# The Threat of Modern Piracy



## CougarKing

Quite an interesting situation. Kudos to the crew of the USS _James E. Williams_!  

Avaassst ye pirates!!! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!  ;D ) 

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=97598



> US ship helps North Korea vessel crew overpower Somali pirates
> 
> Agence France-Presse
> 
> MOGADISHU - The US Navy helped the crew of a North Korean cargo vessel regain control of their freighter in a violent struggle Tuesday after it was captured by pirates off Mogadishu port, it said.
> 
> At least two attackers died in the clashes and five were captured, while three of the 22-strong crew of the MV Dai Hong Dan crew were seriously injured, the Bahrain-based US Naval Forces Central Command said.
> 
> The USS James E. Williams responded after the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau passed on a distress signal from the North Korean ship following its seizure by pirates overnight Monday.
> 
> "Three seriously injured crew members have been transferred to the James E. Williams for treatment," the statement said.
> 
> "Initial reports from the crew are that five pirates were captured and two are dead. The pirates remain aboard the Dai Hong Dan."
> 
> The North Korean ship was headed to the Somali port of Aden with casualties on board, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers' Assistance Program.
> 
> Earlier Ali Gabow Jillo, the Mogadishu trader who had contracted the vessel, told AFP that the US Navy had helped it regain control.
> 
> Mogadishu port security officials said the pirates who seized the North Korean boat were members of a Somali clan who were meant to be guarding it.
> 
> "The crew members have taken control of the ship after defeating the eight men who hijacked it last night," said Dahir Hassan, an elder in the Somali port of Haradere.
> 
> "There are casualties, but we are not sure of the exact number of dead or injured," he added. "Now the ship is out there and some government forces and businessmen from Mogadishu have been dispatched to the area."
> 
> Mwangura confirmed the release of the freighter, which was contracted by Mogadishu traders to deliver general cargo.
> 
> "We have information that ship has been rescued," Mwangura, who monitors maritime transport, told AFP from the port town of Mombasa.
> 
> "We are waiting for the ship to return to port ... so that we can get more information," he added, explaining that initial reports indicated the "crew members were from southern Asia nations."
> 
> African Union peacekeepers charged with protecting the port said the vessel was outside their operation area.
> 
> "It was far away from the seaport, it was at the anchorage. The hijacking was masterminded by the same people who were supposed to bring it into the docking," captain Paddy Ankunda told AFP.
> 
> Ankunda said the militiamen had asked for 15,000 dollars (10,000 euros) to free the freighter, which arrived in Mogadishu 10 days before and had already unloaded its cargo.
> 
> The incident was the second piracy attack off Somalia's 3,700 kilometer (2,300 miles) coastline in recent days.
> 
> On Sunday, a Japanese chemical tanker with 23 Korean, Filipino and Myanmar crew on board was hijacked off the coast of northern Somalia.
> 
> "Four other vessels remain under pirate control off the coast of southern Somalia," said the statement from the US Navy, part of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CTF 150), based in Djibouti to fight terrorism in the volatile region.
> 
> The CTF-150 also operate under international maritime conventions to secure international waters for commercial shipping and fishing.
> 
> Rampant piracy off Somalia's vast coastline stopped in the second half of 2006 during six months of strict rule by an Islamist movement, ousted by Ethiopian and Somali government troops at the end of the year.
> 
> The French navy is due mid-November to deploy a vessel to protect UN World Food Program-charted ships, which have been targeted while ferrying supplies to Somalia in recent months.
> 
> Somalia lies at the mouth of the Red Sea and has lacked a functional government since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre sparked a bloody power struggle.


----------



## CougarKing

The USS _Porter_ is shadowing the Japanese tanker _Golden Nori_, which has been taken over by Somali pirates.

YAAR! More action on the high seas!  ;D Hopefully the USN will end this latest act of piracy soon enough by retaking the vessel and rescuing its crew.  

But on a more serious note, this is just the latest in the drama this week involving Somali pirates, since another group of them seized a North Korean vessel early this week, but were stopped by the USS _James E. Williams_, as described in an earlier thread:

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/67625.0.html

Here's the link to the _Porter-Golden Nori _ chase:

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,155427,00.html?wh=wh



> Navy Tracking Pirated Japanese Tanker
> Associated Press  |  November 02, 2007
> NAIROBI, Kenya - The U.S. Navy on Friday kept its eye on a Japanese tanker taken over by pirates off Somalia's coast, while a top U.S. official said piracy remains a "very serious security problem" in the region.
> 
> Earlier this week, a North Korean tanker overrun by pirates was taken back after crew members overpowered the hijackers in a bloody fight. The hijackers were being held aboard the ship until they can be handed over for prosecution at a port.
> 
> The U.S. Navy's also came to the aid of the Japanese chemical tanker this week, with the guided missile destroyer USS Porter at one point opening fire to destroy pirate skiffs tied to it. On Thursday, the U.S. Navy said that it intended to remove the pirates from the Japanese tanker.
> 
> The pirates have demanded a Navy ship close to the hijacked vessel move away, said Tess Villanueva, wife of the crew's foreman, Laureano Villanueva. It was unclear whether the Porter, which is part of the coalition force in the area, is the ship closest to the Golden Nori.
> 
> "Apparently the Navy ship was getting closer to them," she told The Associated Press in the Philippines. "The good news would be if they (the pirates) leave the ship."
> 
> She said the information was relayed to her late Thursday by Redentor Anaya, vice president for operations of SeaCrest Maritime Management Inc., which recruited the Filipino crew for the Golden Nori.
> 
> Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, of the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain confirmed Friday that the Navy continues to monitor the Japanese ship. She couldn't say if the Navy was in direct radio contact with the pirates but said: "They have ability to contact us. All the ships have bridge-to-bridge radios."
> 
> After the clash on the North Korean boat, Navy personnel boarded the vessel to treat the wounded. The U.S. efforts came despite its hostile relations with the communist country over its nuclear program.
> 
> "You'll always find our Navy prepared to help any ship in distress and certainly any ship that is confronting pirates," said Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the top American envoy to six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament.
> 
> "This is a very serious security problem on the African coast. These are not pirates who will remind you of Johnny Depp. These are quite different kinds of pirates," Hill told reporters in Seoul, South Korea.
> 
> "So, I think we were pleased to be able to help in this regard and I hope the (North) understands that we did this out of the sense of goodwill that we have on this," he said.
> 
> Robertson agreed. "Piracy is an ongoing and growing issue off the coast of Somalia," she said. "The pirates haven't shown they're slowing down operations, and we'll continue to monitor those vessels. ... We're trying to work to get the pirates off the vessels."
> 
> Negotiations have started for the release of the Japanese tanker, anchored in Somali waters with 23 crew members from the Philippines, South Korea and Myanmar, said Josefina Villanueva.
> 
> She said there had been no ransom demand from the pirates. "The talks are just starting. I think the pirates will later on demand something," she said.
> 
> On Friday, Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said the captain of the ship contacted the Japanese company that owns the vessel the day before and reported the crew was fine.
> 
> There has been no direct contact between the Philippine government and the pirates, he added.
> 
> "The problem is there is no central government in control (in Somalia)," Conejos said.
> 
> The Golden Nori was carrying a load of benzene when the USS Porter fired on two pirate boats tied to the tanker Sunday, sinking both. Benzene, an industrial solvent, is both highly flammable and can be fatal if too much is inhaled. The U.S. military said it was aware of what was onboard when it fired at the skiffs.
> 
> Somali pirates are trained fighters, in some cases linked to powerful Somali clans, outfitted with sophisticated arms and equipment, including GPS satellite instruments. They have seized merchant ships, aid vessels, and once even a cruise ship.
> 
> The United States also has supported efforts to quell an Islamic insurgency in Somalia.
> 
> Somalia has been without a functioning government since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, then turned on each other. The current government was formed in 2004, but has struggled to assert any real control.


----------



## GAP

Somali pirates leave ships under U.S. Navy escort
Updated Sun. Nov. 4 2007 9:44 PM ET The Associated Press
Article Link

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Somali pirates gave up control of two ships hijacked months earlier and U.S. Navy escorted the boats to safer waters Sunday as it stepped up efforts to bring security to the seas off the chaotic Horn of Africa nation. 

The pirates climbed into small skiffs and headed back to Somalia after speaking by radio to U.S. naval personnel. A Navy ship and helicopter guided the South Korean-owned boats Mavuno 1 and 2 further out to sea. 

It was the third time in a week the U.S. has intervened to help ships hijacked by Somali pirates. Sailors boarded a North Korean ship to give medical assistance to crew members who overpowered their hijackers, and a U.S. naval vessel fired on pirate skiffs tied to a Japanese-owned ship. 

Naval personnel boarded the South Korean-owned ships and gave medical checkups to the crew, said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. No injuries were reported. The two Tanzanian-flagged boats were seized May 15. 

The Navy was also urging pirates to leave the Japanese ship and two hijacked boats in the region and sail back to Somalia, she told The Associated Press. 
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Yet another hijacked ship's crew is freed from Somali pirates by the USN! It was a Taiwanese vessel this time.



> MSNBC.com
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> U.S. helps free Taiwan ship held by pirates
> Navy wants to secure key routes between Red Sea and Indian Ocean
> The Associated Press
> updated 8:29 a.m. PT, Mon., Nov. 5, 2007
> NAIROBI, Kenya - The U.S. Navy on Monday helped free the fifth ship in a week hijacked by Somalia pirates, attempting to bring security to crucial shipping routes between the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.
> 
> Pirates released the Taiwanese fishing vessel 5½ months after seizing it. U.S. naval personnel have been telling the pirates by radio to abandon hijacked vessels, get back in their small skiffs and return to Somalia.
> 
> “We encourage pirates to leave the ships,” said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. “We tell them, you get in the skiff, you leave, you do not take any hostages.”
> 
> Robertson said the Navy was in contact with two remaining ships held by pirates in Somali waters.
> 
> The latest fishing vessel freed by the U.S. Navy had two Taiwanese and 12 Chinese crew members aboard when it was hijacked 137 miles off the coast of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, in May.
> 
> Pirates killed one of the crew members in June, according to Andrew Mwangura, head of Seafarers Assistance Program’s Kenyan chapter. The International Maritime Bureau said it had heard reports of a shooting but had no official confirmation of the death.
> 
> Two other boats hijacked by Somali pirates in May were freed after U.S. Navy personnel spoke to them by radio.
> 
> U.S. sailors also boarded a North Korean ship to treat crew members who overpowered their hijackers, and a U.S. naval vessel fired on pirate skiffs tied to a Japanese-owned ship.
> 
> Somalia’s lawless coastlines are a haven for heavily armed pirates who use speedboats with Global Positioning System equipment, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades. The country has lacked a functioning government since 1991, when rival warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and turned on each other.
> 
> 
> Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
> URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21638095/
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> MSN Privacy . Legal
> © 2007 MSNBC.com


----------



## CougarKing

USN officers suspect these Somali pirates are operating from "mother ships" within Somali waters.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,157377,00.html



> Hunting Pirate 'Mother Ship'
> Associated Press  |  By Katharine Houreld  |  December 02, 2007
> Pirates from two small skiffs seized the crew of a Japanese vessel off anarchic Somalia's coast. American forces fired on the skiffs and destroyed them. Now the navies of the U.S. and 19 other countries are after bigger prey.
> 
> The U.S.-led coalition working to secure sea lanes beset by pirates believe skiffs like the ones used in the attack on the Japanese ship must have come from elusive "mother ships."
> 
> "The small boats which are used for piracy could not travel" from shore as far into the ocean as ships have been attacked, said Commodore Khan Hasham of Pakistan, one of the U.S. allies in the anti-piracy operation. "So they needed a mother ship from which the pirates could launch skiffs."
> 
> Aboard the Pakistani navy ship Babur, Pakistani special forces load their rifles and meticulously go through their drills, readying themselves to board suspicious vessels and search for weapons. U.S. Navy officers aboard swap theories with their Pakistani counterparts about where the mother ships could be.
> 
> Coalition officials are reluctant to name all the countries involved or the number of warships involved because of security concerns, and because cooperating with America is a delicate political issue in the tense oil states of the Persian Gulf.
> 
> Pakistan's relations with the U.S. have also been strained since President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency Nov. 3. But Musharraf remains a necessary partner and ally in the U.S. war against terror - al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden may be hiding on the Pakistani frontier with Afghanistan.
> 
> This week, Pakistani sailors on the Babur and Americans on the USNS John Lenthall waved at each other across the waves during a refueling exercise, their captains chatting over short wave radio.
> 
> Their patrols address a growing problem. The International Maritime Bureau has recorded 31 attacks off Somalia this year but believe many more go unreported.
> 
> The 31 includes the seizure a month ago of a Japanese tanker carrying as much as 40,000 tons of highly explosive benzene in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> Initially, American intelligence agents worried terrorists from Somalia's Islamic extremist insurgency could be involved and might try to crash the boat into an offshore oil platform or use it as a gigantic bomb in a Middle Eastern port.
> 
> When the Japanese vessel was towed back into Somali waters and ransom demanded, the coalition was relieved to realize it was just another pirate attack.
> 
> The more recent attack on a separate Japanese vessel occurred some 85 nautical miles from Somalia in the busy lanes used by boats entering the Suez Canal - too far for the two small boats carrying pirates to have come from shore. Some attacks are even farther from land, as much as 250 nautical miles, Hasham said.
> 
> The pirates boarded the Japanese vessel before their skiffs were destroyed and remain aboard. The U.S. Navy has in the past persuaded pirates to abandon ships they have boarded and still hoped to do so in the case of the Japanese vessel - though that might be complicated now that the pirates no longer have skiffs on which to leave.
> 
> No warship has located a mother ship yet, although that could be due to the continuos radio chatter they put out to warn pirates that they are patrolling the area in an effort to deter attacks. However, numerous ship captains have reported seeing the bigger pirate vessels.
> 
> "I thought it was an ordinary ship, then I saw two small fast motorboats coming from it toward us," Capt. Ling Xinshen, now safely in Mombasa, Kenya, said in recounting his vessel's seizure by pirates. He and his crew were held for ransom for seven months on the ship by pirates who killed one crew member.
> 
> Ling said he never again sighted the mysterious mother ship that loomed up so suddenly the sunny afternoon his ordeal began.
> 
> Everyone has a theory about where the mother ships hide. Cmdr. Robert D. Katz of the USS Stout says Somali national waters remain a blind spot for the coalition forces because they are barred from patrolling that territory. International maritime law says a country is responsible for law enforcement within 12 miles of its own coast, but Somalia is a failed state.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Now the weak transitional government and its Ethiopian allies are battling an Iraq-style Islamic insurgency.
> 
> The chaos, combined with connections between the pirates and powerful figures in key Somali clans that receive multimillion-dollar ransoms, mean that pirate ships can cruise the ragged coastline with relative impunity.
> 
> Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenya-based East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Program, says the mother ships melt into the ordinary shipping traffic without notice once they have disgorged their packs of speedboats. Coalition warships have frequently passed a mother ship without even realizing, he says.
> 
> The mother ships don't carry weapons, he says, preferring to arm two or three smaller boats with anti-tank missiles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. They leave the small boats at sea, possibly with another boat loaded with fuel. When a merchant ship comes into view, the small, fast boats attack as a pack.
> 
> Mother ships simply blend in among the fishing vessels, Mwangura said. "They won't find it until there are no fishing vessels in Somali waters."


----------



## CougarKing

Yet another update on the Somalia pirate situation...

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,158535,00.html?wh=wh



> Navy Notches a Win in War on Pirates
> Washington Post  |  By Ann Scott Tyson  |  December 18, 2007
> The U.S. Navy is adopting more aggressive tactics to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia, helping last week to make the area free of captured vessels for the first time since February, according to a senior U.S. Navy commander in the region.
> 
> The pirates, Somali clansmen and trained fighters armed with AK- 47 assault rifles, operate in small skiffs as far as 200 miles offshore, according to the U.S. military. They have hijacked and held as many as six merchant ships for ransoms of millions of dollars since February, the military said.
> 
> In the past, pirates counted on being able to flee into territorial waters, but in recent months, U.S. naval ships have gained permission to pursue them and cut off their access to fresh supplies.
> 
> "We positioned the ships and helicopters ... to have complete visibility between the beach and the pirated vessel," said Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. 5th Fleet. Two U.S. ships at a time, each with about 300 sailors, were involved in the operations, part of a broader maritime security mission around the Horn of Africa, he said.
> 
> "We told them, 'You will not be able to resupply, and if you want to send a boat out to remove yourselves, you have to ask for approval,'
> 
> "Cosgriff said Friday in a telephone interview from his headquarters in Bahrain.
> 
> In addition, the Navy has destroyed the pirate ships "as a repressive measure," Cosgriff said. "They were disabled" with gunfire, "cut adrift, and sunk as hazards to navigation."
> 
> In the latest incident, pirates hijacked the Japanese-owned ship Golden Nori in October and released it Wednesday, the last of several captured vessels. The U.S. ships involved in the pursuit included the Norfolk-based guided missile destroyer Porter, named after Commodore David Porter, known for his counterpiracy exploits in the West Indies in the 1820s.   Cosgriff said that at least 200 pirates operate from three camps along the Somali coast and that until now they had been "modestly successful."
> 
> The pirates, Somali clansmen and trained fighters armed with AK- 47 assault rifles, operate in small skiffs as far as 200 miles offshore, according to the U.S. military.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Hanging from the Yardarm worked wonders before, and is culturally sensitive.


----------



## tomahawk6

The Golden Nori was released.






GULF OF ADEN (Dec. 15, 2007) Merchant vessel Golden Nori transits under the escort of the dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) following its release from Somalia-based pirates Dec. 12. Pirates seized the Panamanian-flagged vessel Oct. 28 and held the 23-man crew hostage in Somali territorial waters. The release marks the first time in more than a year that no ships are held by Somali pirates. Whidbey Island is deployed to the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet area of responsibility in support of maritime security operations. U.S. Navy photo by Lt.j.g. Joe Donahue (Released)


----------



## CougarKing

Yet another update: USN warships fire on Somali pirate vessels.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,161915,00.html?wh=news



> *US Warships Fire on Somali Pirates*
> Associated Press  |  February 12, 2008
> MOGADISHU, Somalia - U.S. warships fired on Somali pirates trying to resupply colleagues who hijacked a Danish-owned tug boat, a district commissioner said Monday.
> 
> "Some of the artillery shells hit around the coastline but no human casualties were reported. Unfortunately the gangs escaped," Abdullahi Said, the district commissioner for Eyl, told the AP by phone.
> 
> The hijacked ship, which has six crew members onboard, is stationed around 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Eyl, he said. The coastal town is some 900 kilometers (560 miles) north of the capital, Mogadishu.
> 
> All crew members on the Svitzer Korsakov - a British captain, an Irish engineer and four Russian crew - were believed to be unharmed.
> A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, which oversees operations off the pirate-infested Somali coast, said she had not heard about the incident.
> 
> But Denise Garcia said the U.S. Navy had been monitoring the ship since Feb. 4, three days after it was hijacked off the coast of Puntland, a semiautonomous region of northeast Somalia. She said U.S. warships had communicated with the pirates by radio and "encouraged them to leave the ship and let it go."
> 
> The U.S. Navy has led international patrols to try to combat piracy in the region. In one incident last year, the guided missile destroyer USS Porter opened fire to destroy pirate skiffs tied to a Japanese tanker.
> 
> Piracy is increasingly common along Somalia's 3,000-kilometer (1,880-mile) coast, which is the longest in Africa and near key shipping routes connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.
> 
> Pirates seized more than two dozen ships off the Somali coast last year.
> 
> The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy, said in its annual report earlier this year that global pirate attacks rose by 10 percent in 2007, marking the first increase in three years as sea robbers made a strong comeback.  Wracked by more than a decade of violence and anarchy, Somalia does not have its own navy and the transitional government formed in 2004 with U.N. help has struggled to assert control.


----------



## CougarKing

The French military is keeping a close eye on a large French luxury yacht seized by Somali pirates recently, waiting for a chance to retake the yacht and rescue its crew.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23970089/








> PARIS - France's military is keeping close tabs on a French luxury yacht seized by pirates off Somalia's coast, and officials hope to avoid using force to free the 30 crew members, the prime minister said Saturday.
> 
> Attackers stormed the 288-foot Le Ponant on Friday as it returned without passengers from the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, toward the Mediterranean Sea, officials with French maritime transport company CMA-CGM said.
> 
> French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said officials were "following the hostage situation minute by minute."


----------



## DualCore

Can anyone provide more info on the activities of the Charlottetown Sea Kings on the kidnapped French cruise ship near Somalia?  I see a few references from AP that they are Canadian, but CNN implies they are French, and I haven't bumped into much of a reference from Canadian media.  For all the grief devoted to the the Sea Kings, this looks like a successful operation that deserves to be acknowledged.


----------



## Nfld Sapper

Only mention of canadian involvment is what I highlighted.

Article Link

Somali official: pirates have docked hijacked boat
April 6, 2008 - 15:29 

By: Salad Duhul, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A French luxury yacht seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden has arrived in the northern Somali town of Eyl with a reported 30 crew members aboard as hostages.

A French diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Sunday that the hostages, the majority of them French nationals, had all been provided with food and given the opportunity to wash.

The diplomat declined to say how officials had learned the information.

The French Foreign Ministry said it was in close contact with the hostage's families and that attempts were being made to establish contact with the hostage-takers.

About 10 pirates stormed the 88-metre Le Ponant on Friday as it was returning, without passengers, from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. The pirates then guided the vessel down Somalia's eastern coast.

France's prime minister said Saturday that he hoped to avoid using force to free the crew but that no options had been ruled out. The hostages included 22 French citizens, six of them women, as well as Ukrainian citizens, authorities said.

Abdirahman Mohamed Bangah, minister for information in the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland, said local officials had "no objection" to the presence of international forces in the area.

"We hope they will rescue this ship," he said.

A French frigate, Le Commandant Bouan, temporarily was diverted from NATO duties and tracking the yacht, French military spokesman Cmdr. Christophe Prazuck said Saturday. He said an airplane dispatched from a French base in Djibouti flew over the yacht, reporting that all appeared calm aboard the ship.

*The Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown, deployed in the Arabian Sea, also dispatched a Sea King helicopter to provide assistance.

"The helicopter flew over the vessel in question and took some imagery and they handed that (imagery) back over to the task force," said Capt. Lori Pothier at the Defence Department in Ottawa on Sunday.

"Right now, there's no further Canadian involvement in the incident," Pothier said.*

Local fisherman Mahdi Daud Anbuure told The Associated Press via VHF radio that he was among those who saw the yacht arriving in Eyl, about 500 kilometres north of the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

"We also saw a small boat, apparently carrying food supplies, to the pirates heading toward it," he added.

According to the website of the company that owns the ship, the three-mast vessels features four decks, two restaurants, and indoor and outdoor luxury lounges. It can hold up to 64 passengers, although none were reportedly aboard when the vessel was seized.

Le Ponant was next scheduled to carry passengers as part of a trip from Alexandria, Egypt, to Valletta, Malta, starting April 19. Prices for the cruise started at $3,465, not including air fare or taxes.

More than two dozen ships have been seized by pirates off Somalia's coast in the last year.

In August, Denmark's government paid a ransom to win the release of the crew of a Danish cargo ship hijacked by pirates and held captive for about two months.

The U.S. navy has led international patrols to try to combat piracy in the region. Last year, the guided missile destroyer USS Porter opened fire to destroy pirate skiffs tied to a Japanese tanker.

But an increase in naval patrols has coincided with a rash of kidnappings of foreigners on land.

Somalia - racked by more than a decade of violence and anarchy - does not have its own navy, its armed forces are poorly paid and the transitional government formed in 2004 with UN help has struggled to assert control.

Two UN contractors currently are being held hostage in the south, and several aid workers and a French journalist have been seized in the past few months.

Two police officers were killed and another was wounded late Saturday during the attempted kidnapping of a German aid worker, according to Bangah, the information minister. Four people were arrested.

The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy, said in its annual report earlier this year that global pirate attacks rose 10 per cent in 2007, marking the first increase in three years.

- With files from The Canadian Press


----------



## 1feral1

These pirates are just pathetic, getting away with this.

As far as I am concerned, lead by example, and the only way to negociate with them is one way, 4B1T as a mininum!


----------



## DualCore

Hmmm, discussion of HMCS Charlottetown should be conducted in The Mess ... Foreign Militaries ... French Navy ..., for some reason.


----------



## geo

Allowing the pirates to go on like this is only encouraging them to do it again and again and again.

Put a stop to it!  There are enough military vesssels in that area of the world, hem them in and give them no choice other than - do you want to live OR die ???


----------



## OldSolduer

ARRGGGGGHHHH MATEY!!! Pirates ye say? 
Capture them and hang em from the Yardarm.....publicly.


----------



## CougarKing

Update: the hostages have been freed as the French military holds 6 pirates in custody.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/04/11/yacht.pirates/index.html#cnnSTCText




> *French hold six pirates after hostages released*
> NEW: French troops hold six pirates after release of 30 hostages
> 
> President Sarkozy says situation resolved without incident
> 
> French officials had been in negotiations with pirates since Sunday
> 
> Seized boat was monitored by French Navy warship and aircraft.
> Paris, France (CNN) -- French troops are holding six pirates after the 30-member crew of a luxury yacht hijacked a week ago off Somalia's coast were released, officials said Friday.
> 
> The French armed forces resolved the hostage-taking without incident, Sarkozy said in a statement that gave no details.
> 
> At a later news conference, the French military said it had captured six of the pirates who had left the ship and returned to the mainland.
> 
> The original group of pirates was believe to number between 12 and 16 people.
> 
> Sarkozy thanked the French army and other state officials who helped negotiate the release, and said he would again receive members of the hostages' families later Friday.
> 
> Pirates seized the 288-foot, three-masted yacht last Friday. No passengers were on board.
> 
> French authorities made contact with the pirates on Sunday and sent an elite intervention group to Djibouti, which borders Somalia, to reinforce negotiations, the French Foreign Ministry said.
> 
> Authorities also monitored the yacht's movements with a small Navy warship and reconnaissance aircraft, the ministry said.
> 
> The white yacht, named "Ponant," sails on luxury cruises around the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea, according to its Web site. The vessel has 32 cabins and four decks, plus lounges, a bar, and a restaurant.
> 
> The Ponant -- which translates as "West" in French nautical usage -- is owned by the Marseille, France-based Compagnie des Iles du Ponant.
> 
> Twenty-two of the crew are French, Sarkozy's office said. Six were from the Philippines, AP reported.
> 
> Pirate attacks in the waters off Somalia are common.
> 
> The International Maritime Bureau says pirates have seized four vessels, including three tankers, in the same area since February.
> 
> The IMB calls some parts of the Somali coast "high-risk areas" for attacks and hijackings, and it warns vessels not making scheduled stops in Somalia to keep as far as possible from the coast.


----------



## Yrys

Well, it's the first time I read something about pirates being checkmate  ...


----------



## geo

From what I read in the papers this morning, the ship's owners paid 2 Million dollars to get the crew released.
Some of the Somalian pirates were apparently escaping in a car/truck when a French sniper fired thru the engine block of the car ..... from his perch in a helicopter.  75% of the pirates were loaded into helicopters and brought aboard a French warship.... from which they will be sent to France to stand trial.....

Maybe it is time for France to polish up and bring Madame Guillotine out of retirement


----------



## tomahawk6

Handout photo released by the French Navy and taken 11 April 2008 in the Indian Ocean shows French luxury yacht Le Ponant and French Frigate jean Bart. The French authorities had announced earlier in the day that the captors had released the entire crew of 30 that includes 22 French and 7 Filipino nationals, who had been held for a week.


----------



## Yrys

Somali 'pirates' taken to Paris at the BBC


----------



## geo

Oooooo.... can I pull the lanyard for Madame Guillotine :warstory:  :warstory:


----------



## Yrys

France charges Somali 'pirates'



> A Paris court has charged six Somalis with taking a French luxury yacht's crew hostage off Africa this month, officials say.
> 
> The six were flown to Paris after being detained on Friday by French commandos in a helicopter raid, soon after the 30 hostages were released. The hostages
> - 22 French citizens, six Filipinos, a Cameroonian and a Ukrainian - were seized a week earlier. No passengers were aboard the Ponant at the time of the abduction.
> 
> This will be the first trial of its kind in France, says the BBC's Alasdair Sandford.
> 
> A senior legal source said Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed had given his consent for the suspects to be taken out of the country, our correspondent adds.
> French authorities are said to consider the matter a criminal one rather than one linked to terrorism. Police specialising in organised crime are to investigate the case.
> They are also expected to question the crew members who were flown to Paris earlier this week.
> 
> The yacht's 30-member crew was released after its owners apparently paid a ransom of $2m (£1m; 1.3m euros).
> 
> *Threat*
> 
> Gen Jean-Louis Georgelin, the chief of staff of the French armed forces, described on Saturday how troops moved in after the Ponant came ashore, seized six pirates
> - said to be part of an original group of 12 - and found part of a probable ransom paid by its owners. The 88-metre (290ft) boat and its 30 crew were seized in the Gulf
> of Aden on 4 April. It was then moored near the port of Eyl in the northern Somali semi-autonomous Puntland region, while the pirates held negotiations with its owners,
> French charter company CMA-CGM.
> 
> The suspected pirates are believed to be fishermen and were detained in the village of Jariban. France has troops in nearby Djibouti and also participates in a
> multi-national naval force that patrols this part of the Indian Ocean. Somali coastal waters are known to be among the most hazardous in the world. More than 25 ships
> were seized there by pirates in 2007. Somalia has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years and is plagued by insecurity.



40 seconds video of the 'French commandos chase and detain Somali 'pirates'' at  link


----------



## Nemo888

Does anyone know the position of the ship when it was captured or how close it was to the coast? Is the story about "Pirates" or pirates if you get my drift.


----------



## geo

no... don't get your drift.... 
The persian gulf is pert narrow - even at it's widest.  Considering the territorial claims of countries on either side and you're always going to get stuck in someone's territorial waters.

In this case, regardless of where the ship was, these fine specimen of gentlemen chose to board a foreign flagged ship, take the crew hostage, ask for ransom and moved the ship into somalian waters.... pert much sound like PIRATES to me.


----------



## Yrys

No, I don't get your drift (except if you're talking about if the ship was in international waters, it was not in  jurisdiction of anyone ) ...


----------



## armyvern

I don't get his drift either.  :-\


----------



## CougarKing

Those Somali pirates- well another group anyways- are up to no good again. This time they seized a Spanish tuna fishing boat. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7357831.stm



> *Somali pirates seize Spanish boat*
> 
> A Spanish fishing boat with 26 crew on board has been seized by pirates off Somalia, officials in Spain say.
> 
> They say the Playa de Bakio - a Basque tuna boat - was attacked about 250 miles (400km) off the coast.
> 
> A source from the Basque regional government said the boat was in "international waters". The fate of the crew is unknown.
> 
> Somali coastal waters are among the most hazardous in the world, despite the presence of US navy patrols.
> 
> Grenade launchers
> 
> A source from the Basque government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Food department told Spanish news agency Efe that four armed pirates took control of the boat using grenade launchers.
> 
> The source said the crew was made up of 13 Africans and 13 Spaniards, and the boat suffered "some damage" in the attack but is "navigable".
> 
> The boat is currently heading towards Somalia, the source added.
> 
> It comes a few days after a Paris court charged six Somalis with taking a French luxury yacht's crew hostage earlier this month.
> 
> The yacht's 30-member crew were held hostage for a week but released after its owners apparently paid a ransom of $2m (£1m; 1.3m euros).
> 
> The pirates were then picked up by French commandos in a helicopter raid.
> 
> Last year, more than 25 ships were seized by pirates in Somali coastal waters.
> 
> Somalia has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years and is plagued by insecurity.


----------



## geo

Well, methinks it's time for the Spanish foreign legion ( I think they still have one ??? ) to step up to the plate & demonstrate to the Somalis that they too won't take too kindly to Piracy on the high seas.  Make em understand that ANY vessel plying international waters is to be left alone.


----------



## CougarKing

geo said:
			
		

> Well, methinks it's time for the Spanish foreign legion ( I think they still have one ??? ) to step up to the plate & demonstrate to the Somalis that they too won't take too kindly to Piracy on the high seas.  Make em understand that ANY vessel plying international waters is to be left alone.



They still have one, but it's only called the Spanish Legion, IIRC. And I think, they stopped accepting foreigners in 1987.


----------



## OldSolduer

I agree with Cougar Daddy......catch em and string em up ....then broadcast the executions to Somalia and any other "nation" that condones this activity. Why do we stand for this garbage.


----------



## CougarKing

Here's a little update on the situation of that Spanish boat seized by another group of Somali pirates:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/04/26/pirates.spain/index.html



> *Pirates free Spanish boat, crew*
> Story Highlights
> Crew seized Sunday from tuna boat off Somalia is released, officials say
> 
> Tuna boat, 26-member crew headed to Seychelles under escort
> 
> Pirates had demanded money, Spanish officials say
> 
> Incident is latest in series of attacks on boats off Horn of Africa
> 
> MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- The crew of a Spanish fishing boat seized by pirates last week off the coast of Somalia has been freed, officials said Saturday, and the boat was being escorted to the Seychelles Islands.
> 
> Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, deputy prime minister of Spain, said at a news conference that all 26 crew members of the Playa de Bakio are being brought to safety.
> 
> She said the tuna boat "has been liberated" and was navigating on its own, headed toward the Seychelles escorted by a Spanish naval frigate. The crew, de la Vega said, is in "perfect condition."
> 
> The boat was seized Sunday. On Monday, Spanish state radio RNE reported that the pirates had demanded a ransom payment for the release of the crew.
> 
> Asked Saturday whether a ransom was paid, de la Vega said, "I can't give you details." But she said the "kidnappers" abandoned the boat, allowing it to sail away with the frigate.
> 
> The government had received the news about 5 p.m., she said.
> 
> "We're satisfied, because we have preserved the safety of the crew and diplomacy has worked," she said.
> 
> But, she added, the Spanish government is working with its allies in the United Nations to prevent such piracy from happening again.
> 
> The Playa de Bakio could take a few days to reach the Seychelles.
> 
> The government had sent the frigate in response to the hijacking and sent Spain's ambassador to Kenya, the closest nation to Somalia. Spain also sent some planes into the region.
> 
> Half the boat's crew members are Spanish nationals from the Basque and Galicia regions of the country.
> 
> On Monday, RNE reported that it had called the ship several times and that during a brief conversation, a man who was apparently a pirate told them in English that the demand was for money, according to Ana Rosa Alonso, RNE's master control room chief.
> 
> Alonso said the man claimed there were four heavily armed pirates. In another call, a man who said in Spanish that he was the boat's captain assured listeners, "We are all right, and for the moment there's no problem."
> 
> The Spanish Foreign Ministry said the incident with the Playa de Bakio occurred in Somali waters, but it was not immediately known how far the ship was from the coast.
> 
> Earlier this month, more than a dozen pirates seized a French yacht off the Somali coast and held its 30-member crew hostage for a week. No passengers were on board. The hostages eventually were freed, and six of the pirates are in French custody after a raid in the Somali desert.
> 
> U.S. and NATO warships have been patrolling off the Horn of Africa for several years in an effort to crack down on piracy of long-lawless Somalia, where a U.N.-backed transitional government and Ethiopian troops are now battling Islamist insurgents.
> 
> But the pirate seizures have continued despite several run-ins between the pirates and the international fleet in recent months.


----------



## geo

> But the pirate seizures have continued despite several run-ins between the pirates and the international fleet in recent months.



Obviously, the international fleet has been too lenient with the Pirates.  Come down hard several times - make everyone understand that there will be ZERO tolerance for this kind of behavior & only then will we see this problem come under control.


----------



## CougarKing

geo said:
			
		

> Obviously, the international fleet has been too lenient with the Pirates.  Come down hard several times - make everyone understand that there will be ZERO tolerance for this kind of behavior & only then will we see this problem come under control.



Apparently the "international fleet" will not be too lenient now with this latest development:


http://www.indiaenews.com/america/20080603/122444.htm



> From correspondents in New York, United States, 03:03 AM IST
> 
> *The UN Security Council Monday unanimously voted to authorize states to enter Somalia's territorial waters to fight piracy, which it said has become a threat to international and regional peace and security.*
> 
> The 15-nation council allowed states to use 'all necessary means' to 'repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea' that have gotten bolder recently with more ships being captured by pirates off the coasts of Somalia.
> 
> The resolution authorized states with naval vessels operating in the region to enter territorial waters of Somalia 'for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent with such action permitted on the high seas with respect to piracy under relevant international law.'
> 
> The council proclaimed that acts of piracy off the Somali coasts and on the high seas have become threats to international peace and security in the region. It invoked Chapter 7 of the UN Charter to authorize the fight against piracy, which in fact allows states to use force.
> 
> It called on naval vessels and military aircraft of states operating on the high seas and airspace off the coast of Somalia to be 'vigilant' of piracy acts and armed robbery and try to deter those acts.
> 
> The authorization to fight piracy is good for six months.
> 
> States are called to cooperate with the transitional government in Mogadishu, which admitted helplessness in fighting piracy off its coasts. The authorization would apply only to the situation in Somalia.
> 
> The council called on states to cooperate with each other and with the International Maritime Organization, share information about acts of piracy and provide assistance to vessels threatened by or under attack by pirates or armed robberies.
> 
> African maritime officials said Somali pirates last week seized three cargo ships flagged to Gibraltar, Turkey and the Netherlands.
> 
> Piracy is rife off the Somali coast, which is close to key shipping routes. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says 31 hijackings and attempted hijackings were reported last year.
> 
> Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Programme, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that pirates Wednesday captured the Gibraltar-flagged MV Lehmann Timber, which is run by Germany's Kehdingerland GmbH, and the Turkey-flagged MV Arean.
> 
> No information on demands from the pirates, the ships' crews or their cargo was available.
> 
> Mwangura said the two ships were captured in the same area as Dutch cargo ship MV Amiya Scan, which was seized Sunday along with its nine Russian and Filipino crew.
> 
> In April, pirates captured a luxury French yacht and attempted to ransom its crew members. French troops recovered the hostages and captured six of the pirates, although another six are believed to have escaped.
> 
> The IMB Wednesday issued an alert for the region, warning that pirates were using automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades to stop ships. The body has also advised vessels not scheduled to call on Somali ports keep at least 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast.


----------



## geo

While piracy near Somalia has been spectacular in recent times, there has probably been much more piracy off of Indonesia & the Phillipines.  Any news on intentions to curb those ?


----------



## AlphaQup

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/08/21/somalia.pirates/



> (CNN) -- Pirates hijacked three ships off the coast of Somalia on Thursday in the "worst number of attacks" in one day in many years, an international maritime watchdog said.
> 
> "Four attacks in two days, ships being hijacked and crews being taken, and large ransoms being demanded is completely unacceptable," said Capt. Pottengal Mukudan of the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors shipping crime.
> 
> Pirates fired at a ship sailing under an Iranian flag and boarded it about 2:20 a.m. local time Thursday (10:20 p.m. ET Wednesday), said Noel Chong, head of the International Chamber of Commerce's Piracy Reporting Centre, a multinational coalition naval task force that monitors the region
> 
> They hijacked a ship operating under a Japanese flag a few minutes later, he said.
> 
> A German ship was hijacked about 8 a.m. local time, Mukudan said. He said the pirates are still on board the German vessel, but he had few details.
> 
> Pirate attacks are frequent in the waters off Somalia, a notoriously unsafe area for unescorted vessels. Canada announced this month that it was dispatching a warship to the area to protect U.N. aid ships after more than two dozen reported pirate attacks in the region this year.
> 
> "This is the worst number of attacks that we have seen in a short period of time for years," Mukudan said, calling on CTF-150 to "give piracy a much higher priority to bring this under control. There have been seven vessels [hijacked] since the 20th of July."
> 
> Thursday's spate of attacks in the Gulf of Aden came two days after pirates boarded a Malaysian tanker off the coast of Somalia. They continue to hold it, Chong said.
> 
> The IMB monitors shipping crime and reported Thursday's incidents to CTF-150, which is based in Djibouti, and the task force is "monitoring the situation," Mukudan said.
> 
> "They have some of their vessels ,which are tracking some of these hijacked ships, but the problem is it's very difficult to take action once the hijackers are on board," he said. "The lives of the hostages is at risk."
> 
> He said he understood that the task force was busy with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but noted that the IMB would like to see the task force do more to respond to the problem before the hijackings occur.
> 
> The IMB said in April that 49 pirate attacks on ships were reported in the first three months of 2008, compared with 41 for the same period last year. It recorded 263 pirates attacks last year, up from 239 the year before and the first increase in three years


Seems like the problem is growing worse.


----------



## Eye In The Sky

So the question is what is the force assigned to patrol these waters now (in total, not just the VDQ) and will it be increased?


----------



## George Wallace

I think that the Powers that Be are getting fed up with these acts of piracy on the High Seas and we may see Super Cobras in the near future blowing Somali fast boats out of the water, and perhaps more raids on their home villages to capture and bring the pirates to court.  The French have already done this, and brought the guilty parties to France for trial.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

I think some freighters travelling in disguise, like the WWII raiders, would fit the bill. Let 'em get close and make their demand, drop the side plates, shoot them up and sail away leaving them for shark chum. ;D


----------



## armyca08

I'm really suprised that with advanced shipping technologies, the US state department can't minitor the area and post radio warnings to shipping companies. Although I'm a little surpised shipping companies are still shipping in an area of known piracy.

Although I somehow am currious as to the legality of Canadian Military Vesels interfering in Somalia's National Waters, I can only geuss that the somoli government(s) have OKed the Canadian Vesel operating on a security detail in the area.

Maybe doing some arming of boards like the decoys in WWII would help out here..  but I geuss the legality of arming a commercial shipping vessel with Guided Misses SSM etc.. would probably be out of the question.... however it'd probably save the hastle for the cost of some shoulder launched rockets and Hatf's.


A bunch of suprlus small arms, depth charges etc..


----------



## Eye In The Sky

You do realize the high value targets include shipping that is bringing in UN aid (food) to the area?


----------



## aesop081

army08 said:
			
		

> I'm really suprised that with advanced shipping technologies, the US state department can't minitor the area and post radio warnings to shipping companies. Although I'm a little surpised shipping companies are still shipping in an area of known piracy.
> 
> Although I somehow am currious as to the legality of Canadian Military Vesels interfering in Somalia's National Waters, I can only geuss that the somoli government(s) have OKed the Canadian Vesel operating on a security detail in the area.
> 
> Maybe doing some arming of boards like the decoys in WWII would help out here..  but I geuss the legality of arming a commercial shipping vessel with Guided Misses SSM etc.. would probably be out of the question.... however it'd probably save the hastle for the cost of some shoulder launched rockets and Hatf's.
> 
> 
> A bunch of suprlus small arms, depth charges etc..



reeding dis urt my ayes......


----------



## Old Sweat

Given the limited escorts available and the challenges of not being able to force compliance among the nations operating merchant ships, is the adoption of a convoy system a feasible measure?


----------



## Edward Campbell

Piracy is a HUGE problem. Canada, despite being a major trading nation, has only limited concern because:

•	Most of our trade is continental – we are not a great maritime trader;

•	Some of the problems are in areas where our already limited interests are negligible; and

•	We have limited resources to apply even when there is interest in doing something.

Anyone interested in the dimension of the problem and some of he possible solutions should look at some of these presentations.

Canada can and should play a larger role (maybe one warship for half a year, every year – and, yes I am aware that we already have staffing/readiness problems in the Navy) as a fairly cheap and easy way of enhancing our international reputation in areas of greater importance (than South West Asia) – e.g. South and East Asia.


----------



## George Wallace

army08 said:
			
		

> I'm really suprised that with advanced shipping technologies, the US state department can't minitor the area and post radio warnings to shipping companies. Although I'm a little surpised shipping companies are still shipping in an area of known piracy.
> 
> Although I somehow am currious as to the legality of Canadian Military Vesels interfering in Somalia's National Waters, I can only geuss that the somoli government(s) have OKed the Canadian Vesel operating on a security detail in the area.
> 
> Maybe doing some arming of boards like the decoys in WWII would help out here..  but I geuss the legality of arming a commercial shipping vessel with Guided Misses SSM etc.. would probably be out of the question.... however it'd probably save the hastle for the cost of some shoulder launched rockets and Hatf's.
> 
> 
> A bunch of suprlus small arms, depth charges etc..



These are not "Pirates of the Caribbean" sailing the High Seas in the "Black Pearl".  They are 'bandits' in high speed launches operating from the Coast of Somalia and attacking small seagoing craft that are close to short.  It is relatively hard to for any current technology to track a Zodiac from land to a Private Yacht and send a Boarding Party from a Naval Ship at sea, to repell the pirates.   I suppose in the fantasy world of Video Games it is much easier.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

army08 said:
			
		

> I'm really suprised that with advanced shipping technologies, the US state department can't minitor the area and post radio warnings to shipping companies. Although I'm a little surpised shipping companies are still shipping in an area of known piracy.
> 
> Although I somehow am currious as to the legality of Canadian Military Vesels interfering in Somalia's National Waters, I can only geuss that the somoli government(s) have OKed the Canadian Vesel operating on a security detail in the area.
> 
> Maybe doing some arming of boards like the decoys in WWII would help out here..  but I geuss the legality of arming a commercial shipping vessel with Guided Misses SSM etc.. would probably be out of the question.... however it'd probably save the hastle for the cost of some shoulder launched rockets and Hatf's.
> 
> 
> A bunch of suprlus small arms, depth charges etc..



If you know nothing on the subject don't post such drivel and speculation. If you want to learn more then ask the proper questions. For example:
What would be the legal aspects for the arming of commercial shipping in areas of piracy? Had you asked something like that then no one could fault you. We in the CF don't do this for pretend like you think we do. This is about our lives and other peoples lives on the line. Its not game and its not for your amusement. So cease!


----------



## OldSolduer

There is only ONE solution to this....eradicate these scum.


----------



## geo

Let's face it, where there is no stable government, lawlessness and piracy/banditry will prosper.
Considering the shaky state of the Somali government, I am not surprised that the pirates are so active... 
Ships stuffed with aid supplies for their countrymen..... it's like a henhouse to the local foxes...

Until the pirates are erradicated, convoy systems might be the only option BUT, given the lousy state of affairs for unloading ships in Mogadishu, the arrival of multi ship convoys will only mean one thing... ships sitting around awaiting their turn to unload.  Most shipping companies don't like to see their ships just sit there doing nothing - except run up payroll and operating expenses.  Paying a ransom might be cheaper in their eyes.


----------



## Snafu-Bar

I think i heard correctly on the news that we sent a Halifax class to aid the region with it's piracy problem.

 Hmcs Ville De Quebec...(sorry for the oversight)

 Other link to related article here

http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/78684.0.html

Cheers.


Edited for correction.


----------



## George Wallace

Yes we did.  It is a big Ocean and they can't cover all the ground waters, all at once, all by themselves.


----------



## Eye In The Sky

Snafu-Bar said:
			
		

> I think i heard correctly on the news that we sent a Halifax class to aid the region with it's piracy problem.
> 
> Hmcs Quebec...  HMCS VILLE DE QUÉBEC



Their website is here.


----------



## geo

George... that's what the Sea King detachment is there for


----------



## OldSolduer

Are there not crocodile infested waters near there......? Having those bad thoughts again... >


----------



## geo

Crocs... "up the Nile" - not in open sea


----------



## Nfld Sapper

Sharks...... maybe


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

geo said:
			
		

> George... that's what the Sea King detachment is there for



Still only 2 units to cover a large area. Like the Army, the Navy and the Air Force cannot be everywhere at once.



> Crocs... "up the Nile" - not in open sea


never hear of the saltwater crocodile?  10 friggin meters in can grow up to.


----------



## geo

Salt water - yes, deep water - no

As an ambush predator, it usually waits for its prey to get close to the water's edge before striking without warning and using its great strength to drag the animal back into the water. Most prey animals are killed by the great jaw pressure of the crocodile, although some animals may be incidentally drowned. It is an immensely powerful animal, having the strength to drag a fully grown water buffalo into a river, or crush a full-grown bovid's skull between its jaws.


----------



## Edward Campbell

Although piracy off the Horn of Africa is a problem the *real, BIG* problem, the one our self interest suggests we should try to help address, is in the Straits of Malacca.


----------



## OldSolduer

OH I suppose sharks will do, but do they have frickin ;D lasers attached to their heads?


----------



## geo

Aisian pirates have been a curse to Signapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Phillipines and pert much all the other island countries in that part of the world.... I would've thought that, given the sophisticated navies that most of these countries have, they - with a little bit of help from their big neighbors (Australia/NZ, China, Japan & Taiwan) their piracy problem shoulda been dealt with.


----------



## Eye In The Sky

geo said:
			
		

> Salt water - yes, deep water - no
> 
> As an ambush predator, it usually waits for its prey to get close to the water's edge before striking without warning and using its great strength to drag the animal back into the water.



{ Hijack Alert }

This sentence immediately made me think of some of the ladies that used to hang out at the Camelot...

*shudders*


----------



## OldSolduer

Ha ha..the Camelot! Yes that's a very good analogy!

Now will SOMEBODY get me sharks with frikkin laser beams? :rage:


----------



## CougarKing

HA! Who says that merchant seamen can't defend themselves?



> *3 ships thwart attacks by pirates off Somalia*
> Mon Sep 8, 4:20 AM ET
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked three vessels off Somalia's coast but failed to hijack them because of quick action by crew members, a maritime official said Monday.
> 
> A Chinese cargo ship, a Singaporean liquefied gas carrier and a Thai bulk carrier managed to thwart the pirates in the Gulf of Aden by increasing speed and taking evasive maneuvers, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991, is the world's top piracy hotspot. The latest incidents bring to 44 the number of attacks off its coast this year. Most occurred in the Gulf of Aden, Choong said.
> 
> "Early detection allowed all three ships to report to IMB and take quick action to escape," said Choong, who heads the IMB's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. He said the situation was still grave despite increased patrols by warships from a multinational coalition in the area.
> 
> *The Chinese-owned ship, sailing under the flag of the Caribbean island state of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, was passing through the gulf Friday when crew noticed a blue tug identified by the IMB as a suspected pirate vessel, Choong said.
> 
> The crew raised the alarm after a speed boat from the tug headed toward the ship, he said. Four pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons started firing, but the ship escaped after it increased speed and the crew threw objects at the pirates during the chase, he said.
> 
> On Saturday, six pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades attempted to ambush a Singaporean tanker in the gulf, Choong said. The tanker increased speed and changed course, leaving the attacking boat rolling heavily and four pirates fell into the sea, he said.
> 
> The pirates later resumed chase and the ship captain contacted the IMB, which sought help from the coalition naval force, he said. The pirates gave up their chase before a coalition warship could reach the scene, he said.
> 
> The next day, pirates in two speed boats chased a Thai bulk carrier but it also managed to evade the pirates and headed toward Yemen's coast, Choong said.*
> 
> Nobody on board the ships was injured in the incidents.
> 
> The attacks came after pirates hijacked an Egyptian cargo ship and a French sailboat last Wednesday. Ten vessels have been seized in the region since July 20.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year. The surge in pirate attacks has prompted the U.S. Naval Central Command to establish a security corridor in the gulf patrolled by the international coalition of warships.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080908/ap_on_...somalia_pirates


----------



## Blackadder1916

But there is still plenty of prey for the pirates to take down.

*South Korean ship hijacked off Somali coast*


> Associated Press 10 September 2008 6 hours ago
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Pirates hijacked a South Korean bulk carrier with 21 crew off Somalia's coast Wednesday but were thwarted in a separate attempt to seize a Greek ship, a maritime official said.
> 
> The South Korean vessel is the 11th to be hijacked since July 20 off Somalia, which is the world's top piracy hotspot. The surge in attacks has prompted the U.S. Naval Central Command to establish a security corridor patrolled by an international coalition of warships.
> 
> Noel Choong of the piracy watchdog International Maritime Bureau said the bureau was informed that the South Korean ship with 21 members aboard was seized in the Gulf of Aden, but he could not provide details.
> 
> South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the ship had eight South Koreans and "numerous" other foreign crew members. Yonhap, which did not cite its source, said the sailors were all safe.
> 
> In the other incident Wednesday, pirates in speed boats chased a Greek bulk carrier and fired at it with machine guns, Choong said. The crew called the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, which alerted the multinational force.
> 
> The force sent a warship and a helicopter that scared away the pirates, Choong said.
> 
> The latest incidents bring the number of attacks off Somalia's coast to 50 this year, most of which occurred in the Gulf of Aden, Choong added.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year. But it has become notorious for an increasing number of attacks, apparently by Somali pirates.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. Pirates there are trained fighters, often dressed in military fatigues and typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rockets launchers and various types of grenades.


----------



## Blackadder1916

Shipping insurance cost soars with piracy surge off Somalia


> Miles Costello The Times September 11, 2008
> 
> A dramatic increase in piracy off the coast of Somalia and *a ten-fold increase in insurance premiums* has sent the cost of sending ships through one of the world's busiest transport routes, soaring, shipping experts said yesterday.
> 
> The warning came as pirates hijacked the latest cargo ship off the Horn of Africa yesterday. The South Korean vessel and its nine crew joined 10 other ships being held for ransom by pirates in Somali waters as the country suffers a crippling humanitarian crisis and its worst bout of insecurity since the early 1990s.
> 
> Insurance companies have increased premiums for sending a cargo shipment through the Gulf of Aden to about $9,000 from $900 a year ago.  Meanwhile, the pirates, who use speed boats and are armed with rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles, have become increasingly sophisticated in their attacks.  Ships are typically held for at least three months before a ransom, which averages $1million, can secure their release.
> 
> Robert Davies, head of specialist risks at Hiscox, the London-based insurer, said that embattled ship owners are facing a big increase in ransom demands, as well as the cost of settling tense negotiations that last an averge 100 days. The average kidnap settlement is now $1 million. Previously, the pirates would have happily settled for payments “in the low hundreds of thousands”, Mr Davies said.
> 
> “It's not just a growing frequency, there is also a growing cost of piracy, kidnap and ransoms,” he said. “The size of the ransom, depending on the vessel and its cargo, is growing. The time these things are lasting is also increasing. Before, they were quick in and out events. Now, the bad guys are a bit more sophisticated.”
> 
> Pleasure craft are also being targeted by the Somali pirates. A Kenyan-based shipping agency reported yesterday said that the bandits were demanding $1.4million for the release of a French couple seized last week as they sailed their yacht between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
> 
> Jean-Yves Delanne and his wife Bernadette were dropped ashore on the Somali coast before being taken to a pirate hideout in the Xaabo mountains, according to the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme. It said that the group were also demanding the release of six pirates seized by French commandos in April as part of the ransom deal. The organisation claimed the couple's luxury yacht, the 24 metre (79 foot) twin-masted Carre D'as IV, was probably being used as a decoy vessel to capture other ships.
> 
> “It might very well be used as a decoy to approach other unsuspecting yachts or simulate and signal an engine failure or other emergency at sea, whereby it then would attack any ship coming closer in order to provide assistance,” it said.
> 
> “If you think about Somalia - it's not really a country anymore. It is being controlled by a bunch of warlords. It has become a haven for lawlessness. If you are a shipowner and want to get your cargo east to west, you pretty much have to go through the Gulf of Aden,” Mr Davies said.
> 
> In the first half of this year, 94 crew and passengers were taken hostage while trying to cross the Gulf of Aden, according to figures compiled by maritime experts at the International Maritime Bureau, part of the International Chambers of Commerce (ICC-IMB).
> 
> A further 63 people have been taken hostage in Somalia over the same period, according to the ICC-IMB.
> 
> And the evidence shows that Somalia is by far the most dangerous location for commercial travel this year - considerably ahead of the Philippines and Indonesia.


----------



## George Wallace

This is going to become 'violent' in the near future.  Either, Nations are going to use military force and put an end to it, or 'Private Enterprise' will contract out solutions on their own.


----------



## rtangri

Well if something doesnt work out with the pirates in regards to the navy being sent in to help, blackwater will probably get the contract, on the contrary



haha, i cant believe pirates still exist


----------



## aesop081

rtangri said:
			
		

> haha, i cant believe pirates still exist



Why not ?

Piracy is simply theivery / crime on the water. As long as there will be trade, there will be piracy. The reasons for it have not changed since the "pirates" that most people think of.


----------



## George Wallace

rtangri said:
			
		

> haha, i cant believe pirates still exist



There have always been pirates.  There are pirates in the South China Sea.  There were pirates operating of the coasts of Vietnam and Thailand during the Vietnam War.  There have been pirates hijacking yachts off of Australia and New Zealand for years.  They are out there, but don't make much Press, except in the "Yachting Circles".


----------



## GAP

George Wallace said:
			
		

> This is going to become 'violent' in the near future.  Either, Nations are going to use military force and put an end to it, or 'Private Enterprise' will contract out solutions on their own.



Did not Indonesia deal with this in the last couple of years when the pirates in the Malaka Strait got out of hand?  What did they do?


----------



## aesop081

GAP said:
			
		

> Did not Indonesia deal with this in the last couple of years when the pirates in the Malaka Strait got out of hand?  What did they do?



It is still quite out of hand.


----------



## CougarKing

Here is a repost of a commentary by a merchant sailor who has sailed that particular dangerous stretch infested with Somali pirates.



> Most of the piracy happens in the northern part of Somalia and the Gulf Aden area, the gateway to Suez Canal and Europe.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Gulf of Aden is in the mouth of the Red Sea and the only route for a vessel sailing to Suez Canal, Mediterranean Sea, and Europe from Indian Ocean and Asia. The alternative route is via Cape of Good Hope the southern tip of African continent which is not recommendable unless the Suez Canal is close as it happened during the Israeli Arab War in 1967.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The problems of Piracy in the Gulf of Aden can be solved with the cooperation from the government of Yemen and the IMO. I proposed that the ships sailing Red Sea, Suez Canal, and Mediterranean to hugged the coast of Yemen (perhaps about 12 to 15 miles south of Yemen coast. Also the International Maritime Organization to adopt and establish a Traffic Separation for east bound and west bound vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Naval  vessels from the United Nations to patrol the proposed IMO Traffic SeparationScheme which will be located on the edge of 12 miles international boundary of Yemen.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ships assigned to Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) assemble in a formation for a photo exercise. The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) was established to monitor, inspect, board, and stop suspect shipping to pursue the war on terrorism and includes operations currently taking place in the North Arabia Sea to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. Countries contributing to CTF-150 currently include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States.
> 
> 
> The Coalition Naval vessels deployed in Somalia water is virtually helpless in combating piracy in the Somalia coast. They were more or less 20 ships but the Somali coast is more than 3,000 miled in lenght.  I reckoned the best thing they should do is to blockade the known Pirate bases off the Somalia coast especially in Northern Somalia bordering the Gulf of Aden and in the island of Socotra, and also the known Pirate bases about 39 to 40 miles north of Mogadishu and the pirates area about 20 to 30 miles south of Mogadishu port. The coalition naval warships must have small fast craft to chase the pirates speed boats.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is a well known fact that the pirates operating in small fast speed boats have a mother ship which also has modern equipment like AIS, Automatic Identification of System, from there AIS they could know the names of the merchant vessels, their last port and next port and their cargo.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pirate's mother ship.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Also they have VHF Radio that can monitor the movements of ships entering or leaving a Somalia port since vessel have to contact the Port Control before entering a port. However these equipments may have helped the Pirates in capturing vessels.
> 
> Merchant vessels in pirate infested area should switched off their AIS in order not to let the pirate's mother ship to have all advance informations they needed. Merchant vessels entering Somali ports like Mogadishu, Berbera, etc should be exempted from calling by VHF Radio the concerned Port Authorities.
> 
> Messages even within 1 hour before arrival port and even in the anchorage area should be sent by email to the Shipping Agent or relayed to the Shipping Agent by the Charterers or by the ship Owners. instead of sending via VHF Radio.
> 
> There is a also a chance that someone in the Port Authorities were the one giving information to the Pirates. There was an incident where the Pirate was tellling the Captain of a vessel they hijacked that the vessel's ETA in entering the port of Mogadishu was not accurate since they the Pirate have waited outside the port for more than 2 hours from the "ETA" given by that vessel they have hijacked.
> 
> Who else provided that ETA informations to the Pirates if not the Port Authorities themselves? or the Shipping Agent of the vessel ?
> 
> There were piracy in the East coast of Somalia and in the Somalia capital of Mogadishu but for prudent reasons I better not make any comments since it may affect or jeopardize the security of the ship I just disembarked, and the security of seafarers manning the ships that brought foods to Somalia people from the ports of India, United Arab Emirates, and from other countries.
> 
> Those seafarers were mostly from the Philippines, India, and some from East European countries. Perhaps they were brave and noble enough to sail to Mogadishu and provide food relief to the starving mass of humanity in Somalia.


----------



## CougarKing

More pictures and comments from that merchant sailor's commentary:



> Continuation :
> 
> Below were some photos of Mogadishu port the capital of wartorn Somalia.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We have guns onboard to scare the Pirates, we shoot them while still away since
> once they were near they can retaliate with RPG and bazooka.
> 
> Actually the Vessel we are on is partly owned by a Somali millionaires and perhaps related to the Warlord of Mogadishu. However the other place in Somalia
> were controlled by other warlords which perhaps were also connected with the Pirates. So our ship is also a target of Pirates operating in other ports of Somalia.


----------



## Bass ackwards

There is a very interesting book on the subject of modern piracy, it's called _Dangerous Waters; Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas _ by John S Burnett.
It was written post 9/11 and details many of the incidents and some of the current attempts to thwart piracy (the author himself was hijacked aboard his sailboat by pirates).
Well worth a look (in my humble, landlubber's opinion). 
Here's a link to the author's site:
http://www.modernpiracy.com/home.htm


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Pirates launch rocket attacks off Somali coast* 


> By Henry Samuel in Paris from Telegraph.co.uk Last Updated: 10:29PM BST 14 Sep 2008
> 
> French fishermen are calling for round-the-clock naval protection in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean after a boat narrowly escaped a rocket attack by Somali pirates, in the latest of a rash of incidents in the area.
> 
> The pirates are becoming increasingly emboldened, they say, and now prey on boats in an area the size of France off the Somali coast. On Saturday a Japanese-operated oil tanker came under fire, while a Spanish trawler was targeted last week.
> 
> The captain of the Breton fishing boat, Le Drennec, said the pirates opened fire with rockets when they realised that they were being outrun. One hit the deck while the other landed without exploding.
> 
> The latest attack occurred near the Seychelles, some 800 kilometres off the Somali coast.
> 
> Around fifty French and Spanish boats in the area have ceased operations and are currently moored in Mahé in the Seychelles.
> 
> "We are fishermen not warriors, we come here to earn a living, not to serve as targets," said Ronan Bargain, the captain of the Spanish boat that came under attack.
> 
> Yvon Riva, president of frozen tuna group Orthongel, called on France to provide air and sea surveillance.
> 
> "What used to be local pirates is turning into an organised industry, very probably using mother boats," from which small, heavily armed vessels chase passing fishermen, he said.
> 
> French fishing and agriculture minister Michel Barnier has called for an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the crisis.
> 
> Somali pirates are currently holding several ships in the area.
> 
> Two French sailors were kidnapped earlier this month. It is believed that they are being held off the northern Somali breakaway state of Puntland.
> 
> The pirates are demanding a ransom – reportedly £1.1 million – and that French authorities release six colleagues detained in France. The men were arrested after a high-profile attack on a luxury yacht in April, which ended with French commandos raiding the ship, capturing the pirates and freeing the 30 hostages unharmed.
> 
> In recent months, a multinational task force based in Djibouti has been patrolling parts of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, but fishermen say this is not sufficient.


----------



## Blackadder1916

> . . .
> Two French sailors were kidnapped earlier this month. It is believed that they are being held off the northern Somali breakaway state of Puntland.
> 
> The pirates are demanding a ransom – reportedly £1.1 million – and that French authorities release six colleagues detained in France. The men were arrested after a high-profile attack on a luxury yacht in April, which ended with French commandos raiding the ship, capturing the pirates and freeing the 30 hostages unharmed.


It would seem that this is no longer accurate.


*French commandos storm yacht to free couple held hostage by Somali pirates*  
The Carre d’As was stormed in an early morning raid by the French equivalent of the British Special Boat Service. Commandos safely freed the French couple who were held held hostage for 14 days, killing one pirate and capturing six.


> Charles Bremner in Paris From Times Online September 16, 2008
> 
> French navy commandos stormed a captured yacht off Somalia and freed its two crew after a battle with pirates who had been holding them for two weeks.
> 
> The night-time assault, in which one pirate was killed and six taken prisoner, was hailed by President Sarkozy as a complete success and a lesson to hostage-takers in the lawless seas off Somalia. "This is warning to all those who try to live off criminal acts. France will not accept that crime pays," he said.
> 
> The President directed the operation from the Elysée Palace, ordering the squad of 30 men to attack after it became clear that the pirates were taking the Carré d'As to the Somali mainland.
> 
> Jean-Yves and Bernadette Delanne, a retired couple, were safe and unharmed aboard the Courbet, a frigate. The navy vessel had been shadowing the yacht since it was seized on September 2 on a voyage to France from French Polynesia.
> 
> The operation was the second by French special forces against pirates in the red sea area this year. Six pirates were captured in Somalia and brought back to France last April after they released the 40 crew and passengers of the Ponant, a luxury cruising yacht. Part of that ransom was recovered in a helicopter attack on the hostage-takers on land.
> 
> The pirates holding the Carré d'As had been demanding a ransom of more than one million euros (£0.7m) for the Delannes' freedom, as well as the release of the six pirates held in a French prison.
> 
> Mr Sarkozy declined to give details of the operation beyond saying that the assault had been delayed for three days by bad weather and that the assault took ten minutes. The special forces had joined the Courbet from the French base at Djibouti soon after the pirates seized the yacht.
> 
> Men from the Commando Hubert, a unit modelled on the British Special Boat Service of the Second World War, would have swum under water to the yacht in order to take the pirates by surprise, military sources said. They would have used recycling aqualungs, which release no bubbles, and probably thrown grappling hooks over the rails to climb aboard in the early hours when the pirates were mainly sleeping, they said.
> 
> Congratulating his men, Mr Sarkozy said the action was military and not a police operation. He thanked Germany and Malaysia for helping in the operation but gave no details.
> 
> French special forces and the separate Gendarmerie intervention unit have a long record of successful hostage releases. Mr Sarkozy built his reputation as a tough enforcer of the law while serving as Interior Minister and as a junior minister in 1993 he risked his life to negotiate with a man who had taken nursery school children hostage. The man was shot dead by the Gendarmerie unit.
> 
> The President called for a new international operation to halt the criminal industry off Somalia. A French tuna vessel was hit by rockets 500 miles off Somalia earlier this week. Somali gunmen were reported this morning to have hijacked a tanker believed to be Hong Kong-owned, just hours after the yachting couple were freed. Mr Sarkozy said that 150 people from 15 vessels were being held hostage in Puntland a coastal region of Somalia. Most of the 54 pirate attacks this year have taken place in Gulf of Aden but the hostage-takers are roaming further afield into the Indian ocean.
> 
> European Union foreign ministers have agreed to set up a unit to coordinate warship patrols off the coast of Somalia to protect shipping from pirates. Warships from the United States and its allies have been patrolling the area as part of an international anti-terrorist operation for the past eight years.
> 
> With its big military base at Djibouti, France has one of the strongest military presences in the region.
> 
> Mr Sarkozy, who was clearly enjoying his role as tough commander-in-chief this morning, said: "Whenever any French person is in danger in the world, the state will use all its means to save them."


----------



## geo

It's good to see that France has chosen to put it's proverbial pants on & project itself.
Not sure they would have done so 2 or 3 years ago.

BZ to Commando Hubert


----------



## Blackadder1916

geo said:
			
		

> It's good to see that France has chosen to put it's proverbial pants on & project itself.
> Not sure they would have done so 2 or 3 years ago.



France has never been reluctant to use direct action when its (and only its) interests or citizens have been threatened.  They are more hesitant to get involved when it does not directly concern its interests or when they are not in the lead.  Just because they haven't been enthusiastic partners in some western (NATO) coalitions doesn't mean it has been pantless.  In both cases of recent French military action to retrieve hostages/vessels from Somali pirates, the hostages and vessels were French.  I doubt that M. Sarkozy would have been as quick to order similar action if vessels and citizens of other nations were the ones taken.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

France's actions helps all sailors in the area. Now if more direct action was taken there would be less of this stuff. Time to bring out a Q ship. A bait car for piratres.


----------



## Blackadder1916

With the increased piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, one almost needs a score card to keep up to date with the incidents.  Found this while looking for a consolidated list of the vessels and hostages taken.

