Thagarr's Pirate News!

[Thagarr]

Spain captures 8 suspected Somali pirates

MADRID (Reuters) - The Spanish navy captured eight suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia on Sunday as part of Europe's anti-piracy mission in the area, the Defense Ministry said.

The Spanish frigate Victoria captured a whaleboat and various skiffs, on which the ministry said arms and other materials suitable for use in pirate attacks were discovered.

Under instructions from Europe's anti-piracy "Operation Atalanta," the Spanish navy destroyed the whaler and took its eight crew on a skiff toward the Somali coast, the ministry said in a statement.

Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have stepped up hijacking attacks on vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransom, despite the presence of dozens of foreign naval vessels.

European defense ministries agreed on Sunday to extend their anti-piracy mission in the area beyond 2010, Spain's Defense Ministry said in a separate note.

Operation Atalanta has so far dismantled 21 rings involving 250 criminals and destroyed 30 skiffs and 11 mother ships, including the capture earlier on Sunday, it said.

Original story here :
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/25/AR2010042502217.html

 

[Thagarr]

Somalia rebels battle pirates, government troops

Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN) -- Islamist rebels advanced on a pirate haven in central Somalia and battled government troops in Mogadishu in a clash that killed at least 10 people, ambulance crews and a local journalist reported Sunday.

Fighters from the al Qaeda-linked militia al-Shabaab were advancing on Harardhere, the pirate stronghold on the Somali coast, a local journalist in contact with pirate sources told CNN. The pirates recently captured a boat loaded with weapons from Yemen that were intended for the militia, and had stopped paying bribes to the Islamists, said the journalist, whose identity is not being disclosed for security reasons.

The journalist said a spokesman for al-Shabaab, which is trying to topple Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government, said the Islamists are only a few kilometers from Harardhere. The journalist reported that the pirates appeared to be retreating from Harardhere to the port town of Hobyo, Somalia with their captured ships.

No further details were immediately available, and the European Union naval force that patrols the waters off Somalia said it had no information about the situation.

U.N. reports have found that Yemen is a source for arms shipments into Somalia despite a longstanding U.N. embargo on weapons. The Yemeni government, which is battling its own al Qaeda uprising, has attempted to crack down on arms dealing within its territory but also faces an influx of Somali refugees.

The advance on Harardhere, about 430 km (270 miles) north of Mogadishu, came the same day a clash between al-Shabaab fighters and government forces left at least 10 people dead and 40 wounded, ambulance crews reported. Heavy shelling followed an attempt by government troops to ambush al-Shabaab fighters, witnesses reported.

Al-Shabaab has ties to al Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, but it has taken control of much of Mogadishu and southern Somalia.

The fighting has escalated a long-running humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa nation, which has not had an effective central government since 1991.

Original story here :
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/04/25/somalia.pirates/

 

[Thagarr]

Somali militants run pirates out of town

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Fighters from Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked militant group moved into the northern region where Somali pirates operate early yesterday, residents said, forcing pirates to flee in an apparent attempt by the insurgents to close down the piracy trade.

The pirate gang holding a kidnapped British couple fled into a forest to escape, a self-proclaimed pirate chieftain said.

Paul and Rachel Chandler were bundled into a car after militants neared the town of Haradhere, said Maslah Yare, who leads the pirate gang that is holding the couple.

Somali pirates and insurgents are two separate groups. If Al Shabab militants take control of pirate strongholds, the 300-plus foreign hostages that pirates hold could be in greater danger. Yare said the Chandlers — who are in their 50s — were walking deep into a forest and away from the Islamist militants.

A spokesman from the militant group could not be reached for comment. But a witness, businessman Ahmed Salad, said an advance team of Al Shabab militants entered the pirate lair in two vehicles about midnight Sunday after they had routed moderate Islamists from villages nearby. He said the militants withdrew a short while later.

The pirate lairs are generally in northern coastal villages, while Al Shabab operates mostly in southern and central Somalia.

A second resident of Haradhere said pirates have started to withdraw from the city to another pirate den called Hobyo.

“The town is nearly empty after pirates have left it,’’ said businessman Yusuf Arush. “It is calm but tense.’’

As Haradhere became a pirate stronghold in recent years, vices arrived alongside the millions of dollars in ransoms pirates have raked in. The drugs, alcohol, and prostitution that now thrive in Haradhere are vehemently opposed by Al Shabab, an ultraconservative Islamist militia that carries out lashings, stonings, and amputations as punishment.

Original story here :
http://www.boston.com/news/world/af.../27/somali_militants_run_pirates_out_of_town/

And this ...

EU NAVFOR Dutchman Seize Two Pirate Boats

Northwood, Middlesex--(ENEWSPF)--26 April 2010. On Saturday 24 of April EU NAVFOR Dutch warship HNLMS Johan de Witt prevented yet another pirate group from leaving the Somali coast and confiscated their vessel.

After four days of counter piracy operations, this is the second pirate boat, so called whalers, on her flight deck. A good start for a patrol that’s slightly different from others Major Theo Mestrini explains:

“This morning, we spotted a whaler, near the Somali coast. It was very close to one of the pirate camps where we had seen activities during the night. After Commanding Officer approval, we approached the whaler. The crew was totally surprised and looked confused. Soon it was clear that this whaler was equipped to be used for pirating. They were ready to set sail to the ocean, but we prevented it!”

This was the second event in four days of patrolling in the area. Two whalers were lifted on board of Johan de Witt and 5 crewmembers of the whaler were sent safely back to the shore.

HNLMS Johan de Witt is the newest and biggest ship of the Royal Netherlands Navy. She can operate near the coast, greatly enhancing EU NAVFOR’s new strategy.

“It’s a new concept and to be honest, the ship was not designed for it. But it shows the flexibility of the ship, the craft and, of course, her crew; they are the ones that do the job!” Commanding Officer Ben Bekkering states.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of African Unions Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Original story here :
http://www.enewspf.com/index.php/la...50-eu-navfor-dutchman-seize-two-pirate-boats-

 

[Thagarr]

The French are at it again, Vive La France!

French warship sinks pirate mother ship off Somalia

French warship has destroyed a pirate mother ship some 438 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, the EU Naval Force Public Affairs Office has said.

The Nivose light surveillance frigate “found, stopped and searched” a suspicious vessel and two supporting skiffs on Thursday afternoon. The search revealed that the vessel was a pirate mother ship.

A total of 11 suspected pirates were arrested and the mother ship was destroyed.

The EU anti-piracy operation, dubbed Atalanta, has been patrolling shipping routes off the Horn of Africa from Somali pirates since December 2008 to deal with pirates, who thrive off the coast of Somalia.

Naval warships and aircraft from the U.K., Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden have been involved in actively escorting commercial ships through the Gulf of Aden. The operation has been extended by the European Council until December 2010.

In a report to the UN Security Council issued last year, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said international anti-piracy operations off Somalia have led to a decline in the number of successful ship seizures in the region.

But many analysts believe that piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established in Somalia. The east African nation has been without a fully functioning government since 1991.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates attacked 217 vessels and seized 47 of them last year.

Original story here :
http://horseedmedia.net/2010/04/french-warship-sinks-pirate-mother-ship-off-somalia/

 

[Thagarr]

This is a disturbing article. It's not just Somali's and terrorists who are profiting from piracy ...looks like things are pretty much spread out all over the planet.

Some Somali-Canadians get cut of pirate ransom: expert

Funds going to and from Ottawa Somali community, conference told

Some Somali-Canadians have received a cut of the ransoms collected by pirates operating off the Horn of Africa, and money may have been sent back to Somalia to fund other hijackings, according to an intelligence specialist on piracy.

Karsten von Hoesslin, a senior analyst for Risk Intelligence, told naval officers from Pacific Ocean nations gathered in Victoria for a three-day maritime security conference, that the transfer of ransom money has been tracked from Somalia to Ottawa and a number of other locations that are home to Somali communities.

"It's coming to Ottawa, it's in London and Nairobi," he said. "We know where the money is going."

Risk Intelligence is a Danishbased firm that provides advice and information about piracy, organized crime and terrorism to companies and governments. Its analysts have made trips to Somalia to gather information.

Since January, there have been 65 attacks on ships off the coast of Somalia. Pirates have seized 17 vessels and have taken 362 hostages.

Shipping companies almost always pay for the release of crews and vessels. Ransoms range from $3 million to $7 million a ship.

Von Hoesslin declined to offer specifics about where the ransom money is going in the Somali community in Ottawa. "There is money going both ways to and from Ottawa," he added.

He said that there is the potential that some of the money that Somali-Canadians send back to the region is "to invest in the piracy syndicates."

Piracy off the Horn of Africa is big business, with Somali individuals and communities investing in pirate ventures. Pirates are provided with food, supplies and transportation all on credit, von Hoesslin explained. When the ransoms are paid, the investors and suppliers all receive a cut, he added.

Von Hoesslin said in one case a Somali security official working for Risk Intelligence was offered a chance to invest in a piracy operation for $5,000 US. The man declined, but acknowledged if he had gone through with the investment he would have made a large profit, von Hoesslin said.

Rest of the story here :
http://www.vancouversun.com/Some+Somali+Canadians+pirate+ransom+expert/2970023/story.html

 

[Thagarr]

A bit of an update on the woman rescued from a life raft after a pirate attack in the Caribbean :

Upgraded pirate warning for Paria Peninsula Venezuela

An upgraded pirate warning has been issued by the Caribbean Safety and Security Net after more facts have been released about the recent death by pirates of a cruising sailor and the rescue of his wife from a life raft:

Melodye Pompa issued this statement on their behalf: The north coast of Venezuela, the Paria Peninsula in particular, continues to be the single most dangerous cruising grounds in the Caribbean, according to the reports I receive. This has been the case for twelve years and continues in that form. It behooves all of us to urge every sailor we know to avoid that coastline.

While all facts are still not known about the circumstances of the pirate attack, the couple and their yacht have been identified in a report from the Coast Guard at the Naval Base Perera in Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

Early reports told of a woman being rescued from a life raft by a passing cargo ship, the San Fernando. She told the crew she had been drifting for 13 days and that her dead husband had been lying for some of those days on the raft beside her. However the yacht, now identified as the Spirit of Cologne II, was discovered off the coast of Venezuela with the husband's body still on board.

The San Fernando had then taken the woman for medical treatment to the port of Curacao, where she was delivered into the hands of the Coastguard, given treatment for sun blisters, and greeted by the consul for Germany, Bas Kooijman.

Since then the Coastguard has made a statement which it has circulated to other authorities in the Caribbean area, containing the following information:

'The name of the boat is 'Spirit of Cologne II', home port Koln, Germany. It was attacked on Saturday 3rd April, one mile off the North coast of Venezuela along the Paria de Peninsula. The wife's name is Angelica Ropke-Wiels, German. During the attack the husband, Hans Jorgen Ropke was shot and killed.

'After the assailants left, Mrs Ropke stayed on the boat trying to sail in a northerly direction for four days. As all communication equipment was removed she could contact no one. She eventually abandoned the boat in favour of her liferaft and drifted away from the boat which was left floating and seemingly in good condition. She was picked up on 16th April 2010 at approx 10.35am by a merchant vessel at position 13 16 01N 67 51 01W, a location to the north east of the island of Curacao.'

There is no information as to why the sailor eventually abandoned the boat in favour of her liferaft or why she headed in a northerly direction after the attack.

Original story here :
http://www.sail-world.com/USA/Upgraded-pirate-warning-for-Paria-Peninsula-Venezuela/69081

 

[Thagarr]

Somali Insurgent Group Seizes Pirate Stronghold

The Somali insurgent group Hizbul Islam has seized control of Harardheere, a pirate stronghold on Somalia's eastern coast.

Witnesses say insurgents driving at least 10 armed vehicles entered Harardheere without a fight Sunday, after pirates fled the town.

Men who describe themselves as pirates say Hizbul Islam sent agents to the town on Friday, demanding a cut of the pirates' business.

They say pirate leaders had ignored the request, prompting Hizbul Islam to send in its fighters.

There was no immediate word on the fate of hijacked ships that had been anchored off Harardheere.

Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars seizing ships for ransom over the last few years. The pirates are currently believed to be holding 24 ships in all, with about 400 crew members.

Some of the ships are anchored off Hobyo, another pirate haven to the north. Witnesses say pirates from Harardheere may have fled there ahead of the Hizbul takeover.

Hizbul and fellow insurgent group al-Shabab have been fighting the fragile Somali government for three years. The groups control large parts of southern and central Somalia and portions of the capital, Mogadishu.

The two Islamist groups were once allies but broke apart last year in a dispute over another port town, Kismayo.

Original story here :
http://www1.voanews.com/english/new...-Group-Seizes-Pirate-Stronghold-92621624.html

 

[Thagarr]

Somali pirates hijack Yemeni cargo ship

(Reuters) - Somali pirates have seized a cargo vessel off the coast of Yemen, and are believed to be holding the crew of nine Yemeni sailors, Yemen's Defense Ministry website said Tuesday.

The Yemeni ship was captured by the Somali pirates after setting sail from the Yemeni port of Mukalla on its way to the port of Aden, the Interior Ministry said, without saying what the ship was carrying or when it was seized.

Yemen's coast guard said it had information indicating that the vessel was being held at a northern Somali port. The coast guard was now making efforts to get the ship released, said the Defense Ministry website.

Heavily armed Somali pirates have increased their attacks in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by hijacking ships in the Indian Ocean and the strategic Gulf of Aden, through which an estimated 7 percent of world oil consumption passes.

Original story here :
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6432FY20100504

 

[Thagarr]

Somali pirates board oil tanker; warship en route


NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates armed with automatic weapons boarded an oil tanker with $50 million of oil on Wednesday but the ship's Russian crew locked themselves into a safe room to wait for a Russian warship rushing to the scene, a European Union Naval spokesman said.

The pirates launched the attack on the Liberian-flagged ship, which is named the Moscow University, at dawn. Cmdr. John Harbour, the EU Naval Force spokesman, said the crew evaded the pirates for several hours while sending out distress calls. They locked themselves in a secure room when the pirates boarded.

A maritime patrol aircraft flew over the 106,000 ton ship on Wednesday afternoon but it was not moving, said Harbour. It is unclear if pirates or the 23 Russian crew retained control of the ship. The ship is carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil, worth roughly $50 million.

A Russian warship was heading to the ship at full speed but had not arrived by nightfall, Harbour said. He declined to say how long the warship would take to arrive or what action it might take, citing security.

"We think it's unlikely that they would use explosives to try to force open the door," said Harbour. "Pirates know killing or injuring crew members would up the stakes considerably."

If crew members were hurt, he warned, the Russians could respond "very robustly."

There was no word on the crew's condition. Safe rooms are typically stocked with food, water and communications equipment and have reinforced metal doors that can only be opened from the inside if locked.

The attack occurred about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of the Somali coast. The ship was not registered with the Maritime Security Center, said Harbour. The ship's route was from the Red Sea to China, the ship's owner said.

The owner, Novoship, said in a statement that the captain sent a distress call to the Russian anti-submarine warship the Marshal Shaposhnikov before communications were severed. It said the pirates attacked using automatic weapons.

Novoship is a subsidiary of Sovcomflot, which is owned by the Russian government.

In February, Danish special forces prevented the hijacking of a ship after pirates had boarded the Ariella. Special forces from the Danish Absalon boarded the ship while the crew locked themselves in a secure room.

But naval interventions have also faced criticism.

On Wednesday, a French prosecutor said a French rescuer was responsible for killing the skipper of a sailboat hijacked by Somali pirates during a rescue operation.

Chief prosecutor Hever Pavy in the western French city of Rennes said investigators found a French military bullet had killed Florent Lemacon in April 2009 when a special intervention team came to rescue his yacht, the Tanit, off the Somali coast.

Four other hostages were saved after a week on the hijacked ship. Three suspected pirates who survived the rescue operation are on trial in France.

Pirates currently hold more than 300 hostages taken from ships attacked off East Africa in the last several months. Eleven suspected Somali pirates were indicted in U.S. federal court late last month, but the international community has had problems formulating an accepted policy to try and jail pirate suspects.

Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula said Wednesday that Kenya is renegotiating several agreements signed with the U.S, Canada and European Union to prosecute and jail pirates.

Kenya in 2008 signed agreements to prosecute and detain Somali pirates captured by international warships patrolling Indian Ocean waters off the Somali coast.

Wetangula said he gave notice two weeks ago of Kenya's unwillingness to continue prosecuting and incarcerating Somali pirates because some of the countries that agreed to give financial support to Kenya's strained justice system had failed to do so.

