Thagarr's Pirate News!

[Thagarr]

More catch and release...

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Portuguese warship foils Somalia pirate attack</b>


LISBON (AFP) — A Portuguese frigate foiled a pirate attack on a container vessel in the Gulf of Aden Monday and captured eight pirates after firing shots at their boat, the armed forces command in Lisbon said.

The eight were freed after consultation with the Portuguese government, in line with the procedure for warships serving under NATO command, but their weapons were confiscated, a military statement said.

The Corte Real, operating with NATO forces in the region, was escorting a Pakistani merchant ship, the Bolan, when it received a distress call from the Singapore-flagged Maersk Phoenix, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.

A Lusa correspondent on the Corte Real said the frigate sped to rescue the container ship, which was some four nautical miles away, and opened fire at a pirate boat.

Several shots were fired across the boat's bows before the pirates surrendered, the report added. A boarding party of Portuguese marines confiscated four assault rifles, a grenade-launcher, grenades and explosives.

A Turkish warship, the Gaziantep, also went to the scene and took over the escort of the Bolan and Maersk Phoenix, Lusa said.

The world's naval powers have deployed dozens of warships to the lawless waters off Somalia over the past year to curb attacks by pirates threatening one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes.

At the last count 14 ships were still being held for ranson by Somali pirates, together with more than 200 seamen.

Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, said last week that the concentration of international warships in the Gulf of Aden was forcing pirates to expand their attack areas to ensure success.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hRFT02mzSPY8v5-jLoJuLhxAeTZA" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...5-jLoJuLhxAeTZA</a>

 

[Thagarr]

I am not quite sure what to think of this one...

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Armed private yachts offering pirate-hunting cruises off Somalia</b>

National Post news services Published: Thursday, June 25, 2009

Rich Russians with money to burn can sign up for pirate-hunting cruises on armed private yachts off the Somali coast, the website Ananova reports. Wealthy punters pay $6,620 a day to patrol the most dangerous waters in the world hoping to be attacked by raiders. When attacked, they retaliate with grenade launchers, machine guns and rocket launchers, says the Austrian business paper Wirtschaftsblatt. For an extra $9.45 a day they get an AK-47 machine gun, pictured, while 100 rounds of ammo cost $13.25. They are also protected by a squad of former special forces. The yachts travel from Djibouti in Somalia to Mombasa in Kenya. They deliberately cruise close to the coast at a speed of just five nautical miles in an attempt to attract the interest of pirates.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=1731374" target="_blank">http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=1731374</a>

 

[Thagarr]

This on the other hand, I agree with completely!

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Bill seeks immunity for mariners who wound or kill pirates</b>

Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) has introduced legislation in the House to provide immunity to U.S. merchant mariners who wound or kill pirates while responding to a pirate attack.

Rep. LoBiondo is the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Republican.

"Our merchant marine fleet is increasingly under attack from unlawful individuals and rogue groups that seek to disrupt commerce, seize U.S. and foreign crews, and instill fear on international waters," LoBiondo said. "It is only appropriate that our fleets be legally allowed to defend themselves from these violent encounters. This common-sense legislation is a necessary step in empowering U.S.-flagged vessels to fully protect their crews and cargo."

The United States Mariner and Vessel Protection Act (H.R. 2984) directs the Coast Guard to establish standards for when a merchant mariner on a U.S.-flag merchant vessel can use force against an attacker. Any mariner using force within those standards, and the owner, operator or master of any vessels would be exempt from liability in U.S. courts as a result of that use of force.

The bill also directs the United States to negotiate international agreements through the International Maritime Organization to provide similar exemptions from liability in other countries for the use of force by mariners and vessel owners, operators and masters.

The recent hijacking of the U.S.-flag Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates, during which the pirates kidnapped the ship's captain, highlighted the need for mariners to be able to defend themselves from attack.

The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-AK) and U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC).

"I commend Congressman LoBiondo for writing this bill to provide the necessary protections for mariners to freely defend their ships from pirates bent on killing, stealing and crippling worldwide commerce," said Mica, who is the Republican Leader of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009jun00223.html" target="_blank">http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009jun00223.html</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Somali pirates destroy abandoned Seychelles ship</b>

NAIROBI (AFP) — Pirates torched a Seychelles vessel off the coast of Somalia after releasing its seven crew members for a ransom, two members of the pirate group said Wednesday.

The Indian Ocean Explorer, a maritime research ship from the Seychelle islands, was captured by Somali pirates between March 28 and 31 in the Indian Ocean.