Weekly Piracy Report
9-15 September 2008


> _The following is a summary of the daily reports broadcast by the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre to ships in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean Regions on the SafetyNET service of Inmarsat-C from 9 to 15 September 2008. _
> 
> *ALERT*
> 
> *Gulf of Aden*
> Masters using the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) while transiting the Gulf of Aden are not relieved of their obligation and should continue to maintain a strict 24 hour look out using all available means to get an early warning of an approaching threat. Early indication of a piratical incident will enable the master to contact the Coalition Navies, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre and respond appropriately to prevent boarding.
> 
> *Nigeria*
> Violent attacks carried out by pirates on board vessels at anchor and vessel carrying out STS operations. Mariners are advised to exercise extreme caution in these waters.
> 
> *Chittagong anchorage, Bangladesh*
> The number of attacks has reduced since 2006. However, the area is still listed as a high risk area and mariners are advised to be cautious especially while approaching the anchorage and while at anchor at Chittagong
> 
> *Suspicious crafts*
> 
> None reported
> 
> *Recently reported incidents*
> 
> 08.09.2008: 0500 LT: Tincan Island container terminal - berth no. 4, Lagos, Nigeria.
> Duty AB, onboard a container ship detected a suspicious boat. Upon checking, he discovered one robber had already boarded. There were six more persons in the boat. Crew alerted and they rushed towards the robber. When robber realized he had been detected, he jumped overboard and escaped with the others in the boat.
> 
> 
> 14.09.2008: 1435 UTC: Posn: 13:38.87N – 048:59.00E: Gulf of Aden.
> Duty officer onboard a bulk carrier noticed a mother vessel (red colour) releasing speed boats, which approached the vessel. Six pirates in the speedboat opened fire on the vessel.  Master contacted the coalition warships but no response. Anti piracy measures were enforced, the speedboats followed for about 10 minutes and later aborted.
> 
> 13.09.2008: 0500 UTC: 02:10N - 054:37E Off Somalia.
> Three white coloured speed boats, possibly, from a mother ship, fired on and tried to close onto a fishing vessel underway. The master increased speed and moved away.
> 
> 13.09.2008: 0300 LT: Posn: 09:57.75N - 076:15.79E, Warf no.Q4, Cochin Port, India.
> Two robbers armed with knives boarded a general cargo ship moored to buoys. They broke pad locks of forward store. Alarm raised and crew mustered. Upon hearing the alarm, robbers escaped empty handed in a wooden boat with eight accomplices. Port control and coast guard informed.
> 
> 12.09.2008: 1513 UTC: Posn: 13:24N - 048:20E, Gulf of Aden.
> Eight pirates, in a skiff, chased a general cargo ship underway. They fired upon the ship and attempted to board. Master contacted the coalition warships. A helicopter intervened and the pirates aborted the attempt.
> 
> 10.09.2008: 0657 UTC: Posn: 13:09.6N-047:57.0E: Gulf of Aden.
> Pirates boarded and hijacked a bulk carrier underway. 21 crew taken hostage.  Further reports awaited.
> 
> 10.09.2008: 0343 UTC: Posn: 12:39.4N – 048:23E: Gulf of Aden.
> One speedboat chased and fired on a bulk carrier underway. The vessel took evasive actions and contacted the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre for assistance. Duty officer at the Centre informed the coalition navy. Coalition navy sent a warship and a helicopter that flew over the speedboat and interrupted the attack. The pirates aborted the attack. The vessel continued her passage to destination port. No damage to vessel and no injury to crew.
> 
> 09.09.2008: 0200 LT: Vung Tau anchorage Vietnam.
> Duty AB, onboard a container ship at anchor, noticed one robber attempting to board via the anchor chain. Crew alerted. On seeing the alert crew, the robbers jumped overboard and escaped in a waiting boat.
> 
> 08.09.2008: Posn: 12:45.48N - 046:05.3E: Gulf of Aden.
> About ten speedboats chased a tanker underway. Master took evasive manoeuvres and contacted the coalition naval forces for help. A coalition aircraft arrived at location. The speedboats aborted the attack.
> 
> 08.09.2008: 0400 UTC: Posn: 12:54.2N - 046:04.2E: Gulf of Aden.
> Two high-speed boats crossed the bow of a container ship underway at a distance of one nm and then turned towards the ship. Master altered course in a threatening way to hit the speedboats.  As the boats got closer, the master observed that the persons onboard were carrying guns. Later the boats aborted the attempt.
> 
> 07.09.2008: 2030 LT: Off Tioman Island, Malaysia.
> About 15 pirates armed with long knives boarded and hijacked a tug towing a barge. The tug / barge were enroute to Thailand from Singapore in ballast. The pirates landed the seven Indonesian crewmembers on Tioman Island.  The seven-crew members lodged a police report on the island. The tug / barge are still missing.
> 
> 06.09.2008: 0240 LT: Tanjung Bara anchorage, Indonesia.
> Robbers boarded a bulk carrier at anchor, via the forecastle and stole ship's stores. Alarm raised and crew mustered. Robbers escaped.
> 
> *Piracy prone areas and warnings *
> 
> Mariners are warned to be extra cautious and to take necessary precautionary measures when transiting the following areas:
> 
> S E Asia and the Indian Sub Continent
> 
> *Bangladesh* : Although the number of attacks has fallen, the area is still listed as very high risk. Pirates are targeting ships preparing to anchor. Most attacks reported at Chittagong anchorages and approaches.
> *Indonesia* : Anambas/Natuna island area, Belawan. Pirates armed with guns and knives. Generally be vigilant in other areas. Many attacks may have gone unreported.
> *India * : Kandla. Most ships were attacked while at anchor.
> *Malacca straits* : Although the number of attacks has dropped due to the increase and constant patrols by the littoral states relevant Authorities since July 2005, ships are advised to continue maintaining a strict anti piracy watch when transiting the straits.
> *Philippines* : Manila - Pirates target ships at anchor.
> *Singapore Straits* : Only one reported incident in the last quarter, but vessels are advised to continue to be vigilant and maintain anti piracy watch. In the past pirates seen attacking ships while at anchor and underway.
> 
> Africa and Red Sea
> 
> *Lagos & Bonny River (Nigeria)* : Pirates are violent and have attacked and robbed vessels/kidnapped crews along the coast and rivers, at anchorages and ports. Vessels advised to be also vigilant in other areas in Nigeria.
> Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) : Pirates are targeting ships in port and anchorages.
> *Gulf of Aden / Red Sea * : Somali pirates are now attacking vessels in the northern Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden. These pirates are firing automatic weapons and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) in an attempt to board and hijack vessels. Once the attack is successful and the vessel hijacked, the pirates sail towards the Somali coast and thereafter demand a ransom for the release of the vessel and crew. All vessels transiting the area are advised to take additional precautionary measures and maintain strict 24 hours radar and anti piracy watch using all available means. Watch keeping crews should look out for small suspicious boats converging on vessel. Early sighting and accurate assessment will allow Master to increase speed and manoeuvre to escape pirates and at the same time request various Authorities/Agencies for assistance.
> *Somalian waters* : Recent incidents indicate that attacks have spread to the northern Somali coast. The Somali pirates are now attacking vessels in the northern Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden. Somali pirates are dangerous and are prepared to fire automatic weapons at ships in order to stop them. Occasionally they fire RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) launchers at ships. Pirates are believed to be using “mother vessels” to launch attacks far from the coast. These “mother vessels” proceed far out to sea and launch smaller boats to attack and hijack passing ships. Eastern and Northeastern coasts are high risk areas for attacks and hijackings. The IMB maintains its advice that vessels not making scheduled calls to ports in Somalia should keep as far away as possible from the Somali coast, ideally more than 200 nautical miles until a more permanent and encouraging sign is seen. Mariners are advised to report any suspicious boats to the Centre.
> 
> South and Central America and the Caribbean waters
> 
> *Brazil * : Although the number of reported attacks has dropped in Santos. Ships are advised to continue to be vigilant.
> *Peru* : Callao
> 
> Rest of the World
> 
> *Arabian Sea* : Sightings and calls from suspicious small boats. In some cases, boats chased the ships with unknown intent.
> 
> Secure-Ship
> 
> Secure-Ship is the most recent and effective innovation in the fight against piracy. It is a non-lethal, electrifying fence surrounding the whole ship, which has been specially adapted for maritime use. The fence uses 9,000-volt pulse to deter boarding attempts. An intruder coming in contact with the fence will receive an unpleasant non-lethal shock that will result in the intruder abandoning the attempted boarding. At the same time an alarm will go off, activating floodlights and a very loud siren. The IMB strongly recommends ship owners to install this device on board their ships. Further details can be obtained at www.secure-marine.com
> 
> ShipLoc
> 
> There are a number of reliable ship tracking devices available on the market today based upon Inmarsat and other satellite systems.
> 
> The IMB endorses ShipLoc, an inexpensive satellite tracking system, which allows shipping companies, armed only with a personal computer with Internet access, to monitor the exact location of their vessels. In addition to anti-hijacking role, ShipLoc facilitates independent and precise location of ships at regular intervals. ShipLoc is fully compliant with the IMO Regulation SOLAS XI-2/6 adopted during the diplomatic conference in December 2002, concerning a Ship Security Alert System. The ship security alert system regulation that will be put into place as of July 2004, requires ships of over 500 GT to be equipped with an alarm system in order to reinforce ship security. The system allows the crew, in case of danger, to activate an alarm button that automatically sends a message to the ship owner and to competent authorities. The message is sent without being able to be detected by someone on-board or by other ships in the vicinity. ShipLoc is contained in a small, discrete waterproof unit, which includes: an Argos transmitter, a GPS receiver, a battery pack in case of main power failure, and a flat antenna. ShipLoc is one of the most reliable systems available today. For more information, please visit www.shiploc.com
> 
> Reporting of incidents
> 
> Ships are advised to maintain anti-piracy watches and report all piratical attacks and suspicious movements of craft to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia .
> 
> Tel + 60 3 2078 5763
> Fax + 60 3 2078 5769
> Telex MA34199 IMBPCI
> E-mail: imbkl@icc-ccs.org
> 24 Hours Anti Piracy HELPLINE Tel: + 60 3 2031 0014



An interactive map showing 2008 piracy attacks is at http://www.icc-ccs.org/extra/display.php?yr=2008 .


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates seize two ships*


> AFP 9 hours ago (September 18 2008)
> 
> MOGADISHU (AFP) — Somali pirates seized a Greek ship and a Hong Kong-flagged vessel in the latest in a string of attacks that have prompted calls for international action, officials said on Thursday.
> 
> Pirates armed with rockets seized the freighter Centauri with a crew of 25 Filipinos some 200 miles south of Mogadishu on Thursday.
> 
> "The pirates attacked and boarded the ship, she was en route to Kenya with a crew of 25 on board," said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
> 
> He said pirates were now targeting ships on the eastern side of Somalia.
> 
> Hijackers also took the Hong Kong-flagged Great Creation on Wednesday with its 25 crew -- 24 Chinese and one Sri Lankan. The ship was headed to the Indian port of Pipavav from Tunisia, said Andrew Mwangura who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance programme.
> 
> Mwangura told AFP the ship was being taken to Eyl, a pirate lair in Somalia's northern breakaway state of Puntland.
> 
> A representative of the firm that owns Centauri said "all the crew are fine" but declined to give more details.
> 
> Meanwhile, a World Food Programme-chartered ship carrying some 4,000 tonnes of food aid arrived at Mogadishu port Thursday escorted by a Canadian frigate.
> 
> The Golina, escorted by the frigate Ville de Quebec, will spend four days offloading its cargo as the escort vessel returns to the Kenya port of Mombasa to escort a second ship.
> 
> According to the IMB, 55 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January and 11 are still being held for ransom when news of the Great Creation's capture was reported.
> 
> This week, French commandos freed a couple who were held hostage on their yacht in the region and French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for an international offensive against piracy.
> 
> Last year, the pirates had been operating on Somalia's east coast, but then shifted to the north, in the Gulf of Aden, before again recently switching back to the Indian Ocean.
> 
> Somalia's long coastline is infested with pirates, making the Gulf of Aden and neighbouring areas in the Indian Ocean among the most dangerous waters in the world.
> 
> In recent months, a Djibouti-based multinational taskforce has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, where a pirate mothership is believed to be operating.
> 
> Mwangura of the Seafarers Assistance programme said the latest attack was evidence that pirates could play cat and mouse with foreign navies. "They are changing locations due to the heavy concentration of navy ships" near the Gulf of Aden, he told AFP.
> 
> Operating from wooden boats that are difficult to detect on radar, the heavily-armed former coast guards turned pirates flit along with ease.
> 
> "At times when the sea is rough, they are camouflaged by the waves," Simon Tousignant, the second-lieutenant of the Canadian frigate Ville de Quebec, told AFP on board the ship.
> 
> The Ville de Quebec has been escorting UN relief food from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to the war-riven Somali capital of Mogadishu since Tuesday.
> 
> The sea bandits, whose numbers Mwangura says have risen to about 1,000 elude capture due to their rapid and unpredictable attacks.
> 
> Once aboard, an operation that takes about 20 minutes, the hijackers are almost untouchable with hostages under their command.
> 
> "They've got at least two mother ships at sea and they launch speed boats from these two cargos (vessels) to hijack other ships," Mwangura explained.
> 
> With rampant piracy and rising insecurity in the Horn of Africa nation, sea transport is the last lifeline of some 3.2 million Somalis in need of food aid.
> 
> Somalia has been without an effective central authority since the 1991 ouster of president Mohamed Siad Barre set off a deadly power struggle.



Edited to increase font in quote


----------



## armyvern

From the CBC ...

The HMCS VDQ ... Politics & Pirates

New videotape has emered showing Amanda Lindhout, a Canadian Journalist being held hostage in Somalia, appearing to be healthy (To see video - click on the player to the right of the linked screen).


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Life in Somalia's pirate town* 


> By Mary Harper BBC Africa analyst  Page last updated at 15:10 GMT, Thursday, 18 September 2008 16:10 UK
> 
> Whenever word comes out that pirates have taken yet another ship in the Somali region of Puntland, extraordinary things start to happen.
> 
> There is a great rush to the port of Eyl, where most of the hijacked vessels are kept by the well-armed pirate gangs.
> 
> People put on ties and smart clothes. They arrive in land cruisers with their laptops, one saying he is the pirates' accountant, another that he is their chief negotiator.
> 
> With yet more foreign vessels seized off the coast of Somalia this week, it could be said that hijackings in the region have become epidemic.
> 
> Insurance premiums for ships sailing through the busy Gulf of Aden have increased tenfold over the past year because of the pirates, most of whom come from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
> 
> In Eyl, there is a lot of money to be made, and everybody is anxious for a cut.
> 
> Entire industry
> 
> The going rate for ransom payments is between $300,000 and $1.5m (£168,000-£838,000).
> 
> A recent visitor to the town explained how, even though the number of pirates who actually take part in a hijacking is relatively small, the whole modern industry of piracy involves many more people.
> 
> "The number of people who make the first attack is small, normally from seven to 10," he said.
> 
> "They go out in powerful speedboats armed with heavy weapons. But once they seize the ship, about 50 pirates stay on board the vessel. And about 50 more wait on shore in case anything goes wrong."
> 
> Given all the other people involved in the piracy industry, including those who feed the hostages, it has become a mainstay of the Puntland economy.
> 
> Eyl has become a town tailor-made for pirates - and their hostages.
> 
> Special restaurants have even been set up to prepare food for the crews of the hijacked ships.
> 
> As the pirates want ransom payments, they try to look after their hostages.
> 
> When commandos from France freed two French sailors seized by pirates off the Somali coast this week, President Nicolas Sarkozy said he had given the go-ahead for the operation when it was clear the pirates were headed for Eyl - it would have been too dangerous to try to free them from there.
> 
> The town is a safe-haven where very little is done to stop the pirates - leading to the suggestion that some, at least, in the Puntland administration and beyond have links with them.
> 
> Many of them come from the same clan - the Majarteen clan of the president of Somalia's transitional federal government, Abdullahi Yusuf.
> 
> Money to spend
> 
> The coastal region of Puntland is booming.
> 
> Fancy houses are being built, expensive cars are being bought - all of this in a country that has not had a functioning central government for nearly 20 years.
> 
> Observers say pirates made about $30m from ransom payments last year - far more than the annual budget of Puntland, which is about $20m.
> 
> When the president of Puntland, Adde Musa, was asked about the reported wealth of pirates and their associates, he said: "It's more than true".
> 
> Now that they are making so much money, these 21st Century pirates can afford increasingly sophisticated weapons and speedboats.
> 
> This means that unless more is done to stop them, they will continue to plunder the busy shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> They even target ships carrying aid to feed their compatriots - up to a third of the population.
> 
> Warships from France, Canada and Malaysia, among others, now patrol the Somali coast to try and fend off pirate attacks.
> 
> An official at the International Maritime Organisation explained how the well-armed pirates are becoming increasingly bold.
> 
> More than 30% of the world's oil is transported through the Gulf of Aden, and even though the pirates lack the means to hijack huge tankers, there are reports that they have fired at them.
> 
> "It is only a matter of time before something horrible happens," said the official.
> 
> "If the pirates strike a hole in the tanker, and there's an oil spill, there could be a huge environmental disaster".
> 
> It is likely that piracy will continue to be a problem off the coast of Somalia as long as the violence and chaos continues on land.
> 
> Conflict can be very good for certain types of business, and piracy is certainly one of them.
> 
> Weapons are easy to obtain and there is no functioning authority to stop them, either on land or at sea.


----------



## RCD

NOW there's a job for our navy.


----------



## armyvern

RECON-MAN said:
			
		

> NOW there's a job for our navy.



Hmmm. The HMCS VDQ (Ville de Quebec) already belongs to us no? What's needed off the coast of Somalia is a whole lot more than what we can provide ... and a whole lot more than what's already being provided by various nations already, unfortunately.


----------



## GAP

Todate, it sure sounds like nobody wants to do anything but slap the pirate's proverbial hands...


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Wanted: countries to stand guard on ships*


> Rob Crilly The Times September 20, 2008
> 
> Aid officials gave warning yesterday that time was running out to feed millions of people at risk of starvation in Somalia, where a war-ravaged population faces its worst humanitarian crisis in 17 years.
> 
> Piracy and lawlessness in the capital, Mogadishu, have long made aid operations extremely hazardous. Yesterday, as port workers unloaded sacks of sorghum from a Panamanian-registered cargo ship, United Nations officials said that they desperately needed naval vessels to provide escorts for future aid shipments. *At the end of the month the Canadian Navy will withdraw its frigate, HMCS Ville de Quebec, from the region, leaving cargo ships with no defence against the pirates. *
> 
> Denise Brown, deputy country director of the World Food Programme in Somalia, said that tonnes of food were being brought in to South Africa with no means to deliver it to people in need. “We do not have a firm offer for any naval escort and we have 45,000 tonnes of food which needs to be distributed in October,” she told The Times by telephone from Nairobi.
> 
> Three WFP-contracted ships were hijacked during 2005 and 2006, but none has been seized since the escorts began last year. *Frigates from France, Denmark and the Netherlands have each taken a turn.*
> 
> Two decades of clan violence, warlord power struggles and repeated droughts have left millions of people hungry. This year the rains were well below average – the fourth successive failure - as drought swept the entire Horn of Africa.
> 
> Fighting has intensified in recent months as Islamist fighters seized key towns from a weak, interim government, adding thousands more to a displaced population.
> 
> At the same time, a global food and fuel crisis has sent the price of staples soaring by as much as 600 per cent in parts of the country.
> 
> The result is that almost half of Somalia’s population of seven million people - most desperately poor - is in desperate need of food deliveries.
> 
> Analysts believe that all the factors are in place for a disaster on the scale of the 1991-93 famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people.
> 
> In all, about 150,000 tonnes of food are needed to feed the country for the rest of the year. Ms Brown said that deliveries by sea were crucial. “This is a critical lifeline. Without a ship we would only have 10 per cent of our requirements in Somalia,” she said.
> 
> The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Food Analysis Unit said recently: “All information indicates that the key factors driving this humanitarian crisis will continue to worsen over the coming months.”


----------



## OldSolduer

The solution is simple:

You get caught committing piracy, you die. Right there and then.

Simple.


----------



## aesop081

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> The solution is simple:
> 
> You get caught committing piracy, you die. Right there and then.
> 
> Simple.



I love it


----------



## HItorMiss

Perhaps the answer is a Coalition of various countries with not just Naval assets but some SOF assets as well to carry out some targeted neutralization of various Pirates and their modes of transport.


----------



## Eye In The Sky

To be there waiting when they "come into/leave the barn".


----------



## OldSolduer

Thanks Cdn Aviator.

Clint Eastwood as one of his cowboy characters said it best:

"Some folks need a good killin"


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

BulletMagnet said:
			
		

> Perhaps the answer is a Coalition of various countries with not just Naval assets but some SOF assets as well to carry out some targeted neutralization of various Pirates and their modes of transport.



We are never in the full picture, perhaps its already happening....


----------



## CougarKing

Somali pirates hijack an Iranian ship only to start dying due to its cargo? 

*Mystery surrounds hijacked Iranian ship*
By NICK GRACE September 22, 2008 12:20 PM 
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/09/mystery_surrounds_hi.php



> A tense standoff is underway in northeastern Somalia between pirates, Somali authorities, and Iran over a suspicious merchant vessel and its mysterious cargo. Hijacked late last month in the Gulf of Aden, the MV Iran Deyanat remains moored offshore in Somali waters and inaccessible for inspection. Its declared cargo consists of minerals and industrial products, however, Somali and regional officials directly involved in the negotiations over the ship and who spoke to The Long War Journal are convinced that it was heading to Eritrea to deliver small arms and chemical weapons to Somalia's Islamist insurgents.
> 
> .....
> 
> The MV Iran Deyanat is owned and operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) - a state-owned company run by the Iranian military that was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on September 10, shortly after the ship's hijacking. According to the U.S. Government, the company regularly falsifies shipping documents in order to hide the identity of end users, uses generic terms to describe shipments to avoid the attention of shipping authorities, and employs the use of cover entities to circumvent United Nations sanctions to facilitate weapons proliferation for the Iranian Ministry of Defense.
> 
> ...
> 
> Suspicion has also been cast on the ship's crew, half of which is almost entirely staffed by Iranians - a large percentage of Iranian nationals for a standard merchant vessel. Somali officials say that the ship has a crew of 29 men, including a Pakistani captain, an Iranian engineer, 13 other Iranians, 3 Indians, 2 Filipinos, and 10 Eastern Europeans, possibly Croatian.
> 
> The MV Iran Deyanat was brought to Eyl, a sleepy fishing village in northeastern Somalia, and was secured by a larger gang of pirates - 50 onboard and 50 onshore. Within days, pirates who had boarded the ship developed strange health complications, skin burns and loss of hair. Independent sources tell The Long War Journal that a number of pirates have also died. "Yes, some of them have died. I do not know exactly how many but the information that I am getting is that some of them have died," Andrew Mwangura, Director of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, said Friday when reached by phone in Mombasa.


----------



## Edward Campbell

CBC Radio just (08:10 Eastern) reported that Canada will continue to patrol the Horn of Africa. It sounds like VDQ will remain on station for now, anyway.


----------



## armyvern

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> CBC Radio just (08:10 Eastern) reported that Canada will continue to patrol the Horn of Africa. It sounds like VDQ will remain on station for now, anyway.



Seems the appropriate thing to be doing at this point in time.

Wondering if/when we are going to go in and get our hostage back - it'd be nice to pull off (dare I say it) a "France Move" on this one.


----------



## CougarKing

BREAKING NEWS.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/24/somalia.pirates/index.html



> U.S. ship fires shots toward boats off Somalia
> Story Highlights
> Warning shots fired after two boats raise suspicions of piracy
> 
> Boats were approaching a U.S. Navy refueling ship
> 
> Warning shots land in water and boats turn away, military says
> 
> Pirates known to prowl waters off African nation of Somalia
> 
> (CNN) --* Security forces aboard a U.S. naval vessel fired warning shots toward two approaching small boats off the Somali coast Tuesday, the U.S. military said Wednesday.*
> 
> The rounds landed in the water, prompting the boats to turn around, and no casualties were reported, the military news release said.
> 
> *It is unclear whether the boats were trying to attack the 41,000-ton USNS John Lenthall, the military said.*
> 
> "It is clear they were not following the international rules of the road observed by mariners around the globe," it said.
> 
> The release noted that the location of the incident, the types of boats involved and the maneuvering were all "consistent with reports from previous attacks on merchant vessels in the region."
> 
> *The USNS John Lenthall is one of 14 "fleet replenishment oilers" in the Military Sealift Fleet Support Command, according to a U.S. Navy Web site. Oilers refuel Navy ships at sea and any aircraft they may be carrying.*
> 
> Attacks by pirates have increased dramatically off the northern coast of Somalia in the past year, prompting the United States and other nations to step up patrols in the region.
> 
> In May, the U.S. Navy warned merchant ships to stay at least 200 miles off the Somali coast. But the U.S. Maritime Administration warns that pirates sometimes issue false distress calls to lure ships closer to shore.
> 
> The pirates are often armed with automatic rifles and shoulder-fired rockets, according to warnings from the agency.


----------



## Edward Campbell

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> CBC Radio just (08:10 Eastern) reported that Canada will continue to patrol the Horn of Africa. It sounds like VDQ will remain on station for now, anyway.



Can anyone shed any light on this?

I *know I heard* it; I stopped what I was doing to listen. The reporter said Canada had agreed to extend VDQ's stay on station, in the region, at the request of the World Food Programme because, as the WFP said, no other nation is willing to take on the task. But I have found/heard/read nothing since.


----------



## CougarKing

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Can anyone shed any light on this?
> 
> I *know I heard* it; I stopped what I was doing to listen. The reporter said Canada had agreed to extend VDQ's stay on station, in the region, at the request of the World Food Programme because, as the WFP said, no other nation is willing to take on the task. But I have found/heard/read nothing since.



Mr Campbell,

Does this answer your question?



> *Norwegian warship to fight pirates off Somalia - report*
> 09/22/2008 | 05:26 PM
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *KNM Fridtjof Nansen*
> 
> OSLO, Norway - Norway’s new warship called Fridtjof Nansen will be deployed off the coast of Somalia to fight pirates operating in the area, according to Norwegian newspaper VG.
> 
> VG said the new super frigate would be stationed in the Gulf of Aden east of the mouth of the Red Sea by next spring. The Fridtjof Nansen is among the five Norwegian frigates that are being built in Spain by Nevanti Ship Yards.
> 
> On Sunday, pirates hijacked Greek ship MV Captain Stephanos with 19 crew members on board composed of 17 Filipinos, a Chinese, and a Ukranian.
> 
> Norway armed forces chief Sverre Diesen was quoted in the report as saying that the the first of the new frigates was tasked to guard the gulf against sea bandits.
> 
> Diesen reportedly said that a clear mandate from the UN and a political approval at home were needed for the project to go ahead.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, along with the Straits of Malacca, has become the site of frequent pirate attacks, with 24 cases reported between April and June.
> 
> On Sept. 6, suspected Somali pirates attacked Norwegian tanker Front Voyager with Filipino and Russian seamen on board. The crew used water cannons to fend off the pirates from climbing up the tanker while waiting for the arrival of Danish Naval vessel Absalon that managed to capture the pirates.
> 
> On Aug. 21, Somali pirates held captive nine Filipinos and four other foreign nationals who were on board a German-owned container ship near the Gulf of Aden. They were freed after almost a month in captivity.
> 
> According to reports, the International Maritime Bureau received eight incidents of pirate attacks in African waters since the beginning of September. - Gloria Grejalde, GMANews.TV
> 
> http://www.gmanews.tv/story/122052/Norwegi...omalia---report
> 
> http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/norway...oversies-02329/


----------



## armyvern

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Mr Campbell,
> 
> Does this answer your question?



That seems to make sense as the UN stated on Sunday the 21st that no nation had yet stepped up to take the VDQs spot on this mission:



> But the WFP's Somalia director, Peter Goossens, told AFP that no country had stepped up to take over from Canada when their rotation ends later this month.




As well, there's nothing announced on the link here ([url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/latest-headlines.asp#22]United Nations Website - latest news & press releases), which is unusual as the VDQ tasking is to protect the UN's World Food Program shipments from pirates. Wierd.


----------



## Blackadder1916

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Can anyone shed any light on this?
> 
> I *know I heard* it; I stopped what I was doing to listen. The reporter said Canada had agreed to extend VDQ's stay on station, in the region, at the request of the World Food Programme because, as the WFP said, no other nation is willing to take on the task. But I have found/heard/read nothing since.



I also saw the same report a couple of days ago (scrolling along at the bottom of either CBC's or CTV's news channel) but no further details.  As well, haven't been able to find any other mention of this.  The VDQ had been detached earlier from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG 1) and was due to return to SNMG 1 (currently in the Med) when its task of escorting WFP ships ended (?end of month).  It is possible this has been extended since the VDQ was to be deployed with SNMG 1 until December (IIRC).



			
				CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Does this answer your question?
> 
> Norwegian warship to fight pirates off Somalia - report



While the Fridtjof Nansen may be heading to that part of the world in response to Somali pirates, it does not sound like the Norwegian government has specifically provided it to escort the WFP ships.

http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=194198


> The Norwegian frigate *would join an international naval force which is already in place*, in an effort to protect international merchant shipping against the growing menace of pirates in these waters.


----------



## armyvern

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> I also saw the same report a couple of days ago (scrolling along at the bottom of either CBC's or CTV's news channel) but no further details.  As well, haven't been able to find any other mention of this.  The VDQ had been detached earlier from Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG 1) and was due to return to SNMG 1 (currently in the Med) when its task of escorting WFP ships ended (?end of month).  It is possible this has been extended since the VDQ was to be deployed with SNMG 1 until December (IIRC).
> 
> While the Fridtjof Nansen may be heading to that part of the world in response to Somali pirates, it does not sound like the Norwegian government has specifically provided it to escort the WFP ships.
> 
> http://www.norwaypost.no/cgi-bin/norwaypost/imaker?id=194198



I'm suspecting that what _*may*_ have occured is that she's extended only until her replacement ship (Norweigian ship - given below) arrives on scene.


----------



## GAP

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> I'm suspecting that what _*may*_ have occured is that she's extended only until her replacement ship (Norweigian ship - given below) arrives on scene.



From what I read the Norwegian Ship is not due on station until spring....am I getting dyslectic?


----------



## tomahawk6

More important is what is on that Iranian ship ? I am guessing nuclear material. Could be some type of biological or chemical weapon I suppose. But nuclear would make for a fine novel.


----------



## Edward Campbell

E.R. Campbell said:
			
		

> Can anyone shed any light on this?
> 
> I *know I heard* it; I stopped what I was doing to listen. The reporter said Canada had agreed to extend VDQ's stay on station, in the region, at the request of the World Food Programme because, as the WFP said, no other nation is willing to take on the task. But I have found/heard/read nothing since.



And here is the announcement.

I was beginning to think I was hallucinating.


----------



## GAP

Pirates seize ship carrying military tanks
 Article  Comments   ANDREW CAWTHORNE  Reuters September 26, 2008 at 6:24 AM EDT
Article Link

NAIROBI — A Ukrainian ship captured by Somali pirates en route to Somalia is carrying at least 30 tanks, a regional maritime organization said on Friday.

Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine also said the ship, operating under a Belize flag, had a military cargo “including about 30 T-72 tanks”.

That would be a significant and potentially dangerous seizure in Somalia, where Islamist insurgents have been battling the government and its Ethiopian military allies for nearly two years.

Although the subject of a UN arms embargo, the Horn of Africa nation is awash with arms.
More on link


----------



## YZT580

They also tried to take on the U.S. Navy: (Courtesy of Navy Times)   Fleet oiler repels suspected pirates

By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 24, 2008 20:51:15 EDT
   
NORFOLK, Va. — A Navy security team aboard the fleet oiler John Lenthall kept two small boats at bay with warning shots on Tuesday near Somalia, according to a bulletin from 5th Fleet in Bahrain.

The waters off the Horn of Africa have been fertile hunting grounds for pirates in recent years despite the efforts of allied navies to thwart attacks on commercial shipping. Information on the Sept. 23 incident clearly states that the intent of the small boat operators was uncertain, but notes the boats were in pursuit of the 41,000-ton Military Sealift Command ship and maneuvering “consistent with reports of previous attacks on merchant vessels in the region.”

No injuries were reported and “all shots were accounted for as they entered the water.”

MSC ships are manned by civilians but do embark Navy security detachments. The John Lenthall is a Kaiser-class fleet oiler and replenishes strike group ships while underway.

It was also noted that the incident did not take place inside the recently established “Maritime Security Patrol Area”, a zone in the Gulf of Aden to focus on piracy.


----------



## George Wallace

YZT580 said:
			
		

> They also tried to take on the U.S. Navy: (Courtesy of Navy Times)   Fleet oiler repels suspected pirates
> 
> By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
> Posted : Wednesday Sep 24, 2008 20:51:15 EDT
> 
> NORFOLK, Va. — A Navy security team aboard the fleet oiler John Lenthall kept two small boats at bay with warning shots on Tuesday near Somalia, according to a bulletin from 5th Fleet in Bahrain.



A link would be nice.   http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/09/navy_pirates_092408w/


----------



## YZT580

If I knew how I would have attached it.  Not bad just dumb ???


----------



## CougarKing

YZT580 said:
			
		

> They also tried to take on the U.S. Navy: (Courtesy of Navy Times)   Fleet oiler repels suspected pirates
> 
> By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
> Posted : Wednesday Sep 24, 2008 20:51:15 EDT
> 
> NORFOLK, Va. — A Navy security team aboard the fleet oiler John Lenthall kept two small boats at bay with warning shots on Tuesday near Somalia, according to a bulletin from 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
> 
> The waters off the Horn of Africa have been fertile hunting grounds for pirates in recent years despite the efforts of allied navies to thwart attacks on commercial shipping. Information on the Sept. 23 incident clearly states that the intent of the small boat operators was uncertain, but notes the boats were in pursuit of the 41,000-ton Military Sealift Command ship and maneuvering “consistent with reports of previous attacks on merchant vessels in the region.”
> 
> No injuries were reported and “all shots were accounted for as they entered the water.”
> 
> MSC ships are manned by civilians but do embark Navy security detachments. The John Lenthall is a Kaiser-class fleet oiler and replenishes strike group ships while underway.
> 
> It was also noted that the incident did not take place inside the recently established “Maritime Security Patrol Area”, a zone in the Gulf of Aden to focus on piracy.



Umm...I already posted that same incident earlier in this thread with a CNN link.


----------



## GAP

YZT580 said:
			
		

> If I knew how I would have attached it.  Not bad just dumb ???



Here use this format.....


----------



## CougarKing

Looks like Russia is flexing its muscles to do something positive this time. I hope this means that the VDQ will also be relieved after that extension. 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080926/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_somalia_piracy



> *Russia sends ship to Somali coast to fight piracy *
> By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer
> 57 minutes ago
> 
> 
> *Russia's navy dispatched a warship to Somalia's coast, officials said Friday, a day after pirates there carried out their boldest attack yet — the capture of a Ukrainian vessel manned with Russian and Ukranian crew and loaded with 33 tanks and ammunition bound for Kenya.*
> 
> *Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said in a statement that the frigate Neustrashimy left the Russia's Baltic port of Baltiisk on Wednesday. The statement did not specifically mention the seizure of the Ukrainian ship, which happened Thursday.*
> 
> Dygalo did not answer calls that The Associated Press made to his cell phone later Friday.
> 
> *Ukrainian Defense Minister Yury Yekhanurov, meanwhile, said that the ship, the Faina, was carrying 33 Russian T-72 tanks and a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts. Yekhanurov said the tanks were sold in accordance with international law, according to Larisa Mudrak, a spokeswoman for Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
> 
> U.S. ships in the area were aware of the seizure of the Ukranian ship and were "monitoring the situation," said Lt. Nate Christensen a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet based in Bahrain.*
> 
> "Obviously, we are deeply concerned," Christensen told The Associated Press. "We have ships in the area and we are monitoring the situation closely. Piracy is an international problem and it requires an international solution."
> 
> He was unable to provide more specifics because of the security issues involved, he said.
> 
> A Kenyan government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, confirmed that the East African nation's military had ordered the tanks and spare parts and said Kenya had made such a huge order of tanks as part of a two-year rearmament program for the military.
> 
> "We will do whatever it takes to secure the ship," Mutua told The Associated Press when asked whether Kenya will send a naval vessel to intercept the hijacked vessel.
> 
> He added that the cargo was insured, but "the responsibility of the insured cargo rests with the shipper."
> 
> A person who answered the phone at Ukrainian state-controlled arms dealer Ukrspetsexport, which brokered the sale, refused to comment about the Ukrainian vessel, and said all requests for information must be submitted in writing.
> 
> Ukrainian officials and an anti-piracy watchdog said 21 crew members were aboard the seized ship, and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said the crew included three Russians.
> 
> Mikhail Voitenko, editor-in-chief of the journal "Naval Bulletin-Sovfrakht" said in televised comments that the ship sailed under a Belize flag and the operator is a Ukrainian company based in the Black Sea port of Odessa. Ukrainian news agencies identified the ship operator as a company called Tomex Team.
> 
> U.S. Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said the U.S. was concerned about the attack and noted that the U.S. military has assisted foreign countries in previous instances of piracy.
> 
> "I think we're looking at the full range of options here," said Whitman. "A ship carrying cargo of that nature being hijacked off the coast of Somalia is something that should concern us, and it does concern us."
> 
> Roger Middleton, a researcher at London's Chatham House, said it was unlikely the pirates knew there were tanks aboard the Faina, and he said unloading the cargo would be very difficult.
> 
> "Most of their attacks are based on opportunity. So if they see something that looks attackable and looks captureable, they'll attack it," he told AP.
> 
> "I'm not sure how helpful such a high-profile cargo will be for them. It makes them much more vulnerable," he said. "I'd imagine they're quite worried."
> 
> Dygalo said Russia's navy would periodically send ships to piracy prone areas to protect Russian citizens and Russian ships. He said the frigate set sail on Wednesday "with the aim of providing for a naval presence in a number of oceans and sea regions."
> 
> According to the British-based Jane's Information Group, the Neustrashimy is armed with surface-to-air missiles, 100 mm guns and anti-submarine torpedoes.
> 
> Yushchenko, meanwhile, ordered unspecified measures to secure the release of the crew.
> 
> The hijacking brings the number of attacks off Somalia to 61 this year, and pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew members, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia.
> 
> Middleton said it was unclear how the pirates might react if confronted by military action, noting that they have fled from authorities in the past. On the other hand, he said, they are usually well-armed and organized and are based in an unstable country — Somalia.
> 
> "It could potentially get pretty messy," he said.
> 
> ___
> 
> Associated Press writers Olga Bondaruk in Kiev, Jennifer Quinn in London, Tom Malitti in Nairobi and Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.


----------



## GAP

I think the pirates are about to find out just how brutal the Russians can be.....talk about stepping into it.... :


----------



## Blackadder1916

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Looks like Russia is flexing its muscles to do something positive this time. I hope this means that the VDQ will also be relieved after that extension.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080926/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_somalia_piracy



A Russian warship in the area will almost certainly take an aggressive stance against any pirates, particularly if Russian vessels/cargo/crew are involved, however I don't think it will mean much for the VDQ.  The VDQ has been performing a very specific task, escorting ships with WFP cargo to Somali ports.  When detached from SNMG-1 the VDQ came under Op ALTAIR but it does not seem to have been placed under CTF-150 control though there probably was/is coordination with them especially since CTF-150 was commanded by a Canadian when the VDQ's task started.

I doubt that the Neustrashimy will join CTF-150; it may not be in the Russian interest particularly since it may restrict some freedom of action.  Similarly I doubt that the Russians will have much incentive to provide escort to the WFP ships (unless one of them is a chartered Russian vessel).  As this is a new wrinkle in the Somali pirate saga, I wonder whether unilateral Russian action (of that uniquely excessive Russian flavour) in Somali territorial waters or on its territory will trigger any international condemnation.


----------



## GAP

I doubt it....if the Somali's are to learn a lesson the hard way, and the Russians are going to deliver it, they probably figure it best to stand on the sidelines making polite noises all the while understanding that this is what they want....


----------



## aesop081

This is what the Ruskies are sending


----------



## tomahawk6

Coming from the Baltic it will take awhile to get to the AO. I wonder why they didnt deploy a ship from the Black Sea or Med ?

Here's a pic of the Faina.


----------



## CougarKing

News update: the USN Destroyer USS HOWARD has located the Ukrainian ship and is standing by 1,000 yards away from it, IIRC. Looks like we won't be seeing that Russian destroyer in action anytime soon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080927/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia_piracy;_ylt=AoAwXIjN8sQ7PKuI4V4Meums0NUE



> US destroyer watching hijacked ship off Somalia
> By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer
> Sat Sep 27, 3:50 PM ET
> 
> *A U.S. destroyer off the coast of Somalia closed in Saturday on a hijacked Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and ammunition, watching it to ensure the pirates who seized it do not try to remove any cargo or crew.*
> 
> As Russian and American ships pursued the hijackers of the Ukrainian-operated vessel, pirates seized another ship off Somalia's coast, an international anti-piracy group said.
> 
> *The Greek tanker with a crew of 19 is carrying refined petroleum from Europe to the Middle East. It was ambushed Friday in the Gulf of Aden, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia. He said pirates chased and fired at the ship before boarding it.
> 
> In Somalia, a man claiming to be spokesman of the pirates holding the Ukrainian ship said the hijackers want $35 million to release the vessel. But there was no way to immediately verify his claim that he represented the pirates.
> 
> On Thursday, pirates seized the Ukrainian ship Faina en route to Kenya with 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks and a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts. Russia's navy said Friday it had dispatched a warship to the area, and the United States said American naval ships were tracking the Ukrainian ship with special concern because of the weaponry on board.
> 
> The hijackings were the latest in a series of audacious maritime attacks off the coast of Somalia, a war-torn country that has been without a functioning government since 1991.
> 
> A U.S. defense official said the destroyer USS Howard is pursuing the hijacked Ukrainian vessel and is now within a few thousand yards of it. The hijacked ship is anchored a few miles off the Somalia coast, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
> 
> The destroyer is watching to make sure the pirates do not try to remove anything, the official added.
> 
> The USS Howard's Web site says it is equipped for combat operations at sea with surface-to-air missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, antisubmarine rockets, torpedoes, and a five-inch rapid-fire deck gun.*
> 
> Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua said the Faina had not yet docked at any port and was still at sea.
> 
> Kenya "is not aware of any credible (ransom) demand being made," Mutua said in statement on his Web site. He said Kenya "does not and will not negotiate with international criminals, pirates and terrorists."
> 
> Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said the Kenyan Defense Department was using its contacts to try to resolve the problem. It said Kenyan authorities were sharing information with Somalia, Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. and Britain in an effort to secure the swift release of the ship and its crew.
> 
> A man who spoke to the Associated Press in Somalia by telephone and claimed to be a spokesman for the pirates said they were seeking a ransom.
> 
> "We want the Kenyan government to negotiate with us about a $35 million ransom we want for the release of the ship and the cargo without any other intervention," said the man, who identified himself as Ali Yare Abdulkadir. "If not, we will do what we can and off load the small arms and take them away."
> 
> Abdulkadir, who local residents in the northeastern Somali region of Puntland said represented the pirates, declined to reveal his whereabouts. He said the ship is somewhere along Somalia's northeastern coast and warned against any military action to liberate it.
> 
> "Any one who tries it will be responsible for the consequences," Abdulkadir said.
> 
> A Russian Web site posted what it said was an audio recording of a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian ship's first mate. He said the hijackers are seeking a ransom and have anchored close to the Somali shore.
> 
> There was no way to immediately confirm the authenticity of the report on Web site Life.ru. Calls to the phone number listed on the site went to an answering machine at the publisher of two established tabloids that have reportedly reliably on news in the past — one of them also called Life.
> 
> On the recording, a man who identified himself as first mate Viktor Nikolsky said the hijackers were asking for a ransom but he did not know how much. Life.ru showed images of what it said were the Russian passports for both Nikolsky and the ship's captain, Vladimir Kolobkov.
> 
> *Nikolsky said there were 35 people on the ship — 21 of them crew — and most were being held in a single overheated room, he added. Nobody aboard the Faina was injured, but the captain was suffering from heatstroke and his condition was "not so good," the man identified as Nikolsky said. It was unclear exactly when the purported conversation took place. *
> 
> Ukrainian officials had said there were 21 crew members aboard — 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and a Latvian.
> 
> Nikolsky said the ship was anchored near the Somali town of Hobyo and that two other apparently hijacked ships were nearby. Hobyo is in the central region of Mudug, south of Puntland. It is a natural port and does not have any facilities.
> 
> Kenyan Defense Department spokesman Bogita Ongeri said the Ukrainian vessel was seized in international waters in the Gulf of Aden. He said that the pirates hijacked the ship beyond 200 nautical miles away from the coast of Puntland. Two hundred nautical miles in maritime law mark the end of a country's territorial waters.
> 
> Long a hazard for maritime shippers — particularly in the Indian Ocean and its peripheries — high-seas piracy has triggered greater alarm since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States because of its potential as a funding and supply source for global terrorism.
> 
> Pirate attacks worldwide have surged this year and Africa remains the world's top piracy hotspot, with 24 reported attacks in Somalia and 18 in Nigeria this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center.
> 
> French President Nicolas Sarkozy this month called on other nations to move boldly against pirates, calling the phenomenon "a genuine industry of crime."
> 
> ____
> 
> Web site for USS Howard:
> 
> http://www.howard.navy.mil/default.aspx
> 
> ____
> 
> Associated Press writers Mohamed Sheikh Nor and Salad Duhul in Mogadishu, Somalia; Tom Maliti in Nairobi, Kenya; Steve Gutterman in Moscow; Vijay Joshi in Singapore; Lolita C. Baldor in Washington; and Yana Sedova in Kiev, Ukraine contributed to this report.


----------



## a_majoor

Piracy is a political problem as well as a naval one:

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/09/us-navy-pirates.html#more



> *U.S. Navy: Pirates Not Our Problem (Updated)*
> By Noah Shachtman EmailSeptember 26, 2008 | 4:05:00 PMCategories: Africa, Ships and Subs
> 
> X102136776097757469_2Galrahn blogs about naval matters at Information Dissemination.
> 
> The U.S. Navy says its mission today is to keep sea lanes open to commerce. Then pirates seize dozens of ships off the Horn of Africa -- including ones allegedly loaded with tanks. And the Navy responds by essentially throwing its hands in the air.
> 
> The U.S. Navy said the international naval force CTF-150 -- with forces from Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Pakistan and the United States -- had stopped more then 12 attacks since May. Unfortunately, there have also been six ships seized by pirates so far just in September: a French yacht, an Egyptian dry cargo ship, a South Korean cargo ship, a Greek bulk carrier, a Hong Kong bulk carrier, and now, a Ukrainian Ro Ro reportedly carrying T-72 tanks.
> 
> "The coalition does not have the resources to provide 24-hour protection for the vast number of merchant vessels in the region," Combined Maritime Forces commander, U.S. vice admiral Bill Gortney tells Reuters. "The shipping companies must take measures to defend their vessels and their crews."
> 
> Taking a historical view, it pains me to read this. One of the primary reasons he United States of America dumped the Articles of Confederation and wrote the Constitution of the United States was to gain the power of taxation. And the primary reason the founding fathers needed taxation was so the country could build a Navy for the specific purpose of fighting pirates.
> 
> I also find it very frustrating that last Thursday, the Admirals stood in front of the American people in Durham and discussed in detail the role of naval power to protect the global system to insure the free flow of trade. Yet here we have a clear example of trade disruption on the seas, and the U.S. Navy basically tells ship owners they can't solve the problem.
> 
> I'm not saying this is a simple issue.  Stopping piracy in the Gulf of Aden is not easily done. But you have to ask: why the U.S. Navy is not committed to stopping piracy in the 21st century? That question is a political question, not a strategic question of the Navy, or a tactical question regarding resources. It represents one of those political issues no one ever running for national political office gets asked about. The Navy correctly points out there is no threat to global system from Somalian piracy -- that piracy represents a minor disruption that barely shows up on the big picture. At least, that's the case today. But piracy will likely grow, until our political leaders give the problem more attention.
> 
> Meanwhile, the Russians are sending a frigate to Somalia.
> 
> -- Galrahn, cross-posted to Information Dissimenation
> 
> UPDATE: Noah here. This article in last week's National (UAE) newspaper provides some extremely helpful background on what this CTF-150 outfit is -- and isn't -- capable of doing. First of all CT-150 only has "eight or nine ships at any one time and [is] given the task of covering a huge area, including the North Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean." So it's spread very, very thin.
> 
> Last month the coalition came up with a solution to the problem of having too few ships – reducing the volume of water they have to cover. The U.S. Navy’s Central Command at Manama, Bahrain, has now set up a Maritime Security Patrol Area in the Gulf of Aden – essentially, a narrow corridor… 1,000km long and about 10km wide… which is being patrolled by CTF-150, overflown by coalition aircraft and along which all commercial shipping and yachts are strongly advised to pass.
> 
> …It was not, however, a long-term answer… Piracy, says Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman with the US Fifth Fleet… "is a problem that starts ashore and it’s an international problem that requires an international solution. It requires regional governments to get involved. We’re going to take a short-term responsibility [but] we are not the long-term solution to this problem."


----------



## geo

In the papers this morning.  The pirates are asking 35MM$ for the ship and it's military hardware.
Expecting trouble from the owners, they are moving in accomplices to prepare defensive positions

More to follow - I guess


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Apparently they dropped the price to $5 million now. Hoping for a quick deal before Vlad gets into town. I wonder if the Russian will rake the pirates home port as a message?


----------



## Jacqueline

Just goes to show what can _really_ happen... governments are weak.


----------



## HItorMiss

Miss JDro said:
			
		

> Just goes to show what can _really_ happen... governments are weak.




Do you have anything constructive to say because really you are getting boring with your constant police are evil...governments are weak etc etc. Could you take your useless self and go away and leave this forum to those of us that have contructive and informative post that add to a conversation. Vice you who just eat up band width!


----------



## Jacqueline

What I say is constructive... how could anyone let that happen in the first place? That _is _ weak.


----------



## HItorMiss

On a serious note

I am curious, if the US Navy has this ship under observation I wonder if they have agreed a not interfer and leave it to Ivan...or if they have chosen to not retake the boat themselves  by there own volition.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

Maybe to retake it would be akin to attacking it?  Rules of the sea and all that?

Anyone?


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

Miss JDro said:
			
		

> Just goes to show what can _really_ happen... governments are weak.



Yup, and little old ladies also......


----------



## CougarKing

Miss JDro said:
			
		

> What I say is constructive... how could anyone let that happen in the first place? That _is _ weak.



Please take your anarchist hogwash somewhere else. 

Anyways. One of the crewmembers is now dead, the FAINA's captain has reported, obviously under duress.

These AEGIS destroyers like the USS HOWARD have no boarding parties of Marines; perhaps the NBPs aboard VDQ might be needed? hehehehe.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/28/somalia.piracy.ukraine/index.html



> *Hijacked ship captain: Crew member dead*
> Story Highlights
> Captain of hijacked Ukrainian vessel says one crew member has died
> 
> Somali pirates seized ship carrying Russian tanks, ammunition on Thursday
> 
> Captain said could see U.S. ship about one mile from his vessel
> 
> (CNN) -- *The captain of a Ukrainian vessel loaded with tanks and weapons that was seized off the African coast says one crew member has died.*
> 
> Viktor Nikolsky spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday one day after pirates who seized the Faina demanded a $5 million.
> 
> *Nikolsky said via a satellite phone that a Russian sailor died Sunday due to hypertension. Other crew members were fine though, he said, adding that he could see three ships about a mile away, including one carrying an American flag.*
> 
> *The pirates initially demanded $35 million and no military action, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association. They decreased their demands for several reasons, Mwangura said.*
> 
> Those reasons include that the crew is from eastern Europe and not the United States, the weapons the ship carries are secondhand, and there is no way to unload the tanks without coming onto land, he said.
> 
> The vessel Faina, flying a Belize flag, was headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing Nikolayev, Ukraine, according to Lt. Col. Konstantin Sadilov, spokesman for the Ukrainian defense ministry. He said it was seized by pirates Thursday not far from its destination.
> 
> *According to the defense ministry, the ship was carrying 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms.*
> 
> The weapons were sold to Kenya by the Ukraine, said Ukraine Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. He said that the entire shipment was contracted and carried out by Ukrspetzexport, Ukraine's state arms exports monopoly, and that it would know better exactly what was on board.
> 
> The ship deliberately took a route far from the coast of Somalia, where pirates are known to operate, in an attempt to avoid them, the minister said.
> 
> The Kiev-based source told Interfax on Saturday that radio contact was made with the ship's captain, who reported that the crew has come down with malaria. However, the source said the claim might have been an attempt to hasten negotiations.
> 
> *Ukraine's anti-terrorist center in its capital, Kiev, is analyzing the situation and consulting with military and security experts, Sadilov told CNN. Ukrainian diplomats are also working in Kenya to resolve the situation, he said.*
> 
> The Pentagon said U.S. naval ships in the area are "monitoring the situation."
> 
> "I think we're looking at the full range of options here," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, because the United States does not want the pirates to dock the ship in Somalia and offload the weapons.
> 
> The ship's crew consisted of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and a Latvian.
> 
> U.S. officials said the ship reported being surrounded by three small boats of pirates while sailing 250 miles off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> *The Russian patrol ship Neustrashimy, which left Wednesday for the coast off Somalia, may help crack down on pirates, a source in the Russian Baltic Fleet headquarters told Interfax-AVN on Friday.*
> 
> And the Russian Navy's commander, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, told Interfax that Russia plans to send combat ships to the Somali coast to fight piracy.
> 
> "We have such plans for the near future," he said. "However, Russian ships will not be involved in any international operations. They will do this job on their own."
> 
> U.S. officials, meanwhile, said they are urging all commercial shippers to carry security personnel on their decks when sailing near Somalia. Earlier this week, a U.S. Navy warship fired warning shots at a small boat that got too close to it, fearing a possible attack.
> 
> Meanwhile, Mwangura said an Egyptian ship seized by pirates has been released, and a Japanese ship was released after a $2 million ransom was paid.
> 
> In addition, a Greek ship was seized by pirates Friday, he said. The ship has a Romanian crew and was heading from Europe to the Middle East.
> 
> CNN's Maxim Tkachenko and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.


----------



## HItorMiss

Bruce

I think it's covered under international law of Terrorism meaning if I read it right they could with Ukraine permission assault the boat. That right there might be the reason they do not have Ukraine permission to retake Ukraine property?


JDro

GO away will you. saying something is weak is not constructive. it's prattle , drivel. You have not a clue on what you are commentating on. Run along now back to your little fantasy world and leave the real world to us grown UPS


----------



## HItorMiss

CG,

This is a little more complex then the BDP can handle. This requires high level CT skills and the BDP's just aren't there. This is more of a Tier 1 Op.


----------



## aesop081

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> no helipad in their sterns-



Wrong.

http://navysite.de/dd/ddg-images/ddg83_8.jpg


----------



## oligarch

Forgive my ignorance, but how would one go about retaking "Ukraininan property" without destroying it, all the while making sure the hostages are alive and well? I'm just having a hard time imagining such an action. Maybe if anyone here is in the navy they can help explain.


----------



## HItorMiss

Oligarch

There are Units in the world that are trained to undertake such mission. SEAL's (DEVGRU), SBS, GSG9 etc etc...


----------



## tomahawk6

We are watching the Ukrainian ship for the Russians but I think our real interest is in the Iranian ship with its suspicious cargo. Oligarch the video below will give you an idea of the range of options available to us. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsaeqlH6rQM&eurl


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

BulletMagnet said:
			
		

> Oligarch
> 
> There are Units in the world that are trained to undertake such mission. SEAL's (DEVGRU), SBS, GSG9 etc etc...



not to mention the Russians have their own Naval Spetznaz units...


----------



## aesop081

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> These AEGIS destroyers like the USS HOWARD don't normally carry any helos



I see the edit but still wrong.


----------



## HItorMiss

Exactualy Ex D

Lot's groups out there with the training to retake that ship as fast as pissible while keeping the hostages alive. I was just giving a small sample of more commonly known units.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

no worries BM..I was just illustrating that the Russians have the capability.



> These AEGIS destroyers like the USS HOWARD don't normally carry any helos and have no boarding parties of Marines; perhaps the NBPs aboard VDQ might be needed? hehehehe.


Since when do you need to have Marines to conduct boarding ops? The USN has conducted boarding ops with their own sailors in the past and in the present. Why do you feel they can't today?


----------



## tomahawk6

Well taking on 100 pirates high on kat would probably be better handled by specialists. ;D


----------



## HItorMiss

I still contest that the retaking of this ship and it cargo with the hostages is way way above the skill set of the avg Marine MEU or NBP. This is IMO a serious CT Op requiring very specific skill sets. Like said earlier Tier 1 Op.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

I agree that Spec Ops may be better suited for said operation but I think having a normal NBP along as well to make sure the ship can move and float would be a more prudent plan as well.


----------



## HItorMiss

Well more of a follow on Force is what I would speculate. Assault, secure and then bring on the support package to enure porper operation of the vessel.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Personally having a knowledgeable team along in your first wave would be better...after all how many JTF2 guys would know the vale layout of a ship? Most hull techs and marine stokers would look at something and say...Oh crap we are in trouble unless we do this this and this first...its not like the old days...our NBPs are well trained. Not Spec Ops by a long shot but they could do their job. a follow on package may be too late.


----------



## tomahawk6

Kill the pirates,free the crew and get the ship out to sea.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Kill the pirates,free the crew and get the ship out to sea.



That is something I think all parties involved (well except the pirates) would agree too.


----------



## geo

.... well, France and it's SF troops took care of business just recently.
Am positive that the Russian navy has similar capabilities able to take care of business.


----------



## The Bread Guy

BulletMagnet said:
			
		

> I am curious, if the US Navy has this ship under observation I wonder if they have agreed a not interfer and leave it to Ivan...or if they have chosen to not retake the boat themselves  by there own volition.



Maybe they're all waiting for everyone to get to the party before starting to dance?  Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act._

*Warships surround Somali pirates *
BBC Online, 29 Sept 08
Article link

  Somali pirates aboard a ship carrying tanks and weapons that they have seized say they are surrounded by at least three foreign warships.

One is the American US destroyer USS Howard, another is from Russia but the nationality of the third is not clear.

But one of the pirates said they were not afraid and had enough food to withstand a siege.

A maritime expert said the ship was carrying "dangerous chemicals" and warned against using force.

Andrew Mwangura, of the Kenya-based Seafarers' Programme, also told Reuters news agency that a military helicopter had flown over pirate speedboats heading to reinforce the Ukrainian-operated ship, the Faina, moored near the town of Hobyo.

"With the helicopter and the Howard watching them, the tactic is clearly to scare the pirates." 



Pirate Sugule Ali told the AFP news agency by satellite phone that his group wanted a ransom of $20m (£11m) and were not interested in the weapons.

Earlier, the pirates had demanded $35m.

"It is true we are surrounded by three foreign military vessels and there are some others we can see in the distance," Mr Ali said.

"We are not afraid of their presence, that will not make us to abandon the ship or to refrain from asking for money.

"There is no shortage of food supply and all the crew members are healthy and well, including ours."

He admitted that one of the kidnapped sailors had died, but said this was from natural causes.

Meanwhile, Kenya has insisted that the shipment of 33 72-T tanks on board were destined for its military.

Various sources have suggested that they were really bound for the autonomous government of South Sudan, in possible contravention of a UN arms embargo.

'Propaganda'

Mr Mwangura said two previous shipment of Ukrainian weapons had already passed through Kenya.

"There have been alarming propaganda by the pirates to media that the weapons are not for the Kenyan military. This is a tactic by the terrorists to try and fend off reprisals against them," Kenya's government spokesman Alfred Mutua said.

The former rebel SPLA which governs South Sudan has denied any links to the tanks, reports the UN-sponsored Radio Miraya FM.

However, it also quoted the SPLA's Major General Byor Ajang as saying that the army had the right to import weapons from anywhere in the world without co-ordination with the government in the north.

Earlier, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, Lt Nathan Christensen, said the USS Howard was within 8km (5 miles) of the Ukrainian vessel, but refused to say whether they were preparing to attack the pirates.

He said the ship's cargo of battle tanks made it a particularly worrying situation.

"We're concerned that this might end up in the wrong hands, such as terrorists or violent extremists," he said.

Islamist insurgents, not known to have links to the pirate gangs, are battling government troops, their Ethiopian allies and African Union peacekeepers in the capital, Mogadishu.

Somalia has been without a functioning central government for 17 years and has suffered continual civil strife, with rival armed groups fighting for control.

The waters off the coast of Somalia are considered some of the world's most dangerous.

Even ships carrying food aid are often targeted, hampering the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the estimated three million Somalis in need of aid.

France, which has troops in nearby Djibouti and also participates in a multi-national naval force patrol in the area, has intervened twice to release French sailors kidnapped by pirates.

Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they are powerless to confront the pirates, who regularly hold ships for ransom at the port of Eyl.


----------



## The Bread Guy

The US Navy ships seem to be circling, at least according to the New York Times, the Associated Press and the Kyiv Post.


----------



## OldSolduer

Get these pirates and....well....lets make them dissappear....forever...


----------



## The Bread Guy

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Get these pirates and....well....lets make them dissappear....forever...



I'm guessing some folks here may be working on just that specific deliverable.....


----------



## CougarKing

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> they are surrounded by at least three foreign warships.
> 
> One is the American US destroyer USS Howard, *another is from Russia * but the nationality of the third is not clear.



So the Russian Destroyer NEUSTRASHIMY has already arrived?   My God that was quick! Or is that another Russian merchantman they are talking about? It clearly says warships above.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

We won't know until we have creditable data...information from pirates is hardly credible.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Good point - the pirates are quoted saying " "It is true we are surrounded by three foreign military vessels and there are some others we can see in the distance," Mr Ali said," but it's not as clear where BBC got the earlier information re:  the Russian ship.  The more recent CLIPINT suggests they're all American ships in the area (although I don't know if the reporters asked the US Navy spokesperson if RUS ships were in the area).

Interesting tidbit from Voice of America:


> "With permission from the pirates, one of the Russian hostages spoke to VOA by satellite telephone. Identifying himself as First Mate Viktor Nikolsky, he confirmed reports from Moscow that the ship's Russian captain Vladimir Kolobkov has died of natural causes."



It appears VOA may have had some contact with the pirates - wonder who else saw the reports from those calls before they got posted online?


----------



## AlphaQup

We were discussing this in class today & someone pointed out a lot of the illegal dumping going on off the coast of Somalia. I just googled it and it seems related to the piracy.


> UN envoy decries illegal fishing, waste dumping off Somalia
> 
> Jul 25, 2008
> 
> *UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The UN special envoy for Somalia on Friday sounded the alarm about rampant illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste off the coast of the lawless African nation.*
> 
> "Because there is no (effective) government, there is so much irregular fishing from European and Asian countries," Ahmedou Ould Abdallah told reporters.
> 
> He said he had asked several international non-governmental organizations, including Global Witness, which works to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide, "to trace this illegal fishing, illegal dumping of waste."
> 
> "It is a disaster off the Somali coast, a disaster (for) the Somali environment, the Somali population," he added.
> 
> Ould Abdallah said the phenomenon helps fuel the endless civil war in Somalia as the illegal fishermen are paying corrupt Somali ministers or warlords for protection or to secure fake licenses.
> 
> East African waters, particularly off Somalia, have huge numbers of commercial fish species, including the prized yellowfin tuna.
> 
> Foreign trawlers reportedly use prohibited fishing equipment, including nets with very small mesh sizes and sophisticated underwater lighting systems, to lure fish to their traps.
> 
> *"I am convinced there is dumping of solid waste, chemicals and probably nuclear (waste).... There is no government (control) and there are few people with high moral ground," Ould Abdallah added.
> 
> Allegations of waste dumping off Somalia by European companies have been heard for years, according to Somalia watchers. The problem was highlighted in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami when broken hazardous waste containers washed up on Somali shores.*
> 
> But world attention has recently focused on piracy off Somalia, which has taken epidemic proportions since the country sank into chaos after warlords ousted the late president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
> 
> Somalia's coastal waters are now considered to be among the most dangerous in the world, with more than 25 ships seized by pirates there last year despite US navy patrols, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> *
> Some Somali pirates have reportedly claimed to be acting as "coastguards" protecting their waters from illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste*.


http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gVV_gQDsp1m8v7nPcumVc5McYV-Q
Has this been addressed?


----------



## tomahawk6

I wonder where this ship is going ?






SUEZ CANAL, Egypt(Sept. 23, 2008) The amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) transits through the Suez Canal. San Antonio is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky (Released)

Images of hijacked ship.




Somali pirates in small boats hijack the MV Faina, a Belize-flagged cargo ship owned and operated by Kaalbye Shipping Ukraine, September 25, 2008, in this handout photo released September 28, 2008. Somali pirates demanded a $35 million ransom on Saturday for the Ukrainian ship they seized, which was carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other military supplies to Kenya, a maritime official said. Picture taken September 25, 2008.


----------



## OldSolduer

Maybe if one or two of those cargo ships were to plow into those pirates and sink a few, pirates might think twice about pirating other people's stuff.


----------



## dapaterson

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Maybe if one or two of those cargo ships were to plow into those pirates and sink a few, pirates might think twice about pirating other people's stuff.



Not that simple.  The pirates are using smaller, faster, more maneuverable craft and are therefore able to avoid the relatively slow and lumbering freighters, should they try to swerve.  I do suspect that this time they bit off more than they expected, and are getting much more heat and light that they really wanted - it's going to put real crimp into their business for a while.


----------



## GAP

They are all playing by international piracy rules that state that as soon as the pirates stop shooting, they are no longer pirates.....

A whole lot of countries and companies need to start growing a set.....start arming these ships with teams and don't take prisoners....there are no witnesses...


----------



## OldSolduer

A few should be shot and killed. That is the way you deal with them. NO negotiation....just a 9mm solution.


----------



## The Bread Guy

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> A few should be shot and killed.



Interesting you should mention that - shared with the usual disclaimer...

Associated Press:  "US official says 3 pirates may be dead in shootout"

Canadian Press:  "US says 3 Somali pirates believed killed in argument aboard hijacked ship"

And, of course...
Press Association:  "Somali pirates deny shoot-out"


----------



## CougarKing

Here's something interesting. A ship with a leash. Doesn't the JMSDF fleet also suffer from similar "leashes"? 










> Deputy Defense Minister Thomas Kossendey, a member of the conservative Christian Democrats, argues that the German constitution should be amended by parliament to let the navy intervene. German ships are nearby: The navy, in fact, has been active for years near Somalia as part of the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom, against gun runners and terrorists.
> 
> "The frustrating thing is that our people who are in the region, with the means to do something, are hindered for constitutional reasons," Kossendey said Wednesday to German broadcaster ARD. The navy can legally intervene for "emergency rescue," he said, but "as soon as aggression is involved, (for example) if pirates make off with a ship and capture the crew, then chasing them with naval forces is no longer possible."
> 
> He suggested a change to the German constitution, known as the Basic Law, that would allow a "clean constitutional basis" for sending in the navy.
> 
> http://www.spiegel.de/international/german...,562204,00.html


----------



## Blackadder1916

*World shipping "amazed" at naval failure off Somalia*
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LT607857.htm


> 29 Sep 2008 17:20:36 GMT
> Source: Reuters
> 
> LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The maritime industry united on Monday to condemn governments and naval powers for failing to protect merchant shipping from acts of piracy off Somalia and in the strategic Gulf of Aden.
> 
> It was the second such rebuke from the industry in the last 10 days, with leading trade bodies again calling for governments to compel their navies to use force to halt the crisis.
> 
> The reprimand came as the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet said it had sent warships to shadow a hijacked Ukrainian-owned ship carrying tanks and arms, now anchored off Somalia's coast.
> 
> Two other ships seized by pirates, the Capt. Stefanos and the Centauri, are anchored in the same place, according to the U.S. Navy.
> 
> *"If civil aircraft were being hijacked on a daily basis, the response of governments would be very different," top trade bodies and transport unions said in a joint statement.*
> 
> "Yet ships, which are the lifeblood of the global economy, are seemingly out of sight and out of mind," said the groups, which include the International Chamber of Shipping, Intercargo, Bimco and oil tanker group Intercargo.
> 
> More than 90 percent of the world's traded goods by volume are carried by sea.
> 
> "This apparent indifference to the lives of merchant seafarers and the consequences for society at large is simply unacceptable," they said.
> 
> The groups said they were "utterly amazed" that governments were unable to secure one of the world's most important seaways.
> 
> *Continued inaction risked causing a repetition of the crisis in the early 1970s when the Suez Canal was closed and merchant shipping was diverted round the Cape of Good Hope, they said.
> 
> That re-routing had major consequences for international trade, including higher transport costs and the maintenance of inventories.*
> 
> Some countries do have naval taskforces patrolling in the region, but they are often prevented from taking an active role by their rules of engagement. (Reporting by Stefano Ambrogi, editing by Tim Pearce)


----------



## The Bread Guy

> "If civil aircraft were being hijacked on a daily basis, the response of governments would be very different," top trade bodies and transport unions said in a joint statement.