"We have fulfilled our obligations but some of our partners haven't," Wetangula told reporters. He declined to name specific countries. "What we will not do or we will not accept is a situation where we are single-handedly, as a country, carrying the responsibility for fighting piracy when piracy affects everybody."

Kenya needs financial assistance to hire Somali interpreters and build prison facilities for pirates, he said. One sticking point is what happens to pirates after their jail terms are up.

"We have accepted them, prosecuted them and sent them to jail. Somebody else must receive them after their jail terms and these are the issues we are discussing with the countries that captured them and brought them here," he said.

Original story here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD9FGQU402

 

[Thagarr]

Russian special forces storm oil tanker, free ship

By KATHARINE HOURELD (AP)

ABOARD THE HSwMS CARLSKRONA — Russian special forces rappelled onto a disabled oil tanker taken over by Somali pirates, freeing 23 Russian sailors and arresting the pirates during a dawn raid Thursday, the commander of the EU Naval Force said.

The raid against the Liberian-flagged ship Moscow University came 24 hours after pirates had taken the ship over and the crew locked itself in a safe room. The vessel is carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil worth about $50 million.

The special forces had been aboard the Russian anti-submarine destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov, which rushed to the scene after Wednesday's attack. The special forces boarded a helicopter and rappelled down to the Moscow University, Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist, force commander of the EU Naval Force, told The Associated Press.

Shots were fired during the raid but no one was injured, Thornqvist said.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Alexei Kuznetsov said the pirates are being held aboard the tanker. Russian news agencies reported the death of one pirate during the raid, but Kuznetsov told AP that information was still being looked into.

The crew of the Moscow University had previously told officials they believed the pirates were trying to enter the engine room, Thornqvist said. The ship had been disabled and was not moving. Safe rooms, where crews seek shelter, are typically stocked with food, water and communications equipment and have reinforced doors that can only be opened from the inside.

The ship's owner, Novoship, said in a statement that the decision to free the ship was made knowing "that the crew was under safe cover inaccessible to the pirates and that the lives and health of the sailors was not threatened by anything."

Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force, called the rescue "an excellent operation all around." He said the EU Naval Force had been working at a tactical level with the Russians, and that EU Naval Force personnel talked to the Russian crew by VHF radio. He said the EU had offered support to the Russians.

The attack occurred about 500 miles (800 kilometers) east of the Somali coast. The ship was not registered with the Maritime Security Center, said Harbour. The ship's route was from the Red Sea to China, the ship's owner said.

Novoship is a subsidiary of Sovcomflot, which is owned by the Russian government.

The fact that Russian special forces stormed the Moscow University shortly after it was taken over is in line with a trend by international military forces who are more aggressively combating piracy.

Rest of the story here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD9FH5TKO0

And also this...

EU naval force stops fleeing pirate skiff, arrests 12

NAIROBI, May 6 (Xinhua) -- European Union's anti-piracy mission said its warship's disabling fire stopped fleeing pirate skiff and arrested 12 Somali pirates about 400 nautical miles northwest of Seychelles on Wednesday.

EU Naval Force spokesman John Harbour said the Swedish Maritime Patrol Aircraft detected a Pirate Action Group (PAG) about 400 nautical miles northwest of Seychelles and sent French warship La Fayette to the position to intercept the PAG. "Later in the afternoon, FS La Fayette found the PAG, consisting of one Whaler and two skiffs with a total of 12 suspected pirates. The mother ship and one skiff stopped immediately when ordered to do so, but the remaining skiff tried to escape," Harbour said.

According to Harbour, a marksman from Lafayette was able to stop the fleeing skiff with disabling fire which destroyed both engines and arrested all pirates.

"Onboard the skiff was a quantity of arms and ladders and these have been seized. The EU NAVFOR Dutch warship Johan De Witt was close by and is providing assistance to the operation," he said.

Kenya shares its southern border with Somalia, whose coastline has been infected with piracy in recent years.

More than 160 pirate attacks were reported in the waters off Somalia from the beginning of last year.

Pirate attacks off the Somali coast have continued despite the presence of several warships, deployed by navies of the NATO, the European Union, Russia, China, Republic of Korea and India, in the region to protect cargo and cruise ships against piracy.

Original story here :
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-05/06/c_13280622.htm

 

[Thagarr]

Almost makes me wish for a return to the days of the Gulags!

Russia says pirates who held tanker are freed

By JIM HEINTZ (AP)

MOSCOW — The pirates seized by a Russian warship off the coast of Somalia have been released because of "imperfections" in international law, Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday.

Authorities initially said the pirates would be brought to Russia to face criminal charges after hijacking a Russian oil tanker. But Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Alexei Kuznetsov told The Associated Press on Friday that the pirates have been released.

Kuznetsov declined to elaborate on the purported legal flaws that prompted the release.

The Law of the Seas Convention, to which Russia is a signatory, says that the courts of a country that seizes a pirated vessel on the high seas has the right to decide what penalties are to be imposed. However, some countries are wary of hauling in pirates for trial for fear of being saddled with them after they serve prison terms.

Kuznetsov appeared to echo those concerns when asked why the pirates who seized the tanker were released.

"Why should we feed some pirates?" he said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday had hinted at potential tough punishment for the pirates, saying "perhaps we should get back to the idea of establishing an international court and other legal tools" to prosecute pirates. "Until then, we'll have to do what our forefathers did when they met the pirates," he said.

The pirates boarded the tanker Moscow University on Wednesday. They were arrested Thursday after special forces from a Russian warship stormed the tanker. A gunbattle ensued in which one pirate was killed; 10 others were arrested.

The warship opened with warning fire from large-caliber machine guns and a 30mm artillery complex, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Special forces troops then rappelled down to the tanker from a helicopter, Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist, the European Union Naval Force commander, told an Associated Press reporter aboard the Swedish warship Carlskrona, which was patrolling 500 miles (800 kilometers) west of the rescue site.

The tanker's 23 crew members, who had taken refuge in a safe room, were not injured.

Suspected pirates are in custody and awaiting trial in France, the Netherlands and the United States.

Several countries are now calling for piracy cases to be prosecuted in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. The United States, Britain and European Union have now signed agreements allowing for piracy suspects to be handed over to Kenya for trial.

But there are doubts that Kenya — which is still recovering from postelection turmoil in 2007 that left more than 1,000 people dead — would be able to handle the costly and complicated task of trying all or even most cases that emerge from the exploding piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean.

Some countries reportedly have dumped detained pirates back into lawless Somalia.

Original story here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hhNY_haVvrbPbulV6EY4YAqbtWYgD9FHUAF00

And more Caribbean pirates!

American Humanitarians Attacked by Pirate on St. Lucia Coast

Medical Professionals on Mission Trip to the Caribbean Attacked by Machete-Wielding Pirate

ST. LUCIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A peaceful cruise for family and friends in St. Lucia turned violent on April 28th, 2010, when members of the Humanitarian Ventures Foundation were accosted by a man wielding a machete.

“I hope this act of piracy is pursued by the St. Lucia officials and brought to justice.”

The group, consisting of American medical professionals, was embarked on a combined family vacation and humanitarian mission, visiting communities among the Caribbean Islands in need of medical supplies or services. Cruising one-half mile north of Soufriere Bay on the morning of April 28th, the group’s boat was approached by another vessel. Inside that boat a man was shouting angrily and demanding money from the Americans.

Dan Teasdale, founder of Humanitarian Ventures Foundation, recognized the man as one who tried to sell him an illegal mooring ball the day before. “He wanted to collect money from us for mooring on a blue and white mooring ball, which we knew belonged to the St. Lucia Marine Management Association,” Teasdale stated. The group refused to pay the man for the mooring ball.

Teasdale and his crew watched as the enraged man pulled out a machete and attempted to board Teasdale’s boat. “He began swinging the machete, cutting our fishing lines, stole our fishing pole and attempting to slice one of our crew members.” Teasdale sent out an immediate distress call to the French Coast Guard, who sent the St. Lucia Police Marine Unit.

The offender left before police arrived, and his boat was later found to be stolen from a St. Lucia resident. The man was not apprehended. “We had children on our boat, and we were attempting to do something good for the people here,” Teasdale shared. “I hope this act of piracy is pursued by the St. Lucia officials and brought to justice.”

The Humanitarian Ventures Foundation (http://www.humanitarianventuresfoundation.org) is a non-profit group of dedicated medical professionals who donate medical supplies, medical services and money for ambulances and medical necessities in needy areas. The Foundation hopes to make several additional trips this year to locate other communities in need of medical assistance.

Original story here :
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/...d=news_view&newsId=20100506007454&newsLang=en

 

[Thagarr]

Russia jails 'pirate' over Arctic Sea ship mystery

A Moscow court has handed down a five-year jail term to one of the eight men detained over the mysterious seizure of the cargo ship Arctic Sea.

Andrei Lunev, from the Estonian capital Tallinn, is the first to be sentenced over the incident last July. He was found guilty of piracy.

The Maltese-flagged Arctic Sea and its 15 Russian crew vanished soon after leaving Finland with a cargo of timber.

The mystery sparked speculation about a possible arms shipment for Iran.

Russia dismissed speculation that Russian S-300 missiles were on board the ship.

The Arctic Sea was eventually found on 16 August off West Africa. Moscow announced that the Russian navy had captured the hijackers and rescued the crew.

Eight were charged over the incident - citizens of Russia, Estonia and Latvia.

This week Lunev and one of the others - Dmitry Savins - admitted their guilt, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said.

Unanswered questions

Lunev could have faced much longer but had agreed to plead guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors.

While the authorities will be pleased to see these men convicted, there are still many unanswered questions about the whole Arctic Sea affair, which became one of the great mysteries of last summer, the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow says.

He adds that a lawyer representing one of the accused told the BBC last September that his client said they had been set up: that they had not hijacked the ship, instead they had been rescued by it.

The journalist who first broke the story that the ship had gone missing fled Russia shortly afterwards, saying he had been warned to leave after suggesting it may have been carrying a secret consignment of weapons.

The crew and their families have also been under intense pressure to keep quiet, our correspondent says.

Also last September, a senior figure close to Israeli intelligence told the BBC that Israel had been linked to the interception of the Arctic Sea.

The source said Israel had told Moscow it knew the ship was secretly carrying a Russian air defence system for Iran. There has been no official confirmation of the report.

Original story here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8668305.stm

 

[Thagarr]

Taiwanese vessel hijacked by pirates off Somalia

TAIPEI, Taiwan — A Taiwanese fishing boat was hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast who demanded a ransom for the crew, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

The ship's Taiwanese owner lost contact with Tai Yuan 227 two days ago as it headed for the Maldives. When the owner resumed contact with the vessel a day later, he was told by hijackers to pay a ransom for the crew, the ministry said.

"The boat has since changed direction to sail toward Somalia, so this may very well have been done by the Somali pirates," the ministry said in a statement. "We hope that the many other boats sailing in the area can stay alert and avoid the pirates from launching an attack at other boats from the Tai Yuan 227."

It wasn't immediately clear how many crew were aboard the trawler.

Foreign Ministry officials refused to provide contact information for the boat's owner, saying he wanted to remain anonymous until the crew was released.

Pirate attacks have continued to climb despite the presence of about 35 international warships patrolling the waters off the lawless Somalia coast.

Pirates currently hold more than 300 hostages taken from ships attacked off East Africa in the last several months. Eleven suspected Somali pirates were indicted in U.S. federal court late last month, but the international community has had problems formulating an accepted policy to try and jail pirate suspects.

Rest of the story here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD9FIIJU00

 

[Thagarr]

Pirates capture German tanker, 22 crew: EU force

(AFP)

BRUSSELS — Suspected Somali pirates on Saturday hijacked a German-owned chemical tanker and 22 crew firing heavy artillery during a dramatic boarding, a European naval force said on Saturday.

The crew of the Marida Marguerite -- made up of 19 Indians, two Bangladeshis and a Ukrainian -- were nevertheless said to be "well" by the anti-piracy naval task force, citing radio contact.

"The ship was approached by a pirate skiff firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades and the crew reported that they saw the pirates climbing onboard," said a statement from EU-NAVFOR headquarters.

"It is believed that all (on board) are well," it said. "A passing merchant ship tried to make contact by VHF radio but received a response from the bridge of the hijacked vessel to 'go away'."

The 13,000-tonne Marida Marguerite, sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, was captured 120 nautical miles (220 kilometres) south of Salalah, in Oman, the EU mission said.

In a separate incident, Somali pirates captured a Taiwanese fishing boat off the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Seychelles, a maritime observer said earlier on Saturday.

It had a crew of 26 including nine Chinese and an unspecified number of Kenyans, Mozambicans and Taiwanese.

In a statement, Taiwan's foreign ministry said that contact was made on Friday with the pirates who made an unspecified ransom demand.

That hijacking took to at least 25 the number of ships now held by ransom-seeking pirates, according to Ecoterra International, an environmentalist group monitoring maritime activity in the region.

More than 400 seamen are being held hostage, the highest number since an surge in Somali piracy in 2007.

Original story here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gEd7JksLsYRTXefywx2klsuwmXcQ

And more Iranian propaganda!

Iranian Navy saves Iranian ship from pirate attacks
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN - The Iranian Navy has foiled two attempts by pirates to hijack an Iranian commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden.

Pirates launched two attacks on an Iranian commercial vessel during the course of Friday night, but each time they were swiftly encountered by ships of the 7th Fleet of the Navy, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Saturday.

The two attacks were repelled, the pirates were forced to flee, and the commercial vessel is now being escorted by the Iranian naval force in a port at the Sea of Oman, he added.

Commenting on the war games currently underway in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, Sayyari said one of the primary objectives of the military maneuvers is to guarantee the safety of Iranian merchant ships and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden.

On Friday night, that test was put to practice and the Iranian naval force emerged victorious, he noted.

The eight-day maneuver, entitled Velayat-89, started on Wednesday, covering a span of about 250,000 square kilometers from the Strait of Hormuz to the northern Indian Ocean.

Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have expanded the reach of their hijacking attacks on merchant vessels and oil tankers in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden in recent months, making tens of millions of dollars in ransom, despite the fact that dozens of foreign naval vessels are patrolling the

Original "story" here :
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=219085

And finally, a bit of an update on the Chandlers :

Somali Islamists vow to free British hostages from pirates

A HARDLINE Islamist group that has seized control of the Somali town of Haradhere has vowed to find Paul and Rachel Chandler, the British couple held hostage by pirates since last October, and release them unconditionally.

The group, Hizbul Islam, captured Haradhere without a fight after the pirates fled on hearing that it was on its way. The Islamists are feared for their tough enforcement of sharia (Islamic law), including stoning for adultery and amputation for theft.

“We will search [for] the British hostages,” said Sheikh Mohamed Arus, a leading figure in Hizbul Islam, brandishing an AK-47 rifle. “If we see them, we will release them. We will fly them to their homeland without taking any ransom.”

The pirates’ decision to flee appears to have worsened the plight of the Chandlers, from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, who are both in poor health. Since their 38ft yacht, the Lynn Rival, was hijacked as they sailed towards Tanzania on October 23 there have been persistent reports that their physical and mental condition is in decline.

The couple, who are being kept apart, are apparently being forced to move on foot as the pirates believe that the tyre tracks of their 4x4 Land Cruisers could be followed by the Islamists.

It took me several weeks of building up trust among intermediaries to trace the pirates holding them. When I finally met them last week, sitting outside a mosque in Adaado, 180 miles from Haradhere, they appeared nervous. They were worrying about how to deal with both Hizbul Islam fighters and British agents who they believe may try to free the Chandlers.

The pirates regarded me with deep suspicion — convinced that every British passport contains a secret locator chip that would help the authorities to track them down. I showed them my passport and said it was an old one that did not contain any such device. They were reassured.

The men, who ignore Islamic teaching on matters such as drinking alcohol and chewing qat, a leaf with narcotic properties, gradually became more forthcoming. They were obviously terrified of the revenge that Hizbul Islam, which opposes piracy, would wreak if it captured them and they were frustrated that no ransom had yet been paid for the Chandlers after more than six months of captivity.

Maslah Yare, one of the pirates, claimed that the eyesight of Paul Chandler, a 60-year-old retired quantity surveyor, was deteriorating rapidly. He said that when he was first taken hostage Chandler had been able to read; now he could not see books even with his glasses.

The pirate said that Rachel Chandler, a 56-year-old economist, was growing more angry and distressed and occasionally shouted at her captors. “Sometimes she sits there and stares at something for hours,” said Yare. “Other times she shouts Paul’s name in a loud, shrill way as if he can hear her.”

The pirates, who have demanded a £1.6m ransom, fear that Hizbul Islam may force them to hand over the couple for nothing.

“It is getting very difficult to keep them,” said Ali Gedow, speaking with his face half-covered by a scarf to disguise himself. “If we can’t keep them, we will have to give up. We’re not prepared to put our lives at risk.”

Rest of the story here :
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article7120615.ece

 

[Thagarr]

Asian sailors tell of pirate ordeal

By Ian Timberlake (AFP)

HANOI — In his seven years at sea, Afrizal had never been attacked by pirates -- until one night late last month.

Armed attackers stole aboard the tugboat Atlantic 3 in Indonesian waters near Singapore on April 27, Afrizal and his captain told AFP, in what an analyst said was part of an upsurge of attacks in that area.

"All of us were tied up and put in a room," said Afrizal, 40, a native of Indonesia's Sumatra, who uses only one name. "Our eyes were covered."

The room became their cell for several days, until they were cast adrift in a life raft, he told AFP.

Afrizal, one of six Indonesian and two Malaysian crewmen, said they wondered if they would be killed.

"We were very afraid," he said from Vung Tau in southern Vietnam, after the crew were rescued by the Vietnamese navy.

Myint Shwe, the tug's Myanmar captain, said the drama began after they took on fuel in southern Malaysia's Johor state. The 300-tonne Malaysian-registered tug was towing an empty barge from Thailand to Indonesia, he said.

About 35 nautical miles into their journey from Johor, they were boarded by the seven pirates, Myint Shwe said.

"We did not see their boat. It was night time," said the 55-year-old skipper.

He and Afrizal said the robbers, armed with a gun and machete, spoke Indonesian and Malaysian.

They stole money and personal items including shoes and socks, leaving the men with only the clothes on their backs, they said.

"They took everything," Afrizal said.

But their captors brought them food and the occasional cigarette, and allowed them out of the room for toilet breaks.

Freedom eventually came but with it, more fear, Afrizal said -- they were cast adrift at night in a rubber raft.

Their drama finally ended the next day, May 3, when a vessel from the Vietnamese navy spotted them under clear skies.

"We were extremely happy we got help," said Afrizal.

ReCAAP, a Singapore-based international piracy monitoring agency, said the navy responded to a distress signal from the life raft.

"The crew was reported to be in a state of fatigue, but overall well," the agency said.

Initial investigation indicates the sailors were set adrift near the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, said ReCAAP, which aims to enhance cooperation between governments against piracy and armed robbery in Asian waters.

Efforts were still being made to locate the tug and its barge.

While the overall piracy situation in Southeast Asia and the Malacca Strait has improved in recent years, attacks in the area where the Atlantic 3 was boarded have been on the rise recently, according to Sam Bateman, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

An increased number of tugs and barges ferry sand from neighbouring countries to the city-state through that area, and the tugs make an easier target than larger vessels because they are slow-moving, Bateman said.

ReCAAP said the Atlantic 3 was the third tug reported missing this year.

The Malacca and Singapore Straits are among the world's busiest commercial waterways and were once the global hotspot for pirate attacks.

Security has improved substantially in recent years, partly thanks to coordinated patrols by nations bordering the waterway.

Throughout Asia, ReCAAP recorded 25 pirate attacks or attempted attacks for the first three months of this year, up from 15 reported for the same period last year. Most involved vessels at anchor or in port, it said.

"Generally, these attacks are just hit-and-run," in which the pirates steal personal effects, Bateman said.

Pirates obviously have seafaring skills, and could be sailors who lost their jobs during the global economic crisis, he added. Slower world trade last year left hundreds of vessels at anchor.

"There are a lot of ships laid up these days and a lot of seafarers without work," Bateman said.

Afrizal and Myint Shwe said they are not about to join their idle colleagues. Seafaring is what they do, they said, and a bunch of pirates will not stop them from returning to the water.

"No, I'm not afraid," said the captain. "I'm a seaman."

Original story and a couple of pics here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iQsJfh03GIPsRq4BZCB0TxiEH_4w

 

[Thagarr]

Aye! Now that's the Russia I remember!

Freed Somali pirates 'probably died' - Russian source

Ten suspected Somali pirates captured by the Russian navy last week may have perished after their release, a defence source in Moscow has told reporters.

Marines seized them during a dramatic operation to free a hijacked Russian oil tanker far from shore, killing an 11th suspect in the gun battle.

They were released in an inflatable boat without navigational equipment.

Within an hour, contact was lost with the boat's radio beacon, the defence source said.

"It seems that they all died," the unnamed source was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency.

Russia initially said the 10 pirates would be taken to Moscow to face criminal charges over the hijacking, but they were released instead because there were not sufficient legal grounds to detain them, the defence ministry in Moscow said.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Russia is a signatory, gives sovereign nations the right to seize and prosecute pirates.

Western officials were very surprised when the Russian authorities dropped plans to put the pirates on trial in Moscow, the BBC's Richard Galpin reports from Moscow.

Now there is even more surprise the pirates were set adrift in the Indian Ocean to make their own way home, he adds.

Unknown factors

The tanker, the Moscow University, was seized on 5 May some 350km (190 nautical miles) off the Yemeni island of Socotra as it sailed for China, carrying crude oil worth $50m (£33m).

Marines from the Russian warship Marshal Shaposhnikov stormed the ship the following day, freeing the 23 Russian crew members who had locked themselves in a safe room after disabling their ship.

Cdr John Harbour, spokesman for the EU naval force in Somalia, Navfor, said the Russian navy had been within its rights to release the suspects.

It was, he told the BBC News website, impossible to judge their situation without knowing the details of the boat - described as an inflatable by Russian sources - and the radio beacon they had been given.

It was quite likely the Russian ship lost radar contact with the boat after an hour, Cdr Harbour said, while the signal from the beacon would depend on the strength of its battery and whether or not it could be detected by satellite.

The Navfor spokesman suggested the loss of navigational equipment would not necessarily be critical if there was an experienced mariner among the 10 men on the boat.

Stressing that nothing could be said for sure without knowledge of the boat, the weather and other factors, he noted that pirates had been known to operate up to 1,200 nautical miles (2,200km) from the Somali coast.

Original story here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8675978.stm

 

[Stallion]

Maybe the warship "inadvertently" ran them over, too. :

 

[Thagarr]

"Oh damn, we gave them the leaky raft!" :

I kind figured something like this was coming next! Stay tuned for statements from the Useless Notions, and various other useless organizations, about the pirates "human rights" being violated!

SOMALIA: Russia executed all Somali pirates – spokesman

BOSASSO (Somalilandpress) — A pirate spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted Somalilandpress today said at least ten of his men were executed by the Russian navy after the troopers stormed MV Moscow University.

“The Russians commandos stormed the ship before sunrise, starting a firefight with our men, onboard they injured three of them and one was killed,” he said.

He dismissed the Russian navy statement that the men were released because of “the absence of a legal base to carry out prosecution procedures against pirates”.

“The Russians never released the young men instead they shot them point-blank range then loaded their lifeless bodies back on the boat,” he added.

The spokesman condemned the action of the Russian navy “our men never hurt their hostages, we simply want foreign ships to stop overfishing in our waters, if they are not happy to respect our-fishermen and their livelihood, we have no choice but to take hostage to compensate for the losses,” he cited.

“We condemn the action of the Russians, it’s driven by racism and hate for black people and Africa, it’s the face of the new Russia. In future, if we capture Russians they will meet the same fate as those they executed,” he added.

Meanwhile, many Somalis were angered by Somalia’s ambassador to Moscow, Mohamed Handule’s statement, who backed the Russian navy denying that the Russian destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov has not acted inappropriately. They requested an investigation and the immediate replacement of Mr. Handule.

“Not one Somali or the government of our country sees Russia has being guilty in this,” Mr. Handule told ITAR-TASS news agency.

On the 6th May, eleven Somali pirates hijacked the Liberian-flagged Russian oil tanker, MV Moscow University, carrying 86,000 tonnes of crude oil worth $US52 million in the Gulf of Aden. The anti-submarine destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov was notified and dispatched a helicopter which disrupted the pirates while commandos on speed boats stormed the tanker. The Russians have killed all eleven pirates and have destroyed their boats according to the pirate spokesman.

There are reports, Somali pirates still hold 23 foreign ships and 384 sailors in Somalia. Meanwhile, a conference co-sponsored by the United Nation and the Turkish government designed to address the piracy, stability and Somalia’s security will be hosted in Istanbul from 21st-23rd of May.

Original story here :
http://somalilandpress.com/15559-15559

And also another pirate hijacking...

Somali pirates seize Greek-owned ship in Gulf of Aden

(Reuters) - Somali pirates have seized a Liberia-flagged and Greek-owned ship with up to 24 people aboard in the Gulf of Aden, a Greek coast guard official said on Wednesday.

"We have been informed that the Greek-owned ship Eleni P was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," the official said, declining to be named.

The ship, managed by Eurobulk Ltd, was carrying iron and sailing from Ukraine to China via Singapore. It had 23 or 24 people on board, two of whom were Greek and the rest Filipinos, the official said.

Original story here :
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64B18F20100512

 

[Thagarr]

UK flagged chemical tanker released

On the morning of 13 May a ransom drop was made to the pirate group holding the St James Park at anchorage at Garacaad.

The St James Park had been on route to Thailand when she was hijacked by pirates on 28 December 2009.

St James Park is a UK Flagged chemical tanker with deadweight of 13,924 tonnes, and has a crew of 26, among them Filipinos (3), Russians (3), Georgians (1), Romanians (2), Bulgarians (5), Ukrainans (2), Polish (1), Indians (6) and Turkish (3). She is now safely underway and EU NAVFOR is continuing to monitor the situation.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of African Unions Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Original story here :
http://www.eunavfor.eu/2010/05/uk-flagged-chemical-tanker-released/

 

[Thagarr]

More catch and release.

Nato warship destroys pirate boats in Somali Basin

A Royal Navy warship on Nato anti-piracy operations has destroyed two pirate boats in the Somali Basin, Nato has said.

HMS Chatham's helicopter spotted a larger vessel towing the two attack boats in the Somali Basin, about 150 miles off Tanzania, on 14 May, it said.

After monitoring the vessels overnight, a Royal Marine team launched a "well-planned operation" at dawn, it said.

Ten Somalis surrendered and the two smaller boats were destroyed.

Commander Simon Huntington, commanding officer of HMS Chatham, said he was "extremely pleased" the warship had "successfully disrupted a pirate attack group operating in the Somali Basin and prevented them from mounting attacks against merchant shipping".

'Considerable fuel'

He said: "This clearly demonstrates Nato's determination and commitment to continue the fight against piracy in the region."

Nato said prior to boarding the boats, the suspected pirates had been observed throwing items, including their weapons and other piracy related equipment, into the sea.

When the Royal Marine team boarded the larger craft, 10 Somalis and a large amount of fuel were found on board.

The two smaller boats had been fitted with powerful outboard engines and also contained a considerable amount of fuel.

Once separated from the larger craft by the Royal Marines team, the warship and its Lynx helicopter destroyed the smaller craft so the suspected pirates could not continue with their mission.

Nato said the 10 Somalis were left with only enough fuel in the larger vessel to return to Somalia.

The search was coordinated with a EU Naval Force Maritime Patrol Aircraft, operating out of the Seychelles.

Original story here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8688330.stm