scourge of piracy and for international shipping to continue to serve the world's community safely, securely and peacefully," he said at the 27th IMO Assembly here on Monday.Kong also informed the assembly that the cooperative mechanism to enhance safety of navigation and environmental protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore was now into its second phase of operation. He also announced that Malaysia had submitted its candidature for re-election to the IMO council.Source: ...

Local Residents Aid in Arrests in Dhanane and Qoryaley Villages Security forces from Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland arrested five well-known Somali pirates and seized two speed boats and other equipment used in hijackings during security operations in Dhanane and Qoryaley villages between Gar'ad and Rasiga-Iliga districts on Thursday night.Rooble Mohamed Farah, a Puntland security official involved in the operation, told the local media that they succeeded due to cooperation between local residents and security forces."We learned that they were from Harardhere district of Mudug region and based themselves there on Wednesday. The residents informed us of their movements," he said. "Our troops are in Dhanane and Qoryoley and will be there until we make sure the pirates are eliminated."Rooble stated that security forces are searching for other wanted pirates who escaped the area.Reports indicate that the bases where the pirates were captured are strategic coastal villages, from which they wanted to base and plan attacks against foreign warships. The villages had been pirate hubs before the local elders, religious leaders, Puntland authorities and the residents started campaign to eradicate them from the area.Source: Neptune Maritime Security

Pirates have kidnapped three people Gunmen stormed a ship supplying a Chevron Corp. offshore oil field, kidnapping three workers in an attack raising concerns over a possible unraveling amnesty deal in the crude-rich nation, authorities said Friday.The attack happened Thursday night near Chevrons massive Agbami oil field, operated by its Nigerian subsidiary about 70 nautical miles offshore from Bayelsa state in Nigerias oil-rich southern delta, officials said. Eight gunmen boarded the MV C-Endeavour, attacking the crew and taking the three sailors hostage, Chevron spokesman Kurt Glaubitz said.A private security official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as details about the kidnapping remained closely held, said those abducted were foreigners. Glaubitz declined to identify those kidnapped, citing the San Ramon, Calif.-based companys security rules.The safety of our employees and contractors is our first priority, Glaubitz said. Chevron Nigerian Ltd. is the assisting the service company to ensure the safe release of the kidnapped crew members.Glaubitz said the ship belonged to contractor Edison Chouest Offshore, based in Galliano, Louisiana. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.A Nigerian navy spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Foreign firms have pumped oil out ...

Eventually, the regained control of their vessel Taiwanese fishers fought off a hijack by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, regaining control of their vessel. The Chin Yi Wen and its 28 crew were attacked and hijacked around 260 nautical miles south west of the Seychelles on 3 November.On 5 November, some of the crew overcame the hijackers, freed themselves and retook the boat. The Chin Yi Wen then met up with a British warship nearby, which provided assistance, and later continued its journey to the Seychelles. Three crewmembers are reported to have sustained minor injuries.Over in the increasingly dangerous waters off West Africa, pirates have now released the Greek-operated, Malta-flagged oil tanker Halifax and its 25 mainly Filipino crew, hijacked about 100 kilometres off Port Harcourt, Nigeria on 30 October. The tanker was taken to a position off Lagos/Benin where part of the cargo was siphoned off, and then taken back to Bonny, Nigeria. The crew were reported to be safe, although some personal belongings were stolen.According to figures from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) for 7 November, Somali pirates are currently holding captive about 11 vessels and 194 hostages. Hostages continue to include seven Indian seafarers from the ...

26 pirates arrested Indian Naval ship, INS Sukanya, thwarted a piracy attack in the Gulf of Aden and captured three boats of the pirates.A statement from the Defence PRO says the incident happened yesterday when INS Sukanya was escorting a group of merchant vessels. Five pirate boats tried to attack these vessels but were challenged by the Indian Naval ship. After a brief skirmish, two of them managed to flee the area but three boats were captured by INS Sukanya, the statement said.The three boats had a total of 26 Somali crew onboard. During the operation, six AK-47 rifles, 12 magazines and about 300 rounds of ammunition were found and confiscated.The operation holds significance as over a hundred billion dollars of India's external trade passes each year through this busy sea lane. This is the fifth successful anti-piracy operation conducted by INS Sukanya, in the course of her ongoing patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden, which commenced in September.Source: NDTV