The seven crew members were released without the ship and they returned home on Tuesday.

"We set fire to it three nights ago," said Abdullahi Qaaray, a member of the pirate group who acted as an interpreter during the ransom negotiations.

"We had asked the owners for a million dollars but in the end he paid us only 450,000 dollars," he told AFP by phone from a village near Haradhere.

"We said we would burn the ship because he was refusing to pay all the ransom. And the owner told us that we could sink it or burn it... We used some fuel and set it on fire, the ship is sunk now, you cannot even see it anymore."

Qaaray insisted that destroying the ship was not a condition set by the owner for the payment of the ransom but only a decision made by the pirates to ensure the valuable marine exploration vessel could not be recovered.

Abdi Ganey, one of the gunmen in the pirate group, also confirmed the ship was destroyed.

"We released the hostages after an agreement was reached but the owners were really reluctant to negotiate," he told AFP. "They paid us a small amount and there was no way they were getting the ship, it had to go."

Officials in Somalia confirmed that the ship was destroyed.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Rest of the story here :
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hYQEnkjlML-XoM_dr1TU5KLtvClw" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...M_dr1TU5KLtvClw</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Somali pirates attempted to capture the Iranian oil tanker 'Hadi', but were scared off by the Iranian navy's 'quick response' to the oil tanker's distress call on Sunday.

The rescue mission comes as Iran has sent at least six vessels to join international efforts to create a defensive front against piracy in the key shipping-lanes off the coast of Somalia.

"Six warships and support vessels have been dispatched to the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden and international waters in its vicinity," said commander of the Iranian Navy Real-Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on June 27.

The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, Delight, off the coast of Yemen.

The Hong Kong-registered ship with 25 crew aboard was loaded with 36,000 tons of wheat bound for the Islamic Republic.

In an earlier move on August 21, some 40 pirates armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades attacked Iran's Diyanat, shortly after the merchant ship passed the Horn of Africa.

The Gulf of Aden --which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea-is the quickest transit point for more than 20,000 ships going from Asia to Europe and the Americas every year.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates have attacked more than 220 ships in the waters leading to and from the Suez Canal this year, and have earned tens of millions of dollars in ransom.

In a report published on Dec. 15, the Time reasoned that the West's age-old policy of marginalizing Somalia's endemic poverty is the main reason behind the sudden increase in piracy off Somalia's coast.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.payvand.com/news/09/jun/1335.html" target="_blank">http://www.payvand.com/news/09/jun/1335.html</a>

 

[Thagarr]

Things are still pretty slow piratically speaking, the latest weather forecast I was able to find for Gulf of Aden has wave heights of 5-10 feet. Not exactly ideal for speed boats.

<img src="http://xs141.xs.to/xs141/09281/indi_12491.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://xs141.xs.to/xs141/09281/waveheight_ww3_legend182.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>
Pirates 'smuggling al-Qaeda fighters' into Somalia</b>
Somali Islamists bent on turning their land into an international haven for Al Qaeda are using pirate gangs to offer foreign militants safe passage into the country, The Sunday Telegraph has been told.


By Colin Freeman
Published: 8:00AM BST 05 Jul 2009

The Taliban-style Shabab group , which has already siezed control of much of the lawless nation, has enlisted the pirates' services to smuggle in al-Qaeda fighters from across the Middle East, according to Somali government ministers. They claim that up to 1,000 have arrived in recent months, swelling the ranks of the Shabab in its bid to topple the fragile US-backed administration in Mogadishu.

The warning was issued by Somali's first deputy prime minister, Professor Abdulrahman Adan Ibrahim, during a visit to London last week. He is lobbying for Britain and other Western countries to give more financial help to stamp out the piracy problem along the country's vast 2,000 mile coastline.

"The Shabab are requesting the pirates to bring people in for them," Prof Ibrahim told The Sunday Telegraph. "Somalia's borders with neighbouring countries are now tightly policed, so the only corridor for them is via the sea. The pirates smuggle them, and if anybody stops them, they just say they are passing fishermen."

Prof Ibrahim's visit came as Mogadishu witnessed some of its fiercest fighting in recent months, with around 20 people killed in clashes between government forces and the Shabab, which already controls parts of the capital. Residents spoke of corpses lying in the streets, including those of young children killed in the crossfire. Some were buried without being identified. "The streets were horrific," said Ali Muse, an ambulance service official. "We've transported 20 dead bodies and 55 injured in the latest fighting."

Until now, no clear evidence has emerged of co-operation between the Shabab and the pirates, despite widespread fears that some of the pirates' multi-million dollar ransom payments might be channeled to them. Last November, the guerilla movement declared buccaneering to be "un-Islamic", and threatened to attack a pirate gang that hijacked the Sirius Star, the $100 million Saudi oil tanker that was the pirates' biggest catch last year. Some believe, though, that this was simply a posture to ensure that pirate gangs paid the Shabab bribes to turn a blind eye, a theory backed by Prof Ibrahim.

"We are not saying that the Shabab is actually sending out their own people to do pirate operations," he said. "But we think they share some mutual interests with the pirates. The pirate gangs are bribing the Shabab not to attack them, and the Shabab are getting the pirates to bring in fighters."

Prof Ibrahim is now attempting to persuade the British government and others to provide funding to train a new, 1,000 strong version of the defunct Somali navy. The navy's commander-in-chief, Farah Ahmed Omar, has no boats at present, and has not put to sea in 23 years. But the government argues that building up a local force - backed by land units - will be a more effective long-term solution against the pirates than the international naval fleet offshore.

The picture painted by Prof Ibrahim of terrorists hitching rides in pirate skiffs across the Gulf of Aden is not universally accepted. Somali politicians have been accused of exaggerating the threat from al-Qaeda in the past, knowing that it wins the attention of Western governments in a way that clan feuding does not.

Roger Middleton, the world expert on piracy at London's Chatham House thinktank, said: "There are lots of people engaged in all kinds of gun running, people smuggling and other illicit activies in the Gulf of Aden. It is therefore not clear why the Shabab would specifically need pirate help to smuggle al-Qaeda fighters in."

However, many people do view Somalia as a potential new al-Qaeda bolthole. Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned recently that President Barack Obama's operations to squeeze the movement in both Afghanistan and Pakistan could see its fighters relocate to the Horn of Africa region. Already there are believed to be at least 500 fighters holed up in remote mountainous regions of Yemen, where they have been blamed for a spate of recent kidnappings and carbombings. Yemen lies just 200 miles across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia and is well within reach of pirate crews, who generally have little trouble evading foreign anti-piracy patrols .

"I am very worried about growing safe havens in both Somalia and Yemen, specifically because we have seen al-Qaeda leadership start to flow to Yemen," Adml Mullen told the US Brookings Institution in mid-May.

Last month, Mr Obama authorised nearly $10 million worth of arms and military training to help the Somali government quash the Shabab. Critics fear the US-donated weapons may end up falling into insurgent hands.

While most US estimates put the number of foreign fighters in Somalia at around 400, Prof Ibrahim said Somali government estimates put the figure at around 1,000. "We have seen people from Afghanistan, Pakistan and some other African countries like Kenya and the Comoros Islands," he said.

The Shabab was initially allied with the Islamic Courts Union, a relatively moderate Islamic movement which won some popularity in Mogadishu three years ago when it briefly imposed a degree of law and order on a city that plagued for years by warlords. It was seen as more effective than the Western-backed Transitional Federal Government, whose members had not even been able to sit in the capital because of security fears.

But when Ethiopian troops ousted the Islamic Courts Union in early 2007 and re-installed the TFG, the Shabab began a fierce insurgency, which has since returned the capital and much of the rest of the country to a warzone.

In Shabab-controlled regions, brutal intepretations of Sharia law are in place. In the southern town of Kismayo last autumn, a 13-year-old girl was stoned to death on trumped-up charges of adultery. And in Mogadishu last week, four men convicted of stealing mobile phones and guns were punished by having a hand and foot cut off each. A traditional curved sword was used to carry out the sentence in front of hundreds of onlookers.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/5743328/Pirates-smuggling-al-Qaeda-fighters-into-Somalia.html" target="_blank">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...to-Somalia.html</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Japanese Navy Ship Travels to Battle Somali Pirates</b>

2009-7-6 9:2

Japan dispatched its first navy vessel under the country's new anti-piracy laws on Monday. It will join international patrols in preventing more pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia.

The naval destroyer "Harusame" left the Yokosuka Naval base in the outskirts of Tokyo early on Monday morning heading for the Gulf of Aden. Japanese defense minister Yasukazu Hamada visited the base along with many local residents and family members of boarding sailors to send the ship off.

Japan already has two naval destroyers escorting ships in the Gulf of Aden. Harusame and one other destroyer are being sent to replace those patrolling there now. A new law allows Japanese navy vessels to protect ships that have no connection with Japan.

Due to the change in the mission, people who came to see off their family members showed some signs of worry.

[Hitomi Ito, Sailor's Mother]:
"I am, of course, a bit worried, but I just hope that they cancomplete their mission and come back safe."

Other family members have trouble even imagining what pirate patrols would be like.

[Makiko Nakajima, Sailor's Wife]:
"I can't really imagine it, but since they'll be fighting pirates, I am a bit uncertain.”

The Japanese navy said its ability to use weapons when it's appropriate is very crucial to the mission.

[Maso Arihara, Ship Commander]:
"Our being able to use weapons now when approached is, of course, to prevent pirate acts, and we believe that this will be effective to achievethose ends."

Japan imports more than 80 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East and a lot of it is shipped through waters at risk from piracy.

Piracy has become a major problem over the past nine months in and around the Gulf of Aden which is one of the world's busiest shipping areas.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story and video here :
<a href="http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2009-07-06/045193547612.html" target="_blank">http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/...5193547612.html</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Turkish ship falls into pirate hands off Somalia</b>


ANKARA (AFP) — Pirates on Wednesday seized a Turkish cargo ship and its all-Turkish crew of 23 off the coast of Somalia, the Anatolia news agency reported, quoting the ship's owner.

The bulk carrier Horizon 1 was sailing from Saudi Arabia to Jordan with 33,000 cubic metres of sulphide when it was seized around 0530 GMT, media reports said.

"According to the information we received, there are three unarmed pirates on board the ship," Omer Ozgur, spokesman for Istanbul-based Horizon Maritime and Trade, was quoted by Anatolia as saying.

"They are holding a meeting with the ship's captain," he added. "There is nothing to worry about. There is no reason to fear for the crew."

The Horizon 1 was continuing on its course, albeit at a slower speed, followed by the Turkish frigate Gediz which has been deployed with NATO naval forces in the region, Ozgur said.

Horizon Maritime had had no telephone contact with its ship, he added, and there is no immediate indication of a ransom demand.

Pirate attacks on shipping off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean have escalated since last year.

Last year three Turkish vessels were hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, with the last of them being released in February.

Turkey currently has two frigates in the area as part of international naval forces to crack down on pirates and Somali arms traffickers.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ijXNUTY-9opl5HQm5mIKPMzDf9tw" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...HQm5mIKPMzDf9tw</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Pirates hijack Indian Dhow near Bosasso</b>
July 11th, 2009 - 12:31 am ICT by John Le Fevre

Somali pirates have hijacked an Indian dhow with 16 crew onboard as it left the north coast port of Bosasso, in the Gulf of Aden.

Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, speculated the seizure might have the result of “a business deal that went sour”.

Abdiwahid Mohamed Hersi, director of the Puntland region’s fishing ministry, said the boat had just unloaded goods at Bosasso and was en route to Dubai. “The pirates want to use the boat to hijack other ships,” he claimed.

On Wednesday, pirates seized a Turkish ship with 23 crew members onboard carrying sulfate from Saudi Arabia to Jordan, also in the Gulf of Aden.

It was a rare attack for the season given rough sees at this time of year which make it difficult for pirates to manoeuvre the small skiffs they generally use.

World powers are stepping up their efforts to crack down on piracy off the Horn of Africa country.

Several pirate attacks occur off Somalia’s lawless coast each week despite poor weather and the presence of international warships in the Gulf of Aden. At least 11 ships are currently being held.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, and the clan militias and insurgent groups who control the coastline have little incentive to rein in pirates, who make multi-million-dollar ransoms.

As of the end of 2008 some 15 ships, three of them Turkish, had been hijacked, along with more than 300 crew.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/pirates-hijack-indian-dhow-near-bosasso_100216386.html" target="_blank">http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-..._100216386.html</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>
Somali Pirates Seize Indian Ship, Use It To Attack VLCC - NGO</b>


NAIROBI (AFP)--Somali pirates have captured a dhow with an Indian crew of 11 and used it to launch a failed attack on a supertanker in the Gulf of Aden, a Kenya-based watchdog said Monday.

The small Indian cargo vessel was hijacked Friday, only 14 nautical miles off Bosasso, the main port in Somalia's northern semi-autonomous state of Puntland.

"It was used as a mothership in an unsuccessful attack on [very large crude carrier] Elephant this morning," said Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program.

The latest capture brings to at least 15 the number of ships held by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, together with more than 200 crew.

According to Ecoterra International, an environmentalist organization monitoring illegal maritime activities in the region, a total of 145 pirate attacks, including 49 successful 'sea-jackings' have been reported in 2009.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=200907130730dowjonesdjonline000285&title=somali-pirates-seize-indian-shipuse-it-to-attack-vlcc-ngo" target="_blank">http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-ne...attack-vlcc-ngo</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Parang-Wielding Pirates Attack Singapore Tug Boat</b>

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, July 13 (Bernama) -- Masked parang-wielding pirates robbed a Singapore-registered tug boat towing a granite-ladened barge in the Straits of Singapore Sunday morning.

'Weihai 5' was towing 'Jovan 1', the barge loaded with granite from Lumut, Perak enroute here, when five pirates boarded it northeast of Helen Mar Reef in the east bound lane of the Singapore Straits from their speed boat at 2.25am.

Four of them wearing masks and armed with parangs, snatched mobile phones, money and other valuables from the six Indonesian crew on board the tug boat, according to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) here today.

In a statement, the centre said the pirates who did not harm the crew, however, damaged the communication equipment on board the tug boat before fleeing.

The master of the tug boat later reported the incident to the Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System via VHF radio.

Singapore's Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) then initiated a broadcast, warning mariners about the incident and notified the Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency.

The centre said, yesterday's piracy incident was the first reported this year that occurred off Helen Mar Reef.

Last year, seven incidents were reported in the vicinity.

Of these, five incidents involved tug boats and the rest involved a tanker and a general cargo ship.

The centre has advised shipmasters and crew to maintain extra vigilance as the trend from past incidents indicated that the pirates were likely to strike in succession and move on to another location.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=424954" target="_blank">http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=424954</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Somali Pirates Abandon Indian Ship, Crew Unharmed</b>
By VOA News
15 July 2009

Gulf of Aden and Somalia
Somali pirates have abandoned an Indian ship after using it to attack an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden.

A European Union anti-piracy force said pirates who hijacked the Indian dhow earlier this week abandoned the ship Wednesday and left its 14 crew members unharmed.

Naval officials said the pirates left the ship about 24 kilometers off the Somali coast.

After hijacking the Indian dhow, the pirates used the ship in a failed attack on a Liberian-flagged supertanker on Monday.

The EU naval force said one of its helicopters helped stop the attack.

Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the last two years, often receiving ransom payments of more than a million dollars for a ship's release.

The United States, China, NATO and other world powers are conducting naval patrols off the Somali coast in an effort to protect commercial shipping.

The hijackings have tailed off in recent weeks because of monsoon rains in the Gulf of Aden and eastern Indian Ocean.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-15-voa34.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-15-voa34.cfm</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Indian, French navies jointly rescue Indian crew from pirates in Gulf of Aden</b>

www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-17 00:31:03

NEW DELHI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Indian and French navies jointly rescued a 14-member Indian crew on board an Indian vessel hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden Wednesday, said the Press Trust of India quoting Navy sources Thursday.

The combined action by the two navies patrolling the pirate-infested waters forced seven pirates holding the crew at gun point to release them without any ransom and to abandon the vessel, said the report.

The operation took place near Bab el Mandeb on Wednesday after the French warship had thwarted the sea pirates' attempts to capture a Liberian merchant vessel by using the hijacked Indian vessel as a mother ship, said the report.

The vessel, or dhow, was taken over by the pirates on July 10, 10 nautical miles off Boosaaso in Puntland, Somalia, when it was on its way to Dubai after off-loading cargo at a Somali harbor.

The rescue took place after the French warship belonging to the European Union Naval Force), which was in the vicinity, received an SOS call from the Liberian tanker, which was being fired upon by the pirates, said the report.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/17/content_11720993.htm" target="_blank">http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/...nt_11720993.htm</a>

 

[Thagarr]

<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>Somali pirates release German ship, crew</b>
Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:13:54 GMT

A German ship and its crew held for three months by Somali pirates have been released after pirates were paid a ransom of USD 1.8 million, Somali hijackers say.

"We have released the ship and its crew overnight after receiving a ransom of one million and eight hundred dollars. It is free now and gone," Mohamed Abdi, a pirate in Eyl in Somalia's Puntland region told AFP by phone.

The only German vessel the hijackers were still holding was Hansa Stavanger seized on April 4. Twenty-four crew, including five Germans and the ship's captain were held as captive by the hostage-takers.

"The German ship was released overnight by the pirates and it moved but I don't know what has been paid to the pirates," Abdulahi Garaad Mohamed, an elder in Eyl said.

Somali hijackers attacked more than 130 merchant ships off Somalia last year, a rise of more than 200 percent on 2007, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre.

The world's naval powers have deployed dozens of warships to the lawless waters off Somalia over the past year in a bid to curb attacks on one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=100989&sectionid=351020501" target="_blank">http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=10098...ionid=351020501</a>

 

[Thagarr]

Somalia: Puntland releases suspected pirates
Friday, July 17th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
By: Mohamed Osman
Horseed Media


This week four suspected Somali pirates were released from Bosaso jail, while a journalist was beaten up by guards for taking pictures in the court room.

On Wednesday the trail of four suspected pirates convened in the coastal town of Bosaso.

In Bosaso jail more than 60 suspected pirates are still awaiting their day in court.

These suspected pirates were captured by the NATO forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden and then handed over to the Puntland administration (Northeastern Somalia). So far half of the suspected pirates are sentenced to jail terms.

Assault in a court room

Journalists and other guests were invited by the Puntland government to attend the hearing, on Wednesday.

Though before the hearing could start the court room turned chaotic, when several guards in the court room attacked a journalists working for Horseed Media.

The journalist took some pictures of the government's prosecutor Ahmed Taaran, as he was talking to the relatives of the defendants.

The Journalist, Aweys Haji Nur sustained minor injuries after the Prosecutor's private bodyguards beat him up in the court room.

The guards who attacked the journalist started their assault when the prosecutor Ahmed Taaran asked not to be photographed while he dealt with the relatives of the defendants in the court room.

According to Aweys, the guards were against the pictures that he took of the Prosecutor Mr.Ahmed engaged in a long conversation with the relatives of the defendants just before the hearing started.

"….they continued to beat me up, with Ak 47 rifles even after I showed them, that I have deleted the pictures….." says Aweys who was upset that none of the Puntland officials including the judge did not intervened, the assault in the court room.

In Puntland the media is allowed to cover and broadcast in the court room, during the hearing and sentencing. Most of the times the Puntland administration invites the journalists to cover the trails of suspected pirates.

"…the behaviour of the prosecutor was strange ordering the attack in the court room, even without the consent of the judge..…but he did got away with it…." says Abdirashid Ali who attended the hearing.

The release of suspects

On Thursday, the four suspected pirates were released from Bosaso jail, no further information were given to the media.

"… I believe the release of these men might be linked with the prosecutor Ahmed Taaran, who didn't wanted to be seen mingling with some of the relatives of the pirates….Many people in Bosaso will tell you it is not the first time that the prosecutor releases people with out a proper trail….." Says Mr.Ali.

When Horseed Media tried to contact the Judge Mohamed Aware who presided the case, he was not available to take the call.

One court, One Judge and One prosecutor


Puntland administration currently has only one court that it uses to trail suspected pirates, which is Bosaso district court.

Puntland's Minister of Justice Abdirisak Gesod told Horseed Media in an interview, that they use Bosaso court for such trails because of security reasons.

The court has one permanent judge Mohamed Abdi Aware and one single prosecutor Ahmed Taaran. Many people question whether such a court can handle both civil and criminal cases in the biggest city of Puntland region.

No international backing to combat piracy

Abdurahman Farole, Puntland President who is currently visiting London, blamed the international community for not supporting his administration financially with their plans to combat piracy.

In an interview with the BBC Somali service President Farole, said that his administration successfully prosecuted and sentenced some Somali pirates without any help from the international community.

The pirates den 'Eyl'


President Farole, who's birth town of Eyl is named the pirates den of Somalia, said he was using the help of religious and clan elders to convince those pirates in Eyl to stop their piracy activities. He says this approach is working.

Still Somali pirates continue to attack vessels off the coast of Somalia.

On the latest hijacking, Somali pirates successfully hijacked a small boat from India, just miles off the coast of Bosaso, the commercial capital of Puntland.

The pirates forced the boat towards Bab el Mandeb, north of Somalia, and tried to hijack MVA Elephant, a Liberian tanker on Monday.

The small boat was later freed on Wednesday after a joint operation by the Indian and French navies.

Original story here :
http://english.horse...ews/22491.shtml

 

[Thagarr]

Malaysia Police Arrest Indonesian Pirates In Mid-Robbery



KUALA LUMPUR (AFP)--Malaysian marine police have arrested five Indonesian pirates who were robbing a Honduran-registered ship, a senior official said Wednesday.

The pirates, who wore masks and were armed with machetes, attacked the vessel off the south Malaysian state of Johor near the Singapore Strait early on Tuesday, Johor's chief of marine police, Khamsani Abdul Rahman, said.

"We received a tip-off on the attack and we managed to arrest the Indonesian attackers as they were robbing the ship.

"The suspects are aged between 17 and 40 years old. But one managed to escape by jumping into the sea," he said.

Khamsani said the pirates tied up the ship's Indonesian captain and 15 Thai crew members but police managed to surprise the pirates as they were looting the ship.

Police seized four machetes, masks and binoculars from the pirates.

The pirates, who entered Malaysian waters legally, were probably involved in previous incidents such as a July 12 attack on a Singapore-registered tug boat in the Singapore Straits, said Khamsani.

"Based on their modus operandi, we believe that this group is linked to the Singapore case," he said.

In February, Malaysian marine commandos arrested seven suspected Indonesian pirates after a dramatic high-seas chase in the nearby Malacca Strait.

More than 30% of world trade and half the world's oil shipments pass through the Malacca Strait, which straddles Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Piracy in the strait has declined in recent years but there are concerns the global financial crisis could lead to a rise in incidents.

Original story here :
http://www.nasdaq.co...-in-mid-robbery

 

[Thagarr]

FACTBOX-Ships held by Somali pirates
Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:23am EDT

(Updates with new details on Indian dhow)

July 20 (Reuters) - Somali pirates received a $1.8 million ransom for the release of a German-owned vessel and its 11-member crew, pirate sources and officials said at the weekend.

The 146-metre MV Victoria, an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on May 5 while on its way to the port of Jeddah.

Last week Somali pirates abandoned a dhow and its 14 member Indian crew after using the hijacked ship to attack an oil tanker, a European Union anti-piracy force said. Pirates had seized the Nefya on July 11 and used it to launch a failed attack two days later on the 265,000-tonne, Liberian-flagged oil tanker "A Elephant".

Here are details of some ships believed to be under pirate control and some facts about the increase in piracy:



MASINDRA 7: Seized on Dec. 16, 2008. The Malaysian-owned tugboat, was seized with a barge off the Yemeni coast. The tug has 11 Indonesian crew.

SERENITY: The catamaran sailing for Madagascar from the Seychelles with three people aboard, was seized in March 2009.

INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: Seized March 2009. The 35-metre boat was built in Hamburg as an oceanographic research vessel. It accommodates about 12 passengers. Pirates have freed the seven crew.

HANSA STAVANGER: Seized April 4, 2009. The 20,000-tonne German container vessel was captured about 400 miles off the southern Somali port of Kismayu, between the Seychelles and Kenya. The vessel had a German captain and three Russians, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos on board.

WIN FAR 161: Taiwanese tuna boat, seized April 6, 2009.

SAMARA AHMED: Seized April 10, 2009. The Egyptian fishing vessel was detained with 16 crew.

MOMTAZ 1: Seized April 10, 2009. The Egyptian fishing vessel was detained with 18 crew.

BUCCANEER: Seized April 11, 2009. The Italian tugboat, owned by Micoperi Marine Contractors, was carrying 10 Italians, five Romanians and a Croatian, and was seized towing two barges while travelling westbound through the Gulf of Aden.

IRENE E.M.: Seized April 13, 2009. The St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged Greek-owned bulk carrier was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. Its Filipino crew of 21 was unharmed.

ARIANA: Seized May 2, 2009. The Ariana was seized north of Madagascar en route to the Middle East from Brazil. The 24-strong Ukrainian crew were said to be unhurt. The ship, flying a Maltese flag, belongs to All Oceans shipping in Greece. A Ukrainian ship was hijacked on the same day in the Indian Ocean with a cargo including U.N. vehicles. Maritime officials were unable to confirm this seizure.

CHARELLE: Seized on June 12, 2009. The 2,800-tonne cargo ship carrying about nine crew, was attacked 60 miles south of Oman. Lloyds reported the vessel was owned by shipping firm Tarmstedt International.

HORIZON-1: Seized on July 8, 2009. The 34,173 dwt bulk carrier, believed to be carrying sulphate, was hijacked with 23 Turkish crew aboard.



* PIRACY KEY FACTS:

-- Piracy attacks around the world more than doubled to 240 from 114 during the first six months of the year compared with the same period in 2008, the ICC International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB) said on July 15.

-- The rise in overall numbers is due almost entirely to increased Somali pirate activity off the Gulf of Aden and east coast of Somalia, with 86 and 44 incidents reported respectively.

-- In 2008, there were 111 incidents including 42 vessels hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. So far in 2009, there have been 31 successful hijackings by Somali pirates including one attack off Oman's coast.

-- Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.

Sources: Reuters/Ecoterra International/International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre/Lloyds List/Inquirer.net

Original story here :
http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSLK59997

 

[Thagarr]

Navy battles 14 boats which tried to seize Yemeni tanke
[22/July/2009]

HODAIDAH, July 22 (Saba) – Yemeni marine troops have foiled an attempted pirate attack, the fiercest ever, on a Yemeni oil tanker when 14 pirate boats approached the tanker in the Red Sea seeking to take over it.

The tanker, Yemen Oil 7, was en route from the southern Aden port to the western Hodeidah port when pirates attacked it on Tuesday noon, the state-run 26sep.net citing sources at the navy reported.

The marines surrounded the pirates and clashed with them forcing them to flee out of Yemeni regional waters.

The tanker continued its voyage safely, with Yemeni marines broadening their combing to foil other possible attacks by notorious Somali pirates.

Early this month, marine forces thwarted three attempted pirate attacks against Yemeni oil tankers in the Red Sea.

In April, three Somali pirates were killed and 12 others seized after Yemeni marine forces rescued oil tankers which were attacked off the pirate-plagued Gulf of Aden.

Yemen has received a number of pirates who were arrested by international forces patrolling the Indian Ocean on anti-piracy mission. Some have gone on trials.

Last week, 22 African people appeared in a Yemeni court, facing piracy charges.

Pirates have recently stepped up their attacks off Somalia attacking more than 150 ships during the last few years. More than 40 vessels were already arrested along with crews onboard. Pirates usually demand ransoms, millions of dollars, to free what they seize.

Many world countries have recently expressed their concern about soaring piracy off Somalia, sending anti-piracy taskforces to the region.

Original story here :
http://www.sabanews.net/en/news189637.htm

 

[Thagarr]

I am a little surprised it has taken this long for someone to really start using barbed wire, there were a few reports a few months ago about it being effective, but this is really the first large scale effort I have seen.

Barbed wire to stop pirates
Danish shipowners are introducing barbed wire on vessels passing through pirate-infested waters off Somalia.

Simple but effective. Denmark's Clipper Group has introduced barbed wire on all its vessels passing the pirate-infested waters off Somalia. - Foto: Clipper Group A/S

Danish shipowners whose vessels pass through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden are introducing barbed wire on their vessels to prevent piracy or at least to delay boarding pirates until naval help can arrive.

According to Politiken, Denmark's global Clipper Group tested the method on its CEC Accord vessel last week.

"It is very effective," says Clipper Group CEO Per Gullestrup, who adds that results of the tests have caused the Group to introduce barbed wire on all of its vessels passing the Gulf.

"It's so cheap that there's just no excuse not to do it," Gullestrup says.

The Clipper Group is one of the first lines to introduce the method. One of the world's largest container lines A.P. Møller-Mærsk of Denmark says that it is also studying various security methods to stop piracy, including barbed wire. According to Politiken's information, barbed wire has already been installed on some of the company's vessels.

Delay
The Danish Shipowners Association supports the initiative.

"It is important to take initiatives. This is something that has been discussed over the past six months and Clipper is among the first to introduce it," says Association spokesman René Piil Pedersen.

The introduction of barbed wire is designed to delay pirates from boarding so that naval vessels patrolling the area have time to reach ships under attack.

"As soon as a helicopter arrives, the pirates withdraw. But if they manage to board a vessel, the battle has been lost," Gullestrup says.

Original story here :
http://politiken.dk/...ticle757044.ece

 

[Thagarr]

Turkish frigate captures 5 Somali pirates
Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:23:36 GMT

Turkish commandos capture five pirates in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia.

The Turkish military says its navy commandos aboard the Turkish frigate TCG Gediz, raided a Somali pirates' skiff and captured five of them.

The Turkish frigate, a part of a UN-led force to prevent pirates from hijacking foreign ships off the coast of Somalia, captured the pirates who were feared to be preparing to seize another ship on Friday.

The Turkish military said a navy helicopter aboard a second Turkish frigate, the TCG Gaziantep, also took part in the operation.

A Turkish ship was seized last week by Somali pirates with 23 crew members aboard. Pirates are still in negotiations with the ship's owners over the ransom.

Original story here:
http://www.presstv.i...ionid=351020501