If something like the scenarios outlined here (.pdf) ever happens anywhere, life in port cities will be WAY different, indeed....

Meanwhile, even the pirates (appear to) have flacks.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali official: foreigners may use force on ship *  
By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer 1 October 2008  32 minutes ago

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An official at Somalia's foreign ministry says foreign powers may use force to free a hijacked ship carrying tanks and other heavy weapons. 

Mohamed Jama Ali, the ministry's acting permanent director, said his government granted permission on the condition that foreign powers coordinate with Somalia beforehand.

"The international community has permission to fight with the pirates," Ali told The Associated Press Wednesday. "Permission to use force was given."

The hijacking of the Ukrainian ship MV Faina — carrying 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, rifles, and heavy weapons that U.S. defense officials have said included rocket launchers — was the highest-profile act of piracy in the dangerous waters off Somalia this year.


----------



## OldSolduer

Now that we have "permission" to fight pirates, lets do it right..

No negotiations, if you give up you only face life imprisonment. If you want to go down fighting, so be it.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> *Somali official: foreigners may use force on ship *
> By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer 1 October 2008  32 minutes ago
> 
> MOGADISHU, Somalia - An official at Somalia's foreign ministry says foreign powers may use force to free a hijacked ship carrying tanks and other heavy weapons.
> 
> Mohamed Jama Ali, the ministry's acting permanent director, said *his government granted permission on the condition that foreign powers coordinate with Somalia beforehand.*
> "The international community has permission to fight with the pirates," Ali told The Associated Press Wednesday. "Permission to use force was given."
> 
> The hijacking of the Ukrainian ship MV Faina — carrying 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, rifles, and heavy weapons that U.S. defense officials have said included rocket launchers — was the highest-profile act of piracy in the dangerous waters off Somalia this year.



I'd trust them about as far as I could spit.


----------



## GAP

> his government granted permission on the condition that foreign powers coordinate with Somalia beforehand.



You can't attack unless we are forwarned and can let our buddies know you are coming, but otherwise go ahead and attack.....


----------



## Fishbone Jones

"Mr. Mohamed Jama Ali?"

"Yes, this is he".

"Just coordinating with you to let you know we'll be attacking the pirates shortly".

"Thank you so much. When can I tell them to expect you?"

"Any time now thanks. Oh wait, belay that. Seems we can tell them now, in person, ourselves. Anyway, thanks for your help and it was a pleasure coordinating with you. Have a good one"


----------



## The Bread Guy

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> .... Mohamed Jama Ali, the ministry's acting permanent director, said *his government granted permission on the condition that foreign powers coordinate with Somalia beforehand.  "The international community has permission to fight with the pirates," Ali told The Associated Press Wednesday. "Permission to use force was given."*....



Oh yeah, we'll let you know before hand - maybe 15 seconds beforehand?  ;D


----------



## The Bread Guy

Well, first word re:  someone saying out loud who may be first in, from the East African Standard (based in Kenya), shared with the usual disclaimer...

*Somalia ‘permits’ Russian navy to rescue ship*
Patrick Beja and Reuters, East African Standard, 1 Oct 08


> The Somali Government is reported to have permitted the Russian navy to rescue the hijacked Ukrainian ship that has Kenyan military cargo.  Seafarers Assistant Programme coordinator Andrew Mwangura told The Standard he was in contact with the Russian chief officer on board the captured MV Faina, Victor Nikolskiy.  A naval ship was reported to be in the Atlantic Ocean headed for Somalia to rescue MV Faina.  The crew members include 17 Ukrainians and two Russians. Meanwhile, a media campaign was launched in Russia and Ukraine urging diplomatic means as opposed to military force. Mr Mwangura said he would inform Nikolskiy about possible military intervention.  The message is said to have been delivered by the Somali ambassador in Moscow, although it said the Russian Government would assess the situation first. *Reports indicate the naval ship could reach Somalia in a week. * Mwangura says the Ukrainian and Russian media had called family members of the captured crew for a television campaign against the use of military means to rescue the ship.  Those campaigning urge the Ukrainian and Russian governments to embrace diplomatic means....



Betcha it'll be sooooooner.....


----------



## OldSolduer

Maskirova......


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Neustrashimy Won't Rush to Fight Pirates in Somalia - Navy*
Posted on: Wednesday, 1 October 2008, 21:00 CDT 

MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - The Russian Navy will not be using force against the pirates that have hijacked the Ukrainian ship Faina off the coast of Somalia so far. 

"Some media reports quoting unnamed sources have assumed that the missile frigate Neustrashimy crossing the Atlantic in the direction of the Mediterranean and from there to Aden Bay immediately after arrival in the area of Somalia will enter combat with the pirates who have seized the ship Faina sailing under the flag of Belize," Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told Interfax on Wednesday. 

He said the claims are provocative and may harm the talks on the release of the captured crew and threatened the lives of the people kept by the pirates.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Talks with Somali pirates continue, but who would pay?*
By Jeffrey Gettleman   International Herald Tribune  Published: October 3, 2008

NAIROBI: It is one thing to haggle over a price for a pirate's ransom. But it is apparently a whole other matter to figure out who, exactly, should pay it.

On Friday, it seemed that discord among all the various players involved - the shipping company, the ship owner, the insurance companies, government officials and relatives of the captured crew, let alone the pirates - was slowing down negotiations over how to free the arms-laden Ukrainian freighter that Somali pirates brazenly hijacked last week.

The pirates want $20 million, though people close to the negotiations have said they have been bartered down and would probably settle for five. Still, it does not seem like anyone is rushing to pay up.

"There are so many parties involved," said a relative of one crew member. "It's not clear where the responsibility lies."

*As if matters were not complicated enough, one of the few people with experience in prickly pirate matters has been jailed by the Kenyan government on the suspicion he is a pirate himself.

Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator for the Seafarers' Assistance Program in Kenya, a non-profit group that tracks pirate attacks, was arrested Wednesday night*. Mwangura has extensive contacts up and down the pirate-infested Somali coast. Kenyan officials have accused him of making false statements and working with the pirates.

"Why is it he always finds out what's happening on a ship before anyone else?" said Alfred Mutua, a Kenyan government spokesman.

Many seamen in Kenya insist that Mwangura is a good man, and that his only fault may have been being outspoken. He was the first maritime official to say that the hijacked ship was part of a secret arms deal between Kenya and southern Sudan. Kenyan officials have denied this, saying the heavy weaponry, including battle tanks, is for their use. But Western diplomats have said this is a lie.

"Andrew has helped so many seafarers," said Athman Seif, executive director of Kenya Marine Forum, which protects marine resources. Last year, Mwangura helped free Seif's brother-in-law, a sailor who Somali pirates held hostage for 6 weeks.

"This time he must have said something that did not auger well with the big guys," Seif said.

From the beginning, the whole story surrounding the MV Faina, which was hijacked Sept. 25 about 200 miles, or 320 kilometers, off Somalia's coast, seemed a little suspicious. Why was the ship left unguarded while sailing through some of the most dangerous waters in the world, especially given its cargo of 33 tanks, 150 grenade launchers, 6 anti-aircraft guns and heaps of ammunition? Beyond that, why does Kenya, best known for its wild animals, not its wars, need so many tanks? And if it did need tanks, why all of a sudden switch from British armor, which the country has used for decades, to Eastern-bloc equipment, which is completely incompatible?

Kenyan officials have ducked these questions. Adding to the mystery is the fact that relatives of the crew disclosed earlier this week that right before the Faina set sail about a month ago, the cargo was suddenly switched from cars to tanks. Those tanks are now being closely watched by a half-dozen American warships that have boxed in the Faina against Somalia's craggy shore. A Russian frigate is on its way. The Americans are intent not to let the pirates sell the weapons to Islamist insurgents, though it seems getting the tanks off the ship is beyond the pirates' expertise.

Western diplomats have been huddling in Nairobi, Kenya, trying to decide how to solve this particular hijacking and how to tackle the problem more broadly. In meetings on Friday, it seemed the preferred solution for the Ukrainian ship was paying the ransom. The only other option, diplomats have said, is a commando raid on the ship, which could be extremely dangerous with so many explosives on board.

*The trick now seems to be getting all the vested interests on the same page: the ship owner is Israeli; the ship operator is Ukrainian; the ship was registered in Belize; and the sailors are 17 Ukrainians, 2 Russians and 1 Latvian.*

"I don't see anything moving," one person close to the negotiations said on Friday.

Previous pirate deals have taken weeks and in some cases, even months.


----------



## Blackadder1916

It appears that the recent increased international naval activity in the region has not diminished the vigour of Somali pirates.  Or perhaps they are taking advantage of the focus on the Faina, to increase their raids elsewhere.

*Warship chases off Somali pirates who tried to board RP-owned tanker*


> Agence France-Presse | 10/03/2008 5:45 PM
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR - *Armed Somali pirates attacked four ships, including an Italian crude-oil tanker, in what a maritime piracy watchdog said Friday was a "critical level" of attacks in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> "It is one of the highest number of attacks in a single day in the same area," said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
> 
> He said the vessels were attacked on October 1 by Somali pirates armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in the notorious waterway.*
> "We are warning ships to be on high alert. Pirates are attacking ships almost every day. It is at a critical level now," he told AFP.
> 
> "Three hijacked vessels were released a few days ago and it now appears this group of Somali pirates are looking for ships to hijack again."
> 
> The first attack occurred at 0300 GMT when pirates armed with guns and travelling in speedboats tried to board a United Arab Emirates bulk carrier with 28 crew on board, heading from Europe to Asia.
> 
> "The master took evasive maneuvers and a coalition helicopter arrived and chased the pirates away," Choong said.
> 
> Less than an hour later, a gang armed with rocket-propelled grenades attempted to board a Philippine-owned chemical tanker heading from the Middle East to Asia with 12 crew on board, but was chased away by a warship.
> 
> In the third incident pirates targeted a crude-oil Italian tanker but were foiled when the ship's master took evasive action.
> 
> The final incident occurred when pirates armed with machine guns forced a Taiwanese container ship with 20 crew members to halt. The ship's captain deployed fire hoses to retaliate and the vessel managed to escape.
> 
> Choong said it was not known if the same gang was responsible for all the attacks.
> 
> Somali pirates released three ships three days ago -- an Egyptian vessel and two Malaysian ships owned by MISC Berhad, which reportedly paid a hefty ransom to secure the release of its vessels and crew.
> 
> Meanwhile, pirates holding a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and military hardware Thursday maintained their demand for a 20-million-dollar ransom as a blockade around them tightened.
> 
> as of 10/03/2008 5:45 PM


----------



## GAP

Ransom for hijacked cargo ship reduced to $8 million  
Updated Tue. Oct. 7 2008 6:56 AM ET The Associated Press
Article Link

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- A Somali pirate on a hijacked cargo ship laden with tanks and heavy weaponry says the ransom demand has been reduced from $20 million to $8 million. 

Jama Aden, who spoke to The Associated Press by satellite phone Tuesday, is not the usual spokesman for the pirates so it was unclear whether he was speaking officially for the men holding the MV Faina. 

Aden answered the telephone of the spokesman, Sugule Ali. 

He said Ali was not immediately available for comment. 

Six U.S. warships are surrounding the Faina and a Russian frigate is headed toward the standoff. 

The Navy warships have been tracking the seized ship amid fears that its weapons might fall into the hands of al-Qaida-linked Islamic insurgents in Somalia. 
More on link


----------



## OldSolduer

How about this negotiation to the pirates:

"If you give up now, we will only jail you for the rest of your life. If you do not give up and we have to come and get you, you run the risk of being killed"


It's high time we "Civilized" nations took a stand for once instead of making excuses and wringing our hands. Honestly, where are the warriors amongst the leaders of the civilized nations? Or did they take up wearing lace panties?


----------



## GAP

CBC radio had a snippet of a program on the Canadian ship presently on station (about 10 days-2 weeks ago). It was interesting to listen to the commentary, but disturbing also.

One of the points brought up was the Canadian ship CANNOT fire on the pirates once they stop shooting/attacking a ship. They must allow them to escape.

Like, who thought up these rule? An idiot?

If you want them to do the job, let them do the job.....keep your bias out of the ROE....


----------



## OldSolduer

Well not shooting at them when they run away or stop attacking is only sporting, Old Boy!!

That's got to be a left wing idea. Honest to goodness, why do we listen to the likes of the left wing nuts who only want to hug and have tea with sociopaths?
We have listened and we are now seeing the chickens come hoime to roost aren't we?


----------



## GAP

Canada seems to have forgotten that "Might makes Right" is the mantra of much of the third world. They know the difference, but they also have to live with their everyday realities, and know when to duck. 

This is especially so for the ilk of such as the Somali Pirates, mini-dictators, pseudo-liberators, etc.


----------



## NL_engineer

> The *Russian Navy* will not be using force against the pirates that have hijacked the Ukrainian ship Faina off the coast of Somalia so far.




Doesn't mean they haven't gotten someone else to do the raid.


----------



## Blackadder1916

It appears that someone has finally stepped up for the food ship escort task and VILLE DE QUEBEC could be re-joining SNMG-1 (still in the Med?) by early next month.


*Dutch sending escort ship to Somali coast*

UPI Published: Oct. 7, 2008 at 10:56 

MOGADISHU, Somalia, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The Dutch government said Tuesday it is sending another ship to the coast of Somalia, where pirates have seized more than two dozen vessels this year.

*The frigate De Ruyter is being dispatched to protect U.N. food transports from pirates, Radio Netherlands reported. It is expected to arrive off the Somali coast at the end of the month.*

From April to June, another Dutch frigate escorted shipments of food intended for more than 1 million refugees in Somalia, the broadcaster said.

Meanwhile, negotiations continue over the Ukrainian ship seized Sept. 25 by Somali pirates, Voice of America reported. U.S. warships are in the area to prevent the unloading of the ship's cargo of tanks and other heavy arms.

A Russian missile frigate is en route to join the blockade and the European Union has voted to take a military action. 

The Somali government, facing infighting and insurgency, has sought international assistance in to combat piracy in its waters, VOA said.


----------



## The Bread Guy

UN now paying attention (asking others to do more) - shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act._

*Security Council and Ban call for naval and air action against Somali pirates*
UN News Centre, 7 Oct 08
Article link

The Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today for more international air and naval forces off the pirate-ridden coast of Somalia to ensure that United Nations food aid gets through to more than 3 million people threatened with starvation.

In a resolution adopted unanimously, the Council called on States with naval vessels and military aircraft operating off the Somali coast to use “the necessary means” against acts of piracy, while Mr. Ban warned that more Somalis will die unless countries provide the forces needed to ensure that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) can deliver its aid.

“In Somalia, 3 million people are in danger of starving,” Mr. Ban said in introductory remarks to a news conference at UN Headquarters in New York. “Nearly 90 per cent of the food that feeds them arrives from the sea aboard WFP ships.

“As you know, pirates are terrorizing Somalia’s coastal waters,” he said, noting that the Dutch, French, Danish and Canadian navies have been escorting WFP ships safely into the ports, but that Canada’s tour of duty ends on 23 October.

“As yet, no nation has volunteered to take Canada’s place,” Mr. Ban added. “Without escorts, those ships will not arrive. Without that aid, more people will die.”

The piracy crisis took on added significance last month when a Ukrainian cargo ship laden with tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition was seized and Mr. Ban said he would discuss the matter with European Union (EU) officials when he visits Geneva later this month.

“I urge them [the EU and other nations] to bear in mind the October 23 deadline as they consider longer-term solutions to the challenge of piracy on the Horn of Africa,” he added.

In its resolution the Council cited humanitarian reports that as many as 3.5 million Somalis will depend on food aid by the end of the year and WFP’s maritime contractors will not deliver that aid without naval warship escorts ....

More on link


----------



## CBH99

Am I missing something here??

Pirates in open-top, leaky speedboats...armed with assault rifles and RPG's...are hijacking large commercial vessels off the coast of Somalia, while holding the crews hostages for ransom.

Is there some other factor that complicates the solution to this problem??  If I recall, only about a month ago the USN engaged and sunk a bunch of these little pirate boats while they were docked...effectively eliminating the problem in that particular region for a while.  This seems like a pretty cost-effective, prudent solution to the problem.

Take away the pirate's boats, and you take away their means of engaging and boarding these commercial vessels.   Or, am I missing something?


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

And how do you seperate these little boats from commercial interest. Do you realize how many of these small craft are in that area of the world? Do you advocate we destroy or take them all out?


----------



## CBH99

Not at all.  Obviously, detroying ALL of those little boats would be an extreme....most likely disrupting the legitimate business does go on, such as fishing.  

I guess I should clarify my question with another:  Once a boat has been confirmed a pirate boat, what is done?  Is it engaged when the time becomes safe?  Or, are coalition vessels there mostly to 'deter' attacks just by a presence - without a clear mandate to engage?

Any navy types know what international law pertains to this?  From my understanding, once a pirate stops engaging a commercial vessel - they cease to be a pirate (as per definition).  Does this present any significant challenge to coalition naval forces?


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

As was previously stated it depends on the ROE authorized at the time. VDQ will be operating under those ROEs, this day and age we would not deploy a ship without any sort of ROE. If the Rules of Engagement state we don't engage then we don't we are bound by those rules unless certain situations present themselves.


----------



## The Bread Guy

One analysis says it may be time for shipping companies to crank up their own security.....



> ....  Naval rules of engagement aside, the limitations of the multinational naval coalition's ability to provide security for the sheer numbers of an estimated 20,000 commercial ships transiting the Gulf of Aden has been acknowledged publicly.  Just over two weeks ago US Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, the Combined Maritime Forces Commander stated that "the coalition does not have the resources to provide 24-hour protection for the vast number of merchant vessels in the region."  While this admission was not surprising in itself, his proposed solution for dealing with the threat of piracy has been. Noting that public security efforts cannot guarantee safety in the region, he told media sources that "the shipping companies must take measures to defend their vessels and their crews," and went on to urge commercial shipping firms to employ security teams to deal with the threat of piracy.  British Commodore Keith Winstanley, deputy commander of the Combined Maritime Forces in the region, later publicly underscored these remarks, stating that these security measures "would include shippers considering hiring private armed security escorts."  In a move seemingly timed to take advantage of these recent public pronouncements - as well as the reported tenfold increase in insurance rates for ships transiting the Gulf of Aden - one London based private security company has teamed up with a brokerage firm to offer private security services designed to lower insurance rates in the Gulf.  Mike Maloney, an insurance broker involved in the deal, told ISN Security Watch that their private security partner's ability to place an armed security team on board a client's vessel had convinced a number of insurance underwriters to offer preferred rates to ship owners that took advantage of these private security teams.  Other private security companies have also taken renewed interest in the possibilities of using security teams to provide anti-piracy services off of the coast of Somalia.  ....


----------



## CougarKing

> In this image released by U.S. Navy, the crew of the Ukrainian MV Faina stand on the deck following a U.S. Navy request to check on their health and welfare, off Somalia's coast Sunday Oct. 5, 2008. The ship is carrying 33 battle tanks, military weapons and 21 Ukrainian and Latvian and Russian hostages. One Russian has reportedly died, apparently of illness, during the 11-day standoff. The pirates are demanding US$20 million ransom, and say they will not lower the price.
> (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Jason R. Zalasky, HO)


----------



## PanaEng

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> One analysis says it may be time for shipping companies to crank up their own security.....



I've been thinking that for a while and it will get momentum with preferential insurance rates for those companies that use/hire their own security; If only for sensitive cargo as the Faina.
It is inevitable, I think, with the current state in those waters.


----------



## The Bread Guy

NATO now doing its part....

*NATO Maritime Group to Combat Pirates off Somalia*
Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service, 9 Oct 08
Article link

NATO will send its Standing Naval Maritime Group to the waters off Somalia, a spokesman for the alliance said today.

James Appathurai told reporters at a news conference that the decision came out of the defense ministerial conference under way here. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is meeting with his NATO counterparts.

Piracy off Somalia’s coast has become an increasing concern, highlighted by the recent taking of the Ukrainian cargo vessel Faina. The ship is carrying tanks and other military supplies. The pirates, who operate from small boats launched from the beach, also have endangered food shipments to the country. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said 3 million Somalis are in danger of not receiving the supplies they need via the World Food Program.

“The United Nations asked for NATO’s help to address this problem,” Appathurai said. “Today, the ministers agreed that NATO should play a role. NATO will have its Standing Naval Maritime Group, which is composed of seven ships, in the region within two weeks.”

The NATO force will ensure World Food Program ships have the escort they need to deliver their essential food supplies and patrol the waters around Somalia to help to stop acts of piracy.

Well in excess of 40 percent of Somalis are dependent on food aid delivered by World Food Program ships, Appathurai said, and the increased danger of piracy requires that the aid ships have escorts. A Canadian warship is performing that mission now.

The NATO ships will work with all allies who have ships in the area now, the NATO spokesman said. The U.S. Navy has ships in the region.

“There are still important details to work out, but the bottom line is there will soon be NATO military vessels off the coast of Somalia deterring piracy and escorting food shipments,” Appathurai said. “That is good news for the Somalis, and good news for international shipping.”


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates target tanker, UN food ship in new attacks*

AFP October 11, 2008

NAIROBI (AFP) — Pirates seized a tanker and attacked a UN food ship that escaped, officials said Saturday, the latest in a series of incidents off Somalia which have sparked worldwide concern.

Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur, told AFP that pirates boarded a Greek chemical tanker Friday at 1330 GMT.

"Pirates attacked the ship flying a Panama flag using boats," he said, adding the tanker was hijacked in the notorious Gulf of Aden.

Greece's merchant marine ministry however denied the tanker was Greek, saying it had been informed that a Panamanian-flagged ship, carrying 17 Georgians and three Spaniards, had been boarded by pirates.

"We cannot completely rule out Greek involvement in the company that owns the ship, but for us it is not the case of a Greek vessel," the ministry's spokesman said.

*On Thursday, pirates tried to board a World Food Programme (WFP) chartered freighter, MV Al Salaam, after it had offloaded food aid in the Somali capital Mogadishu, but it escaped, the agency said.

"The ship outran the attackers (and) was then escorted by the Canadian frigate -- Ville de Quebec -- until it arrived in Mombasa on Friday," WFP spokesman Peter Smerdon told AFP in Nairobi*.

Such attacks have surged even with US warships and navies from other nations currently shadowing hijacked Ukrainian ship, MV Faina -- laden with 33 tanks and other arms -- anchored off the Somali fishing village of Hobyo, to prevent the pirates from offloading the cargo.

The pirates are demanding a 20-million-dollar (15-million-euro) ransom to release Faina and its 21 crew languishing in captivity since September 25.

Somali authorities, currently fighting Islamist rebels in mainly Mogadishu, have conceded failure to fight pirates, and urged the international community to help.

On Thursday, NATO defence ministers agreed to send seven war ships this month to help combat piracy off Somalia.

The alliance said the vessels, including several frigates, would help escort WFP food shipments and patrol the largely-lawless waters off Somalia.

WFP ships carry 30,000-35,000 tonnes of aid into Somalia each month. Its vessels are currently under Canadian escort, but that service is due to come to an end on October 20 and the operation could halt if no escort is available.

Aid agencies say at least at least 2.6 million people in Somalia are facing acute shortages and warn that the figure could climb to 3.2 million by year-end.

According to the IMB, 69 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, 27 were hijacked and 11 are still being held for ransom. Pirates are holding more than 200 crew members from various nationalities.

Choong said IMB had issued a fresh warning to ships to maintain strict anti-piracy watch since the waters off Somalia were too wide to secure.

"As long as there is no firm deterrent, pirates will continue to attack ships. But the military cannot be everywhere since this is a wide area," he added.

The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's busiest maritime routes and under increasing surveillance from foreign warships, leading pirates to venture further out to catch their prey.

The pirates operate high-powered speedboats -- often from a 'mothership' sailing in the waters -- and are heavily armed, sometimes holding ships seized off Somalia's coast for weeks.


----------



## tomahawk6

The Iranian ship with its mysterious cargo has been released by the pirates. I hope the Navy boards that vessel to determine the exact nature of the cargo.


----------



## dapaterson

Simple question:  If so many shipowners choose to register their ships in places like Liberia, and fly those flags of convenience, why should we intervene at all?  Let NATO warships escort and assist cargo ships registered within NATO.  If, for example, Paul Martin wants to run a company called, say, Canada Steamship Lines, with all the vessels flying foreign flags, I can see no compelling reason for Canada, not the beneficiary of any registration fees etc, to provide military support.

Hmmm...


----------



## CougarKing

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Simple question:  If so many shipowners choose to register their ships in places like Liberia, and fly those flags of convenience, why should we intervene at all?  Let NATO warships escort and assist cargo ships registered within NATO.  If, for example, Paul Martin wants to run a company called, say, Canada Steamship Lines, with all the vessels flying foreign flags, I can see no compelling reason for Canada, not the beneficiary of any registration fees etc, to provide military support.
> 
> Hmmm...



1.)the companies/owners of those ships may be within NATO/EU member countries, or even within countries just friendly to Canada, regardless of their registry.
2.)the some of the crewmen may be citizens of NATO/EU member countries or just countries friendly to Canada.
3.) Piracy is EVERYONE's problem and should be eliminated because it is a threat to seaborne commerce- isn't there a Law of the Sea/Maritime Law or something that compels warships, coast guard vessels and police vessels, etc., to come to the aid of vessels in distress, regardless of nationality? I think that pirate attacks count among those distress situations.

Haven't you heard of the General Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)?

Isn't there a function on the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) display console of large merchant vessels that one can push to indicate pirate attack?


----------



## Blackadder1916

*(British) Navy to tackle Gulf pirates*
Another tanker hijacked as Britain takes lead role in EU mission to keep shipping lanes open for trade

Gaby Hinsliff, political editor The Observer, Sunday October 12 2008 

Britain is to send a warship to combat piracy off the East African coast amid concerns that a spate of violent attacks on shipping could drive up oil prices. 

The increasingly treacherous waters off the Horn of Africa are regularly used by Shell Oil, as well as by aid agencies shipping food. John Hutton, the new Defence Secretary, *has agreed to deploy the frigate Northumberland which will provide an operational headquarters for a European Union mission to pursue and disrupt piracy in the region*.

Yesterday the International Maritime Bureau reported that another tanker had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. The Greek chemical tanker, with 20 crew on board, is thought to have been taken late on Friday night. Eleven ships and around 200 crew in total are now being held captive. Pirates holding another tanker laden with a cargo of heavy weapons off the Somali coast have threatened to blow it up by tomorrow if their ransom demands are not met. 

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said there were concerns that oil tankers would begin avoiding the region and taking longer routes around Africa, driving up oil prices. 'The fear is that it adds so many more miles that the price of petrol rises. Potentially it has a direct impact on the wider world.'

The rules of engagement for what would be a joint EU mission, with Britain appealing to other EU nations to provide warships and helicopter support, have yet to be decided. But it marks an escalation from Britain's current position that ships already patrolling waters off the Horn of Africa will intervene if they come across attacks on shipping. 

The problem was discussed last week at a meeting of defence secretaries in Budapest and plans are expected to be finalised in the next 10 days. *Britain is offering to deploy Northumberland, a Type 23 frigate, the mainstay of the modern surface fleet, and a rear admiral to command the mission for four months, with the total deployment expected to last a year*.

There have been more than 50 attacks on shipping in the region in the past year, with the Somali government unable to enforce its writ either on land or at sea. Extortion and people smuggling have replaced fishing as a coastal industry and while initially hostages were relatively well treated, violence has escalated recently with threats to behead Europeans caught at sea. Insurance costs for merchant shipping in the region have spiralled, threatening a knock-on effect on prices for goods. 

Last week the senior Royal Navy commander in the Gulf, Commodore Keith Winstanley, suggested that civilian shipping should use armed private security personnel to secure safe passage through the area. Merchant shipping has not been significantly armed since the Second World War, but Winstanley argued that security companies working in Iraq or Afghanistan could have a role to play


----------



## Slim

> Isn't there a function on the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) display console of large merchant vessels that one can push to indicate pirate attack?



I did the DSC course 2 years ago now and seem to remember that it is primarily a distress call. Not sure if it has a MARSEC component to it or not...but I don't seem to remmber there being one.

Cheers

Slim


----------



## Blackadder1916

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> 3.) Piracy is EVERYONE's problem and should be eliminated because it is a threat to seaborne commerce- isn't there a Law of the Sea/Maritime Law or something that compels warships, coast guard vessels and police vessels, etc., to come to the aid of vessels in distress, regardless of nationality? I think that pirate attacks count among those distress situations.



It is generally accepted that all vessels on the high seas (and not just warships or other vessels in the employ of a state) are to come to the assistance of persons in distress at sea.  However under Article 100 of the UNCLOS  "All States shall cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State".  It should be noted that the jurisdiction of states in regards to piracy ends at the boundary of the territorial waters of a another state.  "The right of hot pursuit ceases as soon as the ship pursued enters the territorial sea of its own State or of a third State".  In the case of Somalia access to and operation within its territorial waters by warships of other states is due to UN Security Council Resolution 1816 which was adopted with the consent of the Somali TFG.

*United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - Part VII   (that section of the convention that deals with activities on the HIGH SEAS)*

*Resolution 1816 (2008) Adopted by the Security Council at its 5902nd meeting on 2 June 2008*  (link to full text of resolution opens in pdf)


> 7. *Decides that for a period of six months from the date of this resolution, States cooperating with the TFG in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, for which advance notification has been provided by the TFG to the Secretary-General, may:
> 
> (a) Enter the territorial waters of Somalia for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent with such action permitted on the high seas with respect to piracy under relevant international law*; and
> (b) Use, within the territorial waters of Somalia, in a manner consistent with action permitted on the high seas with respect to piracy under relevant international law, all necessary means to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery;
> 
> 8. Requests that cooperating states take appropriate steps to ensure that the activities they undertake pursuant to the authorization in paragraph 7 do not have the practical effect of denying or impairing the right of innocent passage to the ships of any third State;
> 
> 9. Affirms that the authorization provided in this resolution applies only with respect to the situation in Somalia and shall not affect the rights or obligations or responsibilities of member states under international law, including any rights or obligations under the Convention, with respect to any other situation, and underscores in particular that it shall not be considered as establishing customary international law, and affirms further that this authorization has been provided only following receipt of the letter from the Permanent Representative of the Somalia Republic to the United Nations to the President of the Security Council dated 27 February 2008 conveying the consent of the TFG;
> 
> 10. Calls upon States to coordinate their actions with other participating States taken pursuant to paragraphs 5 and 7 above;
> 
> 11. Calls upon all States, and in particular flag, port and coastal States, States of the nationality of victims and perpetrators or piracy and armed robbery, and other States with relevant jurisdiction under international law and national legislation, to cooperate in determining jurisdiction, and in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery off the
> coast of Somalia, consistent with applicable international law including international human rights law, and to render assistance by, among other actions, providing disposition and logistics assistance with respect to persons under their jurisdiction and control, such victims and witnesses and persons detained as a result of operations conducted under this resolution;


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Simple question:  If so many shipowners choose to register their ships in places like Liberia, and fly those flags of convenience, why should we intervene at all?  Let NATO warships escort and assist cargo ships registered within NATO.  If, for example, Paul Martin wants to run a company called, say, Canada Steamship Lines, with all the vessels flying foreign flags,
> Hmmm...


Naval units are bound by international law to come to the aid of fellow mariners in distress, to start crossing off ships that are not owned by NATO/EU interests or crewed by the same only exposes every sailor to death and injury. Perhaps when the West do not charge exorbirant rates to register a ship in ones own country, will you see ships no longer sail under a flag of convenience. I disagree with it too but I understand why.



> I can see no compelling reason for Canada, not the beneficiary of any registration fees etc, to provide military support.


Well its either escort these food ships or have another humanitarian nightmare on our hands. At least help is getting to some people.

As was said piracy is every mariners concern.


----------



## Slim

> I can see no compelling reason for Canada, not the beneficiary of any registration fees etc, to provide military support.



What about the thousands of cruise ships (with Canadians on board) that opperate in waters that pirates frequent? Or all of the shipped goods, bound for this country, that are at risk due to pirate attacks?

Kind of short sighted there bud! I can tell you first hand, having been staff on an ocean liner, that even the threat of attack from either shore or another vessel is very scarey and it is the responsability of every nation to assist in protecting shiping of any kind against piacey!


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates die in fighting with Puntland forces: official*


> AFP 22 hours ago (13 October 2008)
> 
> MOGADISHU (AFP) — Forces from the Somali breakaway region of Puntland on Sunday attacked pirates holding a Somali cargo freighter, triggering clashes that killed two pirates and a soldier, an official said.
> 
> Four others, including another Puntland soldier, were wounded when the forces attempted to rescue MV Awail, owned by a Somali trading company with a crew of 13 Syrians and two Somalis, which was seize Thursday off the region's shores.
> 
> The fighting comes amid mounting pressure over piracy in the waters around Somalia, with US and international navies blockading a kidnapped Ukrainian vessel loaded with tanks and weapons.
> 
> "They surrounded the (Somali) ship this morning near Hafun area, where they exchanged fire with pirates killing two of them. One of our men also died," said Muse Gelle Yusuf, governor of Puntland's Bari region.
> 
> "Three pirates and a policemen were wounded," he told AFP by phone.
> 
> "We are expecting that forces will manage to free the ship in a few hours because the pirates on board are few and they have been besieged."
> 
> Meanwhile, delicate negotiations were placed on hold earlier Sunday over a 10-million-dollar (7.5-million-euro) ransom request by pirates holding a Ukranian arms ship off the Somali coast.
> 
> Pirates had earlier agreed to free the MV Faina, hijacked late last month, but later walked out of the deal demanding Somali mediators be withdrawn.
> 
> "The talks between pirates and ship owners totally stopped yesterday (Saturday) after the pirates insisted Somali brokers be removed from the process to negotiate," said Ahmed Abshir Hasan, an elder in the Somali coastal town of Harardhere, where the MV Faina is anchored.
> 
> "The commanders of the pirates on the ship reported to us that the talks totally stopped. We don't know why they refused those brokers in the last minutes after working between them for the last week," he told AFP.
> 
> The hijackers have reportedly settled for a 10-million-dollar (7.4-million-euro) ransom after initially demanding more than three times that sum, but the figure could change.
> 
> "They agreed to receive 10 million dollars for the release of the ship but the talks were stopped because of the Somali brokers. They said the process will resume in four days with new brokers," said another local elder, Abdullahi Moalim Afrah.
> 
> "We were close to agreeing on a ransom (figure) but we got out of that deal because of the Somali brokers who are going between us," one of the pirates told AFP.
> 
> "We don't want any Somali broker to get involved in this deal and that is why we stopped the talks," he added, who declined to give his name.
> 
> US warships and navies from other nations are shadowing MV Faina to prevent the pirates from offloading the cargo.
> 
> At least 69 ships have been attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia since the start of the year alone. Almost half were successfully boarded and held for ransom.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's busiest maritime routes and under increasing surveillance from foreign warships, leading pirates to venture further out to catch their prey.


----------



## armyvern

_Reproduced under the fairdealings provisions of the copyright act_ ...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/10/13/lindhout-kidnappers.html



> Somali kidnappers are threatening to kill Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and an Australian photographer if a $2.5-million ransom is not paid in 15 days.
> 
> Tehran-based Press TV reported Monday that one of the kidnappers issued the warning to the station's correspondent in Mogadishu.
> 
> Australian photographer Nigel Brennan and Lindhout, a freelance television and print reporter from Sylvan Lake in central Alberta, were kidnapped on Aug. 23 near Mogadishu.
> 
> Lindhout, 27, filed stories from Iraq on behalf of Press TV, Iran's 24-hour English-language news channel.
> 
> Last month, Arab television network Al-Jazeera aired footage of the kidnapped reporters surrounded by armed militants.
> 
> The group claiming to be behind the video accused Canada and Australia of "taking part in the destruction of Somalia."


----------



## aesop081

ArmyVern said:
			
		

> _Reproduced under the fairdealings provisions of the copyright act_ ...
> 
> http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/10/13/lindhout-kidnappers.html



Canada has no interest in all this indeed........



Besides, its not like we are a maritime nation with a vital interest in the continued and uninterupted flow of goods throughout the world.


----------



## OldSolduer

Since when do we NOT do what is RIGHT? There is a problem here and it needs dealing with.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

We are doing whats right...but we also have to respect International Law and work with the ROEs given to the CO of the VDQ.


----------



## aesop081

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Since when do we NOT do what is RIGHT? There is a problem here and it needs dealing with.



Sorry, i was sure my sarcasm was easily detectable.


----------



## Slim

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> Sorry, i was sure my sarcasm was easily detectable.



To most it was masterfully written.

To others, well... ???


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali forces free Panama ship from pirates*

By Abdiqani Hassan  Reuters  Tue 14 Oct 2008, 12:23 GMT

BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - Somali security forces freed a Panamanian ship from pirates on Tuesday, officials said, two days after they killed one of the hijackers in a gun battle.

The Wail was seized by heavily armed Somali gunmen on Thursday as it carried cement to Bosasso from Oman. There are thought to be nine Syrian and two Somali crew members onboard.

"We have succeeded in saving the Panama-flagged ship and its crew," Ali Abdi Aware, state minister for the semi-autonomous northern Puntland region, told Reuters. "The pirates have surrendered and the ship is in our hands now."

Puntland's fisheries minister, Ahmed Said Ow Nur, said 10 hijackers were arrested and two soldiers wounded in the raid.

"The ship is now sailing towards Bosasso," he told Reuters.

Another senior Puntland government official said the Wail had been slightly damaged during an earlier shoot-out on Sunday in which one pirate and one Somali soldier were killed.

Puntland security forces also seized two of the speedboats used by the gang during that operation, and had been surrounding the Panamanian-flagged vessel since then.

Somali pirates have hijacked more than 30 ships so far this year and received ransoms totalling $18-30 million, making the waters off the Horn of Africa nation the world's most dangerous.

In the highest profile case for years, ransom talks are continuing after they seized a Ukrainian vessel, the MV Faina, which was loaded with 33 T-72 tanks and other weaponry.

Last week, the 26-nation NATO military alliance agreed to join anti-piracy operations by sending seven frigates this month to combat the hijackers and escort humanitarian aid ships.

This year's explosion of piracy has been mirrored by a wave of kidnappings onshore. In the latest incident, Osman Mohamed Hussein, a Kenyan working for the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, was abducted at gunpoint in the capital on Tuesday.

"He called me saying he is being held in Mogadishu. Then his phone was switched off," his wife, Asli Aden, told Reuters.

Somalia has been mired in civil conflict since 1991.


----------



## geo

heh... will be interesting to see how they deal with the captured hijackers.......... 
op:


----------



## Blackadder1916

One ship is freed by Somali authorities and pirates take one.


*Pirates hijack ship off Somali coast*
International Maritime Bureau issues urgent warning after ship with 21 crew members is seized

Staff and agencies guardian.co.uk, Wednesday October 15 2008 11.29 BST 

Armed pirates have hijacked another ship in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia today, bringing to 11 the number of vessels being held by pirates.

The International Maritime Bureau said the bulk carrier with 21 crew members had been sailing from the Middle East to Asia when it was seized. 

The ship flies a Panamanian flag but is operated in the Philippines. No further details of the attack were immediately available.

The bureau has issued an urgent warning to ships to take extra measures to deter pirates. 

A total of 29 ships have been hijacked in African waters this year, with more than 200 crew members on the 11 that remain in pirate hands. 

The attack comes despite increased international cooperation to crack down on pirates in the Gulf of Aden.


----------



## OldSolduer

Mayb its just me. Maybe I'm simple, but the solution is not more warships in the area. 
The solution in my mind is to take the gloves off and get your hands dirty. Set out to kill these "pirates" and send a strong message: Mess with OUR ships and YOU DIE.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Standing NATO Maritime Group transits Suez Canal en-route to anti-piracy duties*
http://www.nato.int/shape/news/2008/10/081015a.html


> 15 October 2008
> 
> Mons, Belgium — Seven ships from six NATO navies transit the Suez Canal today, on their way to conduct both anti-piracy duties and visit NATO partner nations in the Gulf region.
> 
> In response to a UN request, NATO defence ministers last week authorised NATO naval vessels to help protect World Food Programme ships carrying desperately needed supplies to conflict-ridden Somalia.
> 
> Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) already was scheduled to conduct a series of Gulf port visits and will take on the anti-piracy role off the coast of Somalia
> 
> Given the very short-notice, details of how the group will conduct the anti-piracy mission and also carry out port visits are still being finalised
> 
> SNMG2 is scheduled to visit partners of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
> 
> General John Craddock, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said, “The threat of piracy is real and growing in many parts of the world today, and this response is a good illustration of NATO's ability to adapt quickly to new security challenges."
> 
> SNMG2 currently comprises ships from Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States. Command of SNMG2 is assumed on rotation by contributing nations and currently is Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero, Italian Navy. SNMG2 currently comprises:
> 
> ITS Durand de la Penne (flagship, destroyer D560, Italy)
> FGS Karlsruhe (frigate F212, Germany)
> FGS Rhön  (auxiliary A1443, Germany)
> HS Themistokles (frigate F465, Greece)
> TCG Gokova (frigate G496, Turkey)
> HMS Cumberland (frigate F85, United Kingdom)
> USS The Sullivans (destroyer DDG 68, USA)
> 
> As NATO's anti-piracy effort is formalised, the Alliance will continue to coordinate its assistance with the World Food Program, the European Union and the US Led Operation enduring Freedom who are all involved in this humanitarian and security effort.



Ville de Québec was assigned to SNMG1 before being detached to escort World Food Programme ships, so it will probably still leave Somali waters and rejoin SNMG1 later in the month.


----------



## geo

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Mayb its just me. Maybe I'm simple, but the solution is not more warships in the area.
> The solution in my mind is to take the gloves off and get your hands dirty. Set out to kill these "pirates" and send a strong message: Mess with OUR ships and YOU DIE.


Cheez there old solduer..... talk like that will never get you elected (not that you were trying)


----------



## OldSolduer

geo, I like my simple approach. I think the pirates would understand it. I think the Russians would like it.

Mess with one of OUR ships, and YOU die!

When I say one of our ships, I mean the civilized world.

Maybe this approach could get me elected....... :blotto:


----------



## GAP

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Maybe this approach could get me elected....... :blotto:



Nah, some treehugger would complain to the Human Rights Commission that you are hurting their conscience.......


----------



## chanman

GAP said:
			
		

> Nah, some treehugger would complain to the Human Rights Commission that you are hurting their conscience.......



With those gas-sucking cigarette boats?  How about you promise to use the bodies to fertilize a new tree plantation?  A carbon-neutral plan for pirate eradication!


----------



## Blackadder1916

NATO Shipping Centre: SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 15 OCT 2008
(as at 151427Z OCT 2008)
http://www.shipping.nato.int/SOMALIAPIR


> The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such.
> 
> During the past week there have been 7 new incidents including 2 hijacks.
> 9 Vessels are now being held by Somali pirates for ransom. *Last known positions are as shown on the slide*.
> 
> Thailand-flagged Bulk Carrier MV FONARUN NAREE was involved in an approach by pirates on 7 Sept.
> 
> Singapore-flagged LPG Carrier MV SIGLOO DISCOVERY reports that she received multiple attacks from pirates on 6 Sept, though her position at the time of the attack was not reported.
> 
> Bahamas-flagged Crude oil tanker MV FRONT VOYAGER reports she was attacked by pirates on 6 Sept.
> 
> St Vincent and Grenadines-flagged General Cargo vessel MV JIN YUAN MEN was attacked by pirates on 5 Sept. Panamanian-flagged General cargo vessel AL MASOURAH was hijacked in northern GoA 3 Sept, 17 miles south of Yemeni coast. She was last located  IVO Caluula.. There are 25 crew members on board, and 10-12 hijackers.
> 
> Private yacht, Carre D’AS IV was hijacked by pirates, 2 Sept. Vessel departed Cocos Islands, 5 Aug, on route Aden with 3 crew, (2 French national and 1 Australian national) on board.
> 
> On 29 Aug, Chemical/Products tanker, MV BUNGA MELATI 5 was hijacked in northern Gulf of Aden while on route from, Yanbo Saudi Arabia to Singapore.
> 
> In short, the trends in latest piracy incidents are as follows:
> 
> Targeting larger cargo / oil / gas / chemical tankers
> Approaches / attacks conducted from 2-3 small speedboats with 3-5 armed persons each. The number of boats involved in each incident seems to be increasing.
> Ninety-three piracy-related incidents have been reported so far this year in the Gulf of Aden (GOA) and off the east coast of Somalia
> Compares to three incidents over same period last year


----------



## OldSolduer

IF the Somali "pirates" are hijacking larger ships to use as mother ships, and this is proven, we have two options as I  see it:

1. The ship is boarded by maritime commandoes such as the SBS and the perpetrators are brought to justice. If they resist they are shot;

2. The ship is blown out of the water by a Harpoon or similar missile, provided that there are on innocents aboard and this ship is proven to be a mother ship.

I'm sure Jack will want to negotiate, arggghhh matey!!


----------



## NL_engineer

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> 2. The ship is blown out of the water by a Harpoon or similar missile, provided that there are on innocents aboard and this ship is proven to be a mother ship.



Let a sub do that, that way Mr. Pirate doesn't know what hit him  ;D and it gives him something to look at wile on his way to 'Davey Jones Locker'  ;D


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

I think the idea is to get these ships back to their rightful owners....


----------



## Blackadder1916

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> I think the idea is to get these ships back to their rightful owners....



While there is recent discussion about the Royal Navy seeking additional clarification or legislation concerning the legalities of taking pirates in Somali territorial waters, perhaps this provision of the Piracy Act 1850  (which seems to be still in force*) may be an incentive for the officers and crews at least to go pirate hunting with the aim of restoring vessels to their rightful owners.



> 5. _Property of her Majesty’s subjects found in possession of pirates to be restored on payment of one eighth of value. _
> 
> All ships,vessels, boats, goods, merchandize, specie, or other property taken possession of from pirates by any of her Majesty’s ships or vessels of war, or hired armed vessels, . . . F4 or their boats, or any of the officers and crews thereof, shall and may be proceeded against in any of the Admiralty courts before mentioned, and be subject and liable to condemnation as droits and perquisites of her Majesty in her Office of Admiralty: Provided always, *that if any part of the said property shall be duly proved to have belonged to and to have been taken from any of her Majesty’s subjects, or from the subjects of any foreign power, then such property and every part thereof shall, by the decree of the said court, be adjudged to be restored, and shall be accordingly restored, to the former owner or owners, proprietor or proprietors thereof respectively, he or they paying for or in lieu of salvage a sum of money equal to one eighth part of the true value, which money . . . F4 shall be paid to and divided and distributed amongst the officers and crews  * thereof, in such manner, form, and proportion as other bounties are now distributable by virtue of her Majesty’s proclamation or order in council dated the thirtieth day of July one thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, or as her Majesty, shall from time to time by any further proclamation or order or orders in council think fit to declare and direct; . . . F4




*(the un-consolidated nature of British legislation makes a seach for all references to piracy difficult and time consuming)


----------



## Blackadder1916

And another country is heard from.

*India launches first navy mission against pirates * 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/3215953/India-launches-first-navy-mission-against-pirates.html


> The Indian navy has for the first time deployed a warship to conduct anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast to protect merchant vessels.
> 
> By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi Last Updated: 12:32PM BST 17 Oct 2008
> 
> The ministry of defence in New Delhi said that the frigate, equipped with a helicopter carrying marine commandos, would safeguard India's sea-borne trade as vessels move through the vital trade route.
> 
> A spokesman said the deployment was intended to "instill confidence in our sea faring community as well as function as a deterrent for pirates".
> 
> The deployment was triggered by last month's hijacking of the Japanese-owned chemical tanker MV Stolt Valor by Somali pirates in the Red Sea as it made its way from Aden to Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay.
> 
> The pirates demanded a £3 million ransom to release the ship and its 22-member crew of which 18 including the captain were Indians. But they halved their demand to during negotiations with the ship's owner.
> 
> As the 48-hour deadline to meet the pirate's demands expired on Thursday, there was speculation that the Indian navy was planning to storm the Valor but the defence ministry denied this.
> 
> It said that a warship in the area would be "significant" as the Gulf of Aden was a major strategic "choke point" in the Indian Ocean region and provided access to the Suez Canal, through which the sizeable portion of India's trade flows.
> 
> Over 90 per cent of India's foreign trade by volume and 77 per cent by value is shipped through the region, largely through the Suez Canal.
> 
> *Naval officials said that while its deployment to the Gulf of Aden formulated a nascent anti-piracy strategy, Manmohan Singh's government would not allow the navy to execute "hot pursuit" missions after pirate vessels.*
> 
> Permission to pursue a pro-active strategy in this regard would only be accorded on a case by case basis only after collective consultation with the defence, foreign, law and shipping ministries, officials said.
> 
> *.  .  .*
> 
> *The Indian navy's deployment in international waters also meets its ambition to expand its strategic reach in the crucial Indian Ocean region which it considers its "back yard". *


----------



## The Bread Guy

Interesting think tank report on Somalia piracy (.pdf), including some options and a Canadian example of private sector help (more details below summary) - "Summary Points" in last quote box below....



> (....) Options for the International Community
> 1. Organize shipping into a safe lane.
> (....)
> 2. Provide a coastguard for Somalia.
> (....)
> 3. A large naval presence
> (....)
> 4. Pay no ransoms
> (....)
> 5. Do nothing
> (....)



From page 11 - highlights mine:


> Box 2: Private security and Somali piracy
> Private security firms have a long history of involvement in attempting to combat Somali piracy. To date, however, none have been very effective and in the majority of cases it is hard to see that anything at all was achieved.
> 
> (....)
> 
> *SOMCAN – Somali Canadian Coastguard
> SOMCAN held a contract from the government of Puntland from 2002 to 2005 to provide coastguard facilities for Puntland. Its effectiveness was called into question as three of the company’s employees were sentenced to ten years in jail in Thailand for piracy, although they claimed to have been protecting a Thai fishing boat.*
> 
> (....)





> Summary points
> - Piracy off the coast of Somalia has more than doubled in 2008; so far over 60 ships have been attacked. Pirates are regularly demanding and receiving million-dollar ransom payments and are becoming more aggressive and assertive.
> - *The international community must be aware of the danger that Somali pirates could become agents of international terrorist networks.* Already money from ransoms is helping to pay for the war in Somalia, including funds to the US terror-listed Al-Shabaab.
> - The high level of piracy is making aid deliveries to drought-stricken Somalia ever more difficult and costly. The World Food Programme has already been forced to
> temporarily suspend food deliveries. Canada is now escorting WFP deliveries but there are no plans in place to replace their escort when it finishes later this year.
> - *The danger and cost of piracy (insurance premiums for the Gulf of Aden have increased tenfold) mean that shipping could be forced to avoid the Gulf of Aden/Suez Canal and divert around the Cape of Good Hope. This would add considerably to the costs of manufactured goods and oil from Asia and the Middle East.* At a time of high inflationary pressures, this should be of grave concern.
> - Piracy could cause a major environmental disaster in the Gulf of Aden if a tanker is sunk or run aground or set on fire. The use of ever more powerful weaponry makes this increasingly likely.
> -  There are a number of options for the international community but ignoring the problem is not one of them. It must ensure that WFP deliveries are protected and that gaps in supply do not occur.
> (....)


----------



## OldSolduer

This is getting out of hand. I'm really thinking that a Royal Marine/USMC and the RN and USN need to head this up. Simple plan:

Convoy the ships
I take it we have some expertise in that area. 

Get them to secure harbor and dockyard.

Anyone gets in your way....BAM!! like Emeril on a cooking show...cook em!!


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Well I don't think they would be that stupid enough to take on the firepower of a dedicated warship, so I am doubting they would actually make an appearance.

Now thinking out loud....if you want they to come to you so you can engage and destroy them, then revive the Qship concept. Imagine the reaction of said pirates if a false container(s) fell away to reveal 76mm and several 12.7-40mm autoguns? These Jack Sparrow wannabes would then a) find a safer occupation or b) would most likely further develop their own intelligence assets to ensure the ship they want to attack is safe for them to do so.


----------



## OldSolduer

Sounds good. Decoys are great. But the real ships still have to get there.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Sounds good. Decoys are great. But the real ships still have to get there.



Granted but in theory it would be another weapon we could use against these idiots.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Blackwater: We’ll defend against pirates*

By Philip Ewing - Staff writer Navy Times  Posted : Saturday Oct 18, 2008 8:14:59 EDT
   
The military contractor Blackwater Worldwide is offering to protect merchant ships from pirates, the company announced Thursday, advertising the security services of its ship for use off the coast of Somalia or elsewhere.

A rash of pirate attacks has driven up the cost of insurance and pay for crew members aboard the thousands of merchant vessels that pass off the Horn of Africa, the company said, making it comparatively economical to engage its ship, the McArthur, and its crew of ex-military specialists.

“Billions of dollars of goods move through the Gulf of Aden each year,” said Blackwater vice president Bill Matthews in the announcement. “We have been contacted by ship owners who say they need our help in making sure those goods get to their destination safely. The McArthur can help us accomplish that.”

Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrell told Navy Times that the company has initially proposed protecting individual vessels — for example, the owner of a dry cargo ship would pay to have an escort by the McArthur as it passed off the lawless coast of Somalia, where pirates now are ransoming 11 ships.

But she didn’t rule out the idea that a shipping company could also engage the McArthur to loiter in a heavily traveled patch of ocean, patrolling for pirates or responding to requests for help.

Warships from several nations already patrol the Gulf of Aden, but it’s often unclear what capabilities they have to act against pirates under local and international laws. U.S. captains, for example, have been frustrated when they’ve tried to chase pirates inside the territorial waters of Somalia, which does not have a central government. Navies also have been skittish about sinking pirates’ vessels, out of confusion over whether they have the right to arrest them, or even whether pirates rescued on the high seas can ask for political asylum.

Piracy is not at all new, but its confusing legal implications are, said Capt. Douglas Hard, who teaches navigation law at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y.

“Years ago, there was no doubt; you just blew them out of the water,” he said. “We’ve become a kinder, gentler society now. You didn’t used to worry about how to handle a pirate.”

On Sept. 22, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, the Navy commander in the region, suggested that the shipping industry take extra precautions to protect its ships, because the local anti-piracy surface group, Combined Task Force 150, couldn’t be everywhere at once.

“The coalition does not have the resources to provide 24-hour protection for the vast number of merchant vessels in the region,” Gortney said. “The shipping companies must take measures to defend their vessels and their crews.”

A spokesman for Gortney, Lt. Nate Christensen, told Navy Times on Friday that although the Navy would not endorse any particular security firm, the Blackwater announcement was “an example of proactive defensive measures shipping companies can take in order to help prevent piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia.”

“Even with the establishment of the maritime security patrol area, coalition forces have not always been close by to a ship being threatened — especially if the merchant vessel is not in the designated patrol area. Over the past several weeks, we have seen instances where coalition actions have thwarted events, but we have also had instances where vessels came under attack,” Christensen said.

Arming civilian mariners, however, raises its own tangle of international legal issues. U.S. Military Sealift Command cargo ships are crewed by civilians; when they sail through potentially hostile waters, the ships take aboard security teams composed of active-duty sailors.

Tyrell said that when Blackwater begins operating the McArthur on the high seas, it will get “all required Directorate of Defense Trade Controls licensing and would comply with applicable United States government provisos and restrictions.”

Blackwater’s CEO, Erik Prince, raised the possibility of getting into maritime security July 7, when he told Navy Times the company was interested in hiring ex-sailors with experience in riverine units and boardings at sea.

“Most of the world moves its stuff by water,” Prince said. “And maritime piracy is a growing problem, and I think there’re some private-sector solutions that are available when folks want to go to that measure as well.”

Although Prince and other initial founders of Blackwater are former Navy SEALs, the company has so far provided mostly ground and air support to its clients around the world.

Blackwater bought the 183-foot McArthur last year from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and converted it from a research vessel into a modern support ship, complete with a helicopter flight deck and accommodations for small boats and unmanned aerial vehicles.


----------



## geo

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> Well I don't think they would be that stupid enough to take on the firepower of a dedicated warship, so I am doubting they would actually make an appearance.
> 
> Now thinking out loud....if you want they to come to you so you can engage and destroy them, then revive the Qship concept. Imagine the reaction of said pirates if a false container(s) fell away to reveal 76mm and several 12.7-40mm autoguns? These Jack Sparrow wannabes would then a) find a safer occupation or b) would most likely further develop their own intelligence assets to ensure the ship they want to attack is safe for them to do so.


If the gun batteries were hidden away in a seacan, who says that same said seacan has to stay on the same ship....
make a shellgame out of the darned thing.
if the pirates hit a ship that has the gun platform, they will add said ship's name to their list of ships they would rather not frequent.... then move seacan to another ship - another juicy target.... that isn't


----------



## aesop081

Maybe while we are at it, we can do something about Somalia itself ?

I know i know........  _"Burn him, burn him"_


----------



## geo

Umm.... some of those ships that are being hijacked are carrying food to Somalia.... 
Must be able to feed em - cause people with empty stomachs can grow up to become.... pirates


----------



## aesop081

geo said:
			
		

> Umm.... some of those ships that are being hijacked are carrying food to Somalia....
> Must be able to feed em - cause people with empty stomachs can grow up to become.... pirates



Geeez.......

The problem, at its root, is not Somali pirates. The problem is Somalia itself. If Somalia had a functioning government and if Somalia had a working economy where people could feed themselves....would we have a piracy problem to the extent we have now ?

Placing warships as escort, running convoys is all good ideas. That being said, they are Band-aid (tm) solutions that do not fix the problem in the long term.


----------



## GAP

Blackwater and others have offered to handle it, the insurers simply give a $$ break to those that hire teams to escort them through the area, charge a premium on those that don't want to spend the $$. 

This is about pirates, but it is also about cheap owners who won't spend a dime where it needs to be spent, if they think they can get various governments to cover off the costs. Eventually the light bulb will come on, abet, maybe a little dimly at first.....


----------



## Blackadder1916

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> *Blackwater: We’ll defend against pirates*
> 
> The military contractor Blackwater Worldwide is offering to protect merchant ships from pirates, the company announced Thursday, advertising the security services of its ship for use off the coast of Somalia or elsewhere.
> . . .
> Blackwater* bought the 183-foot McArthur last year from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and converted it from a research vessel into a modern support ship*, complete with a helicopter flight deck and accommodations for small boats and unmanned aerial vehicles.



Though Blackwater does not appear to have published any specifications about their conversion of the McArthur there is still a link to NOAA with information about the vessel.  http://www.moc.noaa.gov/ar/index.html



> General Specifications
> Design
> Designer: Maritime Administration
> Builder: Norfolk Shipbuilding and Drydock Norfolk, VA
> Launched: November 1965
> Delivered: November 1966
> Commissioned: December 1966
> Hull Number: S330
> Call Letters: WTEJ
> Home Port: Seattle, Washington
> Length (LOA): 175 ft. (53.3 m)
> Breadth (moulded): 38 ft. (11.6 m)
> Draft, Maximum: 12.1 ft. (3.7 m)
> Hull: Welded steel/ice strengthened
> Displacement: 1,071 tons
> Gross Tonnage: 854
> Net Tonnage: 207
> 
> Speed & Endurance
> *Cruising Speed: 10 knots *
> Range: 6,600 nmi
> Endurance: 30 days
> Endurance Constraint: Stability
> 
> Scientific Laboratory Facilities
> Oceanographic Lab (D Deck): 150 sq. ft.
> Instrument Lab (E Deck): 150 sq. ft.
> Plot Room (F Deck)
> 
> Scientific Refrigerators And Freezers
> Bridge Deck Freezer
> Manufacturer: GE
> Volume: 32 cu. ft.
> Capacity: -10 °F
> Scientific van refrigerator
> Manufacturer: Kenmore
> Volume: 3 cu. ft.
> Oceo lab refrigerator
> Manufacturer: RSP Ind.
> Volume: 10 cu. ft.
> 
> Berthing
> Single staterooms: 2
> Double staterooms: 20
> Total bunks: 42
> 
> Food Service Seating Capacity
> Wardroom: 10
> Crew's mess: 22
> 
> Medical Facilities
> Emergency and first-aid equipment, administered by trained vessel personnel.
> 
> Complement
> Commissioned officers: 5
> Licensed engineers: 3
> Crew: 16
> Scientists: Up to 13



And a photo below of the McArthur after the conversion.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Wow she is an old ship...even older then our 280s


----------



## CougarKing

Finally the fleet has arrived. Anyone else here have news on that Russian destroyer? It should have arrived by now as well.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/10/19/somalia.nato.pirates/index.html



> *NATO warships arrive to deter Somali pirates
> Story Highlights
> More than 60 ships attacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden in 2008
> 
> NATO has authorized naval vessels to protect U.N. World Food Program ships
> 
> Somali PM Sunday welcomes seven NATO warships off the coast of his country
> 
> Pirates still holding a Ukrainian ship carrying arms, demanding $20M ransom*
> From Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow
> 
> (CNN) --* Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein Sunday welcomed the arrival of seven NATO warships off the coast of his country to help in the battle against pirates in the region.
> 
> "We are so delighted with the arrival of those NATO ships into our waters and they have our full consent to fight against the pirates," the prime minister said at a news conference.
> 
> "NATO can carry out any acts including military actions in our waters against the pirates," he added.
> 
> Responding to a request from the United Nations, NATO defense ministers recently authorized the fleet of naval vessels to help protect U.N. World Food Program ships carrying relief supplies to Somalia.
> 
> The WFP ships had been protected by Canadian military vessels under a temporary arrangement that expired this week.*
> 
> The NATO ships will also help "deter acts of piracy that continue to threaten the region," the alliance said.
> 
> It is part of an international effort to curb a spate of Somali pirate hijackings in the past year in the Gulf of Aden, which partially borders Somalia.
> 
> *More than 60 ships have been attacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden this year alone, compared with about half that in 2007, according to a report released earlier this month by Chatham House, a London-based institute that analyzes international affairs.*
> The report found the $18 million to $30 million in ransoms already paid this year is helping to finance the war in Somalia. One of the groups reportedly receiving ransom money is Al-Shabaab, an Islamic militant group that is waging a bloody battle for control of Somalia. Al-Shabaab has been labeled a terrorist organization by the United States.
> 
> Pirates are still holding a Ukrainian ship carrying Soviet-made tanks, artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms off Somalia's coast and are demanding a $20 million ransom. The MV Faina was seized in late September and is being monitored by nearby U.S. naval ships.
> 
> Last week, India sent a naval ship to escort Indian vessels traveling along the coast of Yemen and part of southern Oman.
> 
> Hassan said the pirates are an "absolute risk" to Somalia and the rest of the world.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Finally the fleet has arrived. Anyone else here have news on that Russian destroyer? It should have arrived by now as well.
> 
> http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/10/19/somalia.nato.pirates/index.html



CD the transit from the Baltic is a much longer trip then what SNMG2 had to undertake, not to mention the Russians may have to stop along the way. I would say she is at least a week and a half away and she isn't going full speed.


----------



## Blackadder1916

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> . . . Anyone else here have news on that Russian destroyer? It should have arrived by now as well.



It seems that it was taking the scenic route and apparently (as of Thursday) still enroute.  Have not found anything more recent than these items.

Russian naval task force to visit Libya
http://rusnavy.com/news/newsofday/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=5786


> 09.10.2008 Source: en.rian.ru
> 
> A naval task force from Russia's Northern Fleet, led by the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, *will visit the Libyan capital October 11-13*, an aide to the Navy commander said Wednesday.
> 
> Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said *the Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet would call at Tripoli at the same time to replenish supplies.
> 
> He added that the frigate would then continue its tour of duty via the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean.*
> 
> "The Neutrashimy will go to Somalia where it will ensure the safety of Russian vessels passing through this area against pirate attacks," he said.
> 
> Last Wednesday, Somali Ambassador to Russia Mohamed Handule said his country's President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed had authorized Russia's military to fight pirates off Somalia's coast and on land.
> . . .



Russia could resume naval presence in Yemen
http://rusnavy.com/news/newsofday/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=5792


> *17.10.2008* Source: en.rian.ru
> 
> *The speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament said on Thursday that Russia could resume a naval presence in Yemen.*
> 
> Authorities in the Middle East country are calling on Moscow to help fight piracy and possible terrorist threats. The U.S.S.R. had a major naval base in the former socialist state of South Yemen, which merged with North Yemen in 1990 to form the present-day Yemen.
> 
> Speaking to journalists in Sana, the capital of Yemen, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov said the new direction of Russia's foreign and defense policies and an increase in its naval missions would be taken into consideration when making a decision on the request.
> 
> "It's possible that the aspects of using Yemen ports not only for visits by Russian warships, but also for more strategic goals will be considered," he said.
> 
> He also said a visit to Russia by the president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, could take place in the near future and that the issue of military technical cooperation could be raised during his visit.
> 
> *A missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet is currently en route to Somalia at the invitation of Somali authorities to fight piracy off the Somali coast together with warships from other countries. *
> 
> Somali pirates recently hijacked a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, carrying at least 33 tanks and other heavy weaponry. Six U.S. warships are currently surrounding the Faina.
> 
> Pirates are also active near the Yemen coast in the Gulf of Aden, where they seized a Panamanian tanker in September.
> 
> Mironov said Yemen feared that groups associated with the al-Qaeda terrorist movement might be hiding in the Somali region, which has no effective government and no navy to police its coastline, and could later expand their activity in the Arabian Sea with its busy oil tanker routes.


----------



## CougarKing

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> CD the transit from the Baltic is a much longer trip then what SNMG2 had to undertake, not to mention the Russians may have to stop along the way. I would say she is at least a week and a half away and she isn't going full speed.



Thanks for the reply. As someone else said and asked before, it makes me wonder why Moscow didn't send a ship from their supposedly closer Black Sea Fleet instead? 

Edit: Thanks to Blackadder for those news article links.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Thanks for the reply. As someone else said and asked before, it makes me wonder why Moscow didn't send a ship from their supposedly closer Black Sea Fleet instead?



Well looking at the issues lately with Georgia and the continual problems with Ukraine I am betting the Russian Navy is a little busy in that area of the world.


----------



## Blackadder1916

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> . . . Anyone else here have news on that Russian destroyer? It should have arrived by now as well.



*Russian warship passes through Suez on way to Somalia coast*
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081021/117848056.html


> RIA Novosti   09:41 | 21/ 10/ 2008
> 
> MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) - A missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet will *pass through the Suez Canal on Tuesday* en route to the Somalia coast to join an international naval group fighting sea piracy in the region, a senior Navy official said.
> 
> The Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate left the main naval base in Russia's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad in late September and participated in joint drills with a Russian naval task force in the Mediterranean.
> 
> "The ship's task is to escort and protect Russian vessels or ships with Russian crewmembers on board from pirate attacks [off the Somali coast]," the source said.
> 
> The ship's armament includes SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAM, a 100-mm gun, torpedoes and depth charges. The frigate also carries a Ka-27 ASW helicopter.
> 
> In the beginning of October, Somali Ambassador to Russia Mohamed Handule said his country's president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, had given permission for Russia's military to tackle pirates both off Somalia's coast and on land.
> . . .


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Navy commander admits: no rules on Somalia pirates*


> By Luke Baker  Reuters  Tue 21 Oct 2008, 12:52 GMT
> 
> LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - *The commander of a NATO task force on its way to tackle piracy off the coast of Somalia has said he still does not know what the rules are for taking on the high-seas bandits.*
> 
> U.S. Admiral Mark Fitzgerald said while he was aware of where the pirates were operating, there was little he could do militarily to stop them and that guidelines on how to take them on -- including whether to shoot -- were still in the works.
> 
> "You know, I don't think we've gotten the rules of engagement yet from NATO," Fitzgerald told reporters on Monday during a briefing on U.S. naval operations in Europe and Africa.
> 
> "That's all still being debated in the North Atlantic Council. All we've been told is to prepare a plan to go down there. So (the rules) are going to have to be debated."
> 
> Six NATO members have contributed ships, including destroyers and frigates, to a special anti-piracy task force following a request from the United Nations.
> 
> The NATO group passed through the Suez Canal last week on its way to the Horn of Africa, where piracy has surged this year, with more than 30 ships seized and ransoms estimated at $18-$30 million have been paid to free hostages.
> 
> There are already naval assets from Britain, the United States and Russia in the region, but the area is so vast -- more than 2.5 million square miles -- that it is almost impossible for the pirates to be stopped unless they are caught red-handed.
> 
> *"From a military standpoint, we certainly are limited by what we can do," said Fitzgerald. "How do you prove a guy's a pirate before he actually attacks a ship?*
> 
> "We have a problem from the military side at sea because we can't be omnipresent in the space, and the pirates operate at an advantage because ... they don't announce they're a pirate until they attack a ship."
> 
> Security specialists say there is a window of only about 15 minutes for a navy ship to respond to a distress call and get to another ship that's being hijacked. Once pirates are on board, there's little, legally, that can be done.
> 
> "You've got a very short window, a short time span, from the point where they decide to board a ship and (actually) board it. If you're not right there, there's not much you can do, and once the ship is taken hostage, then...."
> 
> *The Danish navy learnt to its cost last month what can happen if you do seize suspected pirates.
> 
> They captured 10 people, but after holding them for six days aboard a Danish ship, the suspects were set free and put ashore in Somalia because the legal conditions surrounding their detention were unclear.
> 
> Denmark's Defence Ministry said Danish law did not allow for prosecution of the men before a Danish court. The ministry said it had explored the possibility of handing them over to other countries but that was also not feasible.*
> 
> A senior British naval commander admitted last week that it was essentially a legal minefield trying to take on the pirates, and urged commercial ships operating in the region to hire their own private security companies to deal with the threat.
> 
> Admiral Fitzgerald said the Danish experience showed how weak the impetus was going to be to capture pirates. Instead he said his task force would focus on escorting World Food Programme ships trying to deliver aid to Somalia.
> 
> Asked how long the mission could last, he said: "It's open-ended right now."
> 
> (Additional reporting by Kim McLaughlin in Copenhagen; Editing by Giles Elgood)


----------



## OldSolduer

Oh I see.....too many lace panty types worrying about "legalities"> Yeah I know the argument. Guardians of human rights and all that.


----------



## Old Sweat

Now if the pirates were to capture a cruise ship full of lawyers and hold them all for ransom, I bet the legal community would find a solution very quickly. Mind you, the pirates might let them all go as a professional courtesy.


----------



## OldSolduer

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> Now if the pirates were to capture a cruise ship full of lawyers and hold them all for ransom, I bet the legal community would find a solution very quickly. Mind you, the pirates might let them all go as a professional courtesy.



Perfect quote OldSweat!!! I say hang em all from the yardarm.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Oh I see.....too many lace panty types worrying about "legalities"> Yeah I know the argument. Guardians of human rights and all that.



I have no problem with following the legalities and being considered a guardian of human rights..its what sets us apart from the pirates...


----------



## GAP

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> I have no problem with following the legalities and being considered a guardian of human rights..its what sets us apart from the pirates...



They will all be found guilty at their trial,  after they are hung


----------



## Old Sweat

I hate to be a wet blanket here, but even in the 'golden age of the gentlemen of the brotherhood" due process applied. Any pirates who were captured alive eventually were tried in civilian criminal courts ashore. Now the chances of getting off for anybody who was captured under arms on a pirate ship were not great, but even in the eighteenth century some managed to save their miserable hides by ratting on their comrades.

Now I am talking European pirates captured by European forces. I suspect they were less inclined to follow all the rules when dealing with, say, North African or Arab or Malay pirates, but still here must have been a process to be followed. This is even more certain if a ship and its cargo of the proceeds of crime were taken, as it seems to me the captain and crew of the capturing ship received a healthy share of the proceeds of the disposal of same.


----------



## Blackadder1916

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> . . . but still here must have been a process to be followed. This is even more certain if a ship and its cargo of the proceeds of crime were taken, as *it seems to me the captain and crew of the capturing ship received a healthy share of the proceeds of the disposal of same.*



And it can still apply today, for the Royal Navy anyway.
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/67625/post-769205.html#msg769205


----------



## MarkOttawa

Action being taken:

French nab 9 Somali pirates in Gulf of Aden
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jHMz6_AdORiX-45PUhBtBjZlha0gD940B19G0



> Tensions heated up on the high seas, as the French Navy captured nine pirates near the Gulf of Aden and a Somali pirate warned Thursday that the crew of a hijacked Ukrainian arms ship would be killed if NATO forces attacked.
> 
> The French Navy intercepted the pirates in two small boats about 115 miles (185 kilometers) from the nearest coast, finding assault rifles, grenade-launchers, grappling hooks and ladders onboard.
> 
> The nine were handed over Thursday to Somali officials, and French officials received assurances the prisoners would be treated according to international conventions.
> 
> "We wanted to send a very clear message to the pirates that the days of their flourishing and unpunished business are over," Gen. Christian Baptiste, a French Defense Ministry spokesman, told The Associated Press by telephone.
> 
> In order not to tip off any other pirates, he declined to say exactly when or where the hostages were captured.
> 
> Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia this year have surged 75 percent, the International Maritime Bureau said Thursday, calling for serious international action against the brigands who "operate with impunity."
> 
> It said the waters off Somalia, including the Gulf of Aden, are the world's most dangerous, accounting for 63 — or nearly a third — of the 199 reported pirate attacks worldwide so far this year...



NATO flotilla to start anti-piracy operations soon 
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1502040



> A NATO flotilla sailing toward the Somali coast will begin anti-piracy operations within the next few days, but officials said Wednesday the alliance was still working out the rules of engagement for the seven ships.
> 
> The NATO warships will escort cargo ships carrying U.N. food aid to Somalia and will patrol the pirate-infested shipping lanes off the Somali coast, where 30 ships have been hijacked this year and over 70 have been attacked.
> 
> "They will have the rules of engagement that they need, the operational plan that they need. I would not be surprised to see all of this complete in the next two days," said alliance spokesman James Appathurai.
> 
> The seizure Sept. 25 of the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, laden with 33 battle tanks and heavy weaponry, has focused international attention on the pirate menace.
> 
> U.S. warships have surrounded the Faina for weeks to prevent the pirates from trying to offload the ship's weapons, and a Russian guided missile frigate Intrepid is traveling to the area.
> 
> The *NATO naval group is made up of destroyers from Italy and the United States, frigates from Germany, Greece, Turkey and Britain, and a German auxiliary vessel* [emphasis added].
> 
> "There will be a number of very competent and very effective military ships ... to provide presence, deterrence and, where necessary and possible, to intervene to prevent acts of piracy and to escort ships," Appathurai said.
> 
> Details of which tasks each ship will take on, and the rules for how they will handle the pirates, are still being worked out...



And a _Torch_ post by Babbling Brooks:

While nobody's paying attention to Somalia... 
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2008/10/while-nobodys-paying-attention-to.html



> ...good work is being done in relative obscurity off the east coast of Africa.
> 
> The crew of HMCS Ville de Quebec has done its job, safely escorting World Food Programme shipments to Somalia in response to the requests of the international community...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## GAP

U.K. warns residents Somali pirates could ruin Christmas
Posted: October 23, 2008, 12:55 PM by Chris Boutet 
Article Link

Just as the editors here at Posted were joking that shipping companies should consider hiring pirates of their own to fend off Somali hijackers in the Gulf of Aden, commenter iamtom points out below that controversial U.S. mercenaries for hire private military contractor Blackwater has a helicopter-laden warship patrolling the gulf as we speak, offering their services to beleaguered shipowners. From Lloyd's List:

The vessel, McArthur, is described as a multipurpose unit designed to support military and law-enforcement training, peace-keeping and stability operations. 

The ship and its helicopters have the ability to patrol a commercial vessel’s route, thereby avoiding the need to hire security contractors to ride on board. 

[...]

Blackwater justifies its presence in the area commercially by pointing to the increased bills for shipowners operating in the region, including massive insurance hikes, double-pay danger money for seafarers, and ransom payments where ships are captured. 

Blackwater Worldwide executive vice-president Bill Matthews said: “We have been contacted by shipowners who say they need our help in making sure goods get to their destination. The McArthur can help us accomplish that.” 


--- 

Pirate hijackings of cargo ships off the coast of Somalia are getting so out of control that British officials are warning residents that they could face shortages on everything from clothing to cars this Christmas season unless action is taken, BBC News reports.

So far this year, more than 30 ships have been hijacked and their cargo and crews held for ransom by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The rate at which ships are being taken has led the British Chamber of Shipping to warn consumers that all goods coming to the U.K. from Asia could be put at risk, and the impact especially felt in the run-up to Christmas as more and more shipping companies opt to take a longer and safer alternative route around the horn of Africa.

Gavin Simmonds, head of international policy at the chamber, says: "Car carriers with vehicles for the UK, foodstuffs from Asia, textiles and clothing, dare I say it in time for the Christmas market, will not be arriving on time if they have to [go round South Africa]. We could begin to see shortages within the next few weeks." 

Of the ships pirated this year, most attention has focussed on MV Faina, the Ukrainian vessel carrying tanks and heavy weaponry. 

But the majority of ships sailing through the Gulf carry supplies vital to the running of the global economy. Goods as diverse as oil, gas, cars, textiles and electronics travel past Somalia on their way to Britain. 
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Yet another update: the pirate scum renew their threats. 
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/10/23/Somalia.piracy.ap/index.html



> *Pirates to kill crew on arms ship if NATO ships attack
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Food and water are running low on a Ukrainian arms ship hijacked by Somali pirates, and a pirate spokesman warned Thursday if the ship was attacked by NATO forces its 20-man crew would be among those killed.
> 
> Spokesman Sugule Ali also mocked comments by Tomex Team, the firm operating the MV Faina cargo ship, which said it has accumulated only $1 million toward the $20 million ransom the pirates initially demanded.*
> 
> "That is worthless," he said. "It would only pay for several nights' stay in a hotel!"
> 
> However, Ali declined to say whether the pirates had lowered their ransom request.
> 
> He told The Associated Press that supplies were running out but the pirates would share what remained with the crew.
> 
> "We Somalis don't eat in front of a hungry person," he said, speaking Thursday by satellite phone. "We will share our food with them."
> 
> But he repeated his promise to fight back if attacked, regardless of the arrival of a flotilla of NATO warships.
> 
> "Either we get the money or hold onto the ship. And if attacked, we will fight back to the bitter end," Ali said.
> 
> "The important thing, though, is if we die they will die too," he added, referring to the Faina's crew.
> 
> *The Faina was heading for a Kenyan port with a cargo of 33 battle tanks and heavy weapons when armed pirates seized it September 25 off the coast of Somalia. The ship is now anchored off Somalia's coast near the central town of Hobyo, where Ali was seeking medical treatment Thursday.
> 
> U.S. warships have surrounded the Faina for weeks, * making sure its heavy weapons don't fall into the hands of any insurgent groups linked to al Qaeda...


----------



## OldSolduer

I'm getting very ...frustrated with the international community. Treating criminals with kid gloves as if they were some sort of foreigh dignitary. I know what my solution to these a$$holes would be.


----------



## geo

FWIW, I think that interested governments have to make a decision.
Either give their military a clear & unequivocal mandate to clean the seas of the pirates.... OR continue going about it in vague & ineffective manner.

The Military & pirates both know what would happen if the navies went after them with all guns blazing
unfortunately, the government feels that the MsM is looking over their shoulders & are afraid of what people would think......

Darn - do your jobs & let us get on with ours !!!


----------



## OldSolduer

Thank you geo. I thought maybe I was the only one that had thought this kind of behavior had gone on far too long. Time for a few "pirates" to take a swim in the Deep Blue Sea.....


----------



## geo

Not a problem Hamish


----------



## Blackadder1916

*HMCS Ville de Québec completes mission: WFP humanitarian operation successfully supported*
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/newsroom/view_news_e.asp?id=2792

CEFCOM NR 08.038 - October 23, 2008

OTTAWA — HMCS Ville de Québec has completed its task of escorting ships carrying World Food Programme (WFP) food assistance in the coastal region of Somalia in response to a global request from the WFP and the International Maritime Organization, both United Nations organizations. 

Beginning in August 2008, HMCS Ville de Québec provided a naval escort to 10 ships under contract to the WFP to protect them from piracy and armed robbery. Around 36,200 tonnes of food — enough to feed about 400, 000 people for six months — were successfully delivered to Somalia by ships escorted by HMCS Ville de Québec. 

More than 3.2 million Somalis need food assistance, of which 90 percent arrives by sea. Although pirates have launched more than 70 attacks on vessels in Somali waters so far this year, no ship carrying WFP food assistance has been attacked while under Canadian escort. Over the past 10 months, naval escorts have also been provided by France, Denmark and the Netherlands. 

“The Government of Canada was proud to respond to the request from the United Nations to provide security, while ensuring the safe arrival of critical food supplies at designated ports,” said the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. “By escorting World Food Programme supplies the brave men and women of our Canadian Forces continue to contribute to humanitarian efforts and international peace and stability.” “

For the 253 Canadian sailors, soldiers and airmen on board, our efforts in support of the World Food Programme have been an eye-opening experience,” said Commander Chris Dickinson, commanding officer of Ville de Québec. “Our success is attributable to my crew, who I believe have made a difference in this area of the world through their efforts, while being themselves changed for the better by their experiences here.” 

HMCS Ville de Québec will return to her initial mission, Operation SEXTANT, Canada’s participation in the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) fleet in support of the NATO Response Force (NRF). She is scheduled to return to Canada in December.


----------



## a_majoor

From tne "Mail" section of Chaos Manor:

http://www.jerrypournelle.com/mail/2008/Q4/mail541.html#credentials



> Pirates
> 
> Hi Jerry, I don't think that arming sailors, will do much to stop the Somalian pirates. Most sailors are not trained, nor want to fight. I have heard that during the cold war, Soviet merchant ships had armed guards, which routinely shot pirates and thieves attempting to board their ships. But the Soviet merchant fleet was also seen at least as part of the military, and was probably staffed with military personal.
> 
> The main problem today, is not using naval resources to combat the pirates, but asking military forces to do the work as a police mission.
> 
> It has resulted in various ridiculous situations. As Denmark has provided the lead ship (with the "Absalon" command and support ship) in the NATO anti-pirate task force, it has been covered extensively in the local news. It seems like that the fleet is under orders not shoot to kill, but just try to block hijackings. The mission has become a farce.
> 
> When the "Absalon" command and support ship came to Somalia, they stopped a suspected pirate mothership, and found weapons and equipment robbed from captured ships. But what to do with the captured pirates?
> 
> Take them to Denmark to imprison? - no we don't want them to here, they will probably seek asylum after served sentence....
> 
> Deliver them to Kenya, Ethiopia or Yemen (the closest states)? They will probably be executed after due trial (Denmark do not accept death penalty).
> 
> The result was that they was released on a beach in Somalia....
> 
> Now the fleet is under order not to take any prisoners, but also not to kill or harm anybody not sentenced in a court of law.....
> 
> Yesterday they found another mother ship. As the pirates know they won't be harmed, they no longer care about warning shots. The only action the Absalon could take was to sink the pirates towed fast attack boats and follow and watch the pirate mothership - hoping they will tire of the attention and return to port.
> 
> This is absolutely crazy. The pirates should be classified as an illegal enemy force (not uniformed troops attacking civilian targets), and sunk upon detection - no warnings nor quarter given.
> 
> If we send military forces, they should not be under orders to act as police, trying to apprehend and sentence criminals. The military is for war - not policing.
> 
> Regards
> 
> Bo Andersen
> 
> _Under the International Treaty that governs piracy, *pirates taken on the high seas may be hanged instantly by the master of the vessel that takes them.* Of course nations issue instructions and rules of engagement that restrict that permission. The problem of pirates isn't one that can't be solved; it's neither complex nor very expensive compared to wars. It does take some determination and will power._


----------



## OldSolduer

What have I been saying all along??

You get caught being a pirate, YOU DIE!!!


----------



## Blackadder1916

> Bo Andersen
> 
> Under the International Treaty that governs piracy, *pirates taken on the high seas may be hanged instantly by the master of the vessel that takes them*. Of course nations issue instructions and rules of engagement that restrict that permission. The problem of pirates isn't one that can't be solved; it's neither complex nor very expensive compared to wars. It does take some determination and will power.



Now that is just another internet clown talking out his ass.  Pray tell, what "International Treaty" would that be?  As it is generally accepted that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Part VII is the section of the convention that deals with activities on the high seas including piracy) is the standard codification of the law of nations in regards to such, I find no reference to hanging or other summary execution in any of the articles that deal with piracy.



> Article100
> 
> Duty to cooperate in the repression of piracy
> 
> All States shall cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of piracy on the high seas or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State.
> 
> Article101
> 
> Definition of piracy
> 
> Piracy consists of any of the following acts:
> 
> (a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:
> 
> (i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;
> 
> (ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;
> 
> (b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;
> 
> (c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b).
> 
> Article102
> 
> Piracy by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied
> 
> The acts of piracy, as defined in article 101, committed by a warship, government ship or government aircraft whose crew has mutinied and taken control of the ship or aircraft are assimilated to acts committed by a private ship or aircraft.
> 
> 
> Article103
> 
> Definition of a pirate ship or aircraft
> 
> A ship or aircraft is considered a pirate ship or aircraft if it is intended by the persons in dominant control to be used for the purpose of committing one of the acts referred to in article 101. The same applies if the ship or aircraft has been used to commit any such act, so long as it remains under the control of the persons guilty of that act.
> 
> 
> Article104
> 
> Retention or loss of the nationality of a pirate ship or aircraft
> 
> A ship or aircraft may retain its nationality although it has become a pirate ship or aircraft. The retention or loss of nationality is determined by the law of the State from which such nationality was derived.
> 
> 
> Article105
> 
> Seizure of a pirate ship or aircraft
> 
> On the high seas, or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State, every State may seize a pirate ship or aircraft, or a ship or aircraft taken by piracy and under the control of pirates, and arrest the persons and seize the property on board. *The courts of the State which carried out the seizure may decide upon the penalties to be imposed, and may also determine the action to be taken with regard to the ships, aircraft or property, subject to the rights of third parties acting in good faith.*
> 
> 
> Article106
> 
> Liability for seizure without adequate grounds
> 
> Where the seizure of a ship or aircraft on suspicion of piracy has been effected without adequate grounds, the State making the seizure shall be liable to the State the nationality of which is possessed by the ship or aircraft for any loss or damage caused by the seizure.
> 
> 
> Article107
> 
> *Ships and aircraft which are entitled to seize on account of piracy
> 
> A seizure on account of piracy may be carried out only by warships or military aircraft, or other ships or aircraft clearly marked and identifiable as being on government service and authorized to that effect*.



A cursory interpretation of the above would indicate (in light of recent reports that Blackwater proposes to send its ship to that region) that should a ship that doesn't meet the criteria of article 107 seize a "pirate" vessel and crew, they themselves would be guilty of piracy.

While each nation may (or may not) have legislation that addresses piracy both in their own waters or in international waters, it would be up to each nation to decide how to deal with pirates according to that legislation.  In the case of Canada, piracy (anywhere) is an offence under the Criminal Code.

http://www.canlii.org/ca/sta/c-46/sec74.html


> PART II: OFFENCES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER
> Piracy
> Piracy by law of nations
> 74. (1) Every one commits piracy who does any act that, by the law of nations, is piracy.
> 
> Punishment
> (2)* Every one who commits piracy while in or out of Canada is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life.*
> 
> R.S., c. C-34, s. 75; 1974-75-76, c. 105, s. 3.


----------



## Blackadder1916

The Russians have finally arrived (well tomorrow, anyway).

*Russian warship to start patrols off Somalia coast on Tuesday* 
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081027/117967789.html
RIA Novosti  15:11 27/ 10/ 2008 
   
MOSCOW, October 27 (RIA Novosti) - A missile frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet is to start patrolling waters in the Gulf of Aden on October 28 to protect Russian ships and crews from pirate attacks, a Navy spokesman said on Monday. 

The Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate arrived at the port of Aden on Sunday to replenish food and water supplies after a trip from the Mediterranean. 

"The Russian warship is scheduled to leave Aden tomorrow and head to the Gulf of Aden to carry out missions to ensure the safety of Russian shipping in the region," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo said. 

The Russian frigate is to join an international naval group which has surrounded a Ukrainian ship, the MV Faina, that was seized by Somali pirates on September 25. The Faina, which was carrying 33 T-72 tanks and other heavy weaponry, has a crew of 17 Ukrainian nationals, two Russians, and one Lithuanian on board. 

The Faina's Russian captain died of a heart attack after the vessel was seized. The pirates holding the ship have demanded an $8 million ransom, and have threatened to kill the hostages if a military operation is launched against them. 

The Neustrashimy's armament includes SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAM, a 100-mm gun, torpedoes and depth charges. The frigate also carries a Ka-27 ASW helicopter. 

"Neustrashimy has the right to use force, including the use of weapons, against pirates if necessary," Dygalo said. 

Pirates are increasingly active in the waters off Somalia, which has no effective government and no navy to police its coastline. Somali pirates have seized around 60 ships so far this year off the coast of the east African nation. 

At the beginning of June, the UN Security Council passed a resolution permitting countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters to combat "acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."


----------



## CougarKing

Just another update:



> *NATO flotilla escorts first cargo ship to Somalia*
> 
> 
> BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO says one of its warships has successfully escorted a cargo ship to a port in Somalia in the first such mission since the alliance's flotilla arrived off the Somali coast.
> 
> NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Monday that the warship accompanied a vessel taking supplies to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
> 
> NATO's flotilla arrived in the region on the weekend. Its ships will be available to escort cargo vessels taking food aid to Somalia and to conduct general anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> Somalia, caught up in an Islamic insurgency, has not had a functioning government since 1991 and cannot guard its coastline.
> 
> http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-10...o-somalia_N.htm


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates living the high life *  

By Robyn Hunter  BBC News Published: 2008/10/28 09:16:13 GMT

"No information today. No comment," a Somali pirate shouts over the sound of breaking waves, before abruptly ending the satellite telephone call. 

He sounds uptight - anxious to see if a multi-million dollar ransom demand will be met. 

He is on board the hijacked Ukrainian vessel, MV Faina - the ship laden with 33 Russian battle tanks that has highlighted the problem of piracy off the Somali coast since it was captured almost a month ago. 

But who are these modern-day pirates? 

According to residents in the Somali region of Puntland where most of the pirates come from, they live a lavish life. 

Fashionable 

"They have money; they have power and they are getting stronger by the day," says Abdi Farah Juha who lives in the regional capital, Garowe. 

"They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses; they have new cars; new guns," he says. 

"Piracy in many ways is socially acceptable. They have become fashionable." 

Most of them are aged between 20 and 35 years - in it for the money. 

And the rewards they receive are rich in a country where almost half the population need food aid after 17 years of non-stop conflict. 

Most vessels captured in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden fetch on average a ransom of $2m. 

This is why their hostages are well looked after. 

The BBC's reporter in Puntland, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, says it also explains the tight operation the pirates run. 

They are never seen fighting because the promise of money keeps them together. 

Wounded pirates are seldom seen and our reporter says he has never heard of residents along Puntland's coast finding a body washed ashore. 

Given Somalia's history of clan warfare, this is quite a feat. 

It probably explains why a report of a deadly shoot-out amongst the pirates onboard the MV Faina was denied by the vessel's hijackers. 

Pirate spokesman Sugule Ali told the BBC Somali Service at the time: "Everybody is happy. We were firing guns to celebrate Eid." 

Brains, muscle and geeks 

The MV Faina was initially attacked by a gang of 62 men. 

BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says such pirate gangs are usually made up of three different types: 

- Ex-fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because they know the sea 
- Ex-militiamen, who are considered the muscle - having fought for various Somali clan warlords 
- The technical experts, who are the computer geeks and know how to operate the hi-tech equipment needed to operate as a pirate - satellite phones, GPS and military hardware. 
The three groups share the ever-increasing illicit profits - ransoms paid in cash by the shipping companies. 

A report by UK think-tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of Somalia has cost up to $30m (£17m) in ransoms so far this year. 

The study also notes that the pirates are becoming more aggressive and assertive - something the initial $22m ransom demanded for MV Faina proves. The asking price has apparently since fallen to $8m. 

Calling the shots 

Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden, is reportedly where the pirates get most of their weapons from. 

A significant amount is also bought directly from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. 

Observers say Mogadishu weapon dealers receive deposits for orders via a "hawala" company - an informal money transfer system based on honour. 

Militiamen then drive the arms north to the pirates in Puntland, where they are paid the balance on delivery. 

It has been reported in the past that wealthy businessmen in Dubai were financing the pirates. 

But the BBC's Somali Service says these days it is the businessmen asking the pirates for loans. 

Such success is a great attraction for Puntland's youngsters, who have little hope of alternative careers in the war-torn country. 

Once a pirate makes his fortune, he tends to take on a second and third wife - often very young women from poor nomadic clans, who are renowned for their beauty. 

But not everyone is smitten by Somalia's new elite. 

"This piracy has a negative impact on several aspects of our life in Garowe," resident Mohamed Hassan laments. 

He cites an escalating lack of security because "hundreds of armed men" are coming to join the pirates. 

They have made life more expensive for ordinary people because they "pump huge amounts of US dollars" into the local economy which results in fluctuations in the exchange rate, he says. 

Their lifestyle also makes some unhappy. 

"They promote the use of drugs - chewing khat [a stimulant which keeps one alert] and smoking hashish - and alcohol," Mr Hassan says. 

The trappings of success may be new, but piracy has been a problem in Somali waters for at least 10 years - when Somali fishermen began losing their livelihoods. 

Their traditional fishing methods were no match for the illegal trawlers that were raiding their waters. 

Piracy initially started along Somalia's southern coast but began shifting north in 2007 - and as a result, the pirate gangs in the Gulf of Aden are now multi-clan operations. 

But Garowe resident Abdulkadil Mohamed says, they do not see themselves as pirates. 

"Illegal fishing is the root cause of the piracy problem," he says. 

"They call themselves coastguards."


----------



## CougarKing

one more update:



> *EU to send warships on Somalia anti-piracy patrol*
> 10/28/2008 | 11:48 PM
> 
> BRUSSELS, Belgium -* The European Union says it will send at least four warships for anti-piracy patrols off Somalia starting in December.
> 
> An EU official says the squadron of four to six ships will be backed by patrol aircraft.*
> 
> The EU had announced the planned patrols last month to help police waters off Somalia, considered among the world's most dangerous amid a renewed outbreak in piracy.
> 
> *The EU force will take over next year from NATO frigates escorting vessels carrying food aid and merchant ships in the area. Seven NATO ships arrived in the area over the weekend.*
> 
> The EU official said Tuesday 10 nations have volunteered ships or aircraft to the EU force He spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak with media. - AP
> 
> http://www.gmanews.tv/story/129993/EU-send...i-piracy-patrol


----------



## Blackadder1916

NATO Shipping Centre - SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 29 OCT 2008
as at 291613Z OCT 2008
http://www.shipping.nato.int/SOMALIAPIR
LATEST: 

Following a short lull in piracy incidents, possibly due to adverse weather conditions, there has been a very recent surge of incidents. Bulk carrier MV YASA NESLIHAN was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on 29 October. In addition, two other vessels were attacked and one approached in the Gulf of Aden on 28 October. the total number of commercial vessels (including one tug) hijacked in Somali waters now stands at ten; over 200 merchant seamen are held by pirates. 

The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such. 

Since last update (15 Oct) (posted here in this thread) there have been 5 new incidents including 1 hijack. Motorized dhow SHREE SHIV SHAMBHO was hijacked on 18 Oct but released following a Somali Security force operation during 22 - 23 Oct

Last known positions are as shown on slide.

. . .
(remainder of text for this sitrep is as per the Oct 15 version, the slide has been updated)


----------



## PAT-Platoon

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> What have I been saying all along??
> 
> You get caught being a pirate, YOU DIE!!!



Would it not be a bit hypocritical towards our state's ideals regarding capital punishment in Canada while upholding a virtual death penalty on the crime of piracy?


----------



## OldSolduer

Mr. Cog Diss - piracy on the high seas is an act of war. We do have provision in our ROE if required to the Navy that states deadly force can be used in preventing an act of piracy.

Besides, Mr Cog Diss, you have chosen the infantry tac sign as your symbol. We kill people Mr Cog Diss...is that not a bit hypocritical of yourself.
I


----------



## PAT-Platoon

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Mr. Cog Diss - piracy on the high seas is an act of war. We do have provision in our ROE if required to the Navy that states deadly force can be used in preventing an act of piracy.
> 
> Besides, Mr Cog Diss, you have chosen the infantry tac sign as your symbol. We kill people Mr Cog Diss...is that not a bit hypocritical of yourself.
> I



Could you point to me where Piracy is considered an act of war? As was posted above, Piracy in Canada is considered a crime, not an act of war. Therefore the jurisdiction in dealing with such a threat is not within the military's ROEs, but rather in the judicial system. Though I will admit its very much a sticky situation, but I would not support the use of lethal force unless in direct self-defense of us or others. 

Yes I am in the Infantry, however there is a difference between what I am charged with in doing and what the State is charged with in doing when it is dealing with criminal aspects. Furthermore, the Infantry kills in the last resort, not as the initial means, and nor do I glorify such an act, in fact it is a disgusting and inhuman act that I abhor, as should every Infantrymen abhor. However we take it up for a larger purpose, in safety and security of ourselves and others, not for the sheer pleasure in the act.

If one is doing it for the sheer pleasure, then I highly suggest they leave the Canadian Forces and rethink their sociopathic tendencies.


----------



## OldSolduer

Mr. Cog Diss, I'm putting you on IGNORE as I hope the remainder of the thread will. Wake up, young man. Smell the coffee. Pirates don't give a rat's ass whether the victims of their crimes live or die. 
YOU have a BAD attitude, with a"holier than thou" flavor. 
Sociopathic tendencies? Give us a break. 
I don't know what infantry unit you're in, nor do I care. I know you're not in mine.Good day


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

OldSolduer,
The kid just needs attention and, just like any 9 year old, bad attention is still better than no attention...... 

Maybe its about time we used the STAT acronym.


----------



## HItorMiss

Cog-Dis

Yes we kill, but we should not abhor it, in fact we should have no feeling towards it one way or the other a properly trained soldiers does not abhor killing he simply does it on order and carries on. The old saying what do you feel when you kill some with the reply "Recoil" is a very true statement.

Getting to your point of who's jurisdiction it is for these crimes; were they just looting the ship and then letting it on it's way I might agree that is was simply robbery and to be handled by LEO pers. HOWEVER...

They are taking the ship hostage and they are doing in a country other then Canada, no LEO agency has a mandate to work outside of their countries borders nor do they have the capability to retake a ship from these hostage takers. As such it falls into the perview of the Military and we do not negotiate with hostage takers or terrorist. All effort will be made by any Military unit to mitigate the loss of life however the primary concern will be saving the lives of the hostages and themselves so if they see an armed Hostage taker/Terrorist they will shoot and kill that person it's that simple.

Now I suggest you re look at what it is you do and how it is the government will employ you to carry out it's national intrest.


----------



## Drag

This is the perfect situation to use military contractors IMO.  A few converted merchant ships with armed helicopters could do the job.  Baiting them out and them blowing them out of the water is the way to go.


----------



## CountDC

Drag said:
			
		

> This is the perfect situation to use military contractors IMO.  A few converted merchant ships with armed helicopters could do the job.  Baiting them out and them blowing them out of the water is the way to go.



I like the idea but am sure some bleeding hearts would cry entrapment.  I think they should just give the military the go ahead to blow any pirates out of the water.


----------



## Drag

Let them cry about it... They would raise more of a stink if the military did it.  Some European navies cannot even arrest pirates because they would have to give them asylum then.  An increasing body count would dissuade people from pursuing a career in piracy.


----------



## OldSolduer

Like Clint Eastwood said in one of his movies:

"Some folk just need a good killin"

Our "human rights" advocates would be singing a different song if they were captured by pirates. It's all well and good to sit and pontificate about theoretical issues, but the real world rarely translates neatly into theory.


----------



## 1feral1

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Mr. Cog Diss, I'm putting you on IGNORE as I hope the remainder of the thread will. Wake up, young man. Smell the coffee. Pirates don't give a rat's ass whether the victims of their crimes live or die.
> YOU have a BAD attitude, with a"holier than thou" flavor.
> Sociopathic tendencies? Give us a break.
> I don't know what infantry unit you're in, nor do I care. I know you're not in mine.Good day



I hear you OS.

Cog Dis has an agenda he now openly waves in front of our faces. Its just a matter of time until he hangs himself on here. He already has enough rope both in length and around his neck, its just a matter of tripping it up.

He knows he gets to us. However the countdown clock is ticking.

He's just trolling on the corner of Portage and Main  ;D

We must be patient. Good things come to those who wait.

Here's to ya  :cheers: 

Wes

Meanwhile I'll try not to vomit from reading his posts.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Just a quick BZ to all contributing to this thread on an ongoing basis - great resource for the latest, and (generally) interesting discussion as well.


----------



## The Bread Guy

First, a BZ to all contributing to this thread - GREAT open source resource, and (generally) interesting commentary...

A few tidbits - highlights mine....

From UKR radio


> "Talks on release of Faina vessel reach their final stage - As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko said at a press conference, the question may be settled within "a couple of hours or days, maximum." He openly asked Ukrainian politicians not to interfere with the negotiations and earn their own political capital on that ....."




From OhMyNews


> ".... the Ukrainian government last week dispatched officials to Kenya with a message to the Kenyan government to plead with the Somali pirates to release the 21 crew members being held hostage. The three officials, including the Ukranian ombudsman Nina Karpachova, met with Kenya's Parliamentary Committee on Security and appealed to the Kenyan government to use its contacts with Somalia to have the hostages released ...."




From the Associated Press


> "Tensions heated up on the high seas, as the French Navy captured nine pirates near the Gulf of Aden and a Somali pirate warned Thursday that the crew of a hijacked Ukrainian arms ship would be killed if *NATO forces attacked*...."




Meanwhile, from ITAR-TASS


> "The Somali government has allowed *Russian warships* to stop pirates’ activities off Somalia, according to a letter from Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations to the U.N. Security Council chairman ...."




And from the Jamestown Foundation's _Terrorism Focus_, more on the tanks on board the Faina


> "....  Khartoum announced last week that senior Sudanese officials will not be attending the October 26-28 Nairobi meeting of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD – an important regional organization that includes Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti). The snub comes only days after Sudan cancelled a meeting intended to seal a deal providing Kenya with discounted Sudanese oil (Daily Nation [Nairobi], October 22).  Both moves are seen as expressions of Khartoum’s displeasure with the use of Mombasa as a port for unauthorized arms shipments to land-locked South Sudan ...."


----------



## CougarKing

More details on the pirate seizure of that Turkish ore ship. And some heroic action by a Spanish P3 Orion crew that prevents the pirates from taking another vessel.



> *Somali pirates seize Turkish ore freighter
> Five other attacks were foiled this week, authorities say. But a unified international response could be difficult.*
> By Arthur Bright
> 
> Somali pirates captured a Turkish freighter in one of a spate of pirate attacks this week. Although most of the attacks were foiled, the high number of raids highlight the pirates' increasing danger in the Gulf of Aden, on Africa's east coast between Somalia and Yemen.
> 
> The Associated Press (AP) reports that the freighter, the MV Yasa Neslihan, was seized Wednesday, despite NATO's increased naval presence in the region, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> At least 77 ships have been attacked in the African waters this year. Thirty-one ships have been hijacked, and 10 remain in the hands of pirates along with nearly 200 crew members....
> 
> Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency, quoting unnamed Turkish maritime officials, said Turkey had asked NATO forces to help end the hijacking off Somalia.
> 
> The Yasa Neslihan was carrying iron ore from Canada to China. Fehmi Ulgener, a spokesman for Yasa Holding, which owns the vessel, said the company learned the ship had been seized through the vessels' alarm system.
> 
> He told the Associated Press that Turkish authorities were in contact with "various authorities" to find a way to rescue the ship but have had no contact with the pirates.
> 
> Agence France-Presse (AFP) writes that in one of those attacks, a *Spanish patrol plane fended off a pair of pirate launches, which were attempting to reach a Panamanian oil tanker, by throwing smoke bombs at them.*
> 
> The P-3 Orion aircraft received a call for help from the crew of the Panama-flagged Leander on Tuesday who said pirates on two boats were trying to board their vessel when it was about 210km north of the coast of Somalia, it said.
> 
> "To deter the pirates, the plane flew over the hostile boats three times and launched a smoke bomb at them each time," the statement said.
> 
> "After the third launch, the crew of the P-3 noticed that the boats gave up their attempt to board and separated themselves from the oil tanker," it added.
> 
> The aircraft was on a routine patrol of the area when it received the call for help.
> 
> 
> http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1031/p99s01-duts.html


----------



## Blackadder1916

Russian naval tanker to join warship in African waters 
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081103/118109383.html
15:57 | 03/ 11/ 2008 
   
MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian Baltic Fleet tanker is to join a naval frigate involved in protecting merchant ships from pirates in African waters, a naval source said on Monday. 

The Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate entered waters off the Somali coast last Monday where local pirates have increased their attacks on ships in the area in exchange for ransom demands. 

"At the moment, the Neustrashimy frigate is escorting a merchant ship through the dangerous shipping zone in the Horn of Africa. The Russian combat vessel is ensuring the safety of Russian merchant shipping through the zone," the source said, adding that the Baltic Fleet's Yelnya was expected to join the Neustrashimy in the near future. 

He also said that the frigate's commander was maintaining contact with NATO ships in the area as part of a coordinated approach to fighting piracy in the region. 

U.S. warships from the 5th Fleet have surrounded a Ukrainian ship, the MV Faina, which was seized by Somali pirates on September 25. The Faina, which was carrying tanks and heavy weaponry, has a crew of 17 Ukrainian nationals, two Russians, and one Lithuanian on board. 

The Faina's Russian captain died of a heart attack when the ship was seized. Earlier the pirates were reported to have demanded an $8 million ransom to free the ship's crew. 

The London-based As-Shark al-Ausat newspaper, however, cited on Saturday anonymous sources in Somalia as saying the pirates were demanding a $5 million ransom for the release of the ship's crew and that the hostage talks were entering their final stage. 

Somali pirates have seized around 30 ships so far this year off the coast of the east African nation, which has no effective government and no navy to police its coastline. 

NATO and EU announced plans to increase their naval presence in the Gulf of Aden, which has been declared one of the busiest and most dangerous shipping lanes with about 20,000 vessels passing through the area annually. 

At the beginning of June, the UN Security Council passed a resolution permitting countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters to combat "acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."


----------



## Blackadder1916

NATO Shipping Centre SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 4 November 2008    (as at 041653Z NOV 2008)
http://www.shipping.nato.int/SOMALIAPIR

UNCLAS     
   
Following a short lull in piracy incidents, possibly due to adverse weather conditions, there has been a very recent surge of incidents.

MV YASA NESLIHAN, Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier was successfully hijacked in Gulf of Aden on 29 Oct during an attack by 2 skiffs, each with 4 armed pirates on board. No further information at the present time. The vessel was laden with a cargo of iron ore pallets and was enroute to Rizhao, China, from Pointe Noire, Canada. The hijackers have taken hostage 20 crew members.

MV AQUILO, St Vincent & Grenadines-flagged general cargo vessel reported an attack from a single skiff at 13.50 UTC on 28 Oct. Pirates were close to achieving a successful boarding when their engine suddenly broke down and they were left floundering in the wake. Coalition vessel then arrived on scene and escorted AQUILO until out of area.

MV LEANDER, a Singapore-flagged crude oil tanker reported she was attacked on 2 separate occasions when transiting the Gulf of Aden on 28 Oct. During the first attack, at 05.45 UTC she reported receiving small arms fire from 3 fast skiffs. At 11.19 UTC she reported 2 more skiffs in her vicinity, again they used small arms fire. During this second incident a Spanish MPA overflew the pirate skiffs three times releasing smoke markers on each pass thereby causing the pirates to call off their attack.

The total number of commercial vessels (including one tug) hijacked in Somali waters now stands at ten; over 200 merchant seamen are held by pirates. The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such. 

In short, the trends in latest piracy incidents are as follows: 

Targeting larger cargo / oil / gas / chemical tankers 
Approaches / attacks conducted from 2-3 small speedboats with 3-5 armed persons each. The number of boats involved in each incident seems to be increasing.


----------



## CougarKing

This should teach those pirates! 

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/11/admiral-wants-p.html



> *Admiral's 'Urgent' Plea: Pirate-Fighting Sonic Blasters*
> By Noah Shachtman November 06, 2008 | 12:30:00 PMCategories: Africa, Less-lethal, Ships and Subs
> Three years ago, Somali pirates attacked a cruise ship -- and were sent running by a sonic blaster. Now, a leading Navy admiral wants to see his ships equipped with sound weapons, too. Or maybe with pain rays.
> 
> *Fifth Fleet commander Vice Adm. Bill Gortney issued an "urgent" request for "nonlethal weapons that could keep cruisers and destroyers to keep small boats at bay," Navy Times reports. Fifth Fleet is the branch of the Navy that is currently dealing with the Somali pirate threat, among other things. *
> 
> “If you’re the [commanding officer] of a DDG [destroyer] ... and you see these small boats coming, all you can do is shoot at them,” Marine Maj. Gen. Tom Benes, director of expeditionary warfare for the chief of naval operations, tells Navy Times. “Nonlethal weapons give you the ability to cover that gap.”
> 
> *The Navy already has about 45 of the sonic blasters, known as Long Range Acoustic Devices, or LRADs. Sailors use 'em to talk to ships as far as 500 yards away. They "plug the LRAD into an MP3 player to broadcast pre-recorded warnings in Somali or Arabic, or... to blast heavy metal music. Or they can repel small boats with a built-in klaxon," Navy Times notes. (Here's a video of Georgian police using the things.) For another $4 million, a blaster could be outfitted on every one of Fifth Fleet's surface ships, port and starboard.
> 
> But what if the pirates get wise, and start wearing earplugs? Well, the Navy could ramp things up another few notches, and deploy on its ships the military's controversial pain ray, the Active Denial System.
> 
> The ray gun has been tested thousands of times. But a recently-revealed military report showed that operators still are largely ignorant about how to fire the energy weapon. Important safety features have been removed, as well. The result: test subjects have been exposed to "unconscionable risks," according to one Pentagon official. Another independent study cited the weapon's "potential for death."
> 
> What's more, "engineers would have to design a deck mount [for the zapper] to compensate for a ship’s pitch and roll. The Navy would have to determine where and how to mount it on a ship’s deck and whether it would be integrated into other combat systems," Navy Times observes. And after all that,"it’s unclear whether the ray could penetrate the steel bulkhead of a surface vessel."*
> 
> Another potential wrinkle with deploying the Active Denial System aboard a warship is an overall Pentagon skittishness about using it against hostile subjects. Gortney’s request is just the latest from a leader in the U.S. Central Command area. Army and Marine Corps generals have asked for ray weapons to disperse riots or guard bases, but the Pentagon has so far held off.
> 
> I'm guessing they will this time, too.


----------



## geo

Hmm... building a stabilized gun mount for the "pain/death ray" shouldn't be a problem... If they can build one that keeps an Abram's main gun steady they can certainly adapt one for the ray gun.

Important safety features have been removed = potential for death.... Duh - put them back on then - problem solved

CBS 60 Minutes did a feature on this thing a couple of years ago - Impressive


----------



## OldSolduer

What has the world come to? Sonic weapons because we don't want to physically hurt them? Give me a break. I guess I missed the lace panty issue at QM.


----------



## CougarKing

Just a couple of updates that the others forgot or missed:



> *Danish tanker foils pirates off Somalia*
> Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:32:06 GMT
> 
> Pirates have opened fire on a Danish tanker in the Gulf of Aden off the lawless coast of Somalia in a failed attempt to hijack the ship.
> 
> No crew members were injured in the Sunday incident, Denmark's navy said.
> 
> It also added that the ship's crew took measures such as spraying water from high-pressure hoses, to prevent the pirates from taking over, and by the time a Danish navy helicopter arrived, they had disappeared.
> 
> Pirates are increasingly active in the waters off Somalia which is one of the world's busiest shipping routes connecting Europe to Asia and the Middle East.
> 
> They have seized around 30 ships so far this year, taking millions in ransoms, hiking insurance costs, and threatening humanitarian supplies.
> 
> In response to a UN request, NATO ships have begun anti-piracy operations off Somalia.
> 
> http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=74167...ionid=351020501





> *On call Convoy requests on the rise*
> Justin Stares Brussels - Tuesday 4 November 2008
> 
> THE European Union anti-piracy cell is already receiving five requests a day from ships looking for protection from pirates in the Gulf of Aden, writes Justin Stares in Brussels.
> 
> Shipowners were initially reluctant to join the Brussels convoys but have since changed their mind, said piracy cell chief Andres Breijo.
> 
> *The convoys, led by two French frigates and overseen by a Spanish reconnaissance aircraft, began offering transits to commercial shipping last month and have already been swamped by requests.*
> 
> “Shipowners did not initially welcome the service because it meant adjusting their schedules and waiting for the warships to depart,” said Cap Breijo, right. “This costs money. “But since then they have changed their minds and we are now receiving five protection requests a day.”
> 
> The demand has created “asset problems” for the EU because the two frigates can only “fully” protect two ships each. Given the fortnightly sailings in each direction across the gulf, this is wholly inadequate for the 300 ships, which are in the gulf on any given day, Capt Breijo said.
> 
> But frequencies will be improved once the EU’s first armada arrives in the region in December. Separate and complementary Nato forces are also expected to take part in the convoy operation and a Russian vessel is also co-ordinating with the EU operations, Capt Breijo said.
> 
> While a frigate can only fully protect two ships, other vessels are reported to have tagged along. The French frigates have already seen off several attacks, said the EU chief, without giving details. “Other ships can stay close,” he said. “It can be a deterrent. It is better than being on the outside [of the convoy].”
> 
> Ten nations have pledged support for the EU’s first joint naval operation, scheduled to last a year. EC Audiovisual Library
> 
> http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/on-call-...d=1225729774221









A french La Fayette Class Frigate escorting a Merchant Ship at the Gulf of Aden


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Just a couple of updates that the others forgot or missed:



Or chose not to add....


----------



## OldSolduer

I'm a little irritated at all the chat about non lethal weapons to dissuade pirates who are lethal. Lethality must be met with lethality. Kill them and they will pirate no more. Sound blast them and they will find softer targets to attack.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates hijack Danish-operated ship with 13 crew*
Sat Nov 8, 2008 6:52am EST

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Somali pirates have hijacked a ship with 13 crew members on board in the Gulf of Aden, the ship's Danish operator said Saturday.

Most of the crew members are Russian and are unharmed, the Danish company Clipper Group said.

"Clipper is in close communication with the relevant authorities to ensure the safety of crew and to establish contact with the hijackers," the company said.

The ship, CEC Future, is a general cargo vessel built in 1994 in Denmark and is now sailing under a Bahamian flag.

Piracy is rife off Somalia, which has been mired in anarchy since warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre in 1991.

The vital sealane in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia links the Middle East Gulf and Asia to Europe and beyond via the Suez Canal and is critical to Gulf oil shipments. (Reporting by Gelu Sulugiuc; Editing by Matthew Jones)


----------



## Blackadder1916

Here's something for those who may be interested in some additional details of this previously posted item.



			
				CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Just a couple of updates that . . . :
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On call Convoy requests on the rise
> Justin Stares Brussels - Tuesday 4 November 2008
> 
> THE European Union anti-piracy cell is already receiving five requests a day from ships looking for protection from pirates in the Gulf of Aden, writes Justin Stares in Brussels.
> 
> Shipowners were initially reluctant to join the Brussels convoys but have since changed their mind, said piracy cell chief Andres Breijo.
> 
> *The convoys, led by two French frigates and overseen by a Spanish reconnaissance aircraft, began offering transits to commercial shipping last month and have already been swamped by requests*. . . .
Click to expand...




Alert to all ships transiting the Gulf of Aden
http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=307:alert-to-all-ships-transiting-the-gulf-of-aden-&catid=60:news 
31 October 2008  

The European Union (EU) has initiated a ‘Close Support Protection’ system for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden. The French navy will be the first to offer this service.

The French Navy is able to provide protection teams onboard two merchant vessels at a time. Only two vessels will have the protection teams onboard upon request. The rest of the ships intending to follow this ‘group of protected vessels‘ can do so without the protection teams onboard. The presence of the warships will deter pirates from attacking any vessels in the group. Vessels can also call the nearby warships for assistance when attacked by pirates.

In the next three months, following slots are proposed:

Point A (SW of the Gulf of Aden): 12°30N-045°00E 
Point b (North of Socotra Island): 14°40N-053°00E

From A to B:

- 28 to 29 October
- 21 to 22 November
- 25 to 26 November
- 4 to 5 December
- 22 to 23 December

From B to A:

- 30 to 31 October
- 23 to 24 November
- 27 to 28 November
- 6 to 7 December
- 24 to 25 December

All rendezvous are on first day of slot at 0800 LT (A: GMT + 3, B: GMT + 4). Average speed is 14 knots.

- Technical agreement between ship-owners and French navy has to be established prior to the protection team being embarked.
- Protection is free.

Civilian vessels willing to benefit from such escorts have to make contact 10 days before slot.

Enquiries regarding exact time and date of departure, please contact:
French Force commander staff for Indian Ocean Tel: (_redacted_) / E-mail: (_redacted_) This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 

Please note: last minute changes may arise.

Ships have the option to follow the ‘group of protected vessels’ by French navy or transit via the established maritime security patrol area in the Gulf of Aden.

Masters using the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) and those following the ‘group of protected vessels’ are not relieved of their obligation and should continue to maintain a strict 24 hour lookout using all available means to get early warnings of an approaching threat. Some vessels have been attacked/hijacked in the corridor. 

Masters are also reminded that all suspicious/attempted/actual attacks reported to coalition warship should also be reported to the 24-hour IMB Piracy Reporting Centre helpline:

Tel: +60 3 2031 0014
Fax: +60 3 2078 5769
Telex: MA 34199 IMBPCI


----------



## Colin Parkinson

As the insurance rates go up, expect to see more "private security teams" onboard. A company could station two vessels at either end of the passage, where the ships could pick up and drop off the teams. You could use ex-Gurhka's or similar for the job, I expect that there would be more than enough applicants for the job.


----------



## CougarKing

BRAVO ZULU to the Indian Navy!!!!



> *Indian navy foils pirates in Gulf of Aden*
> 11/11/2008 | 05:08 PM
> 
> NEW DELHI - The Indian navy says its commandos operating from a warship have foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack a ship in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> The navy says *an armed helicopter with marine commandos on Tuesday prevented the pirates from boarding and hijacking an Indian merchant vessel* that was eastward bound after transiting the Suez Canal.
> 
> The Indian navy last month sent its warships to the Gulf of Aden on an anti-piracy patrol to protect Indian flagships during passage between Oman and Yemen. - AP
> 
> http://www.gmanews.tv/story/132776/Indian-...in-Gulf-of-Aden
> 
> *Indian Navy foils Somali pirates' bid to hijack ship*
> 
> Zeenews Bureau
> 
> Mogadishu, Nov 11: In a daring operation, the Indian Navy on Tuesday repulsed a hijack attempt on an Indian merchant ship by pirates in the Gulf of Aden region off the Somali coast. The incident took place at around 10.30 am IST. *The successful operation marks a first for the Indian Navy as it was specifically deployed in the region*in the wake of continued hijack attempts on Indian ships and crew – notably the hijack of MV Stolt Valor.
> 
> The ship Jag Arnav belonging to the Great Eastern Shipping Co was on its way to India and was cruising around 60 miles off Aden when pirates tried to board the ship in an attempt to hijack it. The Indian Navy got into action in response to the alarm raised by the ship’s crew.
> 
> Armed helicopters with marine commandos on-board were dispatched from warship *INS Gomti *that was on patrol duty in the region. After a brief exchange of fire the pirates fled.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *INS Gomti*
> 
> As of now Jag Arnav is being escorted to safe waters by another Indian warship, *INS Sabar.*
> 
> The rescue would also add to the hopes of the family members of the crew of MV Stolt Valor that was hijacked by the Somali pirates last month.
> 
> http://www.zeenews.com/nation/2008-11-11/482565news.html


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Seems the Indian navy ROE's are a bit more robust.


----------



## geo

Colin P said:
			
		

> Seems the Indian navy ROE's are a bit more robust.



Probably has something to do with the neighbours it keeps


----------



## The Bread Guy

Well done RN - shared with the usual disclaimer...

*Navy shoots dead pirate suspects*
Caroline Wyatt, BBC News, 12 Nov 08
Article link





The crew of the dhow surrendered after being circled by navy launches

  The Royal Navy has repelled a pirate attack on a Danish cargo ship off the coast of Yemen, shooting dead two men believed to be Somali pirates.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the incident took place on Tuesday, when HMS Cumberland crew members tried to board a traditional wooden dhow.

The Yemeni-flagged vessel was identified as having been involved in an earlier attack on the Danish ship

An MoD spokesman said the pirates were shot in self-defence.

After initial attempts to stop the dhow failed, the Royal Navy launched sea boats to encircle the vessel.

The British seamen were fired on and shot back before the dhow was boarded and its crew surrendered.

Third death

An MoD Spokesman said: "Two foreign nationals, believed to be Somali pirates, were shot and killed in self-defence.

"A Yemeni national was also found injured and later died, despite receiving emergency treatment from the ship's doctor.

"It is unclear whether his injuries were as a result of the fire-fight or a previous incident involving the pirates."

A post-shooting investigation is being carried out, the spokesman added.

Details of the incident emerged when Russian navy spokesman Igor Dygalo revealed the frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless), from its Baltic Sea Fleet, had also tried to rescue the Danish vessel MV Powerful.

He said the two warships repelled the attempted raid after the pirates fired weapons at the Danish ship and twice tried to board it.

HMS Cumberland, a Plymouth-based Type 22 frigate, is currently deployed on a piracy-fighting mission in the Gulf of Aden as part of a Nato taskforce.

There has been a rise in attacks on merchant shipping and aid shipments in the area.

The boarding took place 60 nautical miles south of the Yemeni coast, inside the Maritime Security Patrol Area.

The MoD said the boarding operation was conducted "in accordance with UK Rules of Engagement".

Pirates have been causing havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping areas, making the waters off the Horn of Africa some of the world's most dangerous.

The pirates prey on one of the world's key shipping routes, which leads to the Suez Canal, the transit point for up to a third of the world's oil.

Rocket grenades

Pirates have hijacked more than 30 ships so far this year, twice as many as last year, with the ransoms paid to them by governments or ship-owners far higher than in previous years.

The pirates are equipped with speedboats and armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.

They have taken millions of dollars in ransoms and their actions have led to a hike in insurance costs for shipping and threatened humanitarian supplies.

A Turkish-flagged tanker with a 14-man crew became the latest victim of the pirates when it was hijacked off Yemen on Wednesday, according to the Anatolia news agency.

Last month, a maritime watchdog said that Somali pirates were responsible for nearly a third of all reported attacks on ships.


----------



## OldSolduer

Two, possibly three no good for anything pirates gone. Good. It's about time. No lengthy incarcerations or worrying about their "rights". 
Well done Royal Navy!


----------



## Colin Parkinson

If the press and public respond with a positive resposne to this incident and the Indian one where they opened fire as well, expect to see more direct assaults.


----------



## CougarKing

In spite of all these recent naval efforts, some pirate scum still continue to slip through the "cracks" and still are able to hijack ships. Like in the recent hijacking below:



> *Chemical ship hijacked off Yemen*
> 
> Pirates have seized a Turkish chemical tanker off the coast of Yemen, Turkish maritime officials say.
> 
> The tanker, *the Karagol*, was hijacked 26km (16 miles) off the coast of Yemen on its way to India.
> 
> It was carrying 4,500 tonnes of unspecified chemicals and was manned by a 14-member Turkish crew.
> 
> There have been dozens of attacks and hijackings in the Gulf of Aden this year, making it one of the most dangerous sea routes in the world.
> 
> On Monday, Somali pirates hijacked a chemical tanker with 21 Filipino crew members on board.
> 
> On 29 October, a ship carrying iron ore was hijacked and a ransom demanded for its return.
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7725372.stm


----------



## CougarKing

More information on the action involving HMS CUMBERLAND, as well as a similar action by the Russian destroyer NEUSTRASHIMY.





> *Russian, UK Warships Stop Somali Pirate Hijack *
> 
> MOSCOW (AFP)--Russian and U.K. warships have jointly fought off two attempts by Somali pirates wielding assault rifles to hijack a Danish ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Russian Navy said Wednesday.
> 
> "The activities of the pirates were thwarted through the joint efforts of the Russian warship and the British warship," the frigate Cumberland, with both ships using helicopters in the operation, the navy said in a statement.
> 
> "The pirates tried to shoot at the ship using assault rifles and carried out two hijacking attempts" on the Danish ship, the Powerful, the statement said.
> 
> The Russian frigate, the Neustrashimy, is currently accompanying "several ships" through the perilous pirate-infested seas off the coast of Somalia, it said.
> 
> Russia dispatched the Neustrashimy, a ship armed with missiles and carrying a crew of around 200, to the region in September after pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter with tanks and Russian sailors on board.
> 
> Dozens of ships, mainly merchant vessels, have been seized by gangs off Somalia's 3,700 kilometer coastline in recent years, despite the presence of Western navies deployed in the region to fight terrorism. The pirates use speedboats and are armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. They sometimes hold ships for weeks until large ransoms are paid.
> 
> "http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20081112%5CACQDJON200811121039DOWJONESDJONLINE000556.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=Russian,%20UK%20Warships%20Stop%20Somali%20Pirate%20Hijack%20-%20Russia"


----------



## Colin Parkinson

It's a great way for Russia to earn some international favours and give their navy a useful task and good training.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

Colin P said:
			
		

> It's a great way for Russia to earn some international favours and give their navy a useful task and good training.



Yup, and if, by chance, a little more force than required is used who's gonna say anything?.......Noooooooobody!!


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Colin P said:
			
		

> It's a great way for Russia to earn some international favours and give their navy a useful task and good training.



Useful task agreed but I would hardly call this joint op training.


----------



## geo

:thread hijack starts:

Anyone notice that the Russian duma has been pushing thru a modification to their constitution - changing limits on the presidency..... moving from 2 consecutive terms of 4 yrs to 2 consecutive terms of 6 yrs.

Some suggestions that Mr Medvedev's days are numbered & Mr Putin will be "crowned" Tsar anyday now......
Might we see some more heavyhanded Russian behavior in the coming months if this happens ???

:thread hijack ends:


----------



## Drag

I don't think they've had a Vladimir the Great yet...  I am just wondering when Putingrad appears


----------



## CougarKing

Forgive me for not feeling sorry for them for choosing that life.  :



> *Somali pirates not scared off by Royal Navy attack
> Criminals aware that odds of interception remain relatively low*
> 
> David Osler - Friday 14 November 2008
> 
> SOMALI pirates are unlikely to reduce attacks on merchant shipping, despite the killing of two — and perhaps three — of their number in a recent shoot-out with the Royal Navy, an expert predicted yesterday.
> 
> While pirates are well aware that their activities potentially put their lives on the line, they look at the paucity of naval vessels in the region and calculate that the odds of success remain high, he argued.
> 
> Given the risk-reward ratio and the reality that, in Somalia, *violence can easily find you even if you don’t set out to find it, piracy still seems a good career move for many young Somali men.*
> 
> The Royal Navy’s deadly engagement with pirates came earlier this week, during an exchange of fire with a dhow suspected of involvement in an attack on an undetermined vessel off the coast of Yemen. A third man died later in circumstances that remain to be confirmed.
> 
> Britain’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that an incident took place on Tuesday, when marines onboard two assault craft launched from HMS Cumberland attempted to intercept the pirate ship, after “various non-forcible methods” to stop it proved unsuccessful.
> 
> According to the MoD, the pirates opened fire first and the fatalities occurred after the fire was returned. After that, the Somalis complied in allowing the Royal Navy to board the dhow.
> 
> Russia has claimed that its frigate Neustrashimy also took part in the engagement, although the extent of its role in the incident is disputed.
> 
> An MoD statement said: “Two foreign nationals, believed to be Somali pirates, were shot and killed in self-defence. A Yemeni national was also found injured and later died, despite receiving emergency treatment from the ship’s doctor.
> 
> “It is unclear whether his injuries were as a result of the firefight or a previous incident involving the pirates. As with all shooting incidents, a post-shooting incident investigation is currently being conducted.”
> 
> The statement names the merchant ship that had been attacked earlier as Powerful, and describes it as Danish registered. Of the three vessels of that name on government and commercial databases, none is Danish flag, and neither the International Maritime Bureau nor a Royal Navy spokesman could offer any positive identification.
> 
> Roger Middleton, author of a recent report on Somalia for the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank, said that despite the casualties, he did not expect pirates to cease or even cut back on attempts to hijack merchant shipping.
> 
> *“They certainly don’t want to get themselves shot. They know they are outgunned by naval forces in the area, but work on the assumption that the area covered is enormous and they have a pretty good chance of being able to carry out pirate attacks without getting caught. I don’t think it will scare them off,”* he said.
> 
> Somali pirates come from a poor region in a dangerous country with a lot of fighting, and stand a good chance of getting shot at even if they sit at home without doing anything illegal, he pointed out.
> 
> From the pirates’ perspective, *weapons and boats are cheap, smuggled petrol can be procured from Yemen, and they can still make big money without being successful every time.*
> 
> “Things like this [the deaths] will make them a little bit more cautious, hopefully. *What it may do is make the sight of a frigate on the horizon just that bit more frightening and make that deterrent even more effective.”*
> 
> Meanwhile, Islamic insurgents have reportedly seized the strategic Somali port of Merka, leaving the way clear for an assault on the capital, Mogadishu, about 55 miles away. They were able to take the city without firing a shot after government troops fled the night before, residents said. The attack follows similar seizures of the port of Kismayo and other cities.
> 
> After being turned out of Mogadishu in December 2006 by Ethiopian troops, the insurgency has retaken much of the territory it was forced to cede at the time.
> 
> http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/epaper/ll/pag...No=59801&page=3


----------



## Blackadder1916

The pirates' activity level doesn't appear to have been affected much in the last couple of days.



*Private guards ward off Somali pirate attack*
http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/private-guards-ward-off-somali-pirate-attack/20017590589.htm


> David Osler - Friday 14 November 2008
> 
> *BRITISH private security guards have repulsed a Somali pirate attack on an unidentified chemtanker*, using equipment billed as the the sonic equivalent of a laser, according to the principle of a company that specialises in such services.
> 
> Nick Davis, a former army pilot who launched Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions earlier this year, claims to have three-man teams of ex-special forces personnel currently working on six vessels in the Gulf of Aden, with this engagement marking the first actual clash.
> 
> He says he has been inundated with inquiries in recent weeks, and is looking to open offices in Aden and Salalah.
> 
> The incident took place just 18 miles off the coast of Yemen, inside the Maritime Security Patrol Area established in August by a coalition of international navies, and over 300 miles north of the Somali coast.
> 
> “There was a direct approach at high speed towards our ship. We then activated our procedures. The ship started evasive manoeuvres, all the hoses were on full power. Then we used the magnetic acoustic device,” said Mr Davis.
> 
> “They closed to within 500m and then turned away to a ship that was due south of ours by approximately five miles.
> 
> “Based on intelligence from our team leader on board, there was intent to attack the vessel and clearly, if no one had been on board, we do not know what the outcome would have been today.”
> 
> Other *recent victims include Cyprus-flagged but Russian-operated boxship Kapitan Maslov (16,575 gt, built 1998), which was attacked on Thursday afternoon while around 300 nautical miles from the Somali coastline. *
> 
> The vessel - associated with Fesco and en route from Colombo to Mombasa - was assaulted by pirates using a grenade launcher and automatic weapons from a high-speed launch, causing a fire in the cabin of the third assistant to the master.
> 
> The crew were able to localise and extinguish the fire, while the vessel was able to manoeuvre and escape from the pirates. None of the 17 people on board were injured, according to a statement from Russia’s ministry of transport.
> 
> *China’s official Xinhua news agency also stated on Friday that a Chinese fishing vessel with a multinational crew of 24, named as Tianyu No 8, was seized by Somali pirates.*
> 
> Reuters added that militants from the Islamic al Shabaab captured a small town on the outskirts of capital Mogadishu, just one mile from an important base occupied by Ethiopian troops sent to reinforce the country’s struggling transitional government.
> 
> Al Shabaab has rejected the UN-sponsored deal to establish a power-sharing administration between the government and some moderate opposition figures, and are ignoring a ceasefire request.
> 
> * NATO has beefed up its naval anti-terrorist effort in the Mediterranean, after Ukrainian warship URS Ternopil joined the Operation Active Endeavour taskforce at the end of last week. The unit will serve until December 9.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Pirates release Japan ship, hijack a second*


> 1 hour ago (Sunday November 16, 2008)
> 
> NAIROBI (AFP) — *Somali pirates released a Japanese chemical tanker and its crew, but seized another one in the Gulf of Aden, despite the presence of several warships patrolling the area*, officials said on Sunday.
> 
> They *released the Stolt Valor and its crew of 18 Indians, two Filipinos, a Russian and Bangladeshi*, said Andrew Mwangura who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme. The vessel had been seized on September 15.
> 
> "The ship was released on Saturday," he told AFP.
> 
> An Indian maritime official confirmed the release, said the crew were in good health and the freighter was headed to Mumbai.
> 
> "They are safe, they have been released. It will be another 40 hours until they reach the safe zone and another three days for them to reach India," National Union of Indian Seafarers (NUIS) spokesman Sunil Nair told AFP by telephone from Mumbai.
> 
> "They should be coming back to Mumbai either by plane or by sea. They are moving towards the nearest port. They are all physically fit."
> 
> Seema Goel, whose husband, Prabhat, is captain of the vessel, said she had been contacted by the ship's Japanese owners. The ship would reach India in four to five days, she said.
> 
> The ship is registered in Panama to Ocean Carrier Transit, which owns 12 other freighters, although the owner is Japan's Central Marine, officials said.
> 
> Nair confirmed that a ransom had been paid. The pirates had demanded payment of 2.5 million dollars but he said he didn't know whether the entire amount had been paid.
> 
> NUSI secretary general Abdulgani Y. Serang said a ransom had "definitely" been paid, but he declined to say how much, Press Trust of India news agency reported.
> 
> Indian maritime unions had previously complained that the government in New Delhi had failed to secure the ship's release. Its members had threatened to refuse to sail in the pirate-infested waters unless action was taken.
> 
> But as the Stolt Valor headed home, Mwangura reported that Somali pirates had *seized another vessel, the 20,000-ton Japanese ship, "Chemstar Venus", in another attack the previous day*.
> 
> "The ship was hijacked on Saturday," about 150 kilometres east of the Gulf of Aden, he added.
> 
> The freighter had a crew of 18 Filipinos and five South Koreans, Mwangura added.
> 
> South Korea, India and several other nations are considering sending warships to the region, after a number of ships and fishing trawlers from Asia were hijacked and only released after ransoms were paid.
> 
> According to the International Maritime Bureau, at least 83 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, of which 33 were hijacked. Of those, 12 vessels and more than 200 crew were still in the hands of pirates.
> 
> Last week, the European Union launched a security operation off the coast of Somalia to combat growing acts of piracy and protect ships carrying aid agency deliveries. It is the EU's first-ever naval mission.
> 
> Dubbed Operation Atalanta, the mission, endorsed by the bloc's defence ministers at talks in Brussels, is being led by Britain, with its headquarters in Northwood, near London.
> 
> Pirates are well organised in the area where Somalia's northeastern tip juts into the Indian Ocean, preying on a key maritime route leading to the Suez Canal through which an estimated 30 percent of the world's oil transits.
> 
> (more at link)


----------



## CougarKing

Just more information on that 2nd hijacking of a Japanese ship. Perhaps it is is time for the JMSDF and the SDF in general to start taking a more active role in defending Japan's interests- namely its maritime trade- overseas without worrying about article 9 of their Constitution anymore? Didn't their PM Aso recently remake their SDF Ministry back into a Defense Ministry?



> Page last updated at 07:22 GMT, Sunday, 16 November 2008
> 
> Somali pirates 'seize cargo ship'
> 
> *South Korean officials say gunmen have hijacked a Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia carrying 23 crew including five South Koreans.
> 
> The ship was seized in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, officials said. *
> 
> The condition of the crew is not known and it is not clear if the pirates are demanding a ransom.
> 
> So far this year, Somali pirates have seized more than 30 vessels, making the shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden the most dangerous in the world.
> 
> *A South Korean foreign ministry official said the 23 abducted sailors included Filipinos as well as the five South Koreans.*
> 
> Last Wednesday, the Russian navy said Russian and British ships had repelled a pirate attack on a Danish ship in waters off Somalia.
> 
> *Tanker seized
> 
> Hours earlier, pirates had seized a Turkish chemical tanker off the coast of Yemen, along with its 14-member Turkish crew.
> 
> And last Monday Somali pirates hijacked another chemical tanker with 21 Filipino crew on board.
> 
> Pirates are still holding the Ukrainian ship MV Faina off the Somali coast for a ransom of $20m (£12m).
> 
> In October, 22 sailors - eight South Koreans and 14 Burmese - were freed after a month of captivity when their South Korean shipping company paid a ransom to Somali pirates.
> 
> South Korea has said it is considering sending navy vessels to waters off Somalia to protect its shipping*.


----------



## Blackadder1916

And the pirates take their biggest prize yet.

*Somali pirates hijack Saudi oil tanker with Britons on board*


> Nico Hines The Times November 17, 2008
> 
> A hijacked supertanker with two British crew members was being taken to a Somali port this afternoon after pirates seized their biggest vessel yet off the African coast.
> 
> Acts of piracy in the shipping lanes of the Arabian Sea have become increasingly violent and commonplace in recent months, but this is the first time hijackers have seized an oil tanker.
> 
> The 1,000 ft-long Sirius Star was seized on Saturday around 450 nautical miles from Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. The supertanker, which can hold up to two million barrels of crude oil, is owned by Aramco, a Saudi company, but was sailing under a Liberian flag.
> 
> The Foreign Office confirmed that two of those on board were British but could not give any details of their role on the ship.
> 
> Lieutenant Nate Christensen, of the US Navy, 5th Fleet, said that the tanker was today approaching an area of the Somali coast controlled by bandits.
> 
> “The latest information we have is that they are taking the vessel to a Somali port,” he said.
> 
> “We don’t know the condition of the crew on board or the nature of the pirates’ demands. In cases like this what we typically see is a demand for money from the ship owners but we haven’t had that yet.
> 
> “We don’t know exactly where they are taking it but we know the town of Eyl is a pirate stronghold.”
> 
> Eyl is in the northern Puntland region of Somalia, it is thought that dozens of ships are currently being held captive there.
> 
> Al-Arabyia, the Saudi-owned television station, reported this afternoon that the ship had been freed, but both the US Navy and Saudi Aramco, which owns the supertanker, said they had no knowledge of any release
> 
> The vast ship and its 25 crew, including members from the UK, Croatia, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia, have been under the command of an armed gang for two days. “The vessel is under the pirates’ control,” a spokesman for the US Navy 5th fleet in Bahrain said.
> 
> The Saudi ship, which is 330 meters (1,080 feet) long, had been headed for the United States via the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. The route is a main thoroughfare for fully laden supertankers from the Gulf, the world’s biggest oil exporting region.
> 
> Saudi Arabia is the largest of those exporters, sending around seven million barrels per day to into the global markets.
> 
> Pirates, often based in anarchic Somalia, have made the shipping routes off east Africa among the most dangerous in the world but this is the first time an oil tanker has been seized.
> 
> The International Maritime Bureau has reported that at least 83 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January and 33 of those were hijacked. It is believed that 12 of the vessels and more than 200 crew are still in the hands of pirates.
> 
> Earlier this month, Britain announced that it would take the lead in a multi-national taskforce designed to tackle the heavily armed gangs patrolling the Arabian Sea. One of the Royal Navy’s first interventions was to subdue a gang of pirates who tried to hijack a cargo ship off Somalia last week.
> 
> A band of Somali raiders opened fire on two Navy assault craft carrying Marines armed with machineguns. Three pirates were killed as the commandos returned fire.
> 
> In recent months the prevalence of attacks has seen a marked escalation from one every couple of weeks to as many as four in a single day.
> 
> A leading Norwegian shipping group responded to the latest attacks today by suspending its routes through the perilous region.
> 
> Terje Storeng, chief executive of Odfjell, said: “We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> “The re-routing will entail extra sailing days and later cargo deliveries,” he said. “This will incur significant extra cost, but we expect our customers’ support and contribution.
> 
> “The efforts that are being made do not seem to put an effective end to what can best be described as ruthless, high level organised crime.”
> 
> The company said it would resume sailing through the Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal once sufficient protection is in place or action is taken to prevent pirate attacks in the area.


----------



## midget-boyd91

Of course they haven't asked for ransom...they already have up to  2 million barrels of black gold.

Midget


----------



## CougarKing

And the South Korean Navy joins the fray as Seoul dispatches its own warship to Somali waters.



> *SKorea plans to send warship to combat Somali pirates*
> 
> 6 hours ago
> 
> SEOUL (AFP) — South Korea announced Monday it plans to send a warship to combat piracy in the lawless waters off Somalia, where five more Koreans were seized over the weekend.
> 
> The defence ministry will ask parliament to approve the deployment before its current session ends on December 8, said ministry spokesman Won Tae-Jae.
> 
> Once the mission is approved Seoul *will send a 4,500-ton destroyer carrying missiles and other modern weaponry early next year*, a senior official told Yonhap news agency last week.
> 
> The ship will join international efforts to combat piracy involving US and French warships, the official said.
> 
> Last week, the European Union launched an operation off the coast of Somalia to combat growing piracy and protect ships carrying aid deliveries. It is the EU's first-ever naval mission.
> 
> The foreign ministry said all the South Koreans aboard a hijacked Japanese cargo ship are safe. The 20,000-ton Chemstar Venus, with five South Koreans and 18 Filipino crewmen, was seized in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday.
> 
> "All our five crewmen... turned out to be safe," said foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young, confirming contact had been made with the kidnappers.
> 
> The spokesman refused to give other details such as whether a ransom had been demanded. The ministry says the Panamanian-registered ship is owned by a Japanese firm and its captain is Korean.
> 
> South Korean ships have frequently been targeted in the region.
> 
> Somali pirates seized a South Korean cargo ship and 22 sailors on September 10. The crew was released last month after the ship's owner paid a ransom.
> 
> Last year Somali pirates seized two South Korean vessels and 24 crew including four South Koreans.
> 
> The crew were released in November after six months in captivity. Local media reports said the pirates had demanded a ransom of five million dollars before reducing the sum to an undisclosed figure.
> 
> In April 2006 a South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew on board was hijacked. The ship and its crew were released after four months following the payment of a ransom.
> 
> The International Maritime Bureau reports at least 83 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, of which 33 were hijacked. Of those, 12 vessels and more than 200 crew were still in the hands of pirates.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...GXvQ929kSCOxJBQ


----------



## CougarKing

So it's official, that the French Navy can place personnel onboard merchant vessels transiting through pirate-infested areas near Somalia.



> *French to patrol off Aden in EU scheme
> Pirates might find themselves outgunned
> 
> FRENCH naval guards can now be put on merchant ships free of charge* while transiting the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> *French navy ships might also escort the protected ships under the close protection system* initiated by the EU this weekend.
> 
> Two vessels can have guards on at any time after a request from the shipowner or operator 10 days before the transit is to take place. Ships that intend to follow the protected vessels also may do so.
> 
> A statement issued via the International Maritime Bureau said: "The presence of the warships will deter pirates from attacking any vessels in the group. Vessels can also call the nearby warships for assistance when attacked by pirates."
> 
> Companies that wish to become protected will have to establish a 'technical agreement' with the French navy before any protection team is deployed.
> 
> Details can be obtained from the French Force commander staff for Indian Ocean Tel: 00 33 4 94 02 89 49 / E-mail: alindien@free.fr FRENCH naval guards can now be put on merchant ships free of charge while transiting the Gulf of Aden.



http://www.fairplay.co.uk/secure/display.a...3000000&phrase=


----------



## Blackadder1916

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> So it's official, that the French Navy can place personnel onboard merchant vessels transiting through pirate-infested areas near Somalia.



Nothing new nor any change from the limited use that was detailed in this post.


----------



## CougarKing

Another suspicious Iranian vessel?  ;D

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081118/ap_on_re_af/ml_piracy



> THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
> 
> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. Navy says a cargo ship has been hijacked off the Somalia coast — the latest in a series of attacks by pirates operating out of the African country.
> 
> *Navy Commander Jane Campbell of the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet says the 26,000-ton bulk cargo carrier was attacked Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> She says the ship was flying a Hong Kong flag but is operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.*
> 
> The status of the crew or its cargo were not known. Campbell says the ship is likely heading toward an anchorage site off the Somali coast.
> 
> The ship's name or other details were not immediately known.


----------



## CougarKing

So if the Saudis see action, will this be the first time ever that their Navy ever sees action?  ;D



> *Saudis vow to join fight against maritime piracy*
> 11/18/2008 | 10:14 PM
> 
> MOGADISHU, Somalia - Saudi Arabia said Tuesday it will join the international fight against piracy, and a Somali official *vowed to try to rescue the hijacked Saudi oil supertanker by force if necessary.*
> 
> Never before have Somali pirates seized such a giant ship so far out to sea. The MV Sirius Star was hijacked Saturday with a full load of 2 million barrels of oil and 25 crewmembers. The ship's oil cargo alone is estimated to be worth $100 million.
> 
> In the first public comments by Saudi officials, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal called the hijacking *"an outrageous act" and said "piracy, like terrorism, is a disease which is against everybody, and everybody must address it together."*
> 
> Speaking during a visit to Athens, he said Saudi Arabia would join an international initiative against piracy in the Red Sea area, where more than 80 pirate attacks have taken place this year. He did not elaborate on the exact steps the kingdom would take to better protect its vital oil tankers, and it was not known if the Sirius Star had a security team on board.
> 
> Abdullkadir Musa, the deputy sea port minister in northern Somalia's Puntland region, said if the ship tries to anchor anywhere near Eyl — where the U.S. said it was heading — then his forces will rescue it.
> 
> But the ship was anchored Tuesday in Harardhere, a pirate stronghold some 265 miles (430 kilometers) by land from Eyl.
> 
> "As usual, I woke up at 3 a.m. and headed for the sea to fish, but I saw a very, very large ship anchored less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) off the shore," Abdinur Haji, a fisherman, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
> 
> He said two small boats floated out to the ship and 18 men climbed aboard with ropes woven into a ladder.
> 
> "I have been fishing here for three decades, but I have never seen a ship as big as this one," he said. "There are dozens of spectators on shore trying to catch a glimpse of the large ship, which they can see with their naked eyes."
> 
> The supertanker is 1,080 feet long. It was seized about 450 nautical miles (833 kilometers) off the Kenyan coast.
> 
> *NATO said it has no immediate plans to intercept the hijacked Saudi supertanker, which was captured outside its patrol zone.*
> 
> Spokesman James Appathurai described the seizure of the 318,000-ton UAE-owned MV Sirius Star as "unprecedented in where it took place and the kind of ship it took on." He also said *NATO has a mandate to fight piracy but none to board ships that have already been captured.*
> 
> The Dubai-based company that owns and operates the vessel, Vela International Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of Saudi oil company Aramco, said it was "awaiting further contact from the pirates."
> 
> An earlier statement from the company said the 25 crew on board the fully loaded tanker were unharmed and that crisis teams had been set up to try to win their release and the return of the vessel.
> 
> It made no mention of a ransom, but shipping companies in the past have regularly paid out ransoms, usually totaling around $1 million, to ensure the safety of the crew and the vessel's return.- AP
> 
> http://www.gmanews.tv/story/134305/Saudis-...maritime-piracy


----------



## Blackadder1916

NATO Shipping Centre 
http://www.shipping.nato.int

SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 14 November 2008
as at 171141Z NOV 2008
UNCLAS

Following a short lull in piracy incidents, possibly due to adverse weather conditions, there has been a very recent surge of incidents.

MV KAPITAN MASLOV (Container ship) was attacked on 13 November approx 300 miles east of Mombasa.
MV HARAZ (Crude Oil Carrier) was approached on 12 November. 

An unconfirmed report of a suspicious approach 550 nm off the eastern coast of Somalia is being investigated. An new piracy update report will be posted on 18 November 2008.


SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 18 November 2008 
as at 181741Z NOV 2008 
UNCLAS     

Following a short lull in piracy incidents, possibly due to adverse weather conditions, there has been a very recent surge of incidents. 

FV EKAWATNAVA 5 was hijacked on 18 November, and in relatively close proximity
MV DELIGHT, a 25,768 GRT Bulk carrier was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on 18 November.
MV CHEMSTAR VENUS, a Panamese flagged Chemical tanker (11,951GRT) was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on 15 November.
MV TS COLOMBO, a 15,095 GRT container vessel, was attacked off the East coast of Somalia on  14 November.
MV SIRIUS STAR was hijacked on 14 November off the East coast of Somalia. This crude oil carrier was one of the largest vessels to date to be taken at 162,252 GRT.
MV GOLDEN AMBROSIA, a chemical tanker, was approach on 14 November in the Gulf of Aden.
MV SHIMANAMI SUNSHINE was approached in the Gulf of Aden on  13 November, as was
MV TAI BAI HAI,a 34,882 GRT bulk carrier, which suffered multiple attacks/approaches on 12-13 November in the Gulf of Aden.

The total number of commercial vessels (including one tug) hijacked in Somali waters now stands at 14; over 200 merchant seamen are held by pirates. The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such.


Given the significant increase in piracy (and piracy related) incidents in the Gulf of Aden, the NATO Shipping Centre asks any ship or ship owner to report to us with any details of (perceived) suspicious activity (e.g. ships on radar shadowing their movements, changing course to intercept, changing speed to match or intercept)
 course and speed of vessel if available 
 positions and date/time 
 identity or description of suspicious vessel(s) 
 photograph if available
Please report any such activity to the NATO Shipping Centre’s (NSC) free call centre: +44 (0)1923 843574, or by fax: +44 (0)1923 843575, or Email: info@shipping.nato.int


----------



## Snafu-Bar

Just a matter of time till the orders are put forward to spank em hard. I'm actually shocked that they arean't already being straightened out.

 Hopefully the crew members aboard these vessels are all safe and sound.

 Cheers.


----------



## 54/102 CEF

From STRATFOR http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20081016_somalia_pirates_continuing_evolution


----------



## 1feral1

Time these mongrels are placed at the bottom of the foodchain, courtesy of some well controlled yet extreme violence.

The clock counts down... tic toc tic toc...


OWDU


----------



## geo

Well...  you need the shipping that is going thru this area.
You can't reroute - so you will have to solve - and there is only one way you can do that.

A naval task force to slam down on the pirates in their "work" environment & some "predator" or "reaper" action to take away the illegal gains these fellas are able to squeeze out of the shipping companies.

Make them reconsider the worth of their career choice


----------



## OldSolduer

Overwatch Downunder said:
			
		

> Time these mongrels are placed at the bottom of the foodchain, courtesy of some well controlled yet extreme violence.
> 
> The clock counts down... tic toc tic toc...
> 
> 
> OWDU



Oh OWDU How can you say that? Don't you know they have "rights"? 

Seriously, I agree and I've been asking for that for some time. The lace panty brigade loves to spout about "rights" but its not their tail ends sailing those ships is it?


----------



## tomahawk6

The Indians sank a pirate mothership today.


----------



## Snafu-Bar

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> The Indians sank a pirate mothership today.



 Indeed, and cudo's to the crew of the INS Tabar.

More on the link

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/468955

Cheers.


----------



## FastEddy

Snafu-Bar said:
			
		

> Indeed, and cudo's to the crew of the INS Tabar.
> 
> More on the link
> 
> http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/468955
> 
> Cheers.




Caps off and a Hurrah for the Tabar.

What was it we used to do to captured Pirates, Hmmmmm let me think.

I'm puzzled why the Brits turned over their captives to the Kenyan's ?.

Well something is better than nothing, if we had caught them they'd probably now have refugee status and put up at the Royal York.

Cheers.


----------



## CougarKing

Snafu-Bar said:
			
		

> Indeed, and cudo's to the crew of the INS Tabar.
> 
> More on the link
> 
> http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/468955
> 
> Cheers.



Here's something a little better:



> - In this Nov. 11, 2008 file photo made available by Indian Navy, Indian warship INS Tabar, right, escorts the MV Jag Arnav ship to safety after rescuing it from a hijack attempt by Somali pirates. The Indian navy says the INS Tabar dedicated to fighting pirates has successfully fought off an attempted pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden, sparking explosions and a fire on the suspected pirate ship late Tuesday, Nov. 18.
> (AP Photo/Indian Navy, HO, File)
> 
> 
> *Indian navy sinks suspected pirate "mother" ship*
> By Sam Dolnick, Associated Press Writer
> Yahoo! News
> 48 mins ago
> 
> 
> NEW DELHI – An Indian naval vessel sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden and chased two attack boats into the night, officials said Wednesday, yet more violence in the lawless seas where brigands are becoming bolder and more violent.
> 
> Separate bands of pirates also seized a Thai ship with 16 crew members and an Iranian cargo vessel with a crew of 25 in the Gulf of Aden, where Somalia-based pirates appear to be attacking ships at will, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia.
> 
> "It's getting out of control," Choong said.
> 
> A multicoalition naval force has increased patrols in the region, and scored a rare success Tuesday when the Indian warship, operating off the coast of Oman, stopped a ship similar to a pirate vessel mentioned in numerous piracy bulletins. The Indian navy said the pirates fired on the INS Tabar after the officers asked it to stop to be searched.
> 
> "Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers," said a statement from the Indian navy. Indian forces fired back, sparking fires and a series of onboard blasts — possibly due to exploding ammunition — and destroying the ship.
> 
> They chased one of two speedboats that had been shadowing the larger ship, and which fled when it sank. One was later found abandoned. The other escaped, according to the statement.
> 
> Larger "mother ships" are often used to take gangs of pirates and smaller attack boats into deep water, and can be used as mobile bases to attack merchant vessels.
> 
> Last week, Indian navy commandos operating from a warship foiled a pirate attempt to hijack a ship in the Gulf of Aden. The navy said an armed helicopter with marine commandos prevented the pirates from boarding and hijacking the Indian merchant vessel.
> 
> Tuesday incidents raised to eight the number of ships hijacked this week alone, he said. Since the beginning of the year, 39 ships have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, out of 95 attacked.
> 
> "There is no firm deterrent, that's why the pirate attacks are continuing," Choong said. "The criminal activities are flourishing because the risks are low and the rewards are extremely high."
> 
> The pirates used to mainly roam the waters off the Somali coast, but now they have spread in every direction and are targeting ships farther at sea, according to Choong.
> 
> He said 17 vessels remain in the hands of pirates along with more than 300 crew members, including a Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons and a Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude.
> 
> Despite the stepped-up patrols, the attacks have continued unabated off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has had no functioning government since 1991. Pirates have generally released ships they have seized after ransoms are paid.
> 
> NATO has three warships in the Gulf of Aden and the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet also has ships in the region.
> 
> But U.S. Navy Commander Jane Campbell of the 5th Fleet said naval patrols simply cannot prevent attacks given the vastness of the sea and the 21,000 vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden every year.
> 
> "Given the size of the area and given the fact that we do not have naval assets — either ships or airplanes — to be everywhere with every single ship" it would be virtually impossible to prevent every attack, she said.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden connects to the Red Sea, which in turn is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. The route is thousands of miles (kilometers) and many days shorter than going around the Cape of Good Hope off the southern tip of Africa.
> 
> The Thai boat, which was flying a flag from the tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati but operated out of Thailand, made a distress call as it was being chased by pirates in two speedboats but the phone connection was cut off midway.
> 
> Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, manager of Sirichai Fisheries Co., Ltd. told The Associated Press that the ship, the "Ekawat Nava 5," was headed from Oman to Yemen to deliver fishing equipment.
> 
> "We have not heard from them since so we don't know what the demands are," Wicharn said. "We have informed the families of the crew but right now, we don't have much more information to give them either."
> 
> Of the 16 crew members, Wicharn said 15 are Thai and one is Cambodian.
> 
> The Iranian carrier was flying a Hong Kong flag but operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.
> 
> On Tuesday, a major Norwegian shipping group, Odfjell SE, ordered its more than 90 tankers to sail around Africa rather than use the Suez Canal after the seizure of the Saudi tanker Saturday.
> 
> "We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," said Terje Storeng, Odfjell's president and chief executive.
> 
> Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil producer, has condemned the hijacking and said it will join the international fight against piracy. Despite the fact that its government barely works, Somali officials vowed to try to rescue the ship by force if necessary.
> 
> The supertanker, the MV Sirius Star, was anchored Tuesday close to Harardhere, the main pirates' den on the Somali coast, with a full load of 2 million barrels of oil and 25 crew members.


----------



## Cloud Cover

Hilarious: but some important data points here. It seems the underwriters of the ships and their cargo appear to have some sympathy for the economic predicament causing the piracy. But the most important thing that strikes me is all these people really want is what we [mostly] have - jobs. But for the fact that drugs are lurking in the background, thiere is some suggestion this situation could be fixed. 

Reproduced from cnn.com under the fair dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates are building sprawling stone houses, cruising in luxury cars, marrying beautiful women -- even hiring caterers to prepare Western-style food for their hostages.

And in an impoverished country where every public institution has crumbled, they have become heroes in the steamy coastal dens they operate from because they are the only real business in town.

"The pirates depend on us, and we benefit from them," said Sahra Sheik Dahir, a shop owner in Haradhere, the nearest village to where a hijacked Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude was anchored Wednesday.

These boomtowns are all the more shocking in light of Somalia's violence and poverty: Radical Islamists control most of the country's south, meting out lashings and stonings for accused criminals. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging this arid African country into chaos.

Life expectancy is just 46 years; a quarter of children die before they reach 5.

But in northern coastal towns like Haradhere, Eyl and Bossaso, the pirate economy is thriving thanks to the money pouring in from pirate ransoms that have reached $30 million this year alone.

In Haradhere, residents came out in droves to celebrate as the looming oil ship came into focus this week off the country's lawless coast. Businessmen started gathering cigarettes, food and cold glass bottles of orange soda, setting up small kiosks for the pirates who come to shore to re-supply almost daily.

*Dahir said she is so confident in the pirates, she instituted a layaway plan just for them.*

"They always take things without paying and we put them into the book of debts," she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "Later, when they get the ransom money, they pay us a lot."

For Somalis, the simple fact that pirates offer jobs is enough to gain their esteem, even as hostages languish on ships for months. The population makes sure the pirates are well-stocked in qat, a popular narcotic leaf, and offer support from the ground even as the international community tries to quash them.

*"Regardless of how the money is coming in, legally or illegally, I can say it has started a life in our town," * said Shamso Moalim, a 36-year-old mother of five in Haradhere.

"Our children are not worrying about food now, and they go to Islamic schools in the morning and play soccer in the afternoon. They are happy."

Despite a beefed-up international presence, the pirates continue to seize ships, moving further out to sea and demanding ever-larger ransoms. The pirates operate mostly from the semiautonomous Puntland region, where local lawmakers have been accused of helping the pirates and taking a cut of the ransoms.

For the most part, however, the regional officials say they have no power to stop piracy.

Meanwhile, towns that once were eroded by years of poverty and chaos are now bustling with restaurants, Land Cruisers and Internet cafes. Residents also use their gains to buy generators -- allowing full days of electricity, once an unimaginable luxury in Somalia.

There are no reliable estimates of the number of pirates operating in Somalia, but they must number in the thousands. And though the bandits do sometimes get nabbed, piracy is generally considered a sure bet to a better life.

NATO and the U.S. Navy say they can't be everywhere, and American officials are urging ships to hire private security. Warships patrolling off Somalia have succeeded in stopping some pirate attacks. But military assaults to wrest back a ship are highly risky and, up to now, uncommon.

The attackers generally treat their hostages well in anticipation of a big payday, hiring caterers on shore to cook spaghetti, grilled fish and roasted meat that will appeal to a Western palate. 

They also keep a steady supply of cigarettes and drinks from the shops on shore.

And when the payday comes, the money sometimes literally falls from the sky.

*Pirates say the ransom arrives in burlap sacks, sometimes dropped from buzzing helicopters, or in waterproof suitcases loaded onto tiny skiffs in the roiling, shark-infested sea.*

"The oldest man on the ship always takes the responsibility of collecting the money, because we see it as very risky, and he gets some extra payment for his service later," Aden Yusuf, a pirate in Eyl, told AP over VHF radio.

The pirates use money-counting machines -- the same technology seen at foreign exchange bureaus worldwide -- to ensure the cash is real. All payments are done in cash because Somalia, a failed state, has no functioning banking system.

"Getting this equipment is easy for us, we have business connections with people in Dubai, Nairobi, Djibouti and other areas," Yusuf said. "So we send them money and they send us what we want."


----------



## Old Sweat

Whiskey601

Reads a bit like Port Royal, Jamaica in the seventeenth century. 

That's all nice for the local economy, but the simple truth is these people are engaged in piracy and/or profiting by supporting piracy. It hardly is a victimless crime and the situation may soon become intolerable enough that the local communities will suffer along with the pirates.


----------



## OldSolduer

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> Whiskey601
> 
> Reads a bit like Port Royal, Jamaica in the seventeenth century.
> 
> That's all nice for the local economy, but the simple truth is these people are engaged in piracy and/or profiting by supporting piracy. It hardly is a victimless crime and the situation may soon become intolerable enough that the local communities will suffer along with the pirates.



Then let them suffer. Get the kids out, then make them pay.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Then let them suffer. Get the kids out, then make them pay.



So what do you suggest we do? Tell all the non pirates to evacuate and when they leave level the port?


----------



## Snafu-Bar

It's not going to be an easy fix, but getting the women and children to safety is priority number one, getting them food and water is priority number 2. Them comes eradicating the corruption, and piracy on all levels.(whatever it takes... be it diplomacy or ammocrosy the choice is thiers)

 Then helping with the re-build as per usual.

 Cheers.


----------



## geo

Snafu-Bar said:
			
		

> Then helping with the re-build as per usual.
> Cheers.



We're talking Somalia here
The only place where a UN mission has tucked it's tail between it's legs and withdrawn at the earliest oportunity.
My suggestion - picket the place, invite all those who want to get out - to get out.... then level the joint.

it won't be popular, but you have to remeber that "kids" living in the shadow of pirates will become pirates in their own rights when they grow up


----------



## dapaterson

geo said:
			
		

> We're talking Somalia here
> The only place where a UN mission has tucked it's tail between it's legs and withdrawn at the earliest oportunity.



Er, not quite the only place....


----------



## 1feral1

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> The Indians sank a pirate mothership today.



Oh shyte, I am quoting myself here "Time these mongrels are placed at the bottom of the foodchain, courtesy of some well controlled yet extreme violence.

The clock counts down... tic toc tic toc..."

Looks like my clock worked.  ;D

Cheers,

Wes


----------



## CougarKing

Yet another reason to blow these scum out of the water.



> *Pirates push up oil prices*
> 
> CRUDE prices rose 1. 4% to $55.72 today in New York in reaction to the pirate attack on the Saudi-owned VLCC Sirius Star.
> 
> The oil carrier is the largest merchant vessel ever seized and highlights the vulnerability of oil trade routes from the Middle East.
> 
> Only last week the International Energy Agency warned that as supply chains lengthen, the security of energy supplies that transit vulnerable maritime routes must become a global concern.
> 
> A Bloomberg report indicated that Frontline might divert vessels from the area, following an earlier decision by Odfjell. A final decision has yet to be reached, Jens Martin Jensen, Frontline’s interim CEO, told reporters.
> 
> Such a move could delay shipments of oil to both the US and Europe. Cyril Widdershoven, energy analyst at Deloitte Capital Markets, told Bloomberg from his Amsterdam base: “It may take up to four weeks longer for crude to reach its destination if routes are diverted.’’
> 
> Although bunker prices have now come down from their summer highs, the extra weeks of sailing and fuel consumption could drive both oil prices and cost insurance freight commodity prices higher.
> 
> Sirius Star’s cargo, if fully loaded, would be worth $110M today on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
> 
> http://www.fairplay.co.uk/secure/DailyNews...020081118000033


----------



## 1feral1

If its not happening already, ships in these waters will have their own QRF on board, appropiatly so armed with good comms.

Arrrr, send more of these pirates to Davey Jones's locker, and they will realise its not easy pickings anymore.

Time for some hard corps tolerance teaching sessions for these so called pathetic pirates.

OWDU


----------



## Drag

Overwatch Downunder said:
			
		

> If its not happening already, ships in these waters will have their own QRF on board, appropiatly so armed with good comms.
> 
> Arrrr, send more of these pirates to Davey Jones's locker, and they will realise its not easy pickings anymore.
> 
> Time for some hard corps tolerance teaching sessions for these so called pathetic pirates.
> 
> OWDU



+1  
Show them, through numerous examples, that the life expectancy of anyone going into to the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea with piracy on their mind will be hours, not day.  The only way to end this IMO.  If they take their shenanigans on the sea they should be sunk on sigh


----------



## tomahawk6

In days of old any pirate ship was fair game,I am surprised that these pirate attacks are tolerated.I agree with Wes find them and sink them,the word gets out and maybe there will be fewer priates.


----------



## GAP

Not sure where I heard/read it, but one of the reasons most NATO countries do not want to arrest the pirates is that the moment they are taken on-board a nation's vessel, they are effectively are on that country's territory and can claim refugee status....


----------



## tomahawk6

Who wants to arrest pirates ? Blow them out of the water and let the survivors swim for it.


----------



## FastEddy

GAP said:
			
		

> Not sure where I heard/read it, but one of the reasons most NATO countries do not want to arrest the pirates is that the moment they are taken on-board a nation's vessel, they are effectively are on that country's territory and can claim refugee status....




Sounds familiar, also isn't there something in Maritime Law that Vessels at the scene must provide assistance and rescue.

But wouldn't putting a life boat over the side and adrift cover that aspect and weren't Captains in WWII forbidden to stop and pick up allied survivors after a Sub attack (lets face it, those survivors could also be Suicide Bombers).

Just a thought.

Cheers.


----------



## CougarKing

And in another interesting development...Moscow intends to send more warships to the region:



> Agence France-Presse - 11/20/2008 8:53 AM GMT
> *Russia to send more warships to battle Somali pirates
> Russia announced Thursday it would send more warships to combat piracy in the waters around Somalia, as the Saudi owners of the Sirius Star negotiated with the pirates holding their oil tanker.
> 
> Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky, the top commander of the Russian navy, made the announcement according to a report by RIA Novosti news agency.
> 
> "After the Neustrashimy (Fearless), ships from other fleets of the Russian navy will head to the region," Vysotsky said, referring to a frigate sent to the area in September. *
> 
> "This is needed because of the situation that has developed in the vicinity of the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden, where Somali pirates have sharply increased their activities," he said, according to RIA Novosti.
> 
> The announcement from Moscow was the latest sign of growing international frustration over a situation described by the International Maritime Bureau as "out of control".
> 
> *Somali pirates who hijacked the Sirius Star said Thursday they wanted 25 million dollars and have set a 10-day deadline. *
> 
> "We are demanding 25 million dollars from the Saudi owners of the tanker. We do not want long-term discussions to resolve the matter," Mohamed Said told AFP from the ship anchored off the Somali coast.
> 
> "The Saudis have 10 days to comply, otherwise we will take action that could be disastrous," Said added, without elaborating.
> 
> The company which operates the Sirius Star has remained tight-lipped about the claims of negotiations.
> 
> "We cannot confirm, nor deny" reports of negotiations with the hijackers, said Mihir Sapur, the spokesman of Vela International, a subsidiary of Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco.
> 
> But Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, told reporters in Rome on Wednesday: "I know that the owners of the tanker, they are negotiating on the issue."
> 
> Seized in the Indian Ocean some 500 miles (800 kilometres) off the east African coast on Saturday, the Sirius Star is now anchored at the Somali pirate lair of Harardhere, according to local officials.
> 
> The super-tanker was loaded to capacity with two million barrels of oil when it was seized along with its crew of 25 -- 19 from the Philippines, two from Britain, two from Poland, one Croatian and one Saudi.
> 
> It was the largest ship yet taken by Somali pirates and the attack furthest away from Somalia.
> 
> *The Indian frigate INS Tabar, one of dozens of warships from several countries protecting commercial shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, sank a Somali pirate ship late Tuesday after coming under fire, navy spokesman Nirad Sinha said. *
> Pirates use mother ships, generally hijacked trawlers or deep-sea dhows, to tow speedboats from which they launch their attacks with grapnel hooks tied to rope ladders before neutralising the crews at gunpoint.
> 
> The incident came as shipping groups reported a new surge in hijackings off Somalia, with three captured since the Sirius Star was taken.
> 
> On Wednesday, pirates released another Hong Kong-flagged ship, MV Great Creation, and its 25 crew seized two months ago.
> 
> Noel Choong, head of the piracy reporting centre at the IMB in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, said "the situation is already out of control."
> 
> But the United States, which also has warships patrolling off Somalia, said a military approach was not the answer to a surge of piracy off the Horn of Africa.
> 
> "You could have all the navies in the world having all their ships out there, you know, it's not going to ever solve this problem," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.
> 
> "It requires a holistic approach from the international community at sea, ashore, with governance, with economic development," he told reporters.
> 
> Morrell said at least 18 ships are currently being held for ransom by Somali pirates, along with 330 mariners taken hostage. This year there have been 95 attempted ship seizures by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, 39 of them successful.
> 
> The European Union said Tuesday it would launch its anti-piracy operation -- its first-ever -- off Somalia December 8.
> 
> But the piracy threat has already prompted Norwegian shipping company Odfjell to order its ships to use the longer, more expensive but safer route around Cape of Good Hope, thus avoiding the Suez Canal and the Somali coast.


----------



## Flanker

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> In days of old any pirate ship was fair game,I am surprised that these pirate attacks are tolerated.



Oh really?  

In days of old that I remember in some countries like England pirate business was perfectly legal and was endorsed by the queen.
And some well known prirates were given admiral grades and other bonuses.  ;D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Drake


----------



## Drag

Flanker said:
			
		

> Oh really?
> 
> In days of old that I remember in some countries like England pirate business was perfectly legal and was endorsed by the queen.
> And some well known prirates were given admiral grades and other bonuses.  ;D
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Drake



The BIG difference is that those were privateers, not pirates.  Privateers operated in wartime and were commissioned by governments.  They were pretty much auxiliary naval forces.  Pirates were allways blood sucking scum


----------



## FastEddy

D3 said:
			
		

> The BIG difference is that those were privateers, not pirates.  Privateers operated in wartime and were commissioned by governments.  They were pretty much auxiliary naval forces.  Pirates were allways blood sucking scum




Its okay D3, "Flanker"s comprehension and interpretation of History is obviously lacking or flawed.

He certainly hasn't heard of letters of Marque.

Cheers.


----------



## tomahawk6

Canada was known for its privateers. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-PQbdmQRwc&feature=related

http://www.jsward.com/shanty/barrett.html

Barrett's Privateers
By Stan Rogers 


Oh the year was seventeen seventy eight 
I wish I were in Sherbrooke now! 
A letter of marque came from the King 
To the scummiest vessel I've ever seen 
God Damn them all! I was told 
We'd cruise the seas for American gold 
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears 
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier 
The last of Barrett's privateers. 

Oh Elcid Barrett cried the town, 
I wish I were in Sherbrooke now! 
For twenty brave men, all fishermen, who 
Would make for him the Antelope's crew, 
God Damn them all! I was told 
We'd cruise the seas for American gold 
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears 
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier 
The last of Barrett's privateers. 

The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight. 
She'd a list to port and her sails in rags, 
And a cook in the scuppers with staggers and jags. 

On the King's birthday we put to sea. 
We were ninety-one days to Montego bay, 
Pumping like madmen all the way. 

On the ninety-sixth day we sailed again. 
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight 
With our cracked four-pounders we made to fight 

The Yankee lay low down with gold. 
She was broad and fat and loose in stays, 
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days 

Then at length we stood two cables away. 
Our cracked four-pounders made an awful din, 
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in. 

The Antelope shook and pitched on her side. 
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs, 
And the maintruck carried off both me legs. 

So here I lay in my twenty-third year. 
It's been six years since we sailed away, 
And I just made Halifax yesterday.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Yeah we kicked American ass  j/k


----------



## MARS

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today’s _Globe and Mail_

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081120.wcogee21/BNStory/specialComment/home

When the Jolly Roger flies over Somalia

MARCUS GEE 
From Friday's Globe and Mail
November 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM EST

At first blush, the outbreak of piracy off the coast of Somalia seems like a prime opportunity for the world's navies. Nobody likes pirates, and naval commanders have been taking them on since the days of the Barbary Coast. You could almost hear the cheers when an Indian frigate sank a pirate mother ship in a clash in the Gulf of Aden this week. As the pirates grow bolder - they have hijacked 36 ships this year, including the Saudi supertanker taken on the weekend - warships from India, Russia, NATO and the United States have converged on the region to patrol the coast. Even the European Union, keen to build its defence capacity, is getting in on the act.

Unfortunately, it is all a bit futile. Every warship from every navy in the world could not cover the 530,000 square kilometres of the Gulf of Aden. The Arabian Sea, where the supertanker was hijacked, is many times more vast. "The pirates will go somewhere we are not," says Royal Navy Commodore Keith Winstanley. "If we patrol the Gulf of Aden, then they will go to Mogadishu. If we go to Mogadishu, they will go to the Gulf of Aden." Even if warships could find and pursue the hijacked vessels, what would they do? With ships' crews as hostages, retaking them by force is out of the question.

Getting the ships to defend themselves is equally impractical. Insurance and safety policies forbid most crews from carrying weapons. Defending a supertanker such as the captured Sirius Star, three times the size of an aircraft carrier, would require a large, heavily armed force. The Sirius Star had a crew of 25, with no more than six hands on deck at any one time.

No, piracy cannot be beaten at sea. The solution lies on shore, at the source of the problem: Somalia. The destitute country of 9.5 million has been in a state of anarchy since the collapse of the regime led by Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Gangsters, warlords and jihadists infest its cities. The writ of the internationally recognized central government barely runs beyond the few blocks it controls in Mogadishu, and even there its offices are routinely shelled by its opponents. In a sense, the piracy on its coast is simply an extension of the chaos and lawlessness on land. The only sensible way to quell piracy is to do something about that chaos.

A tall order, no question. Though most Somalis share the same language, religion and ethnic makeup, they are bitterly divided along lines of clan and politics. Every attempt to bring them together through internationally mediated peace talks has eventually fallen apart. An Aug. 18 peace deal, the latest of many, has had no discernible effect on the ground.

Intervention by force has been just as ineffective. In 1993, the United States decided to begin pulling out its troops after 18 of its soldiers were killed in the streets of Mogadishu, the sad end of a mercy mission to feed starving Somalis. Another U.S.-backed intervention in 2006 saw Ethiopian troops overthrow a radical Islamist government, ending a rare and brief period of order in Somalia.

That helps explain why, despite repeated pleas from the transitional government in Mogadishu, neither the United Nations nor the United States has been willing to send in peacekeepers to stabilize the country. The only international presence in Somalia, a 3,000-strong African Union force, is pathetically under-resourced.

But the piracy crisis argues for another attempt at putting Somalia right. With the global economy in such trouble, the international community cannot afford to have pirates disrupt international trade. And Somalia's chaos does more than breed pirates. It breeds terror and extremism. At present, Islamist militias are battling what is left of the central government for control of the country. The most militant of them, the Shabab, has seized control of several towns. Designated by Washington as a terrorist group, it wants to turn Somalia into a strict Islamic state. The chaos also breeds regional instability. Somalia stands in an arc of danger that includes Congo and Sudan, site of the atrocities in Darfur. Finally, it breeds human misery. In what the UN calls the "forgotten crisis," more than three million Somalis are dependent on emergency rations for their survival.

For all these reasons, the outside world should stop treating Somalia as a hopeless basket case and renew efforts to pull it back together. A first step would be to put some muscle behind new UN sanctions, approved by the Security Council this week, to freeze the assets of warlords, arms dealers and others who contribute to the country's lawless state. A second would be to step up efforts to feed hungry Somalis, an effort that might mean helping to protect aid workers. Above all, the international community should put its shoulder behind the intermittent peace talks, led by a UN envoy, that have been going on between rival factions in Djibouti.

Unless other countries act soon, Somalia's chaos will continue to spill over its borders and its shores.


----------



## twistedcables

I SHYTE YOU NOT.  Mind you they have expressed care only for the Saudi tanker - the others they'll gladly let die.

I say we let Pirate and Fanatic engage - and then blow the crype outta BOTH with everything we have as soon as they are in range  :mg: :sniper: :rocket:  :flame: :fifty: :soldier: :gunner:


By Mohamed Sheikh Nor, The Associated Press 

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A radical Islamic group in Somalia said Friday it will fight the pirates holding a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million US worth of crude oil.

Abdelghafar Musa, a fighter with al-Shabab who claims to speak on behalf of all Islamic fighters in the Horn of Africa country, said ships belonging to Muslim countries should not be seized.

"We are really sorry to hear that the Saudi ship has been held in Somalia. We will fight them (the pirates)," Musa told AP Television News.

In the past two weeks, Somalia's increasingly brazen pirates have seized eight vessels including the Saudi supertanker, the Sirius Star. Several hundred crew are now in the hands of Somali pirates.

The pirates dock the hijacked ships near the eastern and southern Somali coast and negotiate for ransom.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said Friday that the Saudi government was not negotiating with pirates and would not do so, but that what the ship's owners did was up to them.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. When an umbrella Islamic group, which included the al-Shabab, controlled most of southern Somalia for six months in 2006, there were few reports of piracy.

The U.S., however, considers al-Shabab a terrorist organization and accuses the group of harbouring the al-Qaida-linked terrorists who allegedly blew up the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, killing more than 230 people.

Now the umbrella Islamic group is split. But in recent weeks Islamists have again seized control of most of southern Somalia with al-Shabab holding the largest territory.

Kenya's foreign minister said Friday that all countries need to work together to immediately end the increased piracy because it can disrupt world trade, adding that the pirates have earned as much as $150 million over the past year.

Most of the attacks have taken place the Gulf of Aden that links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, through which about 20,000 vessels pass each year.

"Major trading countries, India, Malaysia, China, your vessels are in danger. Our major trading partners, Germany, Britain and others, our cargo is in danger. We must act now and not tomorrow," Moses Wetangula told diplomats meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to discuss the increased threat of piracy.

He also called on ship owners not to pay ransom when their vessels are hijacked because such payments have emboldened the pirates.

Also Friday, one of the world's largest oil tanker companies warned that it may divert cargo shipments, which would boost costs up to 40 per cent.

Frontline Ltd., which ferries five to 10 tankers of crude a month through the treacherous Gulf of Aden, said it was negotiating a change of shipping routes with some of its customers, including oil giants Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP and Chevron.

Martin Jensen, Frontline's acting chief executive, said that sending tankers around South Africa instead would extend the trip by 40 per cent.

Bermuda-based Frontline plans to make a decision whether to change shipping routes within a week, Jensen said.

"It's not only our costs, but also those of the people who have a $100 million cargo on board," Jensen said. "We're not going to make a unilateral decision so we've been debating this with our customers."

A.P Moller-Maersk, the world's largest container-shipping company, on Thursday ordered some of its slower vessels to avoid the Gulf of Aden and head the long way around Africa.

The Copenhagen-based company said it was telling ships "without adequate speed," mainly tankers, to sail the long route around Africa unless they can join convoys with naval escorts in the gulf, group executive Soeren Skou said.

The company didn't say how many ships would be affected by the decision, but said it usually has eight tanker transits in the area per month.

And Norwegian shipping group Odfjell SE on Wednesday ordered its more than 90 tankers to avoid the Gulf of Aden because of the risk of attack by pirates.


----------



## CougarKing

The scum make their demands.



> *Somali pirates want $15 million for Saudi ship*
> 
> By Abdi Sheikh
> 
> MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates holding a Saudi supertanker after the largest hijacking in maritime history have reduced their ransom demand to $15 million (10 million pounds), an Islamist leader and regional maritime group both said on Monday.
> 
> The November 15 capture of the Sirius Star -- with $100 million of oil and 25 crew members from Britain, Poland, Croatia, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines -- has focussed world attention on rampant piracy off the failed Horn of Africa state.
> 
> Scores of attacks this year have brought millions of dollars of ransom payments, hiked up shipping insurance costs, sent foreign naval patrols rushing to the area, and left about a dozen boats with more than 200 hostages still in pirate hands.
> 
> The gang had originally been quoted as wanting $25 million to release the Sirius Star, which was captured far from Somali waters about 450 nautical miles southeast of Kenya.
> 
> But Islamist spokesman Abdirahim Isse Adow, whose men are in the Haradheere area where the ship is being held offshore, said the demand went down. "Middlemen have given a $15 million ransom figure for the Saudi ship. That is the issue now," he said.
> 
> Residents say pirates have taken the ship further out to about 100 km (62 miles) off the coast of central Somalia after Islamist militia poured into the town in search of the pirates.
> 
> *Adow, who represents the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), says his men are out to confront the pirates and free the Saudi Arabian Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) because it is a "Muslim" ship. But residents say other Islamist militia want a cut of any ransom payment.
> 
> FOREIGN WARSHIPS*
> 
> Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of Mombasa-based East Africa Seafarers Programme, said his sources were confirming a reduced $15 million demand. "The ship has moved into deeper waters, but it cannot go too far because of patrols," he said.
> 
> More than a dozen foreign warships are in the area, though analysts say the range Somali pirates operate in are too vast to ever properly control.
> 
> The capture of the Sirius Star has stirred up the small dusty harbour of Haradheere into a frenzy of activity, witnesses say, with armed men riding back and forth on cars all over town.
> 
> The Islamists, who have been fighting the Somali government and its Ethiopian military allies for two years, denounce piracy in public. But analysts say some factions are taking a share of spoils and using pirates to enable weapons deliveries by sea.
> 
> Senior Somali officials are also on the take from piracy, diplomats in the region say. The government denies that.
> 
> "We are against this act and we shall hunt the ship wherever it sails, and free it," Islamist spokesman Adow said.
> 
> Piracy has flourished off Somalia thanks to chaos onshore.
> 
> The nation of 9 million people has suffered perpetual civil conflict since 1991 when warlords toppled a dictator.
> 
> Neighbour Ethiopia, which has several thousand soldiers in Somalia backing up the weak, Western-backed government, said the international naval response would not solve piracy long-term.
> 
> "The rich nations dispatching warships into the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to protect their cargo from pirates may achieve initial success," Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin told state TV.
> 
> "But to believe that the growing piracy will end without tackling the 18-year-old crisis inside Somalia is futile."
> 
> The minister said Ethiopia would withdraw troops from Somalia unless leaders there could bring stability.
> 
> "There is no reason for our troops to stand guard to protect residential areas of Somali leaders who continue feuding while their country is being destroyed," he said. Seyoum said African nations contributing to a 3,000-strong African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission may also withdraw if the Ethiopians go.
> 
> AU officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
> 
> (Additional reporting by Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi; Writing by Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by David Clarke and Matthew Jones)
> 
> http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/internati...522172000&ty=ti


----------



## The Bread Guy

From Wired Magazine's blog _Danger Room_, by an author who spoke pretty intelligently at this year's OSINT conference in Washington - shared with the usual disclaimer....

*Shipping Companies: Blockade Somalia, or Attack It*
Noah Shachtman, 24 Nov 08, 10:46:21 AM EST
Blog entry link

With pirates continuing to roam the seas off of the Horn of Africa, shipping companies are talking aloud about all kinds of extreme solutions. Some are eying mercenary help. Two of the biggest firms will avoid the region altogether. The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners wants the UN to step up a naval blockade of the pirates' home bases in Somalia. A second shipping group wants ever more dramatic action -- attacks of the Somali mainland. 

The pirate-infested waters off of east Africa are huge -- more than 1.1 million square miles. So rather than trying to patrol that whole, enormous area, tanker owners' association president Peter Swift suggests "putting a blockade around Somalia and introducing the idea of intercepting vessels leaving Somalia rather than to try to protect the whole of the Gulf of Aden."

Alfons Guinier, secretary general of the European Community Shipowners Association, wants to go even farther, the Guardian notes. "We’re asking not just for more escorts but for repressive action."


> The demand comes after the International Maritime Organization asked the UN security council to sanction dispatch of as many warships and aircraft as possible to "disrupt" pirate operations, secure shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, and escort vessels, including those bringing food relief to war-torn Somalia.



(....)

_More on link_


----------



## OldSolduer

Sink the pirate ships. Survivors become shark food. 

I know this is not politically correct given the state of some of our more "progressive" thinkers, who think that a double double and a donut will make it all better.

Then some will say, well we can't because of human rights, then we are no better than them etc.....DRIVEL.

They WILL NOT stop unless sufficient numbers are sent to hell, or where ever dead pirates go....Davy Jones Locker I presume.


----------



## chanman

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Sink the pirate ships. Survivors become shark food.
> 
> I know this is not politically correct given the state of some of our more "progressive" thinkers, who think that a double double and a donut will make it all better.
> 
> Then some will say, well we can't because of human rights, then we are no better than them etc.....DRIVEL.
> 
> They WILL NOT stop unless sufficient numbers are sent to hell, or where ever dead pirates go....Davy Jones Locker I presume.



I think if they're opening fire on national warships (like the ones that the Indians blew out of the water), survival might just not be the first thing on their minds.  In fact, there are other analogous cases that come to mind.  Freakonomics notes that street corner drug dealers take a tiny cut, and the fatality rate is astronomical, and yet, there are always more willing to step into the way of their competitorss turf wars to the profit of their gang leader.

The solution is to fix Somalia or depopulate its coast (okay, in a manner speaking, that would be a method of fixing).  But expecting people to value their lives might be expecting too much.  I mean, they _are_ living in Somalia, after all.


----------



## Flanker

D3 said:
			
		

> The BIG difference is that those were privateers, not pirates.  Privateers operated in wartime and were commissioned by governments.  They were pretty much auxiliary naval forces.  Pirates were allways blood sucking scum



There is no such a BIG difference. 
Privateering is just a nice word for a government-endorsed form of piracy. 
Many "privateers" were simple and plain pirates and were still covered by the government.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Morgan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Myngs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Searle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cavendish
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Easton



> A privateer was a private warship authorized by a country's government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. Privateering is often described as a form of state-supported piracy. Strictly, a privateer was only entitled by its state to attack and rob enemy vessels during wartime. However, states often encouraged attacks on opposing powers while at peace, or on neutral vessels during time of war, blurring the line between privateering and piracy.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privateer

As for letters of marque, they proved their complete uselessness.



> Because the difference between a privateer and a pirate was a subtle (often invisible) one, in 1856 the issuance of Letters of Marque and Reprisal to private parties was banned for signatories of the Declaration of Paris.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_of_marque


----------



## Flip

If "Black Hawk Down" not led to a withdrawl of American forces, we would be looking at different situation today.

The real fight is against anarchy.


----------



## Drag

Flanker said:
			
		

> There is no such a BIG difference.
> Privateering is just a nice word for a government-endorsed form of piracy.
> Many "privateers" were simple and plain pirates and were still covered by the government.



There is a big difference, privateers operated against enemy shipping in times of war.   I consider them a sort of naval version of a militia.  They may have had chequered pasts, or turned to piracy afterwards but while they operated under Letters of Marque they fullfilled a legitimate warfighting role in their era.


----------



## GAP

Pirates move Saudi supertanker farther from coast
Updated Tue. Nov. 25 2008 1:49 PM ET The Associated Press
Article Link

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Somali pirates have taken their greatest prize -- a Saudi supertanker with US$100 million of crude oil -- farther offshore in what appears to be a rare defensive move following threats by Islamic insurgents. 

The pirates have dominated Somalia's high seas for the past year, bringing in some $30 million in ransom despite stepped up international efforts to fight them including foreign warships guarding the waters. 

But the Nov. 15 hijacking of the Sirius Star was the pirates' most audacious to date and prompted threats from Somali extremists. 

Last Friday, Islamic fighters promised to fight the pirates and free the ship because it was Muslim-owned and flagged under Saudi Arabia. Two days later, pirates moved the ship about 28 miles (45 kilometers), putting it about 30 miles (50 kilometers) off the coast of the coastal village of Harardhere. 

The fighters said they represented al-Shabab -- the Islamic group waging a deadly insurgency in Somalia -- but the group's leadership denied that Tuesday, saying the threats were not from the group's official spokesman. 

Roger Middleton, author of a recent report on piracy for London-based think-tank Chatham House, said it was unclear whether al-Shabab intended to seriously attack or if the group was just posturing. 
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Seems that pirate mother ship the Indians sank was not actually a mother ship at all...but a Thai trawler that was in the process of being taken by pirates when the Indians turned up: 


Whoops...

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/25/thai.trawler.india.navy/?iref=mpstoryview



> *Sunken 'pirate ship' was actually Thai trawler, owner says
> 
> BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Fourteen sailors are still missing from a Thai trawler that was sunk last week by the Indian navy as a suspected pirate ship, the vessel's owner said Tuesday.
> 
> One crewman was found alive after six days adrift in the Gulf of Aden, and one is confirmed dead, said Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, owner of the Ekawat Nava 5.*
> 
> Last week, India's navy reported that the frigate INS Tabar had battled a pirate "mother vessel" in the gulf November 18, leaving the ship ablaze and likely sunk. Wicharn said that vessel was his ship, which was in the process of being seized by pirates when it came under fire.
> 
> Indian authorities insisted that their ship had acted against a pirate vessel which had threatened to attack the Tabar.
> 
> "We fired in self-defense and in response to firing upon our vessel. It was a pirate vessel in the international waters and its stance was aggressive," Commodore Nirad Sinha, a navy spokesman, told CNN. He said the ship the Tabar fired upon was laden with ammunition.
> 
> Wicharn told reporters that the Ekawat Nava 5 was headed from Oman to Yemen to deliver fishing equipment when it was set upon by pirates off the Horn of Africa. The pirates were seizing control of the ship when the Tabar moved in, he said.
> 
> Wicharn said he learned the fate of his vessel from a Cambodian crew member who survived the gunfire and drifted in the ocean for six days before he was plucked to safety by a passing ship. The sailor was recovering in a hospital in Yemen, he said.
> 
> Wicharn said his ship made a distress call on November 18 as it was chased by pirates in two speedboats, but the connection was lost midway. The owners, Sirichai Fisheries, had not heard from the crew since then.
> 
> *Later that evening, the Indian navy said it encountered a suspected pirate "mother vessel," with two speedboats in tow, about 285 nautical miles (525 km) southwest of the Omani port of Salalah. "Mother vessels" are often used as mobile bases to ferry pirates and smaller attack boats into deep water.
> 
> When the Tabar's crew hailed the ship and demanded it stop for inspection, the pirates threatened to destroy the Indian ship, the ministry reported.
> 
> "Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The vessel continued its threatening calls and subsequently fired upon INS Tabar," the ministry said. The Indian frigate returned fire, setting the pirate ship ablaze and setting off explosions on board, the statement said.*
> 
> An international fleet has been patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa in an effort to crack down on pirates based in largely lawless Somalia. Map of piracy incidents in 2008 »
> 
> Pirates have attacked more than 90 vessels off East Africa so far this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center, which monitors piracy around the world, including a Saudi supertanker captured earlier this month.
> 
> The latest ship seized was a Yemeni freighter Adina taken last week with a crew of seven on board, including two Yemenis, two Panamanians and three Somalis, security sources in Yemen told CNN.
> 
> The government is in direct contact with officials in Somalia to work on rescuing the ship, for which the hijackers are asking for a $2 million ransom.
> 
> While the pirate take over of the Saudi super-tanker highlights the dangers facing cargo ships navigating the Horn of Africa, marine security experts are warning that racing boats, private charters and luxury yachts can be far easier pirate targets -- rich people usually carry cash, and jewels. Watch the risks facing racers and luxury sailors »
> 
> And competitors in the world's biggest ocean race made an unprecedented change of course this year as organizers mandated yachts steer clear of Africa's east coast.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

And this is why a navy should be sure who they are engaging. I am all for turning the pirates and their ships into shark food and part of a coral reef but be sure of the target.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Indian columnist calls spade a spade, and offers a bit of insight re:  India not being able to do more.  Shared with the usual disclaimer...

*Piracy, Somalia and India*
Raja Menon, Expressbuzz.com, 25 Nov 08
Article link


> ....As the pirate attacks increased, an allied coalition of four to five ships, designated Task Force 150, under the United States Centcom or Central Command, began to be tasked to do something.
> 
> Here begins the trouble for Indian participation.
> 
> Centcom controls the area of the Middle East and Pakistan. India comes under the area of jurisdiction of the US’ Pacific Command, PACOM. Hence India cannot, according to the US Navy rules, be invited to join Task Force 150. The Task Force had a rotating command post and a couple of years ago, the commander was a Pakistani naval officer.
> 
> Now Indians and Pakistanis working together on a joint mission for the UN is old history. It was a Pakistani Brigadier in command in the earlier Somalia operations and his staff were mostly Indian. A Pakistani Brigade and an Indian Brigade operated next to each other in Somalia and the Congo, so Pakistan is not the problem.
> 
> This force maintains a sanitised corridor in the Gulf of Aden almost 400 miles long and ships join the corridor at either end.
> 
> Ships join at either end and a warship convoys them through. So eventually when pressure from the Indian navy finally prompted the MEA to allow Indian participation, INS Tabar, a Talwar class frigate was sent to join at the Eastern end of the corridor. Coordination was arranged through diplomatic channels. The big difference in the way INS Tabar operated was that it was given clear instructions on the Rules of Engagement or ROE at it is commonly referred to by Naval Headquarters.
> 
> The commanding officer was given wide latitude to use force, at his discretion. Clearly, such explicit ROEs don’t exist for ships of TF 150.
> 
> This is a ridiculous situation, as the ROE of the NATO ships worries more about the human rights of the pirates, than about stamping out piracy. Actually there is an 1838 convention that permits any warship to interfere anywhere on the ‘High Seas’ to intercept pirates and try them — without handing them over to the country of origin.
> 
> Today’s interpretation by human rights lawyers state that pirates cannot even be handed over to their own state if that state does not respect the human rights of the pirates. This is an absurd situation. The US is not going to amend its rules regarding Centcom and Pacom.  The answer appears to lie in New Delhi, where the MEA needs to draw up its own coalition of Indian Ocean powers, under the Indian navy to stamp out the pirates, in their harbours, ruthlessly.


----------



## Drag

Why, oh why does this not suprise me???

Former Ottawa gas station operator rules home state of Somali pirates 

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/081126/canada/canada_somali_piracy




> OTTAWA (CBC) - There's a Canadian connection to the ongoing piracy drama off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> ADVERTISEMENT
> 
> Many of the pirates hijacking vessels in the region are based in an autonomous region called Puntland, beyond the control of what passes for a central government in Somalia.
> 
> 
> *The president of Puntland for the past three years has been Mohamud Muse Hersi, a former Ottawa gas station operator.*
> 
> Hersi emigrated to Canada in the 1980s, bought a gas station and raised a family, but his clan connections to Somalia remained strong. When the elders of Puntland were looking for a new president in 2005, they chose Hersi.
> 
> There are about a dozen hijacked ships anchored off the Puntland coast at the moment, waiting as the pirates and shipowners haggle over ransom money.
> 
> Hersi's critics accuse him and his ministers of taking bribes from the pirates to look the other way.
> 
> Ahmed Hussen, president of the Canadian Somali Congress, says he lacks evidence of such corruption but adds: "It would be inconceivable for all this piracy to be going on on the coast of Puntland without at least the knowledge, if not the collusion, of the Puntland government."
> 
> Hersi vigorously denies the charge. As proof, he points to two successful counterattacks against the pirates mounted by Puntland's coast guard.
> 
> Roger Middleton, an analyst at the London-based Royal Institute of International Affairs, says the two hijackings Hersi's government interfered with involved cargos of direct economic interest to the regime.
> 
> "In one case, the cement that was in the ship belonged to one of the ministers in the government, so there was clearly a reason why they wanted to get involved," he told CBC News.
> 
> If the Puntland government really wanted to stop the pirates, it would, Middleton says. But piracy has become the region's most profitable industry.* Middleton estimates the pirates will net about $50 million US this year while the Puntland government's annual budget is just $20 million US.*
> 
> Formally, Hersi is president of the Puntland State of Somalia, carved out of the collapsed country in 1998. It claims about a third of the national territory and calls itself "part of an anticipated Federal State of Somalia."
> 
> Hussen of the Canadian Somali Congress says Puntland has been sliding toward the abyss under Hersi's rule.
> 
> "I don't think it's reached the stage of anarchy yet, but it's on the verge of that," he told CBC News.
> 
> In a briefing paper on piracy published last month, Middleton made these points:
> 
> - Piracy off the Somali coast has more than doubled in 2008, with more than 60 ships attacked so far.
> 
> - Pirates are regularly demanding and getting million-dollar ransom payments and are becoming more aggressive and assertive.
> 
> - Money from ransom is helping to pay for the war in Somalia, and the high level of piracy is making aid deliveries to the drought-stricken country more difficult and costly.
> 
> - The danger and cost of piracy, including soaring insurance premiums, may force ships to avoid the Suez Canal route and sail around Africa, raising transportation costs and hence the price of oil and manufactured goods shipped to Europe and North America.
> 
> - Piracy could cause a major environmental disaster if a tanker is sunk, run aground or set afire - and the pirates' ever more powerful weaponry makes this increasingly likely.


----------



## geo

> The president of Puntland for the past three years has been Mohamud Muse Hersi, a former Ottawa gas station operator.



Once a bandit, always a bandit.......

In all seriousness though

Was reading in the paper that the Egyptian military was lukewarm about stepping into the fray & contributing to the war on piracy - when Egypt is probably one of the countries most likely to suffer if shipping companies decide to bypass the area (and the suez canal) because of it's dangers.  I woud've thought the Egyptian gov't woulda been more interested in getting a handle on this cursed problem


----------



## MARS

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from today's _Montreal Gazette_

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=ea08bfd3-c5a0-4940-ba75-35d23a981ac4

Canadian commodore foils attack
Ships must hire security guards, naval officer says
KATHERINE WILTON, The Gazette

On a dark night last September, Canadian sailors aboard HMCS Iroquois were patrolling in the Gulf of Aden when they heard a mayday call from an Italian ship that was under attack by Somali pirates.

Commodore Bob Davidson, who was commanding coalition maritime security operations in the region, had the Canadian destroyer charge toward the Italian vessel, which was about 50 kilometres away. He also dispatched a U.S. helicopter from a nearby ship to try to thwart the pirates' attempt to seize the boat.

By the time the Iroquois arrived at the scene, the pirates had disappeared into the night. Davidson said he believes the presence of the helicopter and the oncoming Canadian vessel likely persuaded the pirates to flee.

But he said smart security measures adopted by the Italian ship's owners prevented the pirates from successfully boarding the vessel.

"They had fire hoses dumping water over the side of the ship to prevent the pirates from boarding," said Davidson, who returned to Canada last month after spending several months in the region engaging in counterterrorism and anti-piracy activities.

"They also rigged extra upper deck lighting around the ship. They spotted the pirates as soon as they arrived and called for help. It was a textbook response on their part to protect themselves."

Somali pirates have made headlines around the world this month after capturing a Saudi Arabian oil tanker with $100 million worth of oil and 25 crew members aboard, one of the largest hijackings in maritime history. Since the start of the year, they have carried out dozens of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Davidson, 49, said shipping companies cannot rely on navy ships to protect their vessels over the long term and need to hire private security guards to safeguard their ships as they travel through the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia.

"If they had just a couple of security guards on their ships, they would probably prevent attacks," Davidson said yesterday.

He said some ship owners have been reluctant to hire private security because they fear gun fights between armed guards and pirates could result in crew members being shot or vessels being damaged.

For several months this year, four Canadian warships patrolled the region, escorting vessels delivering food to Somalia and thwarting piracy attacks.

Although the navy ships try to provide safe shipping lanes for the vessels, the area is too large to protect all of them. "If you aren't within 30 minutes of a vessel when an attack starts, you might not be able to stop it," Davidson said.

The navy ships in the area also engaged in counterterrorism work, trying to prevent the high seas from being used to ship weapons or drugs that finance terrorist operations. While commanding coalition maritime security operations as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, Davidson was responsible for covering an ocean area about half the size of Canada.

Davidson said the piracy problem began to surface about 10 years ago when angry Somali fishermen began seizing boats that they said were overfishing in Somali waters. "They claim they went out to seize vessels to collect fines," Davidson said during an interview yesterday at National Defence offices in Montreal.

Whatever their motives, it did not take the pirates long to realize there was big money to be made by seizing commercial vessels, something they have been able to accomplish using small boats with outboard motors, ladders, AK47s and rocket-propelled grenades.

Often, the brazen pirates pull up beside a ship, hook a ladder onto the vessel and climb aboard. In other cases, they have fired weapons at the ship's bridge to try to frighten the captain, Davidson said.

Large vessels used to avoid pirates by staying far from the Somali coast. But pirates are now using mother ships to launch smaller boats in the shipping lanes far off the coast. In most cases, the pirates force the captain to sail back to their village and the crew is held hostage until a ransom is paid, usually by the vessel's insurance company.

Davidson said the pirates are using their millions to build fancy villas and buy luxury cars.

"It is hard to deal with the pirates because Somalia is a failed state," he said. "No one wants to put soldiers in there and they have gained in sophistication so they can get on just about any vessel with their boats and ladders."


----------



## CougarKing

_Indian navy photo showing alleged pirate "mother ship" exploding off the coast of Somalia_

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7749486.stm

Oopss...


----------



## OldSolduer

Yeeeeeehaaaaaa!!!


----------



## ettibebs

Good ridance but how many more are out there...

My question would be where do they hide those mothership so that our navys out there have such a hard time finding them?


----------



## CougarKing

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> Yeeeeeehaaaaaa!!!



Did you even read the previous posts? It's good the pirates were killed, but remember that the "mother ship" was really a Thai trawler that was in the process of being taken by the pirates when the Indians showed up. It is unfortunate that the Thai-Cambodian crew of the trawler were also mostly killed when the Indians opened fire on the captured trawler, save for one Cambodian crewman who was picked up about six days later by another ship IIRC.


----------



## OldSolduer

I've read that post . I read that in the newspaper as well.

Lighten up.


----------



## GAP

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> I've read that post . I read that in the newspaper as well.
> 
> Lighten up.



;D


----------



## TheHead

I jumped to the end of this thread without reading that someone already had explained it wasn't a pirate mother ship.

Edited.


----------



## FastEddy

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Did you even read the previous posts? It's good the pirates were killed, but remember that the "mother ship" was really a Thai trawler that was in the process of being taken by the pirates when the Indians showed up. It is unfortunate that the Thai-Cambodian crew of the trawler were also mostly killed when the Indians opened fire on the captured trawler, save for one Cambodian crewman who was picked up about six days later by another ship IIRC.




Yeah ! loosen up, so haven't you heard of collateral damage and in our business friendly fire unfortunately its a gimme but it happens.


----------



## TheHead

FastEddy said:
			
		

> Yeah ! loosen up, so haven't you heard of collateral damage and in our business friendly fire unfortunately its a gimme but it happens.



You're being sarcastic right?


----------



## FastEddy

TheHead said:
			
		

> You're being sarcastic right?




Of course not, its a fact of life and part of the risks and dangers our Service Personnel face each and every day.


----------



## TheHead

FastEddy said:
			
		

> Of course not, its a fact of life and part of the risks and dangers our Service Personnel face each and every day.



      Collateral damage involving civilians is nothing to be cheering about.  Part of my job over in Afghanistan was pumping 25mm rounds into houses with Taliban in it. I've also had Fast Air drop bombs on them right in front of me. It was amazing to look at and very exciting but if I had EVER known a civilian one was in there I would NEVER cheer for about that.   

      Also obviously I wasn't there so I can't judge the Indian army on it, maybe it was necessary to sink the ship I gotta stay in my lanes right?


----------



## George Wallace

TheHead said:
			
		

> Also obviously I wasn't there so I can't judge the Indian army on it, maybe it was necessary to sink the ship I gotta stay in my lanes right?



Neither was the Indian "army".    ;D


----------



## TheHead

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Neither was the Indian "army".    ;D



Damn foiled! I was just about to fix that in hopes of someone not quoting me. Thanks George


----------



## George Wallace

TheHead said:
			
		

> Damn foiled! I was just about to fix that in hopes of someone not quoting me. Thanks George



I know.  You are just too Army centric.


----------



## FastEddy

TheHead said:
			
		

> Collateral damage involving civilians is nothing to be cheering about.
> 
> Also obviously I wasn't there so I can't judge the Indian army on it, maybe it was necessary to sink the ship I gotta stay in my lanes right?




I don.t think or got the impression that "OldSoldier" was cheering about the Thia Civilians who got caught in the cross fire.

And by the way, maybe I'm wrong, but wasn't it the Indian Navy, lets be fair and give credit where credit is due.


----------



## TheHead

FastEddy said:
			
		

> I don.t think or got the impression that "OldSoldier" was cheering about the Thia Civilians who got caught in the cross fire.
> 
> And by the way, maybe I'm wrong, but wasn't it the Indian Navy, lets be fair and give credit where credit is due.



I did not say that at all and neither did he. OldsSoldier would NEVER say that.   

Also it was the Indian Army Navy



> The Indian navy has defended its action in sinking a ship near Somalia that maritime officials have confirmed was a hijacked Thai fishing boat.


----------



## GAP

Hindsight is 20/20.....at the time, receiving fire, the ship meeting the description of the Mother ship, I would suggest most Navies would have responded the same...


----------



## George Wallace

GAP said:
			
		

> Hindsight is 20/20.....at the time, receiving fire, the ship meeting the description of the Mother ship, I would suggest most Navies would have responded the same...



Most Navies are like Combat Arms Soldiers.  They do extensive AFV Recognition of Naval Craft and Aircraft.  I am sure that the ship was "Identified".


----------



## OldSolduer

Have you never cheered when you see a huge explosion? When did we become so PC that we cannot express excitement?
As for Thai fishermen who may have been aboard that vessel, their loss is tragic, HOWEVER who is to blame for their deaths? I say the pirates who took that ship are to blame, NOT the Indian Navy.


----------



## GAP

Somali pirates hijack ship, British guards escape
 KATHARINE HOURELD Associated Press November 28, 2008 at 5:48 AM EST
Article Link

NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates hijacked a chemical tanker with dozens of Indian crew members on board Friday, and three British security guards were rescued by helicopter after jumping into the sea, officials said.

A warship on patrol nearby had sent helicopters to intervene in the attack, but they arrived after pirates had taken control of the Liberian-flagged ship, diplomatic officials said on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak with media.

Still on board were 25 Indian and two Bangladeshi crew members, after the British security guards escaped by jumping into the water, the diplomats said.

It was the 97th vessel to be attacked this year off Somalia, where an Islamic insurgency and lack of effective government have helped facilitate an increase in pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.
More on link


----------



## PanaEng

> three British security guards were rescued by helicopter after jumping into the sea, officials said.



Were this guys not armed properly or did they got caught a-sleep?

Maybe the ships watch did not notice the fast boats approach and by the time they saw them, there were too many pirates on-board already?

obviously, I don't know a thing about a ship's protection, etc.

cheers,
Frank


----------



## FastEddy

PanaEng said:
			
		

> Were this guys not armed properly or did they got caught a-sleep?
> 
> Maybe the ships watch did not notice the fast boats approach and by the time they saw them, there were too many pirates on-board already?
> 
> obviously, I don't know a thing about a ship's protection, etc.
> 
> Apparantly from sourcescheers,
> Frank




Good point "Frank", sounds like they weren't doing their job to the best of their abilities. It should have read:

Apparently from sources, of the three Security Guards on board a Tanker one Guard was Killed and One Wounded while fighting off over whelming odds of Pirates boarding their ship. The remaining Guard along with the 25 Crewmen were taken prisoner. The bodies of eight dead Pirates were found floating at the location of the incident.

I'd sure like to be privy to their statements. I wonder if they will put that on their Resumes. (how I saved my own A.s).

Cheers.


----------



## FastEddy

TheHead said:
			
		

> I did not say that at all and neither did he. OldsSoldier would NEVER say that.
> 
> Also it was the Indian Army Navy




I never said you did, try following the bouncing ball.


----------



## OldSolduer

How would one go about protecting a merchant vessel? 
One would think that the bridge would be locked and the entrance guarded. Maybe the bridge pers would be armed?
Any areas that are suscetible to being boarded would be secured.



Speculation here...


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Ideally you would want to protect the bridge and the engineering spaces.


----------



## Blackadder1916

British and Irish anti-piracy experts rescued - after pirates attack
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5253731.ece


> Martin Fletcher from Times Online November 28, 2008
> 
> Two British and one Irish security guard have been plucked from the sea by a military helicopter after jumping from a chemical tanker seized by pirates off Somalia.
> 
> Their decision to abandon the two dozen crew members still on board attracted some criticism, but their British employer insisted that the three former soldiers were heroes who had resisted a sustained attack by heavily-armed pirates with great courage and would have been killed if they had stayed any longer.
> 
> “They were unarmed. They had no other option...As far as I’m concerned they deserve a medal,” said Nick Davis, a former British army pilot who runs Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions (APMSS) out of Poole, Dorset.
> 
> The attack happened early this morning as the Liberian-flagged tanker, the Biscaglia, was sailing through the Gulf of Aden from India to Rotterdam.
> 
> The Nivose would have taken two hours to reach the scene so it dispatched a helicopter, but by the time it arrived the six pirates had already seized the Biscaglia.
> 
> “There were three members of the crew on the roof (of the ship),” said Frederic Karakaya, the helicopter pilot. “They were hiding and signalled to us. They were spotted, and jumped into the water.
> 
> “We pretended we hadn’t seen them so we didn’t alert the pirates to their position. We dropped a coloured marker, then gave their position to a German Lynx (helicopter) which winched them aboard.”
> 
> The three guards, still wearing baseball caps and lifejackets, were deposited on the Nivose and later transferred to another French naval vessel, the Jean de Vienne. They were uninjured but have not yet been named.
> 
> At least 27 other crew members - 25 Indians and two Bangladeshis - were being held hostage on board the Biscaglia, which was reportedly heading for the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland.
> 
> One western aid official closely involved with Somalia told The Times that after all the calls for commercial vessels to hire security guards it was “somewhat ironic that they jump overboard to save themselves”.
> 
> But Mr Davis staunchly defended his team. He said they had been attacked by six pirates in a high-speed skiff armed with AK47s and rocket-propelled grenades.
> 
> He claimed the three guards - two former marines and an ex-paratrooper - held them off for about 40 minutes, long enough for the crew to send out a distress call and seek safety below deck.
> 
> They fired water cannon at the pirates, and zig-zagged. They also used a long range accoustic device (LRAD) which fires laser-like beams of excruciatingly-painful sound at attackers. They beat off three or four attacks but the pirates then began firing RPGs at the LRAD’s operator.
> 
> Mr Davis said the pirates continued to shoot at the security guards after boarding, and that the three men had no choice but to abandon ship. The pirates then fired on them while they were in the water, and tried to run them down in the hijacked vessel.
> 
> “They did what they felt they had to do to save their lives and the lives of the crew,” said Mr Davis, 37.
> 
> The Biscaglia is the 97th vessel this year to be attacked in the waters off Somalia, where Islamist insurgents are battling a weak, western-backed government and all semblance of law and order has broken down. At least 15 ships, and more than 300 crew members, are being held for ransom.
> 
> APMSS provides three-man teams of former soldiers to protect commercial vessels, and in recent weeks the demand for its services has soared. It presently has teams on ten ships off Somalia - each costing £14,000 for three days - and only last week Mr Davis boasted that “there has never been a successful boarding with a security force on board a vessel.
> 
> As the Biscaglia was seized, Somali pirates released a Greek-owned cargo ship, the Centauri, that they captured on Setpember 18. The crew of 25 Filipinos was unharmed. It was unclear whether the owners paid a ransom.
> 
> The ships still being held include the Sirius Star, a giant tanker carrying two million barrels of oil which was seized on November 15. Its captors have warned of “disastrous consequences” if its Saudi owners do not pay a $25 million ransom by tomorrow.



And from Anti Piracy Maritime Security Solutions (Non-Lethal) website


> *APMSS team are all ex royal marines that have focused on maritime security as their profession. All of our teams are STCW trained and all are SSO trained.* We only employ ex serviceman capable of operating in the civil maritime sector who can make the full ships complement at every level feel safe without putting the fear of god into them at heightened security times.



While there may be some question about the sensibility of placing "unarmed" security guards on vessels, it should be noted that having items that pose a fire hazard (such as guns, ammo and things that go boom) are counterindicated (and usually prohibited) on major commercial vessels (like tankers) that carry flammable cargo.  Should a tanker carrying an "armed" security team go up in flames during a gun battle with pirates, it would be almost assured that the insurers of the vessel or cargo would attempt to claim that they contributed to the loss.


----------



## FastEddy

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> British and Irish anti-piracy experts rescued - after pirates attack
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5253731.ece
> And from Anti Piracy Maritime Security Solutions (Non-Lethal) website
> While there may be some question about the sensibility of placing "unarmed" security guards on vessels, it should be noted that having items that pose a fire hazard (such as guns, ammo and things that go boom) are counterindicated (and usually prohibited) on major commercial vessels (like tankers) that carry flammable cargo.  Should a tanker carrying an "armed" security team go up in flames during a gun battle with pirates, it would be almost assured that the insurers of the vessel or cargo would attempt to claim that they contributed to the loss.




I've read some pretty stupid and senseless things, but this Mr. Davis and the reason for not arming the Security Personnel takes the cake.

Hey Guys, we're having a rash of Armed Bank Hold Ups, Lets stop it by putting Unarmed Bank Guards in all our Banks, Yeah ! and while we're at it we'll paint Big Red Target Signs on their Backs. That should do the trick and we'll charge 14,000 pounds. Jesus gimme a Break.

An attacked vessel is a write off if seized anyway and its going to cost a great deal of money what ever avenue they take. No wonder  the Pirates are so Brazen with Idiots running the show.

So a oil tanker goes up (the scenario of the fire hazard is highly exaggerated by the way) and the big concern is the Bloody Insurance Companies.

And any Ex what ever, who signs on with a Fire Hose and a Big Stick as a Security Guard aboard prime targets, is a Bloody Fool or Drunk or a Hasbin or all three.


----------



## CougarKing

I'll have to agree with Fast Eddy and OldSolduer about their stance against using non-lethal measures against these pirates. They just don't work! This non-lethal BS just doesn't cut it.

And why only just 3 security guards? So shipping companies are just not willing enough to pay for a full section/squad?


----------



## PanaEng

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> Should a tanker carrying an "armed" security team go up in flames during a gun battle with pirates, it would be almost assured that the insurers of the vessel or cargo would attempt to claim that they contributed to the loss.



I can see that fear; plus paying a couple of $M in ransom instead of full insured cost of the shipment may make economic sense - but in the long run?
The insurance companies won't assimilate the cost, they just pass it along by raising premiums.


----------



## Blackadder1916

Pirates attack cruise ship carrying Britons


> Carolyn Spencer Brown from Times Online  December 1, 2008
> 
> Pirates fired shots on Sunday at a cruise ship carrying British, American, Australian and Canadian passengers as it sailed through the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to seize.
> 
> One of the attack boats fired eight shots at Oceania Cruises' Nautica and got within 300 yards before the ship's captain was able to pull away to safety.
> 
> "As the vessel sailed past several groups of non-hostile fishing vessels, two small skiffs were sighted by the Officer on Duty and deemed potentially hostile," Oceania reported in a statement.
> 
> There were no injuries caused during the incident, which occurred when most guests were at breakfast. Many were completely unaware that the situation had occurred.
> 
> As pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia involving cargo ships have become more frequent than ever, cruise ships, too, are seeing increased risk in the region.
> 
> Oceania's Nautica, which carries up to 684 passengers, is the second cruise ship this year to have been confronted.
> 
> In April, pirates seized Le Ponant, a three-masted luxury vessel. That ship was carrying 30 crew members - though no passengers - and after an eight-day standoff those onboard were rescued. The ship was ultimately rescued and the pirates captured.
> 
> Seabourn Spirit, another luxury vessel, also ran into trouble in the area. In December 2005, pirates with missile launchers got close enough to fire on the ship. In this case, a few crew members were injured.
> 
> The ship was travelling "within the prescribed Maritime Safety Protection Area which is patrolled by international anti-piracy task forces," but many other vessels, from lines such as the Dutch-registered Holland America and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd, travel through this region with protection from their national navies and/or in convoys.
> 
> Oceania Nautica, transiting between the Mediterranean and Asia, is continuing to cruise and is on schedule.
> 
> Carolyn Spencer Brown is editor of www.cruisecritic.co.uk



I've viewed several articles about this story (from different media outlets/news agencies) and most are very similar in detail to the above with the exception of the following.  These actions may have been taken after the event was basically over and perhaps may be an attempt to portray one's navy in a positive light and show that the deployment is actually doing something.


Int'l force stops pirates hijacking cruise ship: Danish navy
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/world/12/01/08/intl-force-stops-pirates-hijacking-cruise-ship-danish-navy


> Agence France-Presse  12/01/2008 9:30 PM
> 
> COPENHAGEN - International coalition warships stopped Somali pirates from hijacking a luxury cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden at the weekend, the Danish navy said Monday.
> 
> A Danish navy spokesman refused to name the vessel involved but a Danish media report said the cruise ship Nautica, carrying 400 passengers and 200 crew was the target of the latest attack by Somali pirates.
> 
> "The (Danish) navy's tactical command on Sunday led a military operation, dispatching a vessel from the coalition to the aid of a civilian ship threatened by pirates, thereby preventing an act of piracy," Danish navy spokesman Jesper Lynge told AFP.
> 
> Lynge said it was up to the countries involved to give details of the cruise ship involved.
> 
> According to Danish TV2 News, six to eight armed pirates on two speed boats were observed speeding toward the Nautica, a cruiseliner that had departed from Florida and was carrying 400 passengers and 200 crew.
> 
> A French navy warship, alerted by the Danish Navy, scrambled a helicopter to the scene, which sent the pirates fleeing, TV2 News said.
> 
> On September 15, Denmark took command of the multinational naval force Task Force 150, aimed at combatting acts of piracy and weapons smuggling in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.
> 
> The Danish navy has deployed a warship, the Absalon, in the region. Its mission was to end on January 12, but has been extended until April 1, Danish Defence Minister Soeren Gade announced last week.
> 
> Despite the presence of foreign navies in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, hijackers have defied them and seized ships including a Saudi super-tanker and a Ukrainian vessel carrying tanks other other weapons.
> 
> Hundreds of sailors captured in numerous piracy attacks are held hostage on the Somali coast.
> 
> as of 12/01/2008 9:30 PM


----------



## old medic

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somali-pirates-agree-on-ransom-for-tanks-ship-1042739.html

Somali pirates agree on ransom for tanks ship

By Steve Gutterman in Moscow
Monday, 1 December 2008 



> Somali pirates have agreed on a ransom for a Ukrainian freighter carrying tanks and other heavy weapons and it could be released within days, said Mikhail Voitenko, a spokesman for the owner, Vadim Alperin. The MV Faina could be freed, with its 20-man crew, if agreement is reached on how to get the ransom money to the pirates, who seized the ship off the coast of Somalia in late September, said Mr Voitenko, editor of Maritime Bulletin-Sovfrakht, a shipping news website.
> 
> Pirate attacks off Somalia have surged more than 75 per cent this year, and the seizure of the Faina raised particular concern because of its cargo of 33 tanks and other weapons and ammunition. Its Russian captain died days after the hijacking. Russia sent a missile destroyer to the region to protect other cargo vessels, and the Faina has been watched by US and other warships to prevent removal of its cargo, which authorities fear could get into the hands of Somali factions or be sold.
> 
> Mr Voitenko would not give the amount of the agreed ransom, but suggested it was far lower than the pirates' initial $20m (£13m) demand. He said the average ransom for hijacked ships was $1.5m to $1.8m and that the latest public demand he was aware of for the Faina was $3m.
> 
> A successful release of the ship, cargo and crew would signal to pirates that they cannot expect to sell or receive higher ransoms for valuable cargoes, Mr Voitenko said. Somali pirates seized the Sirius Star, a Saudi tanker carrying $100m worth of crude oil, on 15 November.
> 
> Piracy is considered the biggest moneymaker in Somalia, which has had no stable government for decades. A report by the London-based think-tank Chatham House said pirates raked in up to $30m in ransoms this year alone.
> 
> The US 5th Fleet said it has repelled about two dozen pirate attacks since 22 August in the Gulf.


----------



## FastEddy

old medic said:
			
		

> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/somali-pirates-agree-on-ransom-for-tanks-ship-1042739.html
> 
> Somali pirates agree on ransom for tanks ship
> 
> By Steve Gutterman in Moscow
> Monday, 1 December 2008




Delivary of ransom, no problem, just pack in the Head of a Low Yield Nuke, they'll soon loose public support and their Bravado,

And the Idiots who let The M.V. Faina sail without a Heavy Naval escort though those waters ought to be put in Jail.

Of course Mr Davis could have put three of his Ex British Marines with their Broom Handles, that would have done the job !.


----------



## Blackadder1916

NATO Shipping Centre 
http://www.shipping.nato.int

SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE  21 November 2008
as at 252314Z NOV 2008
UNCLAS

Following a short lull in piracy incidents, possibly due to adverse weather conditions, there has been a very recent surge of incidents. 
Two vessels have been released, MV GREAT CREATION and MV GENIUS.
15 vessels remain hijacked comprising 12 merchant ships 2 fishing vessels and tug boat Yenegoa Ocean.
The slide displays last known position of hijacked vessels.
The total number of commercial vessels (including one tug) hijacked in Somali waters now stands at 14; over 200 merchant seamen are held by pirates. The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such. 

In short, the trends in latest piracy incidents are as follows: 
 Targeting larger cargo / oil / gas / chemical tankers 
 Approaches / attacks conducted from 2-3 small speedboats with 3-5 armed persons each. The number of boats involved in each incident seems to be increasing. 


NATO Shipping Centre

SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 26 November 2008
as at 271754Z NOV 2008  
UNCLAS

There appears to be a lull in piracy activity: no new hijackings have been reported/can be confirmed since MV DELIGHT 18 Nov. Recent press reporting of Yemeni vessel hijacked cannot be confirmed by independent sources and is being investigated. Most recent confirmed incidents were 2 approaches and one attack, all of which occurred in the Gulf of Aden during 23-24 Nov (As shown on slide) On 18 Nov Thai FV EKWATANAVA 5 was engaged and sunk by Indian Naval vessel TABAR. At the time of the engagement EKWATANAVA5 was under the control of pirates who probably intended to use her as a mother ship. 14 vessels remain hijacked comprising 12 merchant ships 1 fishing vessel and tug boat Yenegoa Ocean. 
The current slide displays last known position of hijacked vessels.

The total number of commercial vessels (including one tug) hijacked in Somali waters now stands at 14; over 200 merchant seamen are held by pirates. The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such. 

In short, the trends in latest piracy incidents are as follows: 

Targeting larger cargo / oil / gas / chemical tankers 
Approaches / attacks conducted from 2-3 small speedboats with 3-5 armed persons each. The number of boats involved in each incident seems to be increasing.


----------



## gillbates

Is it possible for Somali pirates to expand their operations into the Persian Gulf? Is it possible for them to threaten the following cruise route?

http://www.costacruisesasia.com/B2C/PAO/Shopping/Month/CruiseDetail.htm?&Period=200812&DepPort=DXB&VIti=VI_7_DXB_S_F0B0H0_DXB_MCT_FUJ_AUH_BAH_DXB


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Its a very confined waterway with numerous Navy's operating there. It is possible however unlikely, it would be suicidal.


----------



## gillbates

Thanks, Ex-Dragoon. I'm asking because members of my family will be taking that cruise.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

For piece of mind you may want to suggest to them to get in touch with the company they are doing the cruise with and asking them what security measures they have in place to prevent or deter a pirate attack.


----------



## MARS

Reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the Copyright Act from _The Associated Press_

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD94QQC580

US cruise ship outruns Somali pirates' guns
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY 


NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The luxury American cruise ship steaming across the Gulf of Aden with hundreds of well-heeled tourists just might have been too much for Somali pirates to resist.

But the six bandits, riding in two skiffs and firing rifle shots at the gleaming ship, were outrun in minutes when the captain of M/S Nautica gunned the engine and sped away, a spokesman for the company said Tuesday.

Still, the implications had the pirates hijacked the ship added a new dimension to the piracy scourge, as NATO foreign ministers groped for solutions at a meeting in Brussels and the United Nations extended an international piracy-fighting mandate for another year.

The potential for massive ransom payments from the families of hundreds of rich tourists may encourage similar attempts, especially following the successful capture of a Ukrainian cargo ship laden with tanks and a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million in crude.

And the brazen attack also raises questions: What was a cruise ship doing in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden? How many such targets are sailing these seas, and how can they be protected?

Even the pirates' motives were in question: they could simply have been testing the defenses of the massive ship, rather than making a real effort to hijack it.

Sunday's attack on the M/S Nautica, which was reported Tuesday, comes several weeks after a NATO mission served mainly to underscore the impotence of the world community. A handful of Western ships can do little to prevent attacks in a vast sea, and without the right to board hijacked vessels, they can only watch as the booty is towed to port.

"It is very fortunate that the liner managed to escape," said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia, urging all ships to remain vigilant.

Some of the world's leading cruise companies said Tuesday they are considering changing their itineraries to avoid going near the coast of Somalia following news of the weekend attack.

Cunard's public relations manager Eric Flounders said the company has two liners, the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, scheduled to go through the Gulf of Aden in March but added the company "will obviously consider changing the itinerary" should the situation not improve.

Spokeswoman Michele Andjel said P&O Cruises is considering whether to reroute the Arcadia, which is due around the Gulf of Aden in January.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a Bahrain-based spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said 21,000 ships cross the Gulf of Aden every year, but he did not know how many cruise liners are included in that figure. The gulf links the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

"We are not advising ships to go a different way, but we do advise to go through the international corridor within the Gulf of Aden," Christensen said, referring to a security corridor patrolled by the international coalition.

Pirates have attacked about 100 ships off the Somali coast this year and hijacked 40 vessels. They still hold 14 ships along with more than 250 crew members, according to maritime officials.

NATO said an Italian destroyer prevented five cargo ships from being hijacked Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden by blocking the small pirate boats from the ships and using a helicopter to disperse them.

The Nautica is not the first pleasure boat to be attacked.

The luxury yacht Le Ponant was attacked earlier this year, and pirates opened fire in 2005 on the Seabourn Spirit off the Somali coast. The cruise ship evaded capture by using its speed and a long-range acoustic device that blasted a painful wave of sound at the pirates.

The Nautica also escaped by speeding up as two small pirate skiffs tried to close in, said Tim Rubacky, a spokesman for Oceania Cruises, Inc., which owns the Nautica. He said one skiff made it within 300 yards (275 meters) of the cruise ship and fired eight rifle shots at the vessel before trailing off.

"When the pirates were sighted, the captain went on the public address system and asked passengers to remain in the interior spaces of the ship and wait until he gave further instructions," Rubacky said. "Within five minutes, it was over."

He said the ship still plans to return through the Gulf of Aden.

"We believe this was an isolated incident," he said. "M/S Nautica is well-equipped to deal with these situations and the crew is well-trained."

However, Rubacky would not comment on the crew's training or whether the ship had weapons or other devices to help fight off a hijacking.

The Nautica was on a 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore, with stops at ports in Italy, Egypt, Oman, Dubai, India, Malaysia and Thailand, according to Oceania's Web site. Choong said the ship was carrying 656 passengers and 399 crew members.

The liner arrived in the southern Oman port of Salalah on Monday morning, and passengers toured the city before leaving for the capital, Muscat, that evening, an Oman tourism official said.

In New York on Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council extended for another year its authorization for countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters, with advance notice, and use "all necessary means" to stop piracy and armed robbery at sea.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to address the Security Council on the subject of piracy at a followup session Dec. 16.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, and pirates have taken advantage of the country's lawlessness to launch attacks on foreign shipping from the Somali coast.

In two of the most daring attacks, pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter loaded with 33 battle tanks and other heavy weapons in September and captured the Saudi oil tanker on Nov. 15.

On Tuesday, a Somali pirate spokesman said his group will release the Ukrainian ship and crew within the next two days after a ransom is paid.

Sugule Ali told The Associated Press by satellite phone on Tuesday that a ransom agreement had been reached, but would not say how much. The pirates had originally asked for $20 million when they hijacked the MV Faina.

"Once we receive this payment, we will also make sure that all our colleagues on ship reach land safely, then the release will take place," Ali said. 

_Associated Press writers Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya, Pan Pylas in London, Carley Petesch in New York, John Heilprin at the United Nations, Barbara Surk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Saeed al-Nahdy in Muscat, Oman, contributed to this report._


----------



## OldSolduer

If the attempted hijacking/capture of a cruise ship doesn't send a message to the powers that be, they need their tail ends kicked. All the chatter about pirates "rights" and "non-lethal" means to deter these potentially murderous criminals has to go on the shelf. In the short term, any one attempting to pull this stunt off should end up as shark food. :skull:
In the long term, the rogue states who invite this type of criminal must be dealt with as well. Only then can we talk about "rights" and "non-lethal" means.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Pirates free Yemeni cargo ship, no ransom paid*
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL3060450.html


> Wed 3 Dec 2008, 12:50 GMT
> 
> By Abdiqani Hassan
> 
> GAROWE, Somalia, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Somali pirates have freed a Yemeni cargo ship they seized last week after successful talks between regional authorities, clan elders and the gunmen, a local official said on Wednesday.
> 
> A surge in attacks at sea this year in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean off Somalia has pushed up insurance costs, brought the gangs tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, and prompted foreign warships to rush to the area.
> 
> "The Yemeni ship was released last night after long discussions," Ali Abdi Aware, state minister of Somalia's northern Puntland province, told Reuters. "It left Eyl and is heading to Yemen. The crew are safe and no ransom was paid."
> 
> The MV Amani, owned by Yemeni shipping firm Abu Talal, has seven sailors on board. It was seized on Nov. 25 as it carried 507 tonnes of steel from Yemen's Mukalla port to Socotra Island.
> 
> Eyl is a remote former fishing village on the Puntland coast that has become a well-defended base for the pirates.
> 
> There have been nearly 100 attacks in Somali waters this year, despite the presence of several foreign warships. The sea gangs are holding about a dozen ships and nearly 300 crew.
> 
> Amomg the captured vessels are a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million of crude oil, the Sirius Star, and a Ukrainian cargo ship carrying some 30 Soviet-era tanks, the MV Faina.
> 
> On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council renewed its authorisation for countries to use military force against the gunmen operating off the anarchic Horn of Africa nation.
> 
> FIGHTING ONSHORE
> 
> The resolution extended for one year the right of nations with permission from Somalia's interim government to enter Somali waters to pursue and attack pirates. The U.S.-drafted text was adopted unanimously by the 15-nation council.
> 
> France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Maurice Ripert, said the move sent a very strong signal and would allow the European Union to begin an air and naval operation off Somalia on Dec. 8.
> 
> That mission is expected to involve five to six ships at any given time, plus maritime surveillance aircraft.
> 
> Egypt is willing to take part in a U.N. force to tackle piracy "at any time", a cabinet spokesman said.
> 
> A Greek ship freed by the pirates last week arrived in Mombasa, Kenya, on Wednesday. The MV Centauri was carrying salt and was hijacked in September. It was released on Nov. 28.
> 
> All its 26 Filipino crew members were safe but shaken.
> 
> "Although they provided us food, the sound of the cocking guns and sight of them being pointed at us was a horrifying experience," said junior officer Joland Besana. "Those were torturous and painful days that we'll not forget very soon."
> 
> The number of attacks at sea has increased this year as chaos has mounted onshore. Islamist rebels have been fighting the deeply divided interim government since the start of last year and have been advancing on the capital Mogadishu.
> 
> But the Islamists are also split. At least three people were killed on Tuesday in the central town of Gurael as a moderate faction battled hardliners from al Shabaab, which Washington has listed as a terrorist group with links to al Qaeda.
> 
> Residents said the battle started after al Shabaab fighters arrested a Koranic teacher aligned with the moderate faction.
> 
> "We are known to be Islamic scholars, but al Shabaab is forcing us to shoulder our guns," Sheikh Hussein Aden, a member of the moderate group, told Reuters by phone from Gurael.
> 
> "We are warning these pseudo-Muslims of al Shabaab to stop what they are doing or it will be a nationwide war."
> 
> (Additional reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu, Celestine Achieng in Mombasa and Wangui Kanina in Nairobi; Writing by Daniel Wallis)


----------



## CougarKing

_Pirates are seen on a speed boat near the enclave of Eyl, Somalia in a framegrab from footage taken November 24, 2008.
(Reuters TV/Reuters)_





_Pirates on speedboat approach one of their mother boats docked near Eyl, Somalia in this framegrab made from November 24, 2008 TV footage.
(Reuters TV/Reuters)_






_Pirates on speedboat approach one of their mother boats docked near Eyl, Somalia in this framegrab made from a November 24, 2008 TV footage.
REUTERS/Reuters TV/Files_






_The MV Centauri, a Greek vessel, sails at the Kenyan port of Mombasa, December 3, 2008. MV Centauri which was freed by Somali pirates last week arrived in Mombasa on Wednesday carrying salt. It was hijacked in September but was released on November 28. There have been nearly 100 attacks in Somali waters this year, despite the presence of several foreign warships. The sea gangs are holding about a dozen ships and nearly 300 crew.
REUTERS/Joseph Okanga (KENYA)_






_Joland Besana, one of 26 crew members, sails aboard a Greek vessel MV Centauri at the Kenyan port of Mombasa, December 3, 2008. MV Centauri which was freed by Somali pirates last week arrived in Mombasa on Wednesday carrying salt.
(Joseph Okanga/Reuters)_






_Unidentified crew members rest as they sail aboard Greek vessel MV Centauri at the Kenyan port of Mombasa, December 3, 2008. MV Centauri which was freed by Somali pirates last week arrived in Mombasa on Wednesday carrying salt. It was hijacked in September but was released on November 28. (Joseph Okanga/Reuters)_


----------



## CougarKing

_French marine commandos carry out an anti-piracy drill. Somali pirates have freed a Yemeni cargo ship captured 10 days ago, a minister in the country's breakaway Puntland region said Wednesday. (AFP/File/Gerard Julien)_






_A photo released by French Navy shows a German military helicopter fishing out three crewmen of "the Biscaglia", a Liberia-flagged oil and chemical tanker, after they jumped overboard to escape Somali pirates who hijacked the boat, on November 28, 2008, in the Gulf of Aden. (AFP/Marine Nationale/File/Sm. Sabat)_






_Three crew of a Liberia-flagged oil and chemical tanker who jumped overboard to escape Somali pirates, board a helicopter after being rescued in the Gulf of Aden November 28. (AFP/File/Eric Cabanis)_






_The French warship Nivose escorts a convoy of commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden. The UN Security Council has passed a resolution expressing its support for a European naval mission to begin December 8 aimed at ending increased piracy off the coast of Somalia. (AFP/Eric Cabanis)_






_The French warship Nivose escorts commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden. Somali pirates dodged an increased foreign naval presence in the Gulf of Aden to seize another ship as the deadline ticked down for a Saudi tanker held to ransom.
(AFP/Eric Cabanis)_






_View from the French warship Nivose as it protects commercial ships off the coast of Djibouti. Somali pirates who have been holding the Saudi super-tanker for more than two weeks told AFP they are still ready to negotiate its release.
(AFP/Eric Cabanis)_


----------



## 1feral1

None of these pics can be viewed (at least for me).

Cheers,

OWDU


----------



## CougarKing

Overwatch Downunder said:
			
		

> None of these pics can be viewed (at least for me).
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> OWDU



Is it a problem with just your PC at home or the one at work? I hope no one else has the same problem...I'd rather not have to find another hosting site for these pics.

Anyways, here is another update:




> UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council has passed a resolution permitting member countries to enter the territorial waters of Somalia to fight piracy.
> 
> The U.S.-sponsored resolution, passed unanimously by the Security Council on Dec. 2, is valid for 12 months. It welcomes the recent initiatives taken by countries like India, Canada, France, Russia, Britain and the U.S. to counter piracy off Somali coast.
> 
> The Security Council resolution is expected to come as a big help to countries like India that are fighting Somali pirates.
> 
> Under international laws, naval ships are free to patrol international waters.
> 
> Indian naval vessels and those from the other countries were constrained so far to enter the territorial waters of Somalia, a situation the pirates have taken full advantage of.
> 
> The resolution also makes very clear the support for the European Union mission that is about to be launched and welcomes the North Atlantic Treaty Organization initiative to escort World Food Programme shipments until the EU mission is up and running.
> 
> Pirates free Yemeni cargo ship, no ransom paid Somali pirates have freed a Yemeni cargo ship they seized last week after successful talks between regional authorities, local clan elders and the gunmen.
> 
> The MV Amani, owned by Yemeni shipping firm Abu Talal, has seven sailors on board.
> 
> It was seized on November 25 as it carried 507 tonnes of steel from Yemen's Mukalla port to Socotra Island.
> 
> 
> © Copyright 2008 Mclatchy -Tribune News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Excellent! 

Let the hunt begin!   :threat:

"http://www.military.com/news/article/un-strips-pirates-of-somali-haven.html?col=1186032310810&wh=wh"


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

I have no problems viewing the pics at work.


----------



## geo

viewing pics from home on my personal PC.... OK

viewing pics from home on a DND laptop - thru a VPNI connection.... OK


----------



## PantsMcFist

This post should not be construed as a defense of the pirates, merely curiosity.

There are a lot of reports of ships and crew captured, but are there any which cite a number of people killed by the pirates?


----------



## geo

The pirates have little if any interset in killing their captives.
Aparently, they look after the crews very well - the ransom depends on it

Most sailors to have died while in captivity have died from coronaries.


----------



## Blackadder1916

One source that analyses the level and type of violence towards crew members by pirates is the ICC International Maritime Bureau.  Their report "Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships - Report For The Period 1 January - 30 September 2008" details worldwide piracy activities for the first three quarters of this year.  The following table is extracted from that report.






The one (1) reported killed for Somalia is probably the master of the FAINA  (who reportedly died of a heart attack) which is identified in the report.  The one (1) reported for Gulf of Aden is not further identified in the report and a review of all the individual piracy incidents (in the report) for GofA does not indicate any deaths.  Since 30 Sep there have been (in any media reports that I found) no reported deaths of ships crew directly at the hands of Somali pirates, but the entire crew (save one) of the Thai fishing vessel EKWATANAVA 5 appears to have been lost following the Indian navy interventation.

The report may be requested from the IMB  who will send it as a (large) PDF attachment via email.  The pdf file is security locked so as to prevent cutting and pasting of extracts.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Danish navy blows up 'pirate' ship*


> Joanna Sugden From Times Online December 5, 2008
> 
> Danish forces have scuppered a vessel belonging to Somali pirates after rescuing its crew in a storm.
> 
> *The Danish navy said today that it responded last night to a distress signal from the vessel which was floundering in heavy seas in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast.*
> 
> The Naval Operational Command said its forces were bound by international law to help the men. They recovered a number of weapons onboard the vessel, which was similar to those used in pirate attacks on merchant ships.
> 
> The Danish officers – who were patrolling the waters in a warship as part of a Nato task force - *shot up the vessel after it had been cleared of all those aboard, setting off a series of loud explosions before it sank.*
> 
> *“Due to the weather, it was not possible to take the troubled ship in tow and it was destroyed in the interest of shipping safety,” the navy said in a statement. *
> 
> The rescued men were later handed into the authorities in Yemen.
> 
> Pirates have attacked about 100 ships off the Somali coast this year and collected about $30 million in ransoms.
> 
> The officers were on board the Danish warship HDMS Absalon which is part of a task force deployed in the Gulf of Aden to combat the increasing problem of piracy.
> 
> They were under instruction to gather biometric data including fingerprints and confiscated any weapons on board the pirate boat.
> 
> Pirates are currently holding 14 ships, along with more than 250 crew members, according to maritime officials.
> 
> Bandits have become increasingly bold in the scale of their attacks in the Gulf of Aden. Among the captured vessels is Ukraine’s MV Faina with a cargo of tanks.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, and pirates have taken advantage of the country's lawlessness to launch attacks on foreign shipping from the Somali coast.



*Danish navy sinks suspected pirate boat*


> Associated Press (5 Dec 2008) 6 hours ago
> 
> COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Danish navy says it has intercepted and sunk a suspected pirate vessel drifting off Somalia.
> 
> Navy spokesman Lt. Capt. Jesper Lynge says the frigate Absalon evacuated the seven-man crew and seized a stash of weapons before opening fire on the small boat.
> 
> Lynge says the boat could not be towed because of bad weather and it is standard procedure to destroy boats in such circumstances because they could pose a danger to other ships.
> 
> *The boat drifted for several days without working engines before the Absalon intercepted it on Thursday.*
> 
> Lynge said Friday there were rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 assault rifles on the boat. He said the men were handed over to authorities in Yemen but were not immediately suspected of any crime.


----------



## Blackadder1916

Piracy off the east coast of Africa has apparently moved further south.

Pirates attack Dutch ship off Tanzania


> The Australian December 08, 2008 Article from:  Agence France-Presse
> 
> *HEAVILY-ARMED pirates attacked a Dutch container ship with 19 crew off Tanzania, sparking a fire on board but failing to take over the vessel*, a global maritime watchdog said overnight.
> 
> The fresh attack yesterday came as the European Union prepared to launch its first-ever naval operation, patrolling pirate-infested seas near the Horn of Africa with six warships and three surveillance planes.
> 
> "Pirates believed to be from Somalia fired semi-automatic weapons and fired a rocket from a RPG at the Dutch-operated vessel," said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
> 
> "The ship caught fire but the captain successfully took evasive action to prevent a hijack. The ship sustained damage but managed to continue its voyage," he said.
> 
> Mr Choong said *the ship, flying a Hong Kong flag, was attacked by eight pirates in two speedboats.*
> 
> *The incident happened 450 nautical miles east of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, and 350 nautical miles west of the Seychelles, he said.*
> 
> Mr Choong urged seafarers to be on alert when plying the African coast.
> 
> "Pirate attacks are spreading to a wider area down south from the Somalia coast. This is not a good sign. Pirates have become bolder and more dangerous. They are also firing automatic weapons and rockets indiscriminately," he said.
> 
> Mr Choong said the *ship's captain noticed a fishing boat believed to the pirates' mother ship near the scene of the attack.*
> 
> More than a dozen foreign merchant vessels and their crew are currently being held by gunmen in the area where the north-east tip of the Somali coast juts into the Indian Ocean.
> 
> The pirates, heavily armed and using high-powered speedboats, prey there on a key maritime route leading to the Suez Canal, through which an estimated 30 per cent of the world's oil transits.
> 
> They hold ships for weeks at at time in a bid to secure large ransoms from governments or owners.


----------



## CougarKing

Looks like at least one cruise ship line is not taking their chances.



> *Somali pirates threat force cruise ship evacuation*
> 
> By PATRICK McGROARTY – 1 hour ago
> 
> BERLIN (AP) — A cruise ship will evacuate passengers before sailing through waters off the Somali coast and fly them to the next port of call to protect them from possible pirate attacks, German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd said Tuesday.
> 
> An official with *the European Union's anti-piracy mission said separately that the force would station armed guards on vulnerable cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden.*
> 
> The MS Columbus cruise ship will drop off its 246 passengers before the ship and some of its crew sail through the Gulf on Wednesday, the Hamburg-based company said in a statement, without saying exactly where they would disembark. *It said the passengers would take a charter flight Wednesday to Dubai and spend three days at a five-star hotel waiting to rejoin the 150-meter (490-foot) vessel in the southern Oman port of Salalah for the remainder of a round-the-world tour that began in Italy.*
> 
> The company said it was sending its passengers on the detour as a* "precautionary measure,"* given rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia that recently has targeted cruise ships as well as commercial vessels, including a Saudi oil tanker and a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and other weapons.
> 
> Last week, pirates fired upon the M/S Nautica, a cruise liner carrying 650 passengers and 400 crew members, but the massive ship quickly outran its assailants. Other ships have not been so lucky. Pirates have attacked 32 vessels and hijacked 12 of them since NATO deployed a four-vessel flotilla on Oct. 24 to escort cargo ships and conduct anti-piracy patrols.
> 
> An EU anti-piracy mission — which takes over for the NATO ships on Monday — may also involve stationing armed guards on the most vulnerable cargo ships in high-risk areas, the British naval commander in charge of the EU mission said Tuesday.
> 
> British Vice-Admiral Philip Jones said the guards could be placed on some ships transporting food aid to Somalia. The EU mission will also includes four ships and two maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
> 
> In addition to the EU vessels, about a dozen other warships from the U.S. 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, as well as from India, Russia and Malaysia and other nations are patrolling in the area.
> 
> The Russian navy will soon replace its warship in the region with another from a different fleet, navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said Tuesday in Moscow.
> 
> The missile frigate Neustrashimy, or Intrepid — deployed from Russia's Northern Fleet after pirates seized the Ukrainian ship carrying tanks in September — has escorted freighters through the Gulf and helped thwart at least two pirate attacks, the navy said.
> 
> The Intrepid will remain in the region through December and be replaced by a ship from Russia's Pacific Fleet.
> 
> Associated Press Writer Slobodan Lekic contributed to this report from Brussels, Belgium.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...I4-H2wD94V6QAG0


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates free Greek ship - maritime official*
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL988677.html
Tue 9 Dec 2008, 14:51 GMT

NAIROBI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Somali pirates have released a Greek freighter, the MV Capt Stephanos, which they hijacked in September, a regional maritime organisation said on Tuesday.

A surge in attacks at sea this year in the busy Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean off Somalia has pushed up insurance costs, brought the gangs tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, and prompted foreign warships to rush to the area.

The Stephanos was seized on Sept. 21 by gunmen from the Horn of Africa nation. It was flying the Bahamas flag, carrying coal and had 17 Filipinos, one Chinese and a Ukrainian on board.

"The crew members' state of health is estimated as satisfactory," the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said in a statement, adding that the ship was heading to Italy.

The group said the vessel was released late on Monday.

There have been nearly 100 attacks in Somali waters this year, despite the presence of several foreign warships. The sea gangs are holding about a dozen ships and nearly 300 crew.

Among the captured vessels are a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million of crude oil, the Sirius Star, and a Ukrainian cargo ship carrying some 30 Soviet-era tanks, the MV Faina.

The 27-member European Union agreed on Monday to launch an anti-piracy naval operation off Somalia involving warships and aircraft from several nations.

The first such naval operation by the EU will initially involve three warships -- from Greece, Britain and France, and two maritime surveillance aircraft from France and Spain. (Reporting by Daniel Wallis)


----------



## Old Sweat

I keep having a nagging feeling that the broken window theory of law enforcement applies here. I mean that if you let some punk get away with tossing a rock through a window for fun, all his pals will want to do it. And once they find they can do it unscathed, they will notch the vandalism up a notch.

Notice how the incidents are spreading. 

My gut reaction is stomp it out. My reasoned reaction is that lawyers will do what lawyers do best - debate and hassle and obsfucate depending on their part in all this. The international community had best grow a pair before this brigandage on the high seas takes off.


----------



## Blackadder1916

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Looks like at least one cruise ship line is not taking their chances.



Perhaps the following articles provide a bit more insight into why a German cruise line company is taking this action at this time.  However, there may be more such rerouting and transferring of passengers in the coming months as European based cruise lines are coming into their high season for travelling that part of the world and some of the other major lines (US based) offering around the world voyages usually venture past that region in the first quarter of the year.

*German Navy Thwarts Pirate Attack on Cruise Ship*
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3851593,00.html


> Deutsche Welle 05.12.2008
> 
> *The German Navy warded off a suspected piracy attack on a German cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden, a spokesman for the mission commando has confirmed . Germany has troops in the area to combat piracy.
> 
> The Navy's Mecklenburg-Vorpommern frigate chased off two suspicious speed boats with warning shots last week, the Transocean Tours in Bremen, which was operating the cruise ship, confirmed on Thursday, Dec. 5. Transocean said the 492 guests and crew on board the MS Astor had not noticed the incident. The boat also had not asked for help.
> 
> The suspicious boats disappeared quickly into Yemen's territorial waters, the report said.
> 
> Transocean said the speed boats had approached about 3 sea miles distant, and the frigate intercepted them before they got to the cruise ship. The cruise ship was bound for Dubai, where it arrived on Tuesday.*
> 
> Some 63 incidents of piracy have been recorded in waters off the Somali Coast and the Gulf of Aden in the first nine months of this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> *Germany is considering contributing up to 1,400 military personnel to a European Union security mission to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia, according to a report in the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine this week.*
> 
> UN mandate to end
> 
> *The newspaper said 500 naval personnel would crew a frigate patrolling the Horn of Africa and the remainder would be commandos providing security on German-owned merchant vessels in the region, the report said.*
> 
> The current United Nations mandate for anti-piracy operations in the region expires on December 2.
> 
> The UN Security Council is close to passing a new resolution that authorizes a European Union fleet to fight piracy, according to German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier this week.
> 
> DW staff (th)



*Piracy Fears Force Evacuation of German Cruise Ship * 
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3860356,00.html


> Deutsche Welle09.12.2008
> 
> It's (almost) all hands off deck, as a German vacation company decides sailing through the Gulf of Aden is too risky. And many are questioning why luxury liners are in dangerous waters in the first place.
> 
> The Hapag-Lloyd cruise companies announced on Tuesday, December 9 that the 246 passengers and most of the crew aboard the MS Columbus would disembark and be flown on Wednesday via chartered plane to Dubai.
> 
> The Columbus is on a round-the-world cruise and will pick up passengers in Sallalah, Oman after sailing through the Gulf of Aden with only a skeleton crew on board.
> 
> Hapag-Lloyd said the decision was unavoidable.
> 
> "The reason for this precautionary measure is the political situation in the Gulf of Aden," the company said in its official statement. "Against the backdrop of the German Foreign Ministry's travel advisory for the region, Hapag Lloyd Cruises…is not allowing any ships with passengers on board to sail through the Gulf of Aden."
> 
> *The company said that it had asked the German Navy for an armed escort but that its request had been denied.*
> 
> The passengers will spend three days in Dubai before continuing their journey.
> 
> Brussels to the Rescue
> 
> Tuesday also saw the official start of the European Union's "Operation Atalanta," which will send warships from the bloc's member states to the Horn of Africa to protect ships from piracy.
> 
> Germany's governing cabinet is expected to request permission to participate in the mission on Wednesday, with the German parliament scheduled to debate the deployment next week.
> 
> Last week, the German Navy said it had foiled an attempted pirate attack on the cruise ship MS Astor in the Gulf of Aden, after firing warning shots at the pirates' vessel.
> 
> Instances of piracy have increased dramatically in the Gulf of Aden of the coast of Somalia in recent weeks. Pirates currently hold around a dozen ships, including Saudi Arabian oil supertanker, under their control.
> 
> Operation Atalanta is the first time the EU has taken joint naval action.
> 
> Pensioner Problem?
> 
> Public opinion in Germany is divided as to whether the German Navy is doing enough, or indeed should be doing anything at all, to protect cruise ships in this region.
> 
> Some bloggers have mocked last week's anti-piracy activities.
> 
> "Warning shots…that probably so impressed the pirates that they'll never do it again," wrote one user on the web site of the German newspaper Die Welt. "The right thing to do would have been to sink their ship, but this country will never be able to bring itself to do that."
> 
> Other users said that state funds should not be used to protect people on luxury vacations.
> 
> "The tax payer is financing military escorts for decadent, cruise-ship pensioners," complained another Welt blogger. "There are calmer seas. Why must Grandma and Grandpa be shipped around through pirate waters?"
> 
> Readers of other newspapers concurred.
> 
> "Commercial vessels should be protected because they supply our country," wrote one user of the on-line edition of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. "But someone has to show me first that cruise ships are of any use of at all."
> 
> The German Navy's presence on the Horn of Africa was originally intended to fight terrorism. But it says it has also taken action against seven suspected pirate vessels this year.
> 
> On Monday, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said that warships used as part of Operation Atalanta would be allowed to shoot at pirates.
> 
> Jefferson Chase


----------



## CougarKing

_A speedboat with Dutch special forces, right, guards the MV Ibn Batouta anchored outside the port of Mogadishu, Somalia on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008. The Ibn Batouta is carrying 7,000 tonnes of sorghum the UN World Food Program will distribute in Somalia It took four days to reach Mogadishu, from the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The Dutch warship De Ruyter escorted the cargo ship to prevent any pirate attacks.
(AP Photo/Tom Maliti)_






_A speed boat of Dutch special forces, right, guards the MV Ibn Batouta anchored outside the port of Mogadishu, Somalia on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008.  (AP Photo/Tom Maliti)_






_Dutch frigate De Ruyter sails ahead of cargo ship MV Ibn Batouta in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008. The Ibn Batouta is carrying 7,000 tonnes of sorghum, food aid the UN World Food Program intends to distribute in Somalia. The cargo ship is being escorted by the Dutch naval vessel to prevent any pirate attacks. (AP Photo/Tom Maliti)_






_Dutch warship De Ruyter sails in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008.  (AP Photo/Tom Maliti)_






_Yemeni coast guards patrol the Gulf of Aden Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. The Yemen coast guard said seven Somali suspected pirates have been arrested Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Mohammed al-Qadhi)_






_Yemen coast guards inspect a ship carrying goats from Somalia while patrolling coastal waters off Aden, Yemen, Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. Yemen coast guard said seven Somali suspected pirates have been arrested Friday, Dec. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Mohammed al-Qadhi)_






_A Yemeni coast guard mans a weapon, as his boat patrols the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, Monday, Dec. 1, 2008. The U.N. Security Council has extended for another year its authorization for countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters, with advance notice, and use 'all necessary means' to stop acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea. Diplomats said the 15-nation council's unanimous resolution Tuesday is needed to stop the piracy off Somalia that threatens humanitarian efforts and regional security, and seems to be growing ever more audacious and technologically sophisticated each week.. (AP Photo/Mohammed al-Qadhi)_






_Armed Puntland coastguard forces leave Bassaso port, Puntland, Somalia Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008, to hunt down pirates who hijack ships in the gulf of Aden. A Somali minister in the semiautonomous northern region of Puntland says pirates have freed a Yemeni cargo ship and its eight crew members without receiving any ransom. Pirates have reportedly demanded a $2 million ransom to release the ship and three Yemenis, three Somalis and two Panamanians crew members. The ship was seized last month in the Arabian Sea. (AP Photo)_


----------



## old medic

US leads UN push to hunt, punish Somali pirates
By John Heilprin and Robert Burns
Associated Press Writers 



> UNITED NATIONS—The United States sought international authorization Wednesday to hunt Somali pirates on land with the cooperation of Somalia's weak U.N.-backed government in one of the Bush administration's last major foreign policy initiatives.
> 
> The U.S. circulated a draft United Nations Security Council resolution proposing that all nations and regional groups cooperating with Somalia's government in the fight against piracy and armed robbery "may take all necessary measures ashore in Somalia," including its airspace.
> 
> If the U.S. military gets involved, it would mark a dramatic turnabout from the U.S. experience in Somalia in 1992-1993 that culminated in a deadly military clash in Mogadishu followed by a humiliating withdrawal of American forces.
> 
> Piracy off Somalia has intensified in recent months, with more attacks against a wider range of targets. There was an unsuccessful assault on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden, which links the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. In September, pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter loaded with 33 battle tanks and on Nov. 15 they seized a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude.
> 
> The U.S. resolution is to be presented at a session on Somalia Tuesday with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
> 
> It proposes that for a year, nations "may take all necessary measures ashore in Somalia, including in its airspace, to interdict those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea and to otherwise prevent those activities."
> 
> The draft also says Somalia's government -- whose president wrote the U.N. twice this month already seeking help -- suffers from a "lack of capacity, domestic legislation, and clarity about how to dispose of pirates after their capture."
> 
> The resolution is aimed at taking measures to stabilize the long-violent and lawless Somalia, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about it on the record. Though a number of countries have sent naval forces and taken other steps to stop the piracy, the efforts have been considered "very uncoordinated' so far, a second U.S. official also said privately.
> 
> Earlier this month, the Security Council extended authorization for another year for countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters, with advance notice, and to use "all necessary means" to stop acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.
> 
> Nations entering Somali waters to fight piracy and armed robbery along the country's 1,880-mile coastline, the continent's longest, must first obtain approval from the Somali government and give advance notice to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
> 
> But now the U.S. believes the fight must go ashore.
> 
> Other international forces, however, have fared poorly in the past trying to help Somalia, whose latest government was formed in 2004, with the help of the U.N., and is backed by Ethiopia.
> 
> Somalia has been without an effective government for nearly 20 years. The United States sent troops in 1993 to back a massive U.N. relief operation for thousands of civilians left starving by fighting.
> 
> But the U.S. attacked the home of a warlord, killing scores of civilians including women and children. Somali militiamen retaliated, bringing down two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters and killing 18 American servicemen whose bodies were dragged through the streets. That experience precipitating the U.S. withdrawal was portrayed in the 2001 movie "Black Hawk Down."
> 
> Ethiopian troops, the region's strongest force, have been regularly attacked since arriving two years ago. They largely have been confined to urban bases, as have the 2,600 African Union peacekeepers sent as part of an approved 8,000-member AU mission.
> 
> The push for a broader international accord on how to suppress piracy in waters off Somalia's lawless coast is one of President George W. Bush's final foreign policy initiatives, officials say.
> 
> Without committing more U.S. Navy ships, the administration wants to tap into what officials see as a growing enthusiasm in Europe and elsewhere for more effective coordinated action against the Somali pirates. Administration officials view the current effort as lacking coherence, as pirates score more and bigger shipping prizes.
> 
> Spearheading the administration's case, Rice intends to make a pitch at the U.N.'s anti-piracy meeting in New York on Tuesday with her counterparts from a number of nations with a stake in solving the problem.
> 
> "I expect in the coming weeks we will work within the U.N. to give the international system better policy tools to more effectively address the problem and its root causes," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
> 
> That includes pressing for an international peacekeeping force in Somalia to replace the Ethiopian-led force that is to depart soon, he said. The pirates are Somalis based in camps near coastal port villages. The U.S. says they have links to an Islamic extremist group that has taken control of much of the country.
> 
> About 100 attacks on ships have been reported off the Somali coast this year. Forty vessels have been hijacked, with 14 still remaining in the hands of pirates along with more than 250 crew members, according to maritime officials.
> 
> Pirates have attacked 32 vessels and hijacked 12 since NATO sent four ships to the region Oct. 24 to escort cargo ships and conduct anti-piracy patrols. Ships still being held for huge ransoms include the Saudi oil tanker and the Ukrainian ship.


----------



## Blackadder1916

Some progress has been made with regards to the proscecution of pirates taken into custody at sea.

*Britain, Kenya sign deal on piracy*


> Independant Online December 11 2008 at 02:18PM
> 
> Nairobi - *Britain and Kenya on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the arrest, transfer and prosecution of Somali pirates detained by British naval vessels.*
> 
> "This MoU is very important," said Britain's under-secretary of state for security and counter-terrorism, Lord West of Spithead, on the sidelines of an international conference on combating Somali maritime piracy.
> 
> "Kenya is a step ahead of the rest in doing this," the retired admiral told reporters.
> 
> "This fits in well with the EU force that has just been established," he added.
> 
> *The deal will provide legal support for Britain to hand over to Kenya suspected pirates whom its naval fleet may detain during operations in the Gulf of Aden or Indian Ocean.*
> 
> On November 18, the British navy handed over eight suspected pirates captured a week earlier during an incident at sea. They are now facing trial in the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
> 
> According to an AFP reporter there, resident magistrate Lilian Mtende denied the eight bail on Thursday and said more time was needed to study their case, which will next be heard on January 14.
> 
> The absence of a legal framework allowing for tight cooperation between the nations represented in the naval coalitions patrolling pirate-infested zones and coastal nations had been one of the main obstacls to tougher action.
> 
> Providing a broader agreement between coalition countries and coastal nations such as Kenya, Tanzania, Djibouti and Yemen is one of the main proposals on the agenda at the Nairobi conference.
> 
> The 140 delegates taking part in the two-day meeting have been discussing a document drafted by the UN Office for Drugs and Crime which proposes a six-month $1,3-million programme for enhanced legal co-operation.


  

*UK, Kenya sign agreement to prosecute pirates*


> Associated Press By KATHARINE HOURELD – 9 hours ago (11 December 2008)
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Britain agreed Thursday to hand over any suspected pirates captured on the high seas, removing a key legal obstacle to prosecuting suspects in a growing menace off Somalia's lawless coast, a British diplomat said Thursday at a U.N.-organized piracy conference.
> 
> The agreement calls for Britain to hand over suspects to Kenya, as Somalia has no effective central government or legal system, Lord West said. In the past, foreign navies patrolling the pirate-infested Somali coast have been reluctant to detain suspects because of legal uncertainties over where they would face trial. Kenya is to put the suspects on trial.
> 
> "Nations are very wary of taking pirates onboard their ships," said West, British undersecretary of state for security and counterterrorism. "It is extremely difficult — where can you put them — if you're not going back to your home country, and even going back to your home country causes immense problems in terms of legal prosecutions."
> 
> Britain does not have any detained suspects now. But in the past some suspects have been released by other members of the international naval coalition despite being found with weapons and boarding equipment such as ladders and grappling hooks. West said the U.S. Navy once had a suspect aboard one of its ships for seven months due to confusion over where he would be prosecuted and logistical problems transporting him from the ship.
> 
> West said he hoped other East African nations, in addition to Kenya, would also be willing to try suspected pirates.
> 
> Representatives from 40 countries are meeting about how to stop the rampant banditry off Somalia's lawless coast. They are expected to address the media after the close of the two-day meeting Thursday.
> 
> Somali pirates have taken in an estimated $30 million in ransom this year.
> 
> The pirates' focus has been the Gulf of Aden, between Somalia and Yemen, where 20,000 merchant ships a year pass on the way in and out of the Suez Canal, the quickest route from Asia to Europe and the Americas.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*NATO Shipping Centre  - SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 11 December 2008*       
http://www.shipping.nato.int/
UNCLAS as at 111147Z DEC 2008  

2 December - a cluster of possibly co-ordinated approaches made to 5 merchant vessels in Gulf of Aden, successfully repelled by Italian destroyer, Luigi Durand de la Penne 
MV CENTAURI was released 27 November (ransom payment amount not known)
MV MAERSK REGENSBURG was attacked approximately 450n miles east of Dar es Salaam (350nm west of Seychelles). Two pirate skiffs made two attempts to board the vessel and used small arms and 3x RPGs in the attack causing small fire on board. This is the most southerly incidence of piracy yet reported.
The last successful hijack was of MV BISCAGLIA 28 Nov
MV CAPTAIN STEFANOS was released 7 December; tbe vessel is now on route to Suez (ransom payment amount not known).
13 vessels remain hijacked comprising 11 merchant ships 1 fishing vessel and tug boat Yenegoa Ocean

The current slide displays last known position of hijacked vessels.

Over 200 merchant seamen are still held by pirates. The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such. 

In short, the trends in latest piracy incidents are as follows: 

Targeting larger cargo / oil / gas / chemical tankers 
Approaches / attacks conducted from 2-3 small speedboats with 3-5 armed persons each. The number of boats involved in each incident seems to be increasing.


Edit: Attechment removed


----------



## CougarKing

> New Delhi: *In another successful anti-piracy operation, Navy warship on Saturday repulsed an attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden and nabbed 23 Somali and Yemeni sea brigands, in a show of resolve to weed out the menace that affected maritime trade in the region.
> 
> The pirates on two speed boats had surrounded the merchant vessel flying the Ethiopian flag around noon, when INS Mysore warship intervened and warded off the attack, Navy spokesperson said.
> 
> The pirates had fired at the merchant vessel with their small arms, when it sent out a rescue call and the Indian warship, which was sailing nearby moved its Marine Commandos on a helicopter to help the distressed cargo vessel, he said.*
> 
> The attack took place about 150 nautical miles off Aden and INS Mysore was about 13 nautical miles away from the merchant vessel when it picked up the SOS call.
> 
> *The Navy flew its Marine Commandos on helicopters to the scene of the pirate attack and rescued the ship. MV Gibe was later escorted to safety, he added.
> 
> The Naval commandos also boarded the pirates' boats and seized seven AK-47 assault rifles, two other rifles, a grenade launcher and 13 fully loaded magazines of ammunition from the 12 Somali and 11 Yemeni pirates on board the two pirate boats*.



Another BZ for the Indian Navy   
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indian-navy-repulses-attack-arrests-23-pirates/398079/


----------



## FastEddy

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Another BZ for the Indian Navy
> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indian-navy-repulses-attack-arrests-23-pirates/398079/




GOOD FOR THEM, its sounds like they are the only ones that have any B...s.

Or is it just a coincidence that they are always on the spot at the right time.

Its beginning to look like Britania doesn't rule the Wave's any more ?.

Cheers.


----------



## geo

Eddy,
Think it might have something to do with the pirates / brigands operating in India's backyard.

Because of recent events in Mumbai and all the piracyt, the indians have their own self intersts to look after & consequently, their rules of engagement are "liberal" to say the least.

BZ to the INS Mysore.


----------



## CougarKing

_The Indian Navy apprehends pirates in the Gulf of Aden Saturday after the pirates allegedly threatened a civilian ship._






_The Indian navy confiscated automatic rifles, grenade launchers and other weapons. _

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...I4-H2wD9521CLG0






*INS Mysore*


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> Its beginning to look like Britania doesn't rule the Wave's any more ?.



Umm Britannia has not ruled the waves for several decades...where have you been?


----------



## Colin Parkinson

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2008/dec/14/somaliland-offers-port-to-fight-pirates/print/

Somaliland offers port to fight pirates
Geoff Hill THE WASHINGTON TIMES
JOHANNESBURG 

A breakaway region of Somalia with a name that is bound to confuse outsiders - Somaliland - plans to offer its harbor on the Gulf of Aden as a base for U.S., British and Indian warships to battle pirates. 

In the process, Somaliland hopes to raise its international profile and ultimately advance its campaign to become an independent nation that is recognized worldwide. 

"This crisis is not going to go away by itself, but we can solve it," Somaliland President Dahir Rayale Kahin told The Washington Times by telephone. 

"We will place the deep-water port of Berbera at the disposal of the U.S., British, Indian and other navies, but our [proposal] goes well beyond that," Mr. Kahin said. 

Somaliland consists of the northern leg of Somalia, which was cobbled together from former British and Italian colonies. 

Somaliland declared independence from a dysfunctional Somali government in 1991. Since then, it has stayed out of the international spotlight. 

It avoided the famine and violence that first made Somalia a household name with the 1992-93 U.S. invasion. It also remained unaffected by the near-takeover by the rest of the country by Islamic militants, which prompted an invasion by Ethiopian troops in 2006. 

Mr Kahin said now is not the time to discuss sovereignty for Somaliland. 

"The piracy problem is far greater in the short term than any talk of flags and embassies," he said. 

He said he has no doubt that recognition will eventually come to Somaliland, as it did for Kosovo, the Balkan enclave that gained independence earlier this year. 

"But unless we are bold in our approach to this undeclared war at sea, sooner or later we will have a tragedy," Mr. Kahin said. 

The proposal being developed by the government of Somaliland will recommend cooperation among key stakeholders, including the United States, and will center on the port of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden's coast at the entrance to the Red Sea. 

Mr. Kahin said his government had yet to finalize the strategy and make a formal submission to other countries, but that preliminary plans include five main points: 

• Berbera would be the hub of operations, given that it is close to the affected area and large enough to host the vessels being used to fight the pirates. 

• The port would be available as a "safe house" to any vessel - merchant, military or private - whose captain believed his ship was vulnerable to attack. Naval vessels would be welcome to escort these craft in and out of the harbor. 

• Somaliland would help set up a pool of shared intelligence with other nations whose ships were at risk. 

• Somaliland would receive and hold captured pirates pending their prosecution or extradition. International prosecutors, human rights groups and lawyers to defend the pirates would have access to the prisoners. 

• Somaliland would seek help in setting up a 24-hour early warning system that would alert all shipping in the area when pirates were active. 

A U.S. State Department official declined to comment on the proposal. The official, who was not authorized to speak for attribution, said the United States continues to search for the most effective way to end pirate attacks. 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set to urge the U.N. Security Council this week to approve a U.S.-backed resolution that would authorize attacks on pirate bases on land and air, as well as by sea. 

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a regional security forum in Bahrain on Saturday that the commercial shipping industry could do more to protect itself. 

"Companies and ships must be more vigilant about staying within approved traffic corridors," he said. 

Commercial ships also should "speed up" and try to outrun pirates and "pull up the ladders," so pirates cannot board. "This is not rocket science," Mr. Gates said. 

At the same time, Mr. Gates said, the United States does not have enough intelligence to pinpoint and attack the "two or three families or clans in Somalia that account for most of this activity." 

Pirates have attacked about 100 ships this year and captured about half, including a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of oil. The pirates, estimated to number about 1,500, are thought to have made more than $30 million in ransom payments, according to an estimate by the Associated Press. 

On Saturday, the Indian navy said it captured 23 pirates who threatened one freighter, and a German military helicopter chased away pirate speedboats threatening to attack another freighter. 

Mr. Kahin stressed that the plan would be in addition to operations already in place across the region. 

"We are not taking anything away from the huge effort already made by our friends in Kenya, India, the European Union and the U.S., along with some of our neighbors," he said. "But we have unique advantages in Somaliland, notably that of language and location. We speak the same Somali language as the pirates and they operate in our back yard." 

Most of the pirates are based in another Somali enclave known as Puntland, which lies between Somaliland and the war-ravaged south - where Ethiopian troops prop up a pro-Western government in Baidoa, and Islamic militants control just about everything else, including the nominal capital of Mogadishu. 

In colonial times, Berbera was a vital link in a chain of ports that allowed the British Royal Navy to dominate the sea route to India. Somaliland has 450 miles of coast facing the Gulf of Aden. 

In the 1970s, the Soviet Union developed close ties with the region and used Berbera as a naval and missile base. The runway - one of the longest in the world - was built by the United States as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle. 

After independence in 1960, the former British Somaliland joined voluntarily the Italian-ruled Somali territory to the south, creating the republic of Somalia. In 1991, after years of civil war, an interim administration revoked the union and declared itself the Republic of Somaliland. 

No country has formally recognized the new nation, but most nations in Africa, along with the U.S. and much of Europe, offer standard diplomatic courtesy to visiting members of the government based in its capital, Hargeisa. 

• Barbara Slavin contributed to this report from Bahrain.


----------



## OldSolduer

Out next AOR could be Somalia. That is a very different kettle of fish.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> The Indian navy confiscated automatic rifles, grenade launchers and other weapons.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...I4-H2wD9521CLG0



The closest weapon in the above picture looks like a Stoner can anyone verify or not if it is one?


----------



## NL_engineer

From reading the above report, it looks like Somaliland is using the pirate problem as a bid for international recognition as a state.  They have made some good offers to help combat the problem, but they didn't say what they want in return.

I took a quick look at the port using Google Earth.  The port looks to be decent size (1.3 km wide by 2.4 km long) but it is sounded by a town, so any nation using the port, or setting up a base in the port would have to bring in security forces, and may have to upgrade existing infrastructure. 

just my 2 cents worth


----------



## chrisf

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> The closest weapon in the above picture looks like a Stoner can anyone verify or not if it is one?



Probably an AR-18.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AR-18 Note it's connection to the IRA, not at all odd it would end up in a third world country.


----------



## geo

NL_engineer said:
			
		

> , but they didn't say what they want in return.



What they want ???

Recognition, trade, business, grow their economy AND possibly a bit of protection from the remainder of Somalia


----------



## NL_engineer

geo said:
			
		

> What they want ???
> 
> Recognition, trade, business, grow their economy AND possibly a bit of protection from the remainder of Somalia



That's what I figured, but it is still only an assumption.


----------



## 1feral1

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> The closest weapon in the above picture looks like a Stoner can anyone verify or not if it is one?



Methinks that is a SAR-80 made in Singapore, similar to a AR-18/180.

Back in about 1996, I destroyed a SAR-80 captured in Somalia, but I fired it first. I was in rough shape but still functioned well.

Here is the poop on the CIS SAR-80: 

"During 1970s Singapore Army used US-designed M16A1 assault rifles. In 1976, a company called CIS (Charter Industries of Singapore , now ST Kinetics), began to develop its own assult rifle with aim to supply these rifles for singapore military and for foreign countries. To save the time CIS invited some engineers from British company Sterling Armament, who used to manufacture US-designed Armalite AR-18 assult rifle, so new Singapore rifle heavily borrowed from original AR-18 design. First prototypes came out in 1978 and the final design was approved by Singapore military in 1984 under the name of SAR-80. This rifle was used to some extent by Singapore Army and also was exported to some cuntries, including Croatia. 

SAR-80 is a gas operated, selective fire weapon of simple construction. It uses short stroke gas piston that pushes the massive bolt carrier with rotating bolt. The bolt carrier rides on two guide rods. Each rod has a recoil spring around it, gas piston rod has its own return spring. The receiver is made from steel stampings. Pistol grip, handguards and buttstock are made from plastic. SAR-80 uses M16-style magazines. Gas drive has gas regulator that can be cut off completely to safely lauch rifle grenades from the muzzle."

Cheers,

Wes

EDIT: According to Wiki, Croatia, Nepal and Somalia had purchased qty's of this rifle some time back.


----------



## CougarKing

_FILE---Dutch navy Lt. Cmdr Dick Van der Neut, left, discusses with Anton van Koldam, second right, the Dutch captain of Dutch cargo ship MV Jumbo Javelin their journey on Monday Dec. 8, 2008. Dutch warship De Ruyter was escorting the MV Jumbo Javelin through the Gulf of Aden, which has become the world's top piracy hotspot this year. Pirates have made an estimated $30 million hijacking ships for ransom this year, seizing 40 vessels off Somalia's 1,880-mile coastline. Fourteen ships remain held along with more than 250 crew members, according to maritime officials.
(AP Photo/Tom Maliti, file)_






_-Dutch cargo ships the MV Stolt Innovation, in the foreground, and the MV Stolt Helluland, in the background, seen from the rear of Dutch warship de Ruyter in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008. De Ruyter was escorting the two ships and another Dutch cargo ship, the MV Jumbo Javelin, through the Gulf of Aden, which has become the world's top piracy hotspot this year.  (AP Photo/Tom Maliti, file)_






_An F5 Jet fighter takes to the sky from Mombasa's Moi International Airport Monday, Dec. 15, 2008, which will join surveillance duties to combat pirates. Kenya's military held a press conference at the Moi International Airport Monday, Dec. 15, 2008, briefing the media over their surveillance of pirates along the Kenyan Coastal line and waters to the South of Somali. The military command announced that Kenyan Air Force jet fighters will be used along with Navy warships to patrol against pirates who persist in hijacking cargo ships along the Somali coastline.
(AP Photo)_






_A handout picture from the French defence ministry in April 2008 shows a French naval boat off the Somali coast. Piracy in the Gulf of Aden will only be defeated by a strong government in Somalia, the commander of the French naval operation in the Indian Ocean said on Sunday. (AFP/File/Aurelie Fava)_






_French soldiers watch the sea for pirates while escorting a ship off the coast of Djibouti on November 26, 2008. Somali pirates have released a Greek chemical tanker seized in October but three crew members are feared dead, a Kenyan maritime official said Saturday. (AFP/File/Eric Cabanis)_






_A French army helicopter flies over the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Djibouti in November 2008 as part of an assignment of the French frigate Nivose to escort commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden. (AFP/Eric Cabanis)_






_A German warship returns to the coastal port of Mombasa after patroling Somalian waters last week. The German government has agreed to send troops and a frigate to join European Union-led anti-pirate operations off the Horn of Africa, a spokesman has said. (AFP/File/Stringer)_


----------



## The Bread Guy

All shared with the usual disclaimer...

*Piracy problem inseparable from overall Somali crisis, Ban warns*
UN News Centre, 16 Dec 08
Article link


> ....In its resolution the Council called on States and regional organizations fighting piracy to conclude agreements with countries, especially in the region, willing to take custody of pirates to put their own law enforcement officials on board as ‘ship riders’ to prosecute detained suspects.
> 
> *It decided that for 12 months, States and regional organizations cooperating in the fight against piracy “for which advance notification has been provided by the TFG to the Secretary-General may undertake all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia, for the purpose of suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, pursuant to the request of the TFG.”*
> 
> It also noted that escalating ransom payments are fuelling the growth of piracy, and that the lack of enforcement of the 1992 arms embargo has given pirates ready access to arms and ammunition....



Specifically, from the UN Security Council Resolution (.pdf attached):


> ....Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations....
> (....)
> Welcomes initiatives by *Canada*, Denmark, France, India, the Netherlands, the Russian Federation, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and by regional and international organizations to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia pursuant to resolutions 1814 (2008), 1816 (2008) and 1838 (2008)....
> (....)
> *Decides that for a period of 12 months from the date of this resolution States and regional organizations cooperating with the TFG in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, for which advance notification has been provided by the TFG to the Secretary-General, may:
> (a) Enter into the territorial waters of Somalia for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent with such action permitted on the high seas with respect to piracy under relevant international law; and
> (b) Use, within the territorial waters of Somalia, in a manner consistent with such action permitted on the high seas with respect to piracy under relevant international law, all necessary means to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea;*
> (....)


Secretary General's statement here - also, more from the _Washington Post_ and Voice of America....


----------



## CougarKing

It appears that the PLAN also wants part of the action; Beijing has announced that it is seriously considering sending in warships to the area to battle Somali pirates and rescue and protect PRC citizens there.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/12/17/somalia.piracy/index.html?iref=24hours



> About 30 Chinese rescued from pirate attack
> 
> (CNN) -- Multinational naval forces rescued the crew of a Chinese merchant ship from pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, shipping sources said.
> 
> About 30 crew members aboard the Zhenhua 4, a heavy lift ship registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, barricaded themselves in the ship's accommodation room as nine pirates boarded the vessel, according to Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan Seafarers Association.
> 
> The crew radioed for help, and a coalition warship and two helicopters responded, firing on the pirates and forcing them from the ship about five hours after they boarded, Mwangura said.
> 
> Pirates hijacked three vessels Tuesday, Mwangura said, including the Malaysian tug Masindra 7, the Turkish cargo ship Bosphorus Prodigy, with a crew of 11 aboard, and a private yacht.
> 
> With the latest seizures, the gunmen are holding 18 vessels.
> 
> More than 124 incidences -- attempted and averted attacks and successful hijackings -- have been recorded up to this point in 2008, according to Mwangura.
> 
> A multinational naval force, including vessels from the United States, NATO member states, Russia and India, has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters near the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red and Arabian seas, following a sharp increase in pirate attacks in the region.
> 
> Around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year.
> 
> On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution allowing military forces to chase pirates onto land in cases of "hot pursuit."
> 
> The resolution, which passed unanimously, expands upon existing counter-piracy tools.
> 
> U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was at the United Nations on Tuesday for a discussion of the piracy problem and for the Security Council vote.
> 
> "I wouldn't be here seeking authorization to go ashore if the U.S. government -- perhaps most importantly the president of the United States -- were not behind this resolution," Rice said after the council vote.
> 
> Asked if she thought U.S. troops soon would be on land chasing pirates, Rice would not speculate.
> 
> "The United States is part of an international effort," she said. "We do have naval forces that have been involved in this effort. What this [resolution] does is to authorize that the boundary of the maritime cannot become a safe-haven boundary for pirates. What we do -- or do not do -- in issues like hot pursuit, we'll have to see ... case by case."
> 
> Earlier, in remarks to the Security Council, Rice described the growing problem of piracy as "a symptom of the instability, the poverty, the lawlessness that have plagued Somalia for the past two decades," adding that the Bush administration "does believe that the time has come for the United Nations to consider and authorize a peacekeeping operation."
> 
> *Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said Tuesday that Chinese warships may join international anti-piracy efforts.
> 
> "China is seriously considering sending naval ships to the Gulf of Aden and waters off the Somali coast for escorting operations in the near future," China's official Xinhua news agency quoted He as saying.*


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates launch new attacks*
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7787536.stm


> Page last updated at 11:46 GMT, Wednesday, 17 December 2008
> 
> Four more vessels have been attacked by armed bandits off Somalia, as the UN Security Council said foreign forces could pursue the pirates on land.
> 
> Maritime officials say a Chinese ship's crew held off one group of attackers until a naval patrol arrived.
> 
> But an Indonesian tugboat, Turkish cargo ship and a private yacht were successfully boarded and are thought to remain in pirates' hands.
> 
> The attacks persist despite increased US, European and Indian naval patrols.
> 
> The BBC's Peter Greste in Nairobi says the latest attacks appear to be a calculated jab at UN attempts to clamp down on piracy.
> 
> He says there have been 42 successful hijackings in the area this year.
> 
> Fourteen foreign ships and their crew of over 200 are still being held, our correspondent adds.
> 
> 'All necessary measures'
> 
> *On Tuesday the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution allowing foreign military forces to pursue pirates on land in Somalia.*
> 
> A surge in pirate attacks has proved costly to international shipping
> 
> *Permission will be needed from the transitional Somali government for any incursions. Countries already have powers to enter Somali waters to pursue pirates. *
> 
> *China told the meeting in New York it was considering sending a naval force into the region. *
> 
> The US-drafted resolution was the fourth approved by the Security Council since June to combat piracy in the region.
> 
> It gives authority for one year for countries to use "all necessary measures" by land or air to stop anyone using Somali territory for piracy.
> 
> Indonesia was among critics of the plan as it feared the precedent it could set for chasing pirates on land, but it voted in favour.
> 
> Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia cannot be solved by the use of force alone.
> 
> "We should not forget that piracy and armed robbery at sea in this region are just the tip of the iceberg of the problems Somalia is facing today," he told Russian television.
> 
> "We stand for active efforts to stabilise social, economic and political situation in Somalia which will make it possible to undermine the material base of piracy."
> 
> On Wednesday, Chinese sailors backed up by a coalition warship and helicopters foiled a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden, a maritime watchdog said.
> 
> The pirates boarded the ship but crew members locked themselves in their cabins to prevent the bandits entering and called for help, said the International Maritime Bureau. The attackers reportedly fled.
> 
> Three other vessels were seized on Tuesday.
> 
> Pirates seized a Malaysian tugboat owned by French oil firm Total on its way home through the Gulf of Aden from the Middle East.
> 
> A Turkish cargo ship, MV Bosphorus Prodigy, owned by Isko Marine Company, was also captured. And a private yacht was seized.




And reference this post . . .


			
				milnews.ca said:
			
		

> *Piracy problem inseparable from overall Somali crisis, Ban warns*
> UN News Centre, 16 Dec 08
> Article link
> *Specifically, from the UN Security Council Resolution (.pdf attached):*Secretary General's statement here - also, more from the _Washington Post_ and Voice of America....



The SC resolution that you quoted (and attached) is S/RES 1846 which was approved on 2 December 2008 and was in essence a continuation of the course of action approved 6 months earlier by S/RES 1816 (authority to enter Somali territorial waters in pursuit of pirates).  The resolution adopted yesterday by the Security Council is S/RES 1851 (*it is not yet available on the SC Resolutions index page)*.  Resolution 1851 basically extends the terms of 1846 to include "all necessary measures" thus providing a degree of authority to undertake operations on or above Somalia and not just in its waters.  A draft of the resolution's language (a well as some summary of the discussions and representatives' comments) is included in this news release concerning the SC meeting in which it was discussed and approved.

(Edited to add)  Resolution 1851 has now been added to the SC page.  The operative paragraph in the resolution (once one gets past all the "recalling, continuing, reaffirming, welcoming, again taking into account, noting, determining, reiterating, calling, inviting and encouraging") is:



> 6. In response to the letter from the TFG of 9 December 2008, encourages
> Member States to continue to cooperate with the TFG in the fight against piracy and
> armed robbery at sea, notes the primary role of the TFG in rooting out piracy and
> armed robbery at sea, and *decides that for a period of twelve months from the date
> of adoption of resolution 1846, States and regional organizations cooperating in the
> fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia for which
> advance notification has been provided by the TFG to the Secretary-General may
> undertake all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia,* for the purpose of
> suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, pursuant to the request of the
> TFG, provided, however, that any measures undertaken pursuant to the authority of
> this paragraph shall be undertaken consistent with applicable international
> humanitarian and human rights law;


----------



## Yrys

U.N.: Militaries can pursue Somali pirates on land

(CNN)  -- The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Tuesday aimed 
at combating piracy along the Horn of Africa by allowing military forces to chase pirates 
onto land in cases of "hot pursuit."

Military forces from various countries, including the United States, are patrolling pirate-
infested waters off Somalia, where attacks have surged this year. Nearly 100 vessels 
have come under fire, according to the International Maritime Bureau, and almost 40 
vessels have been hijacked.

The Security Council resolution, which passed unanimously, expands upon existing 
counter-piracy tools, including a stipulation that would allow for national and regional 
military forces to chase pirates onto land -- specifically into Somalia where many of 
the pirates are based.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was at the U.N. on Tuesday for a discussion of 
the piracy problem and the Security Council vote. "I wouldn't be here seeking 
authorization to go ashore if the U.S. government -- perhaps most importantly the 
president of the United States -- were not behind this resolution," Rice said after the vote.

Asked if she thought U.S. troops would soon be on land chasing pirates, Rice would not 
speculate. "The United States is part of an international effort," she said. "We do have 
naval forces that have been involved in this effort. What this (resolution) does is to 
authorize that the boundary of the maritime cannot become a safe haven boundary for 
pirates. What we do -- or do not do -- in issues like hot pursuit, we'll have to see ... case by case."

Earlier, in remarks to the Security Council, Rice described the growing problem of piracy off 
the coast of Somalia as "a symptom." "It's a symptom of the instability, the poverty, the 
lawlessness that have plagued Somalia for the past two decades," she said, adding that 
the Bush administration "does believe that the time has come for the United Nations to 
consider and authorize a peacekeeping operation."

Asked about reports that two more ships were attacked by pirates this week, Rice said 
those show "the increasing problem that this is. The pirates are a threat to commerce, 
they are a threat to security and perhaps most importantly they are a threat to the 
principle of freedom of navigation on the seas."

With increased patrols in the area by several countries, reports of exchanges of fire have 
become more frequent. In one of the most recent piracy attacks, Indian officials said 
Saturday they had captured 23 people suspected of trying to take over a merchant vessel 
in the Gulf of Aden.

In addition to the 12 Somali and 11 Yemeni suspects, Indian navy officials also seized two 
small boats and "a substantial cache of arms and equipment," the Indian military said in 
a statement.


----------



## Yrys

UN chief rules out Somalia force

*The time is not right to send United Nations peacekeepers to Somalia, 
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said.*


On Tuesday US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for a UN force 
to be sent to the conflict-hit nation. But Mr Ban said the situation in Somalia 
was too risky and there was no peace to keep. There was also very limited 
world support for a multinational stabilisation force, he added, with few countries 
prepared to take part. He had contacted 50 nations - but none had agreed 
to lead such a force and only one or two were willing to send troops, he said.

Somalia has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading 
to a collapse of law and order. Ethiopia-backed government forces have been 
fighting Islamist insurgents for the last two years, but the Ethiopian troops are 
due to pull out next month - *leaving only the 3,200-strong African Union 
peacekeeping* force behind.

*'No peace to keep'*

The danger of anarchy in Somalia was "clear and present", Mr Ban said, and action 
must be taken. But he said conditions were not in place for sending peacekeepers.

"_If there is no peace to keep, peacekeeping operations are not supposed to be there_," 
the UN chief said. Instead, he said, more efforts were needed on an inter-Somali 
peace process and to bolster the current African Union force.

His comments came a day after the Security Council unanimously approved 
a resolution allowing foreign military forces to pursue pirates on land in Somalia. 
Pirates there are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships, while attacks 
in seas off Somalia have increased dramatically in recent months.

The resolution gives authority for one year for countries to use "all necessary measures" 
by land or air to stop anyone using Somali territory for piracy.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

Yrys said:
			
		

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7788898.stm
> 
> *The time is not right to send United Nations peacekeepers to Somalia,
> UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said.*
> 
> 
> On Tuesday US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for a UN force
> to be sent to the conflict-hit nation. But Mr Ban said the situation in Somalia
> was too risky and there was no peace to keep. There was also very limited
> world support for a multinational stabilisation force, he added, with few countries
> prepared to take part. He had contacted 50 nations - but none had agreed
> to lead such a force and only one or two were willing to send troops, he said.
> 
> Somalia has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading
> to a collapse of law and order. Ethiopia-backed government forces have been
> fighting Islamist insurgents for the last two years, but the Ethiopian troops are
> due to pull out next month - *leaving only the 3,200-strong African Union
> peacekeeping* force behind.
> 
> *'No peace to keep'*
> 
> The danger of anarchy in Somalia was "clear and present", Mr Ban said, and action
> must be taken. But he said conditions were not in place for sending peacekeepers.
> 
> "_If there is no peace to keep, peacekeeping operations are not supposed to be there_,"
> the UN chief said. Instead, he said, more efforts were needed on an inter-Somali
> peace process and to bolster the current African Union force.
> 
> His comments came a day after the Security Council unanimously approved
> a resolution allowing foreign military forces to pursue pirates on land in Somalia.
> Pirates there are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships, while attacks
> in seas off Somalia have increased dramatically in recent months.
> 
> The resolution gives authority for one year for countries to use "all necessary measures"
> by land or air to stop anyone using Somali territory for piracy.



_If there is no peace to keep, peacekeeping operations are not supposed to be there. the UN chief said._," 


Holy Shit!!! Don't tell me somebody in that disfunctional organisation finally gets it!!

Although he'll likely get replaced 'tout de suite' for thinking outside their box. :blotto:


----------



## Yrys

"_If there is no peace to keep, peacekeeping operations are not supposed to be there_" 
but that doesn't mean that there is no place for soldiers ... Otherwise, how will Somalia be pacify ?

China may send ships to Somalia 
...
China said it was seriously considering sending naval ships to the region, 
but will first need permission from the transitional Somali government.

The move came as several vessels were seized by Somali pirates off Yemen.
On Wednesday morning pirates were reportedly foiled after attempting to 
attack a Chinese-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden - a day after three other 
vessels were seized.

The Chinese crew held off the pirates long enough for back-up to arrive, 
AFP news agency reported. "Military helicopters came and they managed 
to chase the pirates away," Noel Choong, of the International Maritime Bureau, 
told AFP.

*'Calculated jab'*

The BBC's Peter Greste in Nairobi says the latest attacks appear to be a 
calculated jab at UN attempts to clamp down on piracy (UN approves piracy 
land pursuit). He says they bring to 42 the number of successful hijackings 
in the area this year.

Fourteen foreign ships and their crew of over 200 are still being held, our 
correspondent adds. Tuesday's UN resolution was the fourth approved 
by the Security Council since June to combat piracy off Somalia's coast.

It gives authority for one year for countries to use "all necessary measures" 
by land or air to stop anyone using Somali territory to plan, help or carry out 
acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.

The US-drafted resolution was co-sponsored by Belgium, France, Greece, 
Liberia and South Korea. Indonesia, which also suffers from piracy, was 
among critics of the plan as it feared the precedent it could set for chasing 
pirates on land. But in the end it voted in favour.

One of the vessels seized on Tuesday was a Malaysian tugboat which had 
been heading home through the Gulf of Aden from the Middle East.

According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates boarded the vessel 
armed with rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons. A Turkish 
cargo ship, MV Bosphorus Prodigy, owned by Isko Marine Company, was 
also captured, a US Fifth Fleet spokesman said. The container ship is 
330ft (100m) long and was carrying the flag of Antigua-Barbuda.

And a private yacht was seized.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

> "If there is no peace to keep, peacekeeping operations are not supposed to be there"
> but that doesn't mean that there is no place for soldiers ... Otherwise, how will Somalia be pacify ?



Nuclear weapons? Just a thought, but probably one that doesn't meet with too much agreement.


----------



## Yrys

recceguy said:
			
		

> Nuclear weapons? Just a thought, but probably one that doesn't meet with too much agreement.



Well ... Somalia isn't in the media usually except when there is crime happening.
So if a country would "accidentally" drop a bomb overthere, perhaps only after a few weeks, 
journalists would start asking themself why is there no story anymore from there ?

(I'm not advocating for a bomb drop, just asking was would happen if  >...)


----------



## chrisf

Overwatch Downunder said:
			
		

> Methinks that is a SAR-80 made in Singapore, similar to a AR-18/180.



I'll buy that, you are, after all, the pro. Makes me feel good that I was close though.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Just a Sig Op said:
			
		

> I'll buy that, you are, after all, the pro. Makes me feel good that I was close though.



Thanks to the both of you...I am a little disappointed with my recognition skills


----------



## Yrys

How do you tackle piracy?, BBC News

On the island state of Bahrain, home to the headquarters of the US Navy's powerful 5th Fleet, 
defence ministers, admirals and officials from 25 countries have gathered to discuss, amongst 
other regional problems, the thorny issue of Somali pirates.

Over the past year, delegates were told, there had been a 300% increase in attempted and 
actual attacks on shipping in the region, with 17 ships and around 300 crew members currently 
being held for ransom off the Somalia coast.

In a keynote speech on Saturday the US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, called on commercial 
shipping companies to do more to protect their vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden or sailing past 
the Horn of Africa. Instead of stopping when challenged by pirates, he said, they should accelerate 
and pull up their ladders as there had been plenty of recent instances of ships outmanoeuvring the 
pirates. He also suggested that another possible preventative measure could be to post armed 
guards onboard, but shipping sources in London were quick to dismiss this as impractical. 

A leading maritime lawyer told the BBC that if insurers could prove that an armed clash with pirates 
constituted "unlawful use of weapons at sea" then the insurance company would be unlikely to pay 
up for any damage or loss of the ship and its cargo. No shipping company, said the lawyer, would 
want that.

One option under discussion here in the Gulf is possible military action against pirate bases on land, 
since nearly everyone agreed that tackling pirates at sea is only dealing with the symptoms of the 
problem, not the root cause.

The US is sponsoring a draft UN Security Council resolution that would authorise - with permission 
from the weak Somali government - attacks on pirate land bases.

But while Mr Gates said he believed that the problem came from two or three extended Somali clans, 
the US did not yet have enough intelligence on which individuals were involved to go after them 
without causing civilian casualties. The one thing that had been established, said US naval officers, 
was that there was no connection between piracy and terrorism.

*Consequences*

If that changed, they said, then the rules of engagement were likely to become a lot more robust.
Britain's Defence Secretary John Hutton added his own views on piracy, telling the BBC in an 
interview that the world was paying a price for ignoring Somalia's descent into lawlessness and 
that piracy was the result. He said the nature of the threat had changed dramatically over the 
last 12 months and that the problem stemmed from the pirates' bases on land.

"We haven't been as involved in Somalia as we should have been. This is the consequence.
"It could get worse unless we try and resolve this problem with our regional partners and 
friends and allies around the world. The piracy is a manifestation of failed states. "It could 
take other manifestations: terrorism, drugs, people trafficking and so on. We cannot 
allow these remote parts of the world to descend into this type of chaos."

*International prison?*

Finally, there is the question of how to prosecute those accused of piracy. Senior naval 
officers from the US, France and other nations agreed here that there was an urgent 
need to establish an international legal framework for prosecution.

Currently navies are reluctant to arrest alleged pirates as in most cases there was nowhere 
to take them to stand trial. What was needed, said some officers, was an international court, 
backed by the UN, with perhaps even an international prison for those convicted.


----------



## geo

Hmmm.... isn't the bottom of the sea, the world's largest international prison ???

With the fishies being the Jail guards 8)


----------



## Yrys

Pirate problem needs 'strategy', BBC News

World leaders have to deal "properly" with piracy off the Somalian coast, 
UK Defence Secretary John Hutton has said. He told the BBC the problem 
had to be looked at strategically, with restoring law and order in the 
region a priority.

But Mr Hutton said it was "too early" to talk about directly intervening in 
war-torn Somalia, which he described as a "basket case". The US 
government is to urge the UN this week to authorise "all necessary 
measures" against Somali pirates.

*Civilian risks*

The dangers facing shipping in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden 
came to international prominence last month when giant Saudi-owned 
oil tanker Sirius Star was hijacked.

There are regular attacks in the area, with many countries blaming the 
collapse of law and order in Somalia. US Secretary of State Condoleezza 
Rice will present a draft UN Security Council resolution this week calling 
for permission to "take all necessary measures ashore in Somalia".

However, on Saturday the top US naval commander in the Gulf and Indian 
Ocean, Vice-Admiral Bill Gortney, dampened hopes that piracy could be 
tackled by attacking bases on land. He said such a policy would be 
hampered by the difficulties of identifying the pirates and the risks 
of harming civilians.

*'From the land'*

Questioned on BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend, Mr Hutton said: 
"We've got to look at this problem in a strategic context. "I think there's 
an immediate short-term imperative to protect shipping, but we've got 
to look at this problem at its source, and it comes from the land, not just 
the sea.

"So we've got to look very carefully at what we can do to tackle the problem 
in the way the problem is manifested, and also what lies behind the problem."

On Sunday, Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed sacked prime minister 
Nur Hassan Hussein and the interim government.

*'Ungoverned space'*

The country has not had a functioning national government since president 
Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991.

Mr Hutton said: "Somalia is a basket case, I'm afraid. It's a classic area where 
you've got ungoverned space, no effective state apparatus, and criminality and 
potential terrorism. "The world community has got to address this problem 
seriously. We've got to look very carefully at what we've got to do, together 
with our allies in the international community, to restore law and order to that 
very troubled part of the world."

Asked whether this might mean directly intervening in Somalia, Mr Hutton said: 
"I think it's far too early to speculate about that. Right now our mission is dealing 
with the immediate problem that the pirates pose to international shipping on 
the high seas. "There needs to be discussion about how we can properly deal 
with this problem in the long term."


----------



## Yrys

Chinese ships will fight pirates, BBC News

China has announced it is to send naval ships to fight rampant piracy 
in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.

State media suggested the force could consist of two destroyers and 
a supply ship, although officials did not confirm the details of the 
deployment. 

On Wednesday, Malaysian naval forces helped foil an attempt to 
hijack a Chinese ship by Somali pirates. The latest operation is 
a first for Beijing, which has until now pursued a policy of military 
non-interference.

China's navy, along with the rest of its military, has not often 
strayed far from home. But China's military spending has increased 
dramatically in recent years as its armed forces undergo a thorough 
modernisation.

This is its first active deployment beyond the Pacific, and naval analysts 
will be watching closely to see how the Chinese cope with the complex 
maintenance and re-supply problems of operating so far from home, 
the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says. 

*UN resolution*

Foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists that 
preparations to dispatch the vessels were under way. He said 
further details would be provided when the operation was 
formally announced.

But the state-run Global Times newspaper said two destroyers 
and one supply ship would depart from a Chinese naval base 
on Hainan island after 25 December.

On Wednesday the UN Security Council unanimously approved 
a resolution allowing foreign military forces to pursue pirates 
on land in Somalia, though Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has 
said the time is not right for such a mission.

*Pirates foiled*

The Gulf of Aden is a region of key strategic importance for China 
whose economy depends heavily upon a secure supply of oil and 
raw materials from abroad, our correspondent says.

Four or five Chinese ships pass through the busy channel every day.
Seven Chinese ships or crews have been attacked this year, Mr Liu said.

On Wednesday, the Zhenhua 4 was attacked by Somali pirates. The crew 
used water cannon and bottles to try to fight off their attackers, according 
to local media reports. But it was the intervention of Malaysian naval forces, 
with support from other countries, that thwarted the pirates.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

I suspect the only way to fix the area is to start small, help Somaliland to build it’s economy and infrastructure, offer to help settle the land dispute between it and Puntland. Somaliland’s government wants to go ahead and likely should recognized as a state. Offer incentives to Puntland to clean up it’s act, Once you have these 2 states working more or less, then perhaps divide up the rest of Somalia into manageable bits that can run themselves, maybe in a 100 years they will come back together. The current formula ain’t working.


----------



## Yrys

Colin P said:
			
		

> The current formula ain’t working.



"Somalia has not had an effective national government for 17 years"

Yep, I would say that the current formula ain't working, and seems to be a disaster ...


----------



## Yrys

Pirates to receive millions in ransom for release of arms ship, CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Pirates holding a ship full of tanks and ammunition off the coast 
of Somalia are likely to be paid millions of dollars in ransom within days, senior U.S. 
military officials said. The pirates have been holding the Ukrainian-operated, Belize-
flagged MV Faina and its 20-person crew in the Gulf of Aden since September 25. 

Military officials said the cash payment will be brought on the ship, directly to 
the pirates. Such a procedure is common because of the lack of electronic banking 
in Somalia. The officials would not say how much ransom is being paid or who is
paying it because it would be up to the individuals or company to make that 
announcement.

What's known is that the pirates originally asked for a $35 million ransom, but 
lowered their demand to $20 million, Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers 
Association told CNN in November.

The ship is laden with Soviet-era tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers 
and small arms. The merchant vessel was heading for Kenya, whose government 
had bought the weapons from Ukraine, Ukrainian Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov 
said, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. 

Officials said a ransom was close to being paid to the pirates weeks ago, but it did 
not come through and the merchant vessel remained under control of the hijackers.
The captain of the ship died of a heart attack days after the hijacking. His body remains 
on the ship, kept in a giant cooler to slow down decomposition, officials said.

The U.S. Navy has been shadowing the Faina every day since its capture, officials said. 
There has been some communication with the pirates during that time, such as checks 
on the status of the crew.

The Pentagon has been very interested in this hijacking because of concerns that the 
large amount of ammunition on board might be taken off the ship and put into the hands 
of gangs on the Somali shore. Navy officials said its ships would offer medical aid and 
food to the crew once the pirates give up the ship.

Pirate activity off the coastline of east Africa is a cause of growing international concern, 
with a number of ships -- including the Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star -- being 
captured in the past few weeks. The Gulf of Aden is now being patrolled by a number 
of international navies.


----------



## Eye In The Sky

tank artillery shells eh?


----------



## geo

Eye In The Sky said:
			
		

> tank artillery shells eh?


... to a civy... yeah.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

geo said:
			
		

> ... to a civy... yeah.



hey the news media got it right for once that these were acyual tanks...half the time they call M113s...tanks.


----------



## CougarKing

_Chinese troops march in Beijing. China is preparing to send warships to fight rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia, the government said Thursday, a day after one of its commercial vessels foiled an attack near the African state. (AFP/File/Frederic J. Brown)_

(I can almost hear them marching...yi er san si, zuo you zou...1,2,3, 4, left right left...yikes!)






_Indian soldiers stand guard as Somali suspected pirates sit handcuffed on the deck of the Indian warship INS Mysore, off the southern Yemeni port of Aden, December 17, 2008. The Indian Navy on Wednesday handed over to Yemeni coast guard officials 12 suspected Somali pirates caught by an Indian Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden on December 13, Yemen's state news agency Saba reported. REUTERS/Yemen News Agency/Handout (YEMEN)._






_A French army helicopter takes off from the French frigate Nivose off the coast of Djibouti on November 27, 2008 as part of an assignment of the French frigate Nivose to escort commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden. Chinese sailors fought off Somali pirates trying to hijack their ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday in a new wave of attacks that saw three other vessels captured. (AFP/File/Eric Cabanis)_






_Canadian Navy sailors provide an anti-pirate escort for a ship taking food aid to Somalia in September. The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution for the first time authorizing international land operations against audacious, armed pirates sheltering in Somalia. (AFP/File/Simon Maina)_


----------



## CougarKing

Tehran wants to join the fray as well, it seems.



> *Iran sends warship to Gulf of Aden*
> Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:39:25 GMT
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Iran has sent a warship on a patrol mission to the Gulf of Aden amid continued reports of ship hijacking by Somali pirates in the region.
> 
> According to a report by Fars News Agency, the Iranian warship arrived in the Gulf of Aden after traveling some 4,000 maritime miles and carried out a naval exercise in preparation for a potential clash with the pirates.
> 
> The Iranian ship is to join vessels from the US, Denmark, Russia, Italy and other countries to create a security corridor in the pirate-infested waters.
> 
> The deployment comes after Somali pirates hijacked the Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, Delight, operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) in the Gulf of Aden in November.
> 
> The attack was the second since August 21, when Iran's Diyanat ship was boarded by about 40 pirates armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades after passing the Horn of Africa.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is the quickest route for more than 20,000 vessels going from Asia to Europe and the Americas every year.
> 
> International warships have increased cooperation to crack down on buccaneers; however, pirate raids have not abated in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> Earlier in December, a member of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Parviz Sarvari warned that Iran is mulling over a military option against Somali pirates.
> 
> Attacks by heavily-armed Somali raiders in speedboats have prompted some of the world's biggest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal and send cargo vessels around southern Africa, causing a hike in shipping costs.
> 
> Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center, earlier told AP that there have been more than 100 attacks on ships off the coast of Somalia, resulting in the hijacking of more than 40 vessels so far this year.
> 
> He added that 14 vessels and more than 250 crewmembers remain in the hands of pirates.
> 
> http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=79040...ionid=351020101


----------



## CougarKing

And even countries without coasts and navies want to pitch in to help!




> *Swiss may send soldiers to guard ships off Somalia*
> 21 Dec 2008 15:06:43 GMT
> Source: Reuters
> 
> GENEVA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Switzerland is considering using soldiers to protect Swiss ships from pirates off Somalia, President Pascal Couchepin was quoted as saying on Sunday.
> 
> Couchepin, who is also interior minister, said the Swiss cabinet had not taken a final decision on the question, but its position was clear.
> 
> "We are ready in principle to send Swiss soldiers to Somalia," Swiss weekly SonntagsZeitung quoted him as saying.
> 
> *"You can't ignore this problem. Now we have to clarify what legal, financial and practical consequences this would have."*
> 
> A Swiss freighter was pursued by pirates off the Somali coast last week, but they abandoned the chase, Swiss weekly NZZ am Sonntag reported.
> 
> Couchepin did not give details of the possible operation, which could involve putting Swiss troops on Swiss ships, or deploying them in the troubled Horn of Africa state.
> 
> The SonntagsZeitung said the Swiss cabinet was *considering whether Switzerland should take part in an anti-piracy air-sea operation off the coast of Somalia that the European Union agreed to launch earlier this month. In return the EU would escort Swiss ships.*
> 
> On Tuesday the U.N. Security Council authorised countries fighting piracy off the Somali coast to take action inside the country and in its airspace, with the consent of the government.
> 
> Pirates have caused havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes this year, hijacking dozens of ships, including a Saudi Arabian supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of oil.
> 
> NATO ships began anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast in late October, but they have failed to stop the hijackings, and other nations are now pitching in.
> 
> On Saturday China's official news agency Xinhua said Beijing would send two destroyers and a supply vessel to the seas off Somalia to back international efforts to fight piracy, and Iran said it had dispatched a warship to the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian vessels.
> 
> Although Switzerland is neutral, it has a history of taking part in international peacekeeping efforts. The landlocked country has a merchant fleet of about 35 vessels.
> 
> *"We don't have a choice," *Couchepin said. "Do you want to tell the pirates: 'Stop, we're neutral, please don't hijack that ship over there!'" (Reporting by Jonathan Lynn; Editing by Katie Nguyen)
> 
> http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LL404294.htm


----------



## geo

Heh.... maybe the Swiss will detach a group from the Swiss Guard - Use those halberds to repel boarders......


----------



## Nfld Sapper

geo said:
			
		

> Heh.... maybe the Swiss will detach a group from the Swiss Guard - Use those halberds to repel boarders......



Now that will be a sight to see  ;D

EDITED FOR SPELLING


----------



## George Wallace

The NFLD Grinch said:
			
		

> Now that will be a site to see  ;D



Where is this site located?


----------



## Nfld Sapper

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Where is this site located?



Too much Scotch *hic*


----------



## FastEddy

geo said:
			
		

> Heh.... maybe the Swiss will detach a group from the Swiss Guard - Use those halberds to repel boarders......




They'd probably do a better job than the lot Mr Davis puts on board for $14,000.00.

At least they'd have Sharp & Pointy ends on their Big Sticks.

Cheers.


----------



## geo

FastEddy said:
			
		

> At least they'd have Sharp & Pointy ends on their Big Sticks.



.... and that's a good thing 

(with the H&Ks they carry, they should send the right message.  Else the pirates will understand where swiss cheese really comes from)


----------



## Yrys

German navy foils Somali pirates

The German navy says it has foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack 
an Egyptian cargo vessel off Somalia.

Six Somali pirates were captured by sailors of the frigate Karlsruhe 
in the Gulf of Aden. However, the pirates were immediately released 
on the orders of the German government, officials said.

Separately, three Chinese naval ships were due to leave their home 
port of Sanya on Thursday to protect Chinese ships off Somalia.

There have been more than 100 pirate attacks this year in the Gulf 
of Aden and several countries have deployed warships there.


*Confiscated*

The Karlsruhe sent a helicopter to protect the Egyptian cargo ship 
Wadi al-Arab from the pirates, who shot and injured a member of 
its crew as they tried to board the vessel.

A German navy spokesperson based in Djibouti told the BBC the 
Somali attackers were disarmed by German sailors and their 
weapons confiscated. He said the decision not to detain or arrest 
them was taken by the German government in Berlin.

The injured crewman is being treated on the Karlsruhe.

The UN Security Council recently passed a resolution giving members 
states extra powers to deal with pirates on the High Seas, including 
the power of detention and arrest.

The Chinese ships - two destroyers and a supply ship - aim to defend 
Chinese shipping from pirates, the ministry of defence said.

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Beijing says China has followed a doctrine 
of non-interference in other nations' affairs and despite this new type 
of deployment the ministry insists this has not changed.


----------



## Yrys

German navy foils Somali pirates

The German navy says it has foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack 
an Egyptian cargo vessel off Somalia.

Six Somali pirates were captured by sailors of the frigate Karlsruhe 
in the Gulf of Aden. However, the pirates were immediately released 
on the orders of the German government, officials said.

Separately, three Chinese naval ships were due to leave their home 
port of Sanya on Thursday to protect Chinese ships off Somalia.

There have been more than 100 pirate attacks this year in the Gulf 
of Aden and several countries have deployed warships there. 

*Confiscated*

The Karlsruhe sent a helicopter to protect the Egyptian cargo ship 
Wadi al-Arab from the pirates, who shot and injured a member of 
its crew as they tried to board the vessel.

A German navy spokesperson based in Djibouti told the BBC the Somali 
attackers were disarmed by German sailors and their weapons confiscated.
He said the decision not to detain or arrest them was taken by the German 
government in Berlin.

The injured crewman is being treated on the Karlsruhe.

The UN Security Council recently passed a resolution giving members states 
extra powers to deal with pirates on the High Seas, including the power of 
detention and arrest.

The Chinese ships - two destroyers and a supply ship - aim to defend Chinese 
shipping from pirates, the ministry of defence said.

The BBC's Chris Hogg in Beijing says China has followed a doctrine of 
non-interference in other nations' affairs and despite this new type of 
deployment the ministry insists this has not changed.


----------



## ironduke57

Fascinating. That incident was wildly reported here, except that part which was absolute news to me:


> ...
> A German navy spokesperson based in Djibouti told the BBC's Greg Morsbach the Somali attackers were disarmed by German sailors and their weapons confiscated.
> 
> "We had forces on board the frigate, and they used fast small boats, and together with the helicopter we were able to surround the pirates and disarm them," he said.
> 
> He said the decision not to detain or arrest them was taken by the German government in Berlin.
> 
> A spokesman for the EU's mission off Somalia, Cdr Achim Winkler, told the BBC's Europe Today programme that Germany would only bring pirates to justice where German interests were hurt.
> 
> This would be the case if a German ship was attacked or German citizens were killed or injured, he said.
> ...



Nothing was mentioned here about that.

Regards,
ironduke57


----------



## Yrys

CNN report the same think, with  some others  informations :

German frigate stops pirate attack

(CNN) -- German sailors foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack an Egyptian cargo ship off 
the coast of Yemen, the German Defense Ministry said.

The German navy frigate Karlsruhe responded to an emergency call from the Wabi Al 
Arab Thursday morning, sending helicopters to the stricken vessel. When the helicopters 
arrived, the pirates broke off the attack, the ministry said.

A crew member on the Wabi Al Arab was wounded when the pirates attempted to board 
the vessel. He was flown by helicopter for treatment aboard the Karlsruhe, the ministry 
said. The German sailors captured the pirates and disarmed them, destroying the weapons, 
the ministry said.

The German government in Berlin later ordered the Somali pirates released because they 
were not caught while harassing German interests, according to BBC. The Karlsruhe joined 
the fight against the pirates on Tuesday from Djibouti, the defense ministry said. 

On Wednesday a top Japanese official said the country was considering sending vessels to 
join U.S., Russian, NATO and Indian vessels in the waters off Somalia, a key shipping route 
that sees around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels each year.

China said Tuesday that two destroyers and a supply ship from its navy would set sail for 
the region on Friday to protect Chinese merchant ships.

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution last week aimed at combating piracy along 
the Horn of Africa by allowing military forces to chase pirate onto land in cases of "hot 
pursuit." The Security Council resolution, which passed unanimously, expands upon existing 
counter-piracy tools, including a stipulation that would allow for national and regional military 
forces to chase pirates onto land -- specifically into Somalia, where many of the pirates have 
their bases.

Over 124 incidents -- attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful hijackings -- have 
been recorded to date this year, according to Kenyan Seafarers Association.


Ironduke57, here being Germany, do you have any link to an English (or French  ) article ?


----------



## Yrys

CNN report the same think, with  some others  informations :

German frigate stops pirate attack

(CNN) -- German sailors foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack an Egyptian cargo ship off 
the coast of Yemen, the German Defense Ministry said.

The German navy frigate Karlsruhe responded to an emergency call from the Wabi Al 
Arab Thursday morning, sending helicopters to the stricken vessel. When the helicopters 
arrived, the pirates broke off the attack, the ministry said.

A crew member on the Wabi Al Arab was wounded when the pirates attempted to board 
the vessel. He was flown by helicopter for treatment aboard the Karlsruhe, the ministry 
said. The German sailors captured the pirates and disarmed them, destroying the weapons, 
the ministry said.

The German government in Berlin later ordered the Somali pirates released because they 
were not caught while harassing German interests, according to BBC. The Karlsruhe joined 
the fight against the pirates on Tuesday from Djibouti, the defense ministry said. 

On Wednesday a top Japanese official said the country was considering sending vessels to 
join U.S., Russian, NATO and Indian vessels in the waters off Somalia, a key shipping route 
that sees around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels each year.

China said Tuesday that two destroyers and a supply ship from its navy would set sail for 
the region on Friday to protect Chinese merchant ships.

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution last week aimed at combating piracy along 
the Horn of Africa by allowing military forces to chase pirate onto land in cases of "hot 
pursuit." The Security Council resolution, which passed unanimously, expands upon existing 
counter-piracy tools, including a stipulation that would allow for national and regional military 
forces to chase pirates onto land -- specifically into Somalia, where many of the pirates have 
their bases.

Over 124 incidents -- attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful hijackings -- have 
been recorded to date this year, according to Kenyan Seafarers Association.


----------



## Yrys

China sailor recalls pirate fight

The captain of a Chinese ship has told the BBC how he and his crew fought off 
a gang of armed Somali pirates with petrol bombs and water cannon.

Nine pirates boarded the Zhenhua 4 on Wednesday but were forced off the ship 
by Capt Peng Weiyuan and his crew after they mounted an unexpected fightback.
Helicopters from a multi-national force also took part in the four hour battle, 
which saw the pirates back down.

China has announced it is to send naval ships to combat piracy in the region.

Speaking by satellite phone from the Indian Ocean, Capt Peng told the Newshour 
programme on the BBC World Service that the pirates attacked the vessel using 
two speedboats. "They opened fire, they wanted us to stop," he said.

*'Very threatening'*

"We had 27 crew members on the boat and we shouted at them saying 'go away', 
but they were very fast." Capt Peng said he tried to manoeuvre his ship out of the 
way but eventually the pirates climbed aboard after putting ladders up the side of 
the Zhenhua 4. "Seven pirates got on our ship and two remained on the speedboat. 
The seven that got on were very threatening," he said.

But instead of surrendering, the crew retreated to their living quarters, which 
overlook the deck. "We had _a lot of beer bottles_ and we made a lot of cocktail 
[petrol] bombs," said Capt Peng. "We were well prepared. We threw them at 
them.

"After the first attack they retreated but somehow they got very good weapons - 
anti-tank weapons - which they fired at us, and succeeded in coming up to our 
living quarters. "They came to the first platform which is very close to our living 
quarters.

"We were locked inside and the door was very thick. They were shouting 'open 
the door'. So we climbed further up and we used everything to threaten them, 
bottles, petrol. "Eventually we used high-pressure water cannon to shoot at them. 
They were also shooting at us and one bullet passed me about 10in (25cm) away.

"Eventually they retreated, they couldn't fight any more. There was smoke, there was fire."

*Asked for shoes*

The captain described how the defeated pirates made some unexpected requests 
as they prepared to leave the Zhenhua 4.

"The head of the pirates said 'stop, stop, we can't go on fighting any more. Let us go'. 
And I said: 'We will let you go. Leave our ship'." Mr Peng said that the pirates then 
asked for shoes because they were barefoot and the deck was covered in broken glass.

Pairs of leather shoes were thrown to them and the pirates retreated - _only to return 
a few minutes later asking for fuel for their speedboats_.

Capt Peng added that while the fighting was going on helicopters appeared overhead 
and started firing at the pirates. "They helped us succeed," he said.

On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists that 
preparations to dispatch naval vessels were under way.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says it will be the Chinese navy's first 
active deployment beyond the Pacific Ocean.


----------



## Yrys

China readies for pirate patrols

Three Chinese naval ships are preparing to set sail for waters off Somalia 
to protect Chinese vessels from pirate attacks there.

Two destroyers and a supply ship will leave the port of Sanya on Hainan 
island to join warships from other nations already patrolling the area. It 
will be the Chinese navy's first operation beyond the Pacific.

There have been more than 100 pirate attacks this year off Somalia and 
in the Gulf of Aden.

On Thursday, the German navy said it had foiled an attempt by pirates to 
hijack an Egyptian cargo vessel off Somalia. Six Somali pirates were captured 
by sailors of the frigate Karlsruhe in the Gulf of Aden. However, the pirates 
were immediately released on the orders of the German government, officials 
told the BBC.

*'International scourge'*

The three ships from China's South Sea Fleet are due to leave Sanya at 0530 GMT. 
The fleet commander, Rear Adm Du Jingchen, said his personnel were prepared 
for a complicated and long-term mission.

"Acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters off Somalia have been 
increasingly rampant since the beginning of this year, posing a severe danger 
to the safety of ships and members from many countries, including China," 
China's Defence Ministry spokesman Huang Xueping said.

"Apart from this, pirates have also been threatening ships delivering humanitarian 
relief items to Somalia by international organisations. Piracy has become an 
international scourge."

The Chinese military says there have been seven attacks this year on Chinese 
vessels in the area. It says its forces will board and inspect suspected pirate ships, 
try to rescue those who are attacked and mount a vigourous defence if they 
themselves come under attack. However, defence ministry officials insist that 
China's doctrine of non-interference in other nations' affairs has not changed, 
the BBC's Chris Hogg in Beijing says.


----------



## Yrys

Iranian navy joins fight against Somali pirates

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- A group of Iranian warships steamed into the Gulf of Aden, 
joining an expanding list of navies sent to protect shipping routes from Somali pirates, 
state-run media reported Saturday. The report from Fars News Agency comes just 
weeks after the European Union launched its first naval operation to protect vessels 
and just days after China revealed its own plans to patrol the Horn of Africa's volatile 
coastline.

Iran, along with other countries, has seen commercial ships fall prey to pirate attacks 
that have dramatically increased in recent months.

This year, pirates have attacked almost 100 vessels off Somalia's coast and hijacked 
nearly 40, according to the International Maritime Bureau. The attacked vessels include 
freight and cargo ships, cruise liners and private yachts.

In many of the hijackings, pirates have taken the crew and passengers hostage while 
they demand a ransom.


----------



## CougarKing

It was already announced before that Tokyo was considering sending one of its warships there though it is obviously taking longer than the other nations who have recently decided to send warships there as well.



> *Japan mulls ship vs pirates off Somalia*
> Agence France-Presse
> First Posted 14:35:00 12/25/2008
> Filed Under: Sea piracy, Defense
> 
> TOKYO -- Japan said Thursday it was considering dispatching a destroyer to waters off Somalia to guard against pirates who are inflicting a costly toll on the shipping industry.
> 
> A growing number of nations are sending navy ships to fight pirates near the lawless East African country, with Japan's neighbor and sometime rival China set to dispatch three vessels on Friday.
> 
> "Japan has to deal quickly with this issue," Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, the government spokesman, told a news conference.
> 
> But Japan has legal problems with sending warships because of its pacifist post-World War II Constitution. Under domestic laws, the navy can only protect ships flying the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese nationals.
> 
> "Are the current laws appropriate for a mission like this?" Kawamura said.
> 
> "The laws stipulate that, as a general rule, Japanese [military] ships can operate within our territorial waters. But is that OK when we are discussing cooperation with the international community?" he said.
> 
> Kawamura said ruling bloc lawmakers would study changes in legislation.
> 
> The Mainichi Shimbun, quoting unnamed sources, said that Prime Minister Taro Aso may announce a decision on an operation by the end of the year.
> 
> The UN Security Council has given nations a one-year mandate to act inside Somalia to stop the rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden, part of the Suez Canal route from Europe to Asia.
> 
> Some shipping companies have chosen to travel around Africa, a longer and more expensive route, to avoid the increasingly brazen pirate attacks.
> 
> Japanese forces have not fired a shot in combat since World War II. But the country has tried to take on a larger role in international security, notably through a reconstruction mission in Iraq.
> 
> China's dispatch of two destroyers and a supply ship mark the first time in recent history that Beijing has deployed vessels on a potential combat mission well beyond its territorial waters.


----------



## CougarKing

More details on that PLAN fleet leaving for the Indian Ocean to fight those Somali pirates:



> *3 Chinese navy ships leave for Somalia*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Missile Destroyer Haikou 171 of the PLA Navy’s South China Sea Fleet*
> 
> By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer William Foreman, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 25, 9:02 pm ET
> 
> GUANGZHOU, China – Chinese navy ships usually stick close to home guarding their own coasts.
> 
> But on Friday, warships armed with special forces, missiles and helicopters will sail for anti-piracy duty off Somalia — the first time the communist nation has sent ships on a mission that could involve fighting so far beyond its territorial waters.
> 
> The three vessels — two destroyers and a supply ship *887 Weisanhu* — may increase worries about growing Chinese military power. The mission will also challenge China's ability to cooperate with other naval forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest sea lanes.
> 
> Warships from India, Russia, NATO and the U.S. are also cruising the Somali waters that have been plagued by pirate attacks in recent months.
> 
> The Chinese ships will sail from a base in Sanya on the southern island province of Hainan. China announced it was joining the anti-piracy mission Tuesday after the U.N. Security Council authorized nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases.
> 
> Pirates have made an estimated $30 million hijacking ships for ransom this year, seizing more than 40 vessels off Somalia's 1,880-mile (3,000-kilometer) coastline.
> 
> Deploying ships to the Gulf of Aden marks a significant step in the evolution of China's navy, according to a report by Stratfor, an Austin, Texas-based intelligence company. The mission will be complicated, offering vital on-the-job training in refueling, resupply and repairs far from home as well as patrolling for pirates, Stratfor said.
> 
> "In the event of an accident or a run-in with pirates," Stratfor said, "would a Chinese vessel carry out repairs at sea, head to a nearby port, perhaps in Pakistan, or return to China?"
> 
> Stratfor also noted the waters will be awash with naval ships from around the world, making it essential for China to maintain effective communication with the vessels.
> 
> The Chinese "will very likely monitor the way NATO and especially U.S. warships communicate with each other and with their shipborne helicopters," the report said.
> 
> China's willingness to send ships so far from home is also the latest example of the growing power and confidence of the country's navy. In recent years, the military has been loading up on warships, planes, missiles and other weapons — a beef-up that has worried its neighbors and the U.S.
> 
> Those most concerned include the Japanese and South Koreans, who have long-standing disputes about territorial waters that occasionally flare up. China has also been locked in an uneasy stand off with the Philippines, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations over the ownership of the potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.
> 
> Denny Roy, a senior fellow at the East-West Center in Hawaii, said countries in the region will view China's mission off Somalia differently.
> 
> "For Japan and some in South Korea, this is another step in the unwelcome growth of the Chinese navy as a capable blue-water force, which has only downsides for Tokyo and Seoul," said Roy, an expert on China's military.
> 
> But he said most Southeast Asian countries may see China's involvement in the anti-piracy campaign as a positive thing. It would mean that China was using its greater military might for constructive purposes, rather than challenging the current international order.
> 
> However, the analyst added, "The Chinese deployment gets at a question the U.S. and other governments have been asking: `Why the big Chinese military buildup when no country threatens China?' Or more bluntly, `Why do the Chinese need a blue-water navy when the U.S. Navy already polices the world's oceans?'"
> 
> Roy said the answer is that China is unwilling to rely on the U.S. to protect China's increasingly global interests. Beijing still believes it needs to enter the field, Roy said, and that leaves open the possibility of a China-U.S. naval rivalry in the future.
> 
> China has said the mission's purpose was to protect Chinese ships and crews that have come under attack from pirates. The vessels would also be willing to share intelligence and conduct humanitarian rescue operations with other countries involved in the anti-piracy efforts, Senior Col. Huang Xueping, spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense, said Tuesday.
> 
> The two Chinese destroyers — *the Haikou 171 and Wuhan 169 — will carry special forces, two helicopters and traditional weapons such as missiles and cannons* Huang didn't say how long the mission will last, but a Communist Party newspaper has said the ships would be away about three months.
> 
> On Thursday, a German military helicopter rescued an Egyptian ship from pirates who shot and injured a crew member while trying to board the vessel off the Somali coast, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center. The bulk carrier with 31 crew was passing through the Gulf of Aden on its way to Asia when it was chased by gun-toting pirates in a speedboat, Choong said.
> 
> The pirates are spurred by poverty in Somalia, a nation of about 8 million people that has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other.
> 
> Countries as diverse as Britain, India, Iran, America, France and Germany have naval forces in the waters or on their way there. On Wednesday, Japan said it was considering joining the coalition.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081226/ap_on_re_as/piracy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The Chinese navy was to weigh anchor for an anti-piracy mission off Africa, in the nation's first potential combat mission beyond its territorial waters in centuries. The two destroyers and one supply vessel comprising the task force were waiting off the Yalong Bay naval base on south China's tropical Hainan island, ready for the signal to set course for Somalia, the China Daily reported. (AFP/File/Toshifumi Kitamura)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Navy's DDG-171 Haikou destroyer is seen in Sanya, capital of South China's Hainan Province Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008. On Friday, warships armed with special forces, missiles and helicopters will sail for anti-piracy duty off Somalia, the first time the communist nation has sent ships on a mission that could involve fighting so far beyond its territorial waters. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zha Chunming)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, soldiers of Chinese navy special force carry out an anti pirate drill on the deck of DDG-171 Haikou destroyer in Sanya, capital of South China's Hainan Province Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zha Chunming)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Chinese navy soldiers. (AFP/File/Liu Jin)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Qiandaohu class fleet replenishment ship Weishanhu (887)*


----------



## 1feral1

This pirate shyte is getting out of hand. Perhaps its time to start deliberatly hunting for them, destroying them 'by suprise' instead of waiting and reacting to their aggression. Other words sink 'em in place.

Set an example by zero tolerence, and these cowards won't leave their rag-tag ports.

Regards,

OWDU


----------



## geo

What really dissapoints me is the German decision to "catch & release"
What kind of example is that for chri$t's sake ?
My demo of "catch & release" for pirates caught in the act would be to confiscate their weapons, sink their ship & then release them to their fate in the deep deep blue - and let Allah look after them & their souls


----------



## CougarKing

So will these JMSDF sailors prove to be as fierce in combat as their IJN forebears?



> *Japan PM orders preparations for Somalia mission*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Japanese sailors during an international fleet review near the coast of South Korea. Japan has said it is considering dispatching a destroyer to waters off Somalia to guard against pirates who are inflicting a costly toll on the shipping industry. (AFP/File/Kim Jae-Hwan)_
> 
> TOKYO (AFP) - Japan on Friday moved a step closer to sending its navy to piracy-plagued waters near Somalia, with Prime Minister Taro Aso instructing his cabinet to speed up preparations for a possible deployment.
> 
> Aso "told me to accelerate studies so that the Self-Defence Forces can take measures against piracy as soon as possible," Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters, referring to Japan's military.
> 
> A growing number of nations are sending navy ships to fight pirates near the lawless East African country, with Japan's neighbour and sometime rival China dispatching three vessels on Friday.
> 
> Japan has been pacifist since defeat in World War II. Under domestic law, the navy can only protect ships flying the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese passengers.
> 
> Aso, speaking with reporters late Thursday, called for Japan to revise the law so it can also guard foreign vessels but held out the option of sending ships that for now have a limited role.
> 
> "Japan should take action in a hurry," Aso said.
> 
> "We had better consider revising the law, but that will take time. If we have to hasten things, then we should take a defensive posture on the sea."
> 
> Japan's opposition controls the less powerful upper house of parliament and has repeatedly held up legislation in hopes of forcing the unpopular Aso to call early elections.
> 
> Kyodo News, quoting unnamed sources, said *the government hoped to send a destroyer in February.*
> 
> Japanese forces have not fired a shot in combat since World War II. But the country has tried to take on a larger role in international security, notably through a reconstruction mission in Iraq.
> 
> China's dispatch of two destroyers and a supply ship mark the first time in recent history that Beijing has deployed vessels on a potential combat mission well beyond its territorial waters.
> 
> The UN Security Council has given nations a one-year mandate to act inside Somalia to stop the rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden, part of the Suez Canal route from Europe to Asia.
> 
> Some shipping companies have chosen to travel around Africa, a longer and more expensive route, to avoid the increasingly brazen pirate attacks.
> 
> http://asia.news.yahoo.com/081226/afp/0812...acificnews.html


----------



## karl28

I think it is great that all these different nations can put aside there difference to fight a common cause of defeating the pirates .


----------



## Yrys

karl28 said:
			
		

> I think it is great that all these different nations can put aside there difference to fight a common cause of defeating the pirates .



I think I've missed the article that says that they're there together  ???


----------



## FastEddy

Yrys said:
			
		

> I think I've missed the article that says that they're there together  ???




No ! you didn't, but it might-en be a bad idea.

Don't quote me, could the reason why Germany and Japan are dragging their feet feet have anything to do with 1939 & Pearl Harbour ?.

Cheers.


----------



## geo

Germany & Japan..... feet dragging prolly has everything to do with 1945 & the years following WW2.
Japan's constitution was written up in such a fashion as to limit their Self defence forces to Sea, Land and Air of Japan.  It is a recent thing that Japan has been encouraged or more precisely "told" to come out of it's shell & assume it's place in dealing with Global evemtsé

WRT Germany - a lot has to do with the reuinfication of the two German states


----------



## NL_engineer

geo said:
			
		

> WRT Germany - a lot has to do with the reuinfication of the two German states



Not anything that said country did in the past, that keeps coming up when they send troops abroad?


----------



## geo

FWIW, the German people & the politicians have had a bellyfull of war (at least as instigators) and while they are prepared to do peacekeeping (as the Canadian political band played for SOOO long), warfighting is something they still have trouble getting their mindset wrapped around.


----------



## CougarKing

Looks like Blackwater's Patrol ship _McArthur_ will be having company if more PMCs do enter the picture.

*ESCORT SECURITY VESSELS*






















Available for charter. Ex-Naval patrol boats, *crewed by ex-military personnel*, with relevant operational experience for global contracts - short or long term.

http://commercial.apolloduck.com/feature.phtml?id=101865

*Escort Ships*






Izax Offshore can supply 6 of these vessels for Escort / Patrol / Guard Duties . These vessels can be mobilised anywhere in the world and* have fully trained crews*

http://commercial.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=101552

or   

*For Sale: small frigate*








> we are selling one second hand frigate. The ship would make a great candidate for protection of convoys in areas, *where pirate's menace* must be expected. She is for sale only to buyers, that can provide an end-user certificate from their authorities. The price is for ship without any military equipment.



http://commercial.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=101862


----------



## dapaterson

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> *For Sale: small frigate*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://commercial.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=101862



Why didn't you post this BEFORE Christmas?  Which would you rather find under your tree - socks and shirts, or a frigate?


----------



## geo

DAP...
It's prolly a case of the frigate was returned to the vendor after Xmass

Must be a case of "Wrong colour" or "wrong size"


----------



## CougarKing

If you're a sorry-looking pirate, never mess with the Royal Malaysian Navy.




> *Malaysian helicopter saves Indian ship from pirates *
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR: *A Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being hijacked on Thursday, foiling the new year’s first attack by pirates in the dangerous Gulf of Aden off the chaotic African nation of Somalia.
> 
> “This was a New Year’s gift to the owners of the Indian tankers. If the Malaysians had not arrived their ship would have been certainly hijacked," *said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting centre.
> 
> *The Malaysian rescue comes as more and more countries are sending warships to join a multi-national naval force to protect commercial vessels passing through one of the world’s most important sea routes. On Christmas Day, a German helicopter similarly saved an Egyptian ship off Somalia,* a lawless country that has become a breeding ground for pirates who have raked in millions of dollars in ransom from hijackings.
> 
> *The Indian tanker carrying a full load of oil was steaming toward the Suez Canal when it was attacked by two skiffs, one of which carried seven pirates dressed in military-style uniforms, *said Choong.
> 
> *“They came close to the ship and started firing machine guns, hitting the bridge and the accommodation area," *Choong told The Associated Press.
> 
> He said *the pirates, believed to be Somalis, tried to board the vessel several times while “firing repeatedly" but failed.
> 
> The captain increased the ship’s speed to maximum, made evasive maneuvers and sent an SOS, which was received by a Malaysian frigate, KD Sri Indera Sakti, only 15 nautical miles away*, he said.
> 
> *The frigate dispatched a Fennec light military helicopter, which arrived within minutes, *said Choong.
> 
> *On spotting the helicopter the pirates stopped firing and fled. There were no injuries to the crew but the tanker sustained some damage*, Choong said.
> 
> Cmdr. Jane Campbell, a spokeswoman for the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said the U.S. Navy had no immediate information about a pirate attack.
> 
> *The Malaysians, who are part of the multi-national task force, also saved a Chinese ship less than two weeks ago.*
> 
> More than a dozen warships are now patrolling the vast gulf. Countries as diverse as Britain, India, Iran, the United States, China, France and Germany have naval forces in the waters.
> 
> According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates attacked 111 times in the Gulf of Aden in 2008, out of which 42 resulted in successful hijackings.
> 
> Choong said 14 ships are still in the hands of pirates with more than 240 hostages. “Despite the increase in naval activities pirates are still managing to find loopholes to attack and hijack ships because warships cannot be everywhere at the same time," said Choong.
> 
> The pirates have been given a free hand to operate because of more than a decade of turmoil in Somalia. The nation of about 8 million people has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other.
> 
> - AP / The Star -


----------



## old medic

Aso seeks MSDF dispatch off Somalia
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200812270052.html



> Prime Minister Taro Aso on Friday pressed for ways to swiftly dispatch Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to thwart pirates off Somalia, but he faced reluctance from his coalition partner and even his defense chief.
> 
> "I have instructed the defense minister to further accelerate discussions on how to allow the SDF to quickly participate in counter-piracy measures," Aso told a Cabinet meeting Friday.
> 
> However, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada questioned the effectiveness of rushing to send MSDF vessels to the seas off east Africa to protect only Japanese vessels.
> 
> "If we only (protect) Japanese ships, how effective would it be from the viewpoint of international collaboration?" Hamada said at a news conference the same day.
> 
> Members of the Liberal Democratic Party's junior coalition partner, New Komeito, have also raised concerns over what would be an unprecedented dispatch for dealing with pirates.
> 
> The government has been fretting over its inability to take prompt action while other nations, including China, have rushed to protect their vessels from pirates.
> 
> Japan is the only Group of Eight nation that has not sent naval vessels off Somalia.
> 
> One option available for Japan is to use Article 82 of the Self-Defense Forces Law for a maritime security operation to protect Japanese lives or properties.
> 
> Under the law, the defense minister can order a dispatch to deal with armed foreign vessels, or unidentified vessels, if the situation is deemed to exceed the capability of the Japan Coast Guard.
> 
> Another option, already being pushed by the government, is to send MSDF vessels under a new general law that would allow the SDF to protect not only Japanese ships, but foreign commercial vessels as well.
> 
> The government plans to submit a bill for the general law during the ordinary Diet session next year.
> 
> The envisioned law would also allow SDF vessels to engage in counter-piracy operations elsewhere.
> 
> It would define piracy as a crime, which is currently not stipulated in domestic laws, and allow SDF vessels to intervene in acts of piracy targeting foreign ships that are not carrying Japanese nationals or cargo.
> 
> But even if the government submits the bill, deliberations are unlikely to start in earnest until April at the earliest, after the passage of the fiscal 2009 budget.
> 
> Dispatch orders under the SDF Law have been issued only twice.
> 
> One was in 1999, to allow the SDF to pursue two suspected North Korean spy ships spotted off the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. The other dispatch order was issued in 2004, when a Chinese submarine intruded into Japanese waters.(IHT/Asahi: December 27,2008)


----------



## geo

> "If we only (protect) Japanese ships, how effective would it be from the viewpoint of international collaboration?" Hamada said at a news conference the same day.



Umm... shouldn't it be a case of YOU look after my ships and I will look after your ships......
Piracy is a golbal problem & should be dealt with on a global basis... If this fella only wants to protect his own ships (the same way as the germans appear to be doing (read about their trap and release programin post #463) then this fella has his head stuffed sooo far up his a$$ that he can't see daylight.


----------



## CougarKing

Good job to Le Marine Nationale/the French Navy!

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20090102/twl-uk-somalia-piracy-sb-a7cf3b4.html



> *France hands pirates to Somalia as more attacks foiled*
> Friday, January 2 05:50 pm
> 
> Rampant piracy off Somalia's coast has alarmed nations around the world worried about threats to global trade and warships have rushed to curb the hijacks, typically carried out by a handful of well-armed bandits in small speedboats.
> 
> It was the audacious seizure of a Saudi oil tanker with two million barrels of crude hundreds of miles at sea in November that shocked shipping firms and calls for action mushroomed.
> 
> The French frigate that captured the pirates was patrolling as part of a European Union anti-piracy naval task force under British command set up last month, the first such naval operation of its kind.
> 
> "The French navy handed over to us the eight Somali pirates they seized," Abdullahi Said Samatar, Puntland's security minister, told Reuters. "We urge all other countries to fight pirates and then hand them into Puntland."
> 
> Even though the semi-autonomous region of Puntland has run its affairs for years with relative independence from the chaotic south of Somalia, it has became a base for pirates earning millions of dollars in ransoms.
> 
> While some analysts say Puntland officials are complicit in the attacks, authorities in the poor, arid region deny any involvement and say 96 pirates are now in jail there.
> 
> "There is a diplomatic agreement whereby the Somali authorities are committed to prosecuting and punishing (pirates)," Christophe Prazuck, a spokesman for the French armed forces, said.
> 
> "RESISTANCE IMPOSSIBLE"
> 
> Diplomats say trying pirates abroad is seen as problematic by some nations as they may face the prospect of extraditing the guilty to Somalia, where piracy carries the death penalty.
> 
> France has been particularly active in the fight against pirates and has arrested 29 in four operations since last April, some of whom are in France awaiting trial.
> 
> Besides the EU warships, the United States, China, India, Malaysia, Turkey and Russia all have frigates in the waters off Somalia and Japan is considering following suit.
> 
> The French navy nabbed the gunmen after it received a distress signal Thursday from the Panamanian-registered cargo ship S. Venus that was being pursued by the bandits.
> 
> "Resistance was impossible when faced by a well-armed warship," Prazuck told LCI television, adding they had found a rocket launcher, rifles and boarding ladders on the pirate's vessel.
> 
> Greece's merchant marine ministry said that EU forces had foiled an attack on a Greek-flagged oil tanker Friday.
> 
> The "Kriti Episkopi," with 29 crew, was en route to Greece from Iran when it issued a distress signal as pirates attempted to board the vessel, the ministry said.
> 
> A Malaysian military helicopter also scared away Somali pirates attacking an Indian ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday, but gunmen seized an Egyptian merchant ship with 28 crew the same day.
> 
> In Moscow, local news agencies said ships from the Pacific fleet sailed to east Africa where the Russian destroyer Neustrashimy (Fearless) is patrolling Somali waters as part of the international efforts to stem the attacks.
> 
> (Additional reporting by Renee Maltezou in Athens, Conor Sweeney in Moscow, Crispian Balmer in Paris; Writing by David Clarke; Editing by Giles Elgood)


----------



## Dogboy

You know I had that Idea years ago 
get a old nave patrolship to hunt Pirates.
but what about having a bait ship ??
a old cargo can with a hidden littel secrit on bord 
you hit that thing once and youd think twice about bording another.


----------



## CougarKing

Dogboy said:
			
		

> You know I had that Idea years ago
> get a old *nave* patrolship to hunt Pirates.
> but what about having a bait ship ??
> a old cargo can with a hidden littel *secrit* on bord
> you hit that thing once and youd think twice about bording another.


 
You should look up the term "Q-ship" under World War One history if you want to explore that "bait ship" concept further.

 :-\ Somehow, I don't think today's navies would be willing to dedicate a full crew and a vessel for that task just to capture some Somali pirates when current means are already working.


----------



## CougarKing

Another Bravo Zulu to Le Marine Nationale!!!!



> *French warship captures 19 Somali pirates*
> Mon 5 Jan 2009, 6:37 GMT
> [-] Text [+]
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The Jean de Vienne is a F70 type anti-submarine frigate of the French Marine Nationale. She is the third French vessel named after the XIVth Century admiral Jean de Vienne. Her complement is 20% female. On 04. of january 2009 this ship saved from pirates a croatian a tanker Donat owned by the Tankerska plovidba from Zadar and a cargo ship from Panama called Vulturnus in the waters near Somalia._
> 
> PARIS (Reuters) - A French warship captured 19 Somali pirates on Sunday when it came to the rescue of two cargo ships threatened in the Gulf of Aden, the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
> 
> The French naval vessel *"Jean de Vienne"* was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force when it came to the rescue of a *Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden.*
> 
> The 19 Somali pirates, armed and equipped with equipment to board the vessels, were captured and have been handed over to Somali authorities, the statement said.
> 
> The incident came three days after another French vessel captured eight Somali pirates who attacked a Panamanian registered vessel.
> 
> Piracy off Somalia, one of the world's busiest shipping areas, has soared over the past year, earning the pirates millions of dollars of ransom payments and pushing up maritime insurance rates.
> 
> The European Union set up an anti-piracy naval task force under British command last month involving warships and aircraft from several nations in the first such naval operation of its kind.
> 
> http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE50400P.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _In this photo released on Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 by the French Defense ministry, and taken from French anti-submarine frigate "Jean de Vienne", two armed French Navy officers taking part in the "Atalante" escorting and protection mission, supervise a convoy of cargo ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's coasts, in this photo taken Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008. About 50 cargo ships travel daily through the Gulf of Aden, a strategic waterway that links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _French forces, above, arrest suspected pirates who tried to hijack a cargo vessel off the Somali coast. Eight men were handed over to Puntland, a state in northeastern Somalia. The Premier Maitre L’Her, a French frigate patrolling the waters as part of an EU taskforce, intercepted the men after twice responding to a distress call from the S. Venus in the Gulf of Aden. _


----------



## The Bread Guy

Sharing this tidbit (10 page .pdf) from the U.S. Congressional Research Service to give a bit of a sense of the numbers (highlights mine), as well as non-military policy options open to the USA.....


> Summary:  Many Members of Congress are concerned about the sharp rise in pirate attacks in the strategic waterways in the Gulf of Aden off the East coast of Africa. The hijacking of a Saudi Arabiaowned oil tanker, Sirius Star, off the coast of Kenya on November 17, 2008, by pirates was another in a series of seizures that have focused worldwide attention on economic and humanitarian threats posed by pirates to the global seafaring community and the smooth flow of international trade. *Given the sharp increase in the number of pirate attacks, the cost of transporting cargo in international waters could rise dramatically because of the sharp increase in ocean marine insurance rates for ships transiting the Gulf of Aden. Commercial insurers, for example, could require a special “war risk” insurance premium costing an additional ten of thousands of dollars a day. These additional costs could adversely impact international trade during the current global economic slowdown.*
> 
> In addition to proposals for military deterrence and diplomatic engagements,* policymakers may elect to consider adjustments to the federal statute (Title XII of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended) that authorizes the federal government to underwrite marine war risk insurance in circumstances such as piracy*. Title XII, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration, authorizes *the federal government to act as an insurer or reinsurer of last resort to facilitate waterborne commerce should private ocean marine insurance markets not be able to ensure that financial losses due to war risks (and piracy) will be largely covered*.
> 
> *Policymakers may also elect to maintain the status quo on this statutory authority. The property and casualty insurance industry policyholder surplus is calculated to be approximately $505 billion (as of June 2008). Vessel hull and war risk premiums in the U.S. market paid to insurers totaled approximately $350 million in 2007, and the total value of cargo insurance premiums paid in that year was approximately $833 million, according to industry data. Some may contend, as a result, that the insurance industry appears to be financially capable of handling U.S. exposure to the current piracy threat and that the existing policy “backstop” will be adequate.*
> 
> This report will be updated as events warrant.


----------



## CougarKing

And as much as I don't like to use Xinhua, here's an update:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/06/content_10614754.htm



> *Naval escort fleet to protect 15 Chinese merchant vessels from pirates  *
> 
> www.chinaview.cn  2009-01-06 22:42:26
> 
> BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- After successfully carrying out its first escort mission, the Chinese Navy prepares to cover another 11 domestic merchant vessels planning to travel around Somalia this week.
> 
> "We will actively provide information and necessary rescue services for those merchant ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters," said He Jianzhong, spokesman with Ministry of Transport (MOT).
> 
> 
> 
> A governmental spokesman said on Tuesday that the naval task force will protect a total of 15 Chinese merchant ships between Tuesday and Saturday.
> 
> Consisting of two destroyers and one supply ship, the naval fleet arrived in waters off Somali coast on Tuesday after a voyage of more than 4,400 nautical miles. It set sail on Dec. 26.
> 
> Soon after its arrival, the fleet conducted its first escort service for four Chinese merchant vessels, including one from Hong Kong.
> 
> The ship's cargo, origins and destinations were not released.
> 
> Under command of the fleet's flagship DDG-169 Wuhuan destroyer, the four merchant vessels sailed in a line formation and passed through the warship's patrolling area.
> 
> Surging piracy off the Somali coast has increasingly threatened internationals shipping. A total of 1,265 Chinese merchant ships passed through the Gulf of Aden last year. Seven were attacked by pirates.
> 
> One Chinese fishing ship, Tian Yu 8, and its 18 crew members were hijacked on Nov. 14, 2008. They are still being held by pirates.
> 
> The MOT announced Chinese merchant ships may ask for protection by applying to the China Shipowners' Association (CSA) and China Maritime Search and Rescue Center (CMSRC).
> 
> According to the commander of the Chinese Naval expedition, Real-Admiral Du Jingchen, the main task for the warships is to dispel pirates with their presence.
> 
> "We have started our escort mission and will conduct careful deployment and close contact with the vessels to secure their safety by strictly abiding by the U.N. resolutions and international laws," said Real-Admiral Du.
> 
> The fleet is carrying about 800 crew members including 70 soldiers from the Navy's special forces along with weapons such as missiles, canons and helicopters.
> 
> For the first phase of the escort mission, the fleet will patrol the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for about three months, followed by possible replacement warships as needed.



Another report stated that even Taiwan/ROC ships can be protected by the PLAN warships in the Indian Ocean, which will definitely get Taipei's attention and possible disdain.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/06/content_10613544.htm




> BEIJING, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ships from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan can request the escort services of the Chinese mainland's navy fleet in Somalian waters, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang at a regular press conference here Tuesday.
> 
> Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are all part of China. The Chinese government attached high importance to the safety of overseas Chinese, and the escort flotilla in Somalian waters will also protect ships from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Qin said.


----------



## Infanteer

This thread has been renamed as per a user request to be an all-encompassing thread on the threat of modern piracy.

Cheers,
Infanteer


----------



## CougarKing

Yet another update:
Hasn't it already been leading that NATO member navies' ships there from the beginning?



> *US to Lead New Anti-Piracy Naval Force*
> January 08, 2009
> Associated Press
> 
> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A new international naval force under American command will soon begin patrols to confront escalating attacks by Somali pirates after more than 100 ships came under siege in the past year, the U.S. Navy said Thursday.
> 
> But the mission - expected to begin operations next week - appears more of an attempt to sharpen the military focus against piracy rather than a signal of expanded offensives across one of the world's most crucial shipping lanes.
> 
> The force will carry no wider authority to strike at pirate vessels at sea or specific mandates to move against havens on shore - which some maritime experts believe is necessary to weaken the pirate gangs that have taken control of dozens of cargo vessels and an oil tanker.
> 
> Pentagon officials described it as a first step to create a dedicated international structure - combining military force, intelligence sharing and coordinated patrols - to battle piracy from lawless Somalia.
> 
> The sharp spike in pirate attacks caused a "situation where there were competing priorities" between counterterrorism missions in the region and protecting merchant ships, said Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman in Washington.
> 
> There currently are more than a dozen warships in the vast expanse off the coast of Somalia, from naval giants such as the U.S., Britain and Russia, emerging powers such as China and India and regional forces such as Iran.
> 
> The announcement on the new mission - issued by the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain - said more than 20 nations are expected to take part.
> 
> U.S. Navy officials declined to list the nations, but suggested it would likely comprise many of those already in the region.
> 
> It's highly unlikely, however, that nations such as Iran would agree to operate under U.S. command. But Lt. Stephanie Murdock, a 5th Fleet spokeswoman, said the new force would "work with any nation that wants to join."
> 
> The announcement said the new force will be headed by U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Terence McKnight.
> 
> The new force underscores the urgency to act after a stunning rise in pirate assaults off the Horn of Africa last year: At least 111 ships targeted and 42 of them commandeered, including a Ukrainian cargo shop loaded with tanks and heavy weapons and a Saudi oil tanker with $100 worth of crude.
> 
> At two more ships have been hijacked this month, leaving about 15 vessels and about 300 crew members in pirate hands, according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center.
> 
> Most of the attacks have occurred in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
> 
> The waters have increasingly become scenes for showdowns between well-outfitted merchant ships and pirates swarming the hulls on skiffs and armed with light weapons and grappling hooks - and often asking for millions in ransom from owners if they manage to take control.
> 
> On Christmas, a German military helicopter responded to a distress call from an Egyptian cargo vessel under siege from pirates, who fled when the chopper arrived.
> 
> New Year's Day saw pirates seize another Egyptian cargo vessel with 28 crew, while a Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being hijacked and a French warship thwarted an attack on a Panamanian cargo ship and captured several pirates.
> 
> Just a day later, crewmen on a Greek-flagged oil tanker used high pressure water cannons to fight off a pirate ambush.
> 
> The U.S. Navy and other nations have international authority to battle pirates in the open seas and come to the aid of vessels under attack. But forces have been stymied on how to respond to ships under pirate control, fearing an all-out assault could endanger the crew members held hostage.
> 
> "This task force does not does have any greater rules of engagement," said Cmdr. Jane Campbell, a 5th Fleet spokeswoman. "It does, however, bring a greater focus to counter-piracy operations under one command."
> 
> But it also carries the suggestion that it could one day take stronger measures. The force's flagship, the USS San Antonio, is an amphibious ship capable of bringing hundreds of Marines ashore.
> 
> This is the type of action needed to truly rattle the pirates, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center.
> 
> "Right now there is no major deterrent," he said. "The military maybe chases away the pirates, but they regroup and come back for another attack on another ship. Piracy will continue until their networks and bases are hit."
> 
> On Thursday, the new president of a breakaway Somali region of Puntland, Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, promised to crackdown on piracy. Puntland is a pirate hub, where local authorities have been accused of helping them and taking a cut of the huge ransoms.


----------



## CougarKing

The end of the supertanker hostage drama?



> *Somali pirates say released Saudi supertanker*
> 
> 1 hour ago
> 
> NAIROBI (AFP) — Somali pirates said Friday they had freed a Saudi-owned supertanker, whose capture nearly two months ago wreaked panic in international shipping and spurred the world into tougher anti-piracy action.
> 
> The 330-metre Sirius Star, owned by the shipping arm of oil giant Saudi Aramco, was seized far off the east African coast on November 15, in what was the pirates' most daring attack and largest catch to date.
> 
> *"All our people have now left the Sirius Star. The ship is free, the crew is free,"* Mohamed Said, one of the leaders of the pirate group, told AFP by telephone from the pirate lair of Harardhere.
> 
> "There were last-minute problems but now everything has been finalised."
> 
> Sahafi Abdi Aden, speaking from the same town on Somalia's Indian Ocean coast, also said the hijacking was over.
> 
> "I am in Harardhere now and the issue of the Sirius Star was resolved peacefully. I cannot go into the details of the agreement but I can say that the ship is free," he told AFP.
> 
> *"No member of the crew or of the pirates was hurt during this hijacking."*
> 
> The amount of the ransom paid for the ship's release was not yet known. Pirates had told AFP days after seizing the Sirius Star they wanted 25 million dollars (18 million euros) for its release but the latest reports indicated that the demand had been lowered to around 3.5 million.
> 
> The Sirius Star was manufactured in South Korea and delivered last year. It is believed to be worth around 150 million dollars and its cargo was estimated at the time of the hijacking at 100 million dollars.
> 
> The crew of the Sirius Star is made up of 25 people from Britain, Croatia, Saudi Arabia,the Philippines and Poland, where the ship's captain hails from.
> 
> Pirates operating off Somalia's coast, in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, have carried out more than 130 attacks in 2008 alone, turning the region into the world's most dangerous waters.
> 
> The capture of the Sirius Star, which is carrying close to a fourth of top world producer Saudi Arabia's daily output, sent shockwaves through the world's shipping industry.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden is a key maritime trade route, where thousands of ships bottle-neck into the Red Sea before heading to the Suez canal, linking Europe to Asia.
> 
> Following the Saudi tanker's hijacking, some companies decided to change their itineraries and send their ships on the longer but safer route around the southern tip of Africa, via the Cape of Good Hope.
> 
> With Somalia's pirates, a rag-tag army of fishermen and former coastguards armed with RPGs, speedboats and grapnels, threatening world trade, the international community was jolted into action.
> 
> The European Union launched its first ever joint naval operation in a bid to deter pirates in the Gulf of Aden and escort UN food aid shipments to war-wracked Somalia.
> 
> The UN Security Council also adopted resolutions empowering foreign navies to tackle piracy and further plans are afoot to ensure all legal provisions are made for pirates to be arrested and prosecuted.
> 
> Yet Somalia's modern-day buccaneers have continued to grow in number and audacity, reinvesting ransom money into better equipment and apparently benefitting from an expanding network.
> 
> The capture of the Sirius Star also* raised the spectre of an environmental disaster, should the hijackers decide to turn the ship into a weapon or foreign navies attempt to release it by force.*
> 
> Somali pirates still hold 16 vessels and more than 300 crew members.
> 
> Among them is the MV Faina, a Ukrainian cargo ship carrying 33 battle tanks which was seized in September last year.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...MbzTYTM3SR1sW4Q


----------



## sm1lodon

I would like to see the ships carry some armaments for defense against small motorboat equipped pirates.

Just a few machine guns and people on watch would do it. Like personal defense, it isn't the police's problem, it's YOUR problem.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound, euro, or dollar of cure.


----------



## CougarKing

I take it that Spain is just sending this contingent more as part of NATO/the EU?



> *Spain to send frigate, plane to stop Somali pirates*
> Fri Jan 9, 2009 11:55am EST
> 
> MADRID (Reuters) - Spain will send up to* 395 military personnel and a patrol plane* to the waters off Somalia to defend merchant ships from pirates, the government said on Friday.
> 
> The force, which will include *a frigate and a supply ship*, will be part of a European Union task force set up last month to counter a wave of pirate attacks. Spain's parliament has yet to approve the mission.
> 
> "The European Union has taken an important step forward and Spain is going to participate fully in it," Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega told reporters after the government's weekly cabinet meeting.
> 
> The task force is under British command and uses warships and aircraft from several nations.
> 
> Foreign navies have rushed to the busy shipping lanes off the Horn of Africa to try and curb the attacks, which have brought the pirates millions of dollars in ransoms and sent shipping insurance costs soaring.
> 
> Last September, Spain sent a military aircraft and some 90 crew to patrol waters off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> This week, Chinese warships began an anti-piracy mission in the seas off Somalia, while NATO ships started operations to combat piracy off the Somali coast in late October.
> 
> There were nearly 100 pirate attacks in Somali waters last year, with about 40 ships taken, including a Saudi tanker holding $100 million worth of crude oil.
> 
> *The Saudi supertanker was released on Friday on payment of a $3 million ransom*, an associate of the pirates said.
> 
> (Reporting by Sarah Morris; editing by Sophie Hardach)
> 
> http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/id...E5084Q520090109


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> From CTVNews.net
> Five Somali pirates drown with ransom share
> Updated Sat. Jan. 10 2009 7:32 AM ET
> 
> The Associated Press
> 
> MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Five of the Somali pirates who released a hijacked oil-laden Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a reported US$3 million ransom after their small boat capsized, a pirate and port town resident said Saturday.
> 
> Pirate Daud Nure says the boat with eight people on board overturned in a storm after dozens of pirates left the Sirius Star following a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden that ended Friday.
> 
> He said five people died and three people reached shore after swimming for several hours. Daud Nure was not part of the pirate operation but knew those involved.
> 
> Jamal Abdulle, a resident of the Somali coastal town of Haradhere, close to where the ship was anchored also confirmed that the boat sank and that the eight's portion of the ransom money that had been shared between dozens of pirates was lost.
> 
> U.S. Navy photos showed a parachute, carrying what they described as "an apparent payment," floating toward the tanker. The Sirius Star and its 25-member crew had been held since Nov. 15. Its cargo of crude oil was valued at US$100 million at the time.
> 
> The capture was seen as a dramatic demonstration of the pirates' ability to strike high value targets hundreds of miles offshore.
> 
> On the same day the Saudi ship was freed, pirates released a captured Iranian-chartered cargo ship, Iran's state television reported Saturday. It said the ship Daylight was carrying 36 tons of wheat when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 18 and seized by pirates. All 25 crew are in good health and the vessel is sailing toward Iran, the TV report said.
> 
> The U.S. Navy announced this week it will head a new anti-piracy taskforce after more than 100 ships were attacked last year. NATO and the European Union already have warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and have intervened to prevent several ships from being captured.
> 
> More than a dozen ships with about 300 crew members are still being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, including the weapons-laden Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was seized in September.
> 
> The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the few ways to earn a living in the impoverished, war-ravaged country. Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and nearly half of its population depends on aid.



Shark food!


----------



## geo

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys......


----------



## FastEddy

geo said:
			
		

> Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys......




Every now and then I read something that really picks my day up. :rofl:

Cheers.


----------



## CougarKing

Looks like they found one of those pirates' bodies with a huge amount of cash.



> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28607365/?GT1=43001
> 
> *Pirate's body washes ashore with $153,000
> The Somali man drowned Friday just after receiving a huge ransom*
> The Associated Press
> updated 1:27 p.m. PT, Sun., Jan. 11, 2009
> MOGADISHU, Somalia - The body of a Somali pirate who drowned just after receiving a huge ransom washed onshore with $153,000 in cash, a resident said Sunday, as the spokesman for another group of pirates promised to soon free a Ukrainian arms ship.
> 
> Five pirates drowned Friday when their small boat capsized after they received a reported $3 million ransom for releasing a Saudi oil tanker. Local resident Omar Abdi Hassan said one of the bodies had been found on a beach near the coastal town of Haradhere and relatives were searching for the other four.
> 
> "One of them was discovered and they are still looking for the other ones. He had $153,000 in a plastic bag in his pocket," he said Sunday.
> 
> Ransom delivery
> The U.S. navy released photos of a parachute dropping a package onto the deck of the Sirius Star, and said the package was likely to be the ransom delivery.
> 
> But five of the dozens of pirates who had hijacked the tanker drowned when their small boat capsized as they returned to shore in rough weather. Three other pirates survived but also lost their share of the ransom.
> 
> Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of the British company Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service Ltd, said the incident was unlikely to deter attacks.
> 
> "The loss or potential loss of the ransom means the pirates will be all the more keen to get the next ransom in," he said. "There are people lining up to be pirates."
> 
> The Sirius Star had been held near the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was loaded with 33 Soviet-designed battle tanks and crates of small arms. The same day the Sirius Star was released, the family members of the Faina crew appealed for help, saying they were not being kept informed about the negotiations or the state of their loved ones' health.
> 
> But a pirate spokesman assured The Associated Press on Sunday that the 20 crew members on the MV Faina were doing well.
> 
> "The cargo is still there unharmed and the crew is healthy," Sugule Ali said. "Once the negotiations end in mutual understanding, the ship, its crew and the cargo as well will be released."
> 
> False alarms
> There have been several false alarms about the release of the MV Faina since it was seized last September. Ali said the pirates were still negotiating with the ship's owners.
> 
> "Nothing has changed from our previous demand of $20 million ransom for the release of the ship, but as negotiations continue we are likely to reduce the amount," he said. He declined to give further details.
> 
> American warships have been closely monitoring the Faina amid fears that some of the weapons onboard could be taken onshore and fall into the hands of Islamic insurgents.
> 
> The shaky Somali government is battling insurgents the U.S. State Department says are linked to al-Qaida. But the situation is complicated by clan militias and rivalries within the Islamist movement.
> 
> 
> The latest clashes among Islamist militias have killed at least 29 people and wounded more than 50 others in central Somalia, witnesses said Sunday. The government now only controls the parliamentary seat of Baidoa and pockets of Mogadishu, the capital.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and its lawless coastline is a perfect haven for pirates, who attacked 111 ships in the Gulf of Aden and kidnapped 42 of them last year alone. The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the only ways to make money in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation.
> 
> An international flotilla including U.S. warships has been patrolling the area. The flotilla has stopped many attacks, but the area is too vast to keep all ships safe.


----------



## CougarKing

_In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, China's missile destroyer Wuhan leads Chinese ships sailing in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. The Chinese naval fleet arrived in the area on Tuesday to carry out the first escort mission against pirates, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Qian Xiaohu)_






_A Chinese destroyer is pictured from a French Frigate on January 7, 2009. Somali pirates said Friday they had freed a Saudi-owned supertanker, whose capture nearly two months ago caused panic in international shipping and spurred the world into tougher anti-piracy action. (AFP/File/Stephane de Sakutin)_


----------



## CougarKing

_This photo taken Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009 and provided by French Defense Ministry, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009 shows suspected pirates, intercepted by Marine commandos of the French Navy in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia coasts, being handed to Puntland authorities. French government officials say the Jean de Vienne intercepted and captured 19 pirates Sunday as they tried to take over two cargo ships, one Croatian and the other Panamanian. (AP Photo/French Navy/French Defense Ministry/HO)_






_This photo taken Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009 and provided by French Defense Ministry, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009, shows suspected pirates, intercepted by Marine commandos of the French Navy in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia coasts. French government officials say the Jean de Vienne intercepted and captured 19 pirates Sunday as they tried to take over two cargo ships, one Croatian and the other Panamanian. (AP Photo/French Navy/French Defense Ministry/HO)_






_This photo taken Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009 and provided by French Defense Ministry, Wednesday Jan. 7, 2009, shows suspected pirates, intercepted by Marine commandos of the French Navy in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia coasts. French government officials say the Jean de Vienne intercepted and captured 19 pirates Sunday as they tried to take over two cargo ships, one Croatian and the other Panamanian. (AP Photo/French Navy/French Defense Ministry/HO)_






_Several of the 19 captured Somali pirates, are guarded by Puntland soldiers in Bassaso Puntland, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. The pirates were handed over to the Puntland authorities by the French Navy which came to the rescue of two cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden. The French naval vessel was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force when it came to the rescue of a Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden. (AP Photo) _






_Somali pirates captured by French forces in the Gulf of Aden are chained in the northern port town of Bosasso, January 6, 2009. A French warship captured 19 Somali pirates on Sunday when it came to the rescue of two cargo ships threatened in the Gulf of Aden, the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said. The French naval vessel "Jean de Vienne" was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force when it came to the rescue of a Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden. REUTERS/Abdiqani Hassan (SOMALIA)_






_Puntland marine forces patrol the Gulf of Aden alongside the French naval vessel "Jean de Vienne" (in the background) near the northern port town of Bosasso, January 6, 2009. The warship captured 19 Somali pirates on Sunday when it came to the rescue of two cargo ships threatened in the Gulf of Aden, the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said. It was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force when it came to the rescue of a Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden. REUTERS/Abdiqani Hassan (SOMALIA)_






_French forces present Somali pirates (in orange jackets) captured in the Gulf of Aden to the Puntland marine forces in the northern port town of Bosasso, January 6, 2009. A French warship captured 19 Somali pirates on Sunday when it came to the rescue of two cargo ships threatened in the Gulf of Aden, the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said. The French naval vessel "Jean de Vienne" was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force when it came to the rescue of a Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden.
REUTERS/Abdiqani Hassan (SOMALIA)_






_Several of the 19 captured Somali pirates, are guarded by the Puntland soldiers in Bassaso Puntland, Somalia, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009. The pirates were handed over to the Puntland authorities by the French Navy which came to the rescue of two cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden. The French naval vessel was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force when it came to the rescue of a Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden.
(AP Photo) _






_(AP Photo) _






_French forces present a Somali pirate captured in the Gulf of Aden to the Puntland marine forces in the northern port town of Bosasso, January 6, 2009. A French warship captured 19 Somali pirates on Sunday when it came to the rescue of two cargo ships threatened in the Gulf of Aden, the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy said. The French naval vessel "Jean de Vienne" was on patrol off the Somali coast as part of a European Union anti-piracy force when it came to the rescue of a Croatian cargo vessel and a Panamanian ship crossing the Gulf of Aden.
REUTERS/Abdiqani Hassan (SOMALIA) BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE_


----------



## geo

Is it just me - those pictures of the pirates in custody - they strike me as being really TOO relaxed.  With all the serious money involved in the ransoms.... is it possible that these bad boys have an "in" with the judge?  Is this going to be an exercise of "catch & release" at it's finest?

Hope someone on "our" side is taking pictures & fingerprints .... just to make sure this isn't happening.


----------



## Blackadder1916

NATO Shipping Centre *SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 7 January 2009*
As at 081547Z JAN 2009 UNCLAS 
http://www.shipping.nato.int/

Following a quiet period during late December pirate activity increased significantly as the new year began. Two new vessels have been hijacked: MV BLUE STAR and MV SEA PRINCESS II were taken on 1st and 2nd Jan in the Gulf of Aden and have subsequently been moved to a position off the coast of Eyl and anchored IVO several other vessels awaiting release. As they arrived in the area the release was announced of Turkish vessel YASA NESLIHAN following the payment of an undisclosed ransom demand. Her 20 crew members are reported as safe and in good spirits. 
15 vessels remain hijacked.
The current slide displays last known position of hijacked vessels. (see slide below)

Over 200 merchant seamen are still held by pirates. The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such. 

In short, the trends in latest piracy incidents are as follows: 

Targeting larger cargo / oil / gas / chemical tankers 
Approaches / attacks conducted from 2-3 small speedboats with 3-5 armed persons each. The number of boats involved in each incident seems to be increasing.

-----------------------------------------------

NATO Shipping Centre  *SOMALIA PIRACY UPDATE 12 January 2009*
As at 121611Z JAN 2009  UNCLAS

Since the turn of the new year, there has been a significant spike in acts of piracy with 10 incidents reported, all of which occurred in the Gulf of Aden. Two of the attacks were successful and resulted in the hijacking of general cargo vessel BLUE STAR on 01 Jan and been taken to a place of anchor IVO Eyl. Over 200 merchant seamen are still held by pirates. The use of mother-ships seems to be on the rise, and potentially, vessels are hijacked with the sole intention of using them as such.

Targeting larger cargo / oil / gas / chemical tankers 
Approaches / attacks conducted from 2-3 small speedboats with 3-5 armed persons each. The number of boats involved in each incident seems to be increasing.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

geo said:
			
		

> Is it just me - those pictures of the pirates in custody - they strike me as being really TOO relaxed.  With all the serious money involved in the ransoms.... is it possible that these bad boys have an "in" with the judge?  Is this going to be an exercise of "catch & release" at it's finest?
> 
> Hope someone on "our" side is taking pictures & fingerprints .... just to make sure this isn't happening.



I picked up on that as well, the guards were quite relaxed also. Hopefully a system like the one used in Iraq is used.


----------



## CougarKing

And the Russians continue to make their presence felt.



> *Russian navy saves Dutch ship from Somali pirates*
> 
> 1 hour ago
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The Russian navy helped foil an attack by Somali pirates on a Dutch container ship in the dangerous Gulf of Aden, a maritime watchdog said Wednesday.
> 
> Six pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades at the ship, which took evasive maneuvers while calling for help, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia.
> 
> The pirates chased the vessel for about 30 minutes but aborted their attempt to board the ship after a *Russian warship and helicopter arrived at the scene*, Choong said.
> 
> Pirates last year attacked 111 ships and seized 42 off the Horn of Africa, many in the Gulf of Aden. An international flotilla including U.S. warships has stopped many attacks, but the area is too vast to keep all ships safe in the vital sea lane that links Asia to Europe.
> 
> Choong said it was nevertheless getting harder for Somali pirates to hijack ships because of increased naval patrols and the vigilant watch kept by ships that pass through the area.
> 
> "The attacks are continuing but successful hijackings by pirates have (been) reduced," he said.
> 
> There have been 11 attacks in Somali waters this year, with two ships hijacked. In total, 11 vessels with 210 crew members remain in pirate hands, Choong said.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and its lawless coastline is a haven for pirates. The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the only ways to make money in the impoverished nation.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...I4-H2wD95MR1800


----------



## Yrys

Pirates release two ships off East Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN)  -- Somalia-based pirates on Tuesday released a Turkish-flagged 
ship carrying 4,500 tons of chemicals that was seized two months ago off Yemen's coast, 
the International Maritime Bureau told CNN. The Karagol was hijacked on November 12 
near Yemen as it traveled to Mumbai, India, according to Turkish media reports. The vessel, 
which is owned by an Istanbul-based company, had 14 crew members on board.

The crew was safe, and the vessel was en route to India with the chemicals, said IMB 
spokesman Cyrus Mody. Pirates also released the African Sanderling on Monday, Mody said. 
That ship was reportedly seized in mid-October. Mody had no further details.

Hijackings off East Africa have been a cause of growing international concern, spurring a 
number of international navies to patrol the pirate-wracked Gulf of Aden. Most of the attacks 
are blamed on pirates based in a largely lawless Somalia. 

The Gulf of Aden links the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. About 20,000 oil tankers, freighters 
and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route near Somalia -- a country racked 
by poverty and conflict -- each year.

The financial and human costs of piracy are extensive. Ships ranging from luxury yachts to a 
Saudi supertanker have been held for ransom.  The Saudi-owned Sirius Star, the largest ship 
ever hijacked by pirates, was let go Saturday after being held off the coast of Somalia for two 
months. Video : Watch CNN interview with a pirate

The Kenya Seafarers Association said the Sirius Star's 23-man crew -- which included citizens 
of Croatia, Great Britain, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia -- was in "good health and 
high spirits" after the release.

A $3.5 million ransom payment -- down from the initial demand of $25 million -- was dropped 
by parachute onto the oil supertanker on Friday, but the pirates delayed release of the vessel 
after five of their group drowned while departing in a skiff. 
Read blog on how CNN contacted a pirate

The ship is a VLCC, or "very large crude carrier," and more than three times the tonnage of a 
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the U.S. 5th Fleet said. The vessel's capture on November 15 
sparked fears for its enormous cargo. The ship was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil 
worth about $100 million when it was captured.

According to the United Nations, there were 115 reported pirate attacks off the Somali coast 
in 2008, including 46 successful hijackings. At least one major company pulled its ships from 
the Gulf of Aden region in 2008, meaning cargo bound for Europe had to round the African 
continent rather than use the Suez Canal.


----------



## Yrys

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> Five Somali pirates drown with ransom share



Exclusive: Pirate tells how comrades drowned, CNN

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- One of the pirates who held a Saudi oil supertanker off Somalia 
before releasing it for ransom has told CNN how five in his group drowned when the boat 
in which they left the ship capsized as they tried to evade rival pirates seeking a cut of the 
money.

Pirates seized the Sirius on November 15. A $3.5 million ransom payment -- down from the 
initial demand of $25 million -- was dropped by parachute onto the ship Friday, but the 
pirates delayed the vessel's release after the drownings.

"Other pirates on the shore wanted a tip from the pirates on the Sirius Star, so they started 
to fire in the air as our people approached the land," Libaan Jaama told CNN. "When our 
pirates heard the shots, they thought they would be robbed, so they tried to return to the 
tanker. In that quick turn the boat capsized."

Jaama said he was mourning his friends, who, along with other pirates on board, took 23 crew 
members hostage. The Kenya Seafarers Association said the crew -- which included citizens of 
Croatia, Great Britain, the Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia -- was in "good health and high 
spirits" when the vessel was released Saturday. 

The tanker's capture in November sparked fears for its enormous cargo. The Liberian-flagged 
tanker was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil worth about $100 million when it was captured.
Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association said it would have been a "disaster" if the 
pirates had fired guns aboard the ship, harming the cargo or igniting a fire.

Hijackings off East Africa are a cause of growing international concern, spurring a number of 
international navies to patrol the pirate-wracked Gulf of Aden.

Pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of 
Somalia in 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau. See how pirate attacks 
peaked in 2008 »

The Gulf of Aden links the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. About 20,000 oil tankers, freighters 
and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route near the largely lawless Somalia 
each year.

The pirates are based in Somalia -- a land racked by poverty and conflict -- and say hijacking 
ships is all about the money and the lifestyle. "We have the best way of life," Jaama said. 
"We drive in white SUVs, we enjoy driving them and there is absolutely no difficulty in our life."

Jaama warned the flotilla of coalition warships in the region ready and authorized to strike at 
Somali pirates to back off. "Those foreign forces are making a mistake targeting pirates because 
we only hunt in our waters," he said. "If they come to our borders, we will think of steps to take 
against them."


----------



## OldSolduer

"Jaama warned the flotilla of coalition warships in the region ready and authorized to strike at 
Somali pirates to back off. "Those foreign forces are making a mistake targeting pirates because 
we only hunt in our waters," he said. "If they come to our borders, we will think of steps to take 
against them." "

I suspect they might. 

Too bad for his buddies. I hope the sharks are OK.


----------



## CougarKing

Darn. They still haven't resolved the FAINA situation.



> *Today in Piracy: Somali pirates cut out the middle man in Faina negotiations*
> Posted: January 15, 2009, 12:37 PM by Chris Boutet
> 
> As businesses the world over streamline their operations in an effort to offset the effects of this Global Economic Crisis you may have heard about, often the first people to go are those in middle management — that flabby, extra layer of bureaucracy that is can sometimes be more hindrance than help.
> 
> Indeed, it seems our old familiars the Pirates of Somalia have been doing some streamlining of their own these days, as news comes today that the swashbuckling rogues that have been holding a Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks have fired the Somali middlemen trying to secure its release and are now negotiating directly with the owners. (Pirates have brokers? Who knew?) From Reuters:
> 
> The MV Faina was carrying 33 Soviet-era T-72 tanks and other weapons when it was seized in September. The pirates initially demanded a $20-million ransom, lowered to $5-million.
> 
> Osman Farah, an onshore associate of the gang on the Faina, said his colleagues now expected more than $5-million after they sacked the middlemen negotiating on their behalf.
> 
> * “Somali brokers had been delaying the process by reporting only half, or less, of the ransom being offered,”* Mr. Farah told Reuters by telephone from the coastal town of Haradheere.
> 
> “So the pirates are now directly negotiating with the Ukrainians and we hope things will be better now ... they are expecting more then $5-million and the ship will be freed soon.”
> 
> Last week, pirates in the Gulf of Aden released Saudi Arabian supertanker the Sirius Star, after a $3-million ransom was parachuted on deck. That vessel was carrying about $100-million worth of crude oil. According to globalsecurity.org, one upgraded Russian T-72 tank costs about $4-million, which puts the approximate value of the Faina's cargo at $132-million, not counting munitions.
> 
> On Tuesday, Somali pirates freed a Korean-owned bulk carrier held for three months, according to regional maritime officials. The Panama-flagged, Japanese-operated African Sanderling was seized with its 21 Filipino crew on Oct. 15, all of whom were in good health. It was not clear if any ransom had been paid. Somalia’s interim president Sheikh Aden Madobe has stressed to foreign companies that ransom payments only encourage piracy.
> 
> Chris Boutet, National Post
> 
> http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/p.../15/229752.aspx


----------



## geo

So the brokers were committing acts of piracy on the pirates...... serves them right!


----------



## Yrys

Somali piracy 'reduces tuna haul'

Piracy off Somalia's coast is a cause of falls in tuna catches in the Indian Ocean - 
one of the world's richest sources of the fish, experts say.

The head of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Alejandro Anganuzzi, said catches 
fell by about 30% last year, seriously affecting the industry. The Seychelles economy 
has been badly hit as many foreign fishing fleets are based there. The reduced supply 
because of piracy has also driven up the price of tuna.

*Ship seizures*

The Indian Ocean tuna industry is said to be worth up to $6bn.

Last year Somali pirates took 42 commercial ships with crews hostage, according to 
the International Maritime Bureau, including the biggest oil supertanker ever captured.
A number of countries began naval patrols off East Africa and in the Gulf of Aden to try 
to combat the attacks.

With the threat still present, fishing fleets have had to move further east from the Somali 
coast, Mr Anganuzzi told Reuters news agency. About 40% of Seychelles's foreign earnings 
come from tuna and related industries, the IOTC said. French and Spanish fleets based in 
Seychelles caught only 50% of their expected catch. The fleets usually catch nearly two-thirds 
of the year's haul off Somalia between August and November, he said.

Seychelles is paid per tonne of fish landed for port facilities and reduced catches mean fewer 
calls to port. "The pirates' biggest impact, however, is reduced supply, driving prices up," the 
head of the Seychelles Fisheries Authority, Rondolph Payet, told Reuters.


----------



## CougarKing

Just more updates, including a pirate attack in another area other than the Somali coast:



> *Pirates kill Greek ship captain off Cameroon*
> 
> The captain of a Greek-owned, Cameroon-flagged trawler was killed on Saturday while trying to repel an attack by pirates off the coast of Cameroon, the Merchant Marine Ministry said.
> 
> According to the ministry, Theodoros Mastaloudis was shot at by gunmen aboard one of two vessels that closed in on his ship and another Greek trawler off Douala, Cameroon's largest city. The remaining crew members of the two ships, including another Greek, were safe.
> 
> Several other Greek vessels have recently come under attack from pirates, particularly off the coast of Somalia. Early this month, seamen aboard a Greek-flagged crude oil tanker fought off pirates' attempts to board the ship off Somalia with the help of a European Union force. In October, a Greek tanker carrying chemicals was seized by Somali pirates and released the next month after a ransom was paid.
> 
> http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_artic.../01/2009_104153





> Another one for the French navy
> 
> *France captures 9 suspected Somali pirates*
> Associated Press
> 2009-01-28 01:10 AM
> 
> A French official says a navy ship has arrested nine suspected Somali pirates off the coast of Yemen.
> 
> Capt. Christophe Prazuck, a spokesman for the armed forces, says the suspected pirates were in two skiffs and were carrying ladders, grapple hooks and weapons. He says the arrests were made Tuesday by a French surveillance frigate hours after a tip from a cargo vessel that pirates were in the region.
> 
> A Panther helicopter took off from the French frigate *"Le Floreal,"* and fired warning shots at the suspects before capturing them.
> 
> More than a dozen nations _ including France, Britain, China and Russia _ have deployed ships to the pirate-infested region, one of the world's busiest waterways.
> 
> http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_conten...8&lang=eng_news


----------



## Blackadder1916

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Just more updates, including a pirate attack in *another area other than the Somali coast*:



Pirate activity is common in locations other than the GOA and off the coast of Somalia, however the nature of the incidents there and scale of the booty taken by the Somali pirates gets the media attention.  Injury (and death) to victims of piracy has been far more common in the other locations but, since they are rarely westerners and it doesn't affect our pocketbook, it is not as newsworthy .

Here are a few of the Weekly Piracy Reports from the IMB for this month (only the most current published report is available online and I missed one found it).



> *30 December 2008 - 5 January 2009*
> 
> Suspicious crafts
> None reported
> 
> Recently reported incidents
>  28.12.2008: 1950 LT: Posn: 12:01.9S - 077:11.1W, *Callao anchorage, Peru*.
> Ten robbers boarded a bulk carrier at anchor. They took hostage one duty crew and tied his hands and legs. Robbers stole ship's stores and property and escaped. Port control informed. A coast guard boat came and patrolled the area.
>  26.12.2008: Posn: 12:53.5S – 38:41.15W *Bahia de Todos Os Santos, Itaparica marina, Brazil*.
> Two armed robbers boarded a yacht at anchor and assaulted the two crew members.
> Robbers stole ship’s properties, cash and crew properties before escaping. The two
> injured crew were given shore medical treatment. Authorities are investigating.
>  03.01.2009: 0305 LT: Posn: 03:49.6N – 077:09.4W, *Buenaventura anchorage, Colombia*.
> One robber was sighted near the forward cargo compartment on a bulk carrier at anchor. Master raised alarm and mustered ship’s crew. Master reported to the coast guard. Later the man jumped overboard and escaped. Coast guard boarded for investigation.
>  04.01.2009: 05:40 UTC: Posn: 13:3.0N – 048:42.5E,* Gulf of Aden*.
> Six pirates in one white coloured speed boat attempted to board a bulk carrier underway. Three of these pirates were armed with machine guns and opened fire on the vessel. Master carried out evasive manoeuvres and contacted a coalition warship. Within 15 minutes a helicopter arrived at the location. The speed boats moved away on seeing the helicopter. No injuries to the crew and no damages to the ship.
>  02.01.2009: 0807 UTC: Posn: 13:42N - 050:39E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> Pirates in three skiffs attacked a tanker underway. They fired upon the tanker and attempted to board. Master raised alarm, contacted coalition warships, increased speed and took evasive manoeuvres. A coalition helicopter arrived and the pirates aborted the attempt.
>  02.01.2009: 0427 UTC: Posn: 13:11N - 047:32.5E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> Pirates in speed boats approached a tanker underway. One speed boat was spotted four nm and the other two were drifting seven nm ahead of the tanker. Master raised alarm, increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and crew activated anti-piracy measures. The first speed boat came within two meters of the stbd quarter and fired upon the tanker. Master saw five pirates armed with machine guns. Coalition warships contacted. Pirates aborted the attempt after five minutes.
>  01.01.2009: 0747 LT: Posn: 13:55N - 047:58E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a general cargo ship underway. 28 crewmembers taken hostage.
>  01.01.2009: 1230 UTC: Posn: 13:53N - 049:29E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> Four pirates in a speed boat attacked a bulk carrier underway. They fired upon the ship with automatic weapons and attempted to board. Master raised alarm, increased speed and took evasive manoeuvres. Pirates aborted the attempted attack.
>  01.01.2009: 0337 UTC: Posn: 13:05N – 047:03E: *Gulf of Aden*.
> Two skiffs approached a tanker underway and opened fire with automatic weapons. Master increased speed and made evasive manoeuvres, and sent a distress message via VHF radio. A warship and a helicopter were sent to assist the tanker. Upon seeing the warship and helicopter the skiff moved away.
>  31.12.2008: Posn: 13:8.0N – 47:27.0E: 1330 UTC: *Gulf of Aden*.
> A bulk carrier underway was chased and fired upon by pirates in speed boat. Naval warships informed and attack was prevented. Further report is awaited.





> *6 January 2009 - 12 January 2009*
> 
> Suspicious crafts
> None reported
> 
> Recently reported incidents
> 
> 09.01.2009: 0130 UTC: Posn: 12:01.81S - 077:12.15W, *Callao anchorage No.1, Peru*.
> Duty A/B onboard a container ship at anchor spotted armed robbers lowering ship’s stores. Two of the robbers tried to attack the duty A/B but he managed to run and inform the bridge. Robbers escaped in a motor boat upon hearing the alarm.
> 
> 06.01.2009: 1945 LT: Posn: 12:01.5S - 077:13.1W, off *Callao, Peru*.
> Five robbers boarded a bulk carrier at anchor. Duty crew noticed the robbers trying to break the forepeak store hatch and raised the alarm. On hearing the alarm, robbers jumped into the water and escaped. Nothing stolen. Port control informed and a patrol boat came and searched the area.
> 
> 03.01.2009: 0500 LT: Posn: 12:55N - 045:10E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> Armed pirates in four boats attacked and hijacked a product tanker underway. Information indicates the vessel has been taken to Eyl. 15 crewmembers taken hostage. Further details are awaited.





> *13 January 2009 - 19 January 2009*
> 
> Suspicious crafts
> None reported
> 
> Recently reported incidents
>  15.01.2009: 0145 UTC: 06:05.37N - 001:15.68E, *Lome anchorage, Togo*.
> Seven, armed robbers in a motor boat attempted to board a bulk carrier at anchor. Duty officer raised alarm and crew prepared fire hoses. Upon seeing crew alertness the robbers aborted the attempted attack. Port control informed.
>  15.01.2009: 0235 UTC: 06:05.37N - 001:15.68E, *Lome anchorage, Togo*.
> Four robbers in a motor boat attempted to board a bulk carrier at anchor. Duty officer raised alarm and crew activated fire hoses. Upon seeing crew alertness the robbers aborted the attempt. Master heaved up anchor and proceeded to open sea for drifting.
>  12.01.2009: 0340 LT: *Anchorage, Port Au Prince, Hai*ti.
> Three robbers in a small boat approached a RORO ship at anchor. One of the robbers attempted to board via side ramp. Duty A/B shouted at the robber and raised alarm. The robber jumped off the ramp and escaped with his accomplices.
>  10.01.2009: 2300 LT: *Fortaleza port, Brazil*.
> Four robbers in a boat approached a product tanker at berth. One of the robbers boarded the tanker using a hook attached to a rope. Duty A/B noticed the robber and raised alarm. The robber jumped overboard and escaped with his accomplices and ship's stores..
>  15.01.2009: 0415 LT: Posn: 10:14.97N - 107:04.02E, *Vungtau outer anchorage, Vietnam*.
> Two robbers boarded a bitumen tanker at anchor. Duty A/B noticed the robbers and raised the alarm. The ship's whistle was sounded and crew mustered. Upon hearing the alarm, robbers jumped into the water and escaped with ship's stores in a small boat.
>  14.01.2009: 1245 UTC: Posn: 13:02.18nN- 046:41.06E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> Eight pirates armed with guns in two boats attempted to attack a tanker underway. Master raised alarm, sent distress message, contacted coalition warships and took evasive manoeuvres. A coalition warship responded and was ready to dispatch a helicopter. Pirate boats slowed down and aborted the attempt upon noticing the British security team at the bridge wings armed with axes.
>  13.01.2009: 0810 UTC: Posn: 12:24.5N – 044:57.7E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> One boat with six pirates armed with guns / RPG chased a container ship underway. Pirates open fire with RPG. Two warships in the vicinity provided assistance to the vessel. After half an hour the attack was abandoned. The Russian warship chased the pirate boat but was instructed by Aden control not to interfere.
>  08.01.2009: 0030 LT: Posn: 01:44.58S - 041:29.7E, *Kiunga, Kenya*.
> Heavily armed pirates in a speedboat came alongside a fishing vessel at anchor. They boarded the vessel and tied up all crewmembers. They stole cash, some valuable equipment and forced three crewmembers into their speedboat and escaped. Some of the crew swam ashore and reported the incident to the local police. The fishing vessel was brought back to Mombasa. Kenyan police are investigating the incident.
>  04.01.2009: 0335 UTC: Posn: 13:24N - 048:15E, *Gulf of Aden*.
> Five pirates, in a speed boat, armed with machine guns attempted to board a tanker underway. Master raised alarm and the contacted coalition warships. The crew activated anti-piracy measures. Pirates came close to the tanker but were unable to board her due to running waters from the fire hoses. Pirates aborted the attempt.
>  02.01.2009: 0440 UTC: Posn: 13:13N - 047:32E: *Gulf of Aden*.
> Two speed boats with pirates armed with guns and RPG chased a general cargo ship underway. The ship immediately contacted the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre for help. Duty officer at the, 24 hour manned, IMB Piracy Reporting Centre advised master to take evasive manoeuvres to delay and prevent boarding and then immediately contacted coalition naval forces for help. Two warships were dispatched. Meanwhile ship’s crew used various preventive measures and prevented boarding. Later, pirates aborted attempt and moved away.
>  02.01.2009: 1120 LT: *Gulf of Aden*.
> Armed pirates in a boat approached a general cargo ship underway. Master raised alarm, took evasive manoeuvres and contacted coalition warships. Pirates fired upon the ship with rockets and guns. Ship's crew fired rocket flares at the pirate boat which caught fire. Five pirates were apprehended by a coalition helicopter which arrived and shot at the pirate boat.
>  01.01.2009: 0730 LT: Posn: 14:21N – 050:34E: *Gulf of Ad*en.
> One skiff with six pirates approached a bulk carrier underway. Owners contacted IMB Piracy Reporting Centre for assistance. Duty officer immediately contacted the coalition naval forces to render assistance to crew and vessel. Meanwhile, ship’s crew enforced preventive measure and master reported sighting automatic weapons and RPGs in the skiff. Attack was aborted.
>  01.01.2009: 1405 LT: Posn: 14:47N - 051:47E: *Gulf of Aden*.
> Two skiffs approached the bulk carrier from aft. Pirates in both skiffs were armed with automatic weapons and RPGs. Ship made evasive and preventive measures to prevent boarding. Pirates opened fire with automatic weapons at ship. One skiff came very close to ship’s port side. Due to aggressive preventive measures, the pirates aborted the attempted boarding. A warship arrived at location and detained the pirates who claimed that they were fishermen. Pirates threw their weapons into the water. Warship contacted vessel to obtain concrete evidence against the pirates.





> *20 January 2009 - 26 January 2009*
> 
> Suspicious crafts
> None reported
> 
> Recently reported incidents
>  22.01.2009: 2050 LT: *Pampallia port, Peru*.
> A chemical tanker, at berth was boarded by an unknown number of robbers, while cargo operations were in progress. The deck security watchman was found to be beaten up and tied up. Upon searching, no robbers were found onboard. Authorities were informed and a coast guard boat arrived and conducted an investigation. Ship’s stores were stolen. Injured crew was sent ashore for medical treatment and later returned to vessel.
>  19.01.2009: 2300 LT: *Tema roads, Ghana*.
> Robbers boarded a container ship at anchor. They broke into a container and escaped with its contents and other ship's stores.
>  17.01.2009: 2200 LT: Posn: 04:10N - 007:14E, *bonny offshore terminal, SPM-1, Nigeria*.
> Robbers armed with automatic weapons and explosives boarded and attacked a line tug being used by a tanker undergoing loading operations. *The line tug captain was killed in the attack*. The robbers later approached the tanker and threw grenades which luckily did not hit the tanker. Robbers gained entry into the accommodation by firing on one of the accommodation doors. The crew locked themselves in the engine room for safety. Crew and ship's property was stolen by the robbers. The attack lasted nearly one hour. All crew are safe.
>  11.01.2009: 0255 LT: *Guanta port, Venezuela*.
> Four robbers armed with long knives boarded a container ship during cargo operations. They broke open one reefer container and stole contents from it. Upon seeing the watchman, the robbers escaped. Port police informed.


----------



## CougarKing

Blackadder1916 said:
			
		

> Pirate activity is common in locations other than the GOA and off the coast of Somalia...



BA,

I was actually aware of that a long time ago, especially in areas supposedly notorious for it such as the Malacca Strait.

Btw, here we go again. 



> *Somali pirates seize German tanker*
> 
> By Robert Wright, Transport Correspondent
> 
> Published: January 29 2009 16:12 | Last updated: January 29 2009 16:12
> 
> Somali pirates have seized a German gas tanker off the coast of Somalia, ending more than two weeks when there were no reported attacks in the high-risk area.
> 
> Hamburg-based Bernard Schulte Shipmanagement, which manages the vessel, said in a statement that the *MV Longchamp* had been boarded by seven pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the area between Somalia and Yemen where most pirate attacks take place.
> 
> “At present contact with the vessel cannot be made but the master was briefly allowed to communicate with us and it appears that all crew members are safe,” the company said. The crew consists of 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian.
> 
> The Longchamp’s seizure marks the first pirate attack since pirates unsuccessfully tried to board a very large crude oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden on January 14. The slowdown in attacks had been widely attributed to the presence in the area of large numbers of international naval vessels, although many in the area put it down to poor local weather.
> 
> The vessel is a liquefied petroleum gas carrier. *Small carriers of volatile oil products and chemicals have been disproporitionately likely to suffer pirate attacks, according to experts. Because they are slow and sit low in the water, the vessels are easy to board, while their captains are likely to be cautious about the risks to the vessel from gunfire or grenades if they resist boarding.*
> 
> The Longchamp is the third vessel seized this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors piracy. The attack brings to 10 the number of vessels currently held by Somali pirates and to 193 the number of crew held hostage.
> 
> Pottengal Mukundan, the IMB’s director, said that even after the latest attack, pirate activity was still not at the levels seen in November, when nine vessels were seized.
> 
> It was too early to say whether the recent lull marked a long-term change, Mr Mukundan added.
> 
> “We need to see over a couple of months whether this trend is sustained or not,” he said.
> 
> http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/332ac1c8-ee18-11...d2ac,s01=1.html


----------



## old medic

http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200901290068.html

Japan to send MSDF off Somalia
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2009/1/29



> The Security Council of Japan decided Wednesday to dispatch the Maritime Self-Defense Force to help counter pirates off Somalia, the first SDF maritime security operation far from the Japanese coast.
> 
> Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada instructed Keiji Akahoshi, the MSDF chief of staff, and others to prepare for the dispatch.
> 
> An order will likely be issued in early March to send two MSDF destroyers to the sea zone where pirate attacks are rampant. Since it takes about 20 days to reach the area, the destroyers will probably start their operations between late March and early April.
> 
> MSDF security operation orders have been issued twice in the past, but only for waters near Japan.
> 
> Following the security council's decision Wednesday, Prime Minister Taro Aso, who heads the council, told Hamada, "Do it well."
> 
> Hamada later told Takashi Saito, chief of staff of the Self-Defense Forces' Joint Staff, and Akahoshi to "deal with the tasks to ensure everything is done well."
> 
> The preparations will involve the formation of a dispatch unit, on-site research of the sea zone, training and procurement of equipment.
> 
> The Defense Ministry will send personnel off Somalia for research and to select a port for refueling. The ministry will also devise a basic plan to deal with the pirates as well as guidelines for weapons use.
> 
> Meanwhile, the ruling parties' anti-piracy project team on Wednesday started drafting a new law to deal with pirates.
> 
> The existing "maritime security activities" framework is based on the SDF Law provision for patrols off the Japanese coast. Dispatching MSDF vessels off Somalia has been criticized as overstretching the interpretation of the framework.
> 
> In addition, the MSDF is currently restricted on its use of weapons abroad and whom it can protect.
> 
> The ruling coalition intends to enact a new law that clarifies the grounds for dispatching the MSDF for anti-piracy missions overseas and the rules of engagement.(IHT/Asahi: January 29,2009)


----------



## CougarKing

This seems only practical considering the recent coverage piracy has received.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090203/ap_on_re_us/fighting_pirates]



> *US seamen are being trained to fend off pirates*
> CLARKE CANFIELD Reuters PORTLAND, Maine – With an alarming number of tankers and cargo ships getting hijacked on the high seas, the nation's maritime academies are offering more training to merchant seamen in how to fend off attacks from pirates armed not with cutlasses and flintlocks but automatic weapons and grenade launchers.
> 
> Colleges are teaching students to fishtail their vessels at high speed, drive off intruders with high-pressure water hoses and illuminate their decks with floodlights.
> 
> Anti-piracy training is not new. Nor are the techniques. But the lessons have taken on new urgency — and more courses are planned — because of the record number of attacks worldwide in 2008 by outlaws who seize ships and hold them for ransom.
> 
> At the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, Calif., professor Donna Nincic teaches two courses on piracy. Students learn where the piracy hotspots are and how they have shifted over the years.
> 
> "If I've done anything, I've shown them that this isn't a joke, it's not about parrots and eye patches and Blackbeard and all that," Nincic said. "It's very real and it's a problem without an easy solution."
> 
> Emily Rizzo, a student at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Mass., worked aboard a 760-foot cargo ship last year as part of her training. As the vessel sailed the Malacca Straits in Southeast Asia, she served on "pirate watches," learned to use hoses and took part in drills with alarms indicating the ship had been boarded.
> 
> The training "brought to light just how serious it is," said Rizzo, a 22-year-old senior from Milwaukee. "The pirates can get on board these huge ships and they know what they're doing. It's not like the old days."
> 
> The International Maritime Bureau reported 293 piracy incidents in 2008, an increase of 11 percent from the year before. Forty-nine vessels were hijacked, and 889 crew members were taken hostage. Eleven were killed and 21 reported missing and presumed dead, according to the bureau.
> 
> Piracy hotspots have been identified off East Africa and in Southeast Asia, South America and the Caribbean.
> 
> Typically, small numbers of pirates — as few as two and up to 15 or 16 — draw up alongside ships in motorized skiffs and use grappling hooks and rope ladders to clamber aboard. Some of the biggest ships might have no more than two dozen crew members.
> 
> Often the pirates are armed with knives and guns. Pirates off the coast of Somalia have taken to firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades.
> 
> In the old days, ships were armed with cannons to guard against pirates. But nowadays, crew members for the most part do not carry guns. And maritime instructors say that arming crews is not the answer.
> 
> It is illegal for crews to carry weapons in the territorial waters of many nations, and ship captains are wary of arming crew members for fear of mutinies, Nincic said. Also, some worry that arming crew members would only cause the violence to escalate.
> 
> Instead, the best defense is vigilance, Nincic tells students.
> 
> "If you demonstrate a culture of awareness, that you look like you know you're in pirate waters and are clearly standing watch, patrolling, etc., the pirates know you're going to be more difficult to board and are possibly going to wait for the next ship and board the one that's easier," she said.
> 
> The Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, is putting together a new anti-piracy course on nonlethal defense for ship crews, said Ralph Pundt, chairman of the school's marine transportation department.
> 
> The course would teach how crews can use observation techniques, lights, fire hoses and evasive action. The best way to combat pirates, Pundt said, it to keep them from boarding in the first place.
> 
> Michael Durnan, a 42-year-old senior at Cal Maritime, was working on a tanker filled with soybean oil in 2001 when he confronted four pirates standing on the ship's stern in the Bay of Bengal off Bangladesh.
> 
> Durnan approached the men with a 2-by-4, but they threw some equipment overboard and then jumped over themselves, escaping into the darkness in small fishing boats.
> 
> "They take everything and sell everything," he said. "Anything on a ship can be sold to somebody for something."
> 
> ___


----------



## George Wallace

This is a rather interesting situation.  These shipping lanes are one of the many "Drug Routes" out of Theatre.  What are the policies for Drug Interdiction in this Region?  Have these pirates intercepted Drug shipments?  Are these pirates contributing to or collaborating in a Drug Trade?  Interesting.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This, from Reuters, on the MV Faina....


> Somali pirates released a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks on Thursday following a ransom payment, a local man who helped negotiate the deal said.  The MV Faina was captured in September with its 20-man crew and a cargo of 33 Soviet-era T-72 tanks plus other weapons. Its seizure drew international attention, not only for its military cargo, but for a regional row over the destination of the tanks.  "The last group of pirates has got down now and MV Faina is released," the negotiator, who asked not to be named, told Reuters from the Somali port of Haradheere.  *The man told Reuters on Wednesday the pirates had been paid a ransom of $3.2 million.*  Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, a Kenyan-based piracy monitoring group, said foreign naval ships in the area were moving toward the MV Faina, which he said had yet to leave the Somali port....



More from AP, and Voice of America


----------



## CougarKing

And here comes the JMSDF!



			
				saver111 said:
			
		

> *Japan to dispatch 2 destroyers on anti-piracy mission off Somalia*
> 
> 
> TOKYO, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) said Tuesday that it will dispatch two destroyers on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia once receiving the order from the defense minister.
> 
> To be sent on the mission are *the 4,650-ton Sazanami and 4,550-ton Samidare of the 8th Escort Division of the 4th Escort Flotillain Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture*, the MSDF said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *JDS Sazanami  DD113 Takanami Class*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *JDS Samidare DD106 Murasame Class*
> 
> On Wednesday Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada ordered the Maritime Self-Defense Forces (MSDF) to prepare for the mission in a bid to protect Japanese and Japan-linked ships from pirates' attacks.
> 
> In line with Article 82 of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) Law, which governs policing action on the seas, the MSDF will dispatch the two destroyers, according to an outline of the operational guidelines for the MSDF released on Jan. 27.
> 
> Under the maritime policing provision, the MSDF will protect only Japan-related vessels, including Japanese-registered ships and foreign vessels with Japanese nationals or shipments aboard.
> 
> The dispatch of the MSDF, the first overseas military deployment under the SDF law, is expected to take place in March at the earliest after training and other preparatory work is finished.
> 
> http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/...nt_10757224.htm


----------



## CougarKing

So is this first time the modern Swedish Navy will ever see action?



> *Swedish ships heading to fight pirates off Somalia*
> 
> By A. Rienstra on Feb 5, 2009 in Finance and Business, General, International, Politics, Science & Technology, Sweden
> 
> Sweden is set to send three of its naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden to help in the international effort to fight the scourge of piracy that has engulfed the seas off of Somalia. The government voted overwhelmingly to support the ongoing UN mission, code-named Operation Atalanta.
> 
> Sweden will be sending *two corvettes and one support ship along with a security force*, the government said in a statement. The Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that Sweden’s participation in the UN mission will start before the middle of 2009, and last four months at the longest.
> 
> Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt said in the statement that “Sweden’s participation is a response to the UN request for protection and security for the deliveries of food aid to Somalia from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). In addition, the operation will help combat the increasing number of acts of piracy off the coast of the country.”
> 
> The EU officially started its anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden on 8 December 2008. This marked the first time the 27-nation union embarked on a joint naval mission. Currently, more than 90 per cent of all WFP aid to Somalia is delivered by sea. Continued interruption by the pirates could spell disaster for the people of this nation, which is now considered the world’s most lawless.
> 
> http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/02/05...es-off-somalia/


----------



## Blackadder1916

And the latest navy to join (or indicate they will join) the fray.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

*Turkey to deploy warship off Somalia - minister*
Reuters (Reporting by Zerin Elci; Editing by Janet Lawrence)  Fri Feb 6, 2009 5:25am EST

ANKARA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Turkey will deploy a warship as part of a United Nations-led force off the Somali coast to prevent pirates hijacking its ships, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on Friday.

The government presented to parliament on Thursday a memorandum to allow Turkey to deploy naval forces in the region, where more than a dozen ships with links to NATO-member Turkey have been among the many vessels hijacked by pirates.

"In the first stage, the plan is to send one warship," Babacan told a news conference.

Turkish TV quoted the army general staff as saying the navy was working on sending the warship to Somalia this month.

State-run Anatolian news agency said the memorandum envisaged a one-year limit for the deployment in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast.

The memorandum said the threat to Turkey's commercial vessels had reached a dimension where it damages the country's trade and economic interests. It said there had been nearly 500 incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the maritime region.

Some 15 ships with links to Turkey have been hijacked, along with more than 300 crew, of which 37 were Turkish.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes has sent insurance prices soaring, forced some owners to decide to go around South Africa instead of through the Suez Canal, and brought an unprecedented deployment of foreign warships to the region.

Two Turkish ships hijacked last year were released by Somali pirates last month.


----------



## CougarKing

Good. It seems the RAN intends to join the fray as well.



> *Australia to take on Somali pirates *
> Jonathan Pearlman, Defence Correspondent
> January 9, 2009
> 
> AUSTRALIA is looking to deploy *a warship * to act against pirates off the coast of Somalia after winding down operations to protect Iraq's oil terminals.
> *The Defence Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said he would draw up a plan to join the international force after the United States asked that Australia participate.*
> The move would mark a significant opportunity for the Australian military to co-operate with the world's naval powers - including Britain, China, India, Russia and the US - which have all deployed ships as part of a UN-approved mission.
> "There is … the possibility of perhaps going further and getting involved in some of the important counter-piracy work that is coming on in the north Indian Ocean," Air Chief Marshal Houston told sailors aboard HMAS Parramatta in the Gulf on Wednesday.
> "That is something we will be looking at quite carefully in the months ahead, developing a proposal for the Government's consideration."
> Navies from about 20 countries have sent ships to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean to combat an increase in piracy in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
> The UN Security Council passed an anti-piracy resolution in December that allows military forces to "use all necessary measures" and to conduct raids against pirates on sea and land.
> Australian warships began operating in the Persian Gulf before the 1991 Gulf War, initially enforcing UN sanctions against the former Iraqi regime and later guarding Iraqi oil terminals.
> A defence spokeswoman said yesterday that the navy had finished its Iraqi operations and was working in the central and southern Persian Gulf.
> "Defence is prepared for a range of contingencies, including the possibility of contributing to UN-sponsored anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa," the spokeswoman said.
> A deployment to the anti-piracy force would allow the Australian navy to work alongside ships from China, whose naval build-up appeared to be behind recent calls by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to expand the Australian navy. China has sent three warships to the zone in its first naval combat mission for 600 years.
> The director of research at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Anthony Bergin, said the military could benefit from co-operating in the international force but should ensure the rules of engagement were clear.
> "Working with the [People's Liberation Army] navy is very much in Australia's interests," Dr Bergin said. "This can act as a confidence-building measure and build trust between other navies. It can generate understanding of other countries' procedures and assist in overcoming cultural barriers to military co-operation.
> "If there are potential incidents in crowded seas, the fact that you have co-operated can minimise potential fallout … But there are hard questions about the rules of engagement, particularly as the other countries appear to have no uniform rules."
> Air Chief Marshal Houston said Australian ships and passengers regularly travelled through the waters off the coast of Somalia and benefited from the enhanced security provided by the multinational anti-piracy force.
> "Ships carrying Australian passengers and cargo pass through that area," he said. "We will just have to wait and see how the mission develops … The Americans appreciate what we do, whatever we do."
> But Dr Bergin said Australia's potential contribution was limited and the international community still needed to look at some of the land-based problems that were contributing to the increase in piracy, particularly in war-ravaged Somalia.
> "One has to be cautious in not overestimating what can be achieved by adding one warship to the fairly large flotilla that is already there. Australia could potentially make a contribution to international piracy by taking stronger action against illegal fishing. We tend to forget that a lot of the acts of piracy have emerged from fishing vessels."
> - with AAP
> http://www.smh.com.au/new...stralia...1004199160.html


----------



## CougarKing

Just more details on the deployment of that Turkish warship.



> *Turkey to fight pirates off Somalia*
> 
> On 5th February 2009 Turkish government submitted a motion to Turkish Parliament about sending a warship to Gulf of Aden and adjacent waters, in order to, participate the multinational efforts of anti-piracy.
> 
> If the parliament ratifies the motion the government will have the power to send warships to Gulf of Aden for one year. I do not expect any surprises and I think it is almost certain that this motion will be accepted.
> 
> Turkey has received permission from the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), to enter Somalia’s territorial waters and use force on 13 January 2009, in accordance with the UN resolution 1846.
> 
> "The threat to our commercial vessels has reached a dimension where it negatively affects our country's trade and economic interests," the motion said.
> 
> Turkish warship will be tasked with:
> 
> * Performing reconnaissance and patrol duties,
> * Calling on ships suspected of piracy/ armed robbery, on the radio, boarding them if their flag country approves and interfering in accordance with the international law if the ship is not showing any flag,
> * Escorting and protecting merchant ships,
> * Helping merchant ships under attack of pirates/sea robbers,
> * Intervening, stopping, neutralizing, and confiscating any vessels used by pirates/sea robbers, and using appropriate force if necessary,
> * Arresting and detaining pirates/sea robbers and armed persons in these vessels,
> * Accepting the representatives of the countries that will prosecute pirates/ armed robbers on board, for the preparations of judicial proceedings, according to the UN resolution 1851.
> * Arresting and detaining, pirates/armed robbers on board until they are being handed over to the countries that will prosecute them,
> * Turning in, the suspects of pirates/sea robbers with the exception of the case that these are Turkish citizens, to the authorities the nation where the pirates/sea robbers will be prosecuted,
> * Executing all kinds of policing duties including interrogation, collecting evidence
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first ship to be sent will be *F-491 TCG Giresun*. She is a Gabya / Perry class frigate. On board will be of course a detachment of naval special forces and a detachment of naval air service. TCG Giresun is one of the GENESIS fitted ships of this class.
> 
> The spokesman for Turkish General Staff Gen. Gürak said on the weekly press conference the preparations were continuing to send the ship in February.
> 
> This means that the motion the government submitted to the parliament will come the agenda pretty soon.
> 
> According to Turkish Foregin minister Babacan, TCG Giresun will be part of the UN-led anti-piracy force. This means either Turkey will join US led CTF-151 as reported previously or she will work closely with the international task forces and their command centers.
> 
> Posted by Saturn 5 at 13:50
> 
> http://turkishnavy.blogspot.com/2009/02/tc...irates-off.html


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates release Chinese boat: foreign ministry*
8 February 2009

BEIJING (AFP) — A Chinese fishing boat and its 24-member crew held by Somali pirates for three months were released Sunday, China's foreign affairs ministry said.

The ship, the Tianyu No 8, which was hijacked on November 14, was released at 0900 GMT, the foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.

The ministry credited Chinese diplomats in Kenya and Ethiopia as well as the ship's owners, the Tianjin Ocean Fishing Company, with helping secure the release, but gave no further details.

It said the crew, which included 15 mainland Chinese and one Taiwanese sailor, were in the care of the Chinese navy and were undergoing health checks.

The ministry did not give the nationalities of the other eight crew members, but previous media reports had said there were four Vietnamese, three Filipinos and one Japanese on board.

The pirates had previously claimed they seized the Chinese vessel 30 miles (48 kilometres) off Somalia's southern port of Kismayu because it was fishing in Somali territorial waters, according to China's official Xinhua news agency. They said the crew would be "put before the law and punished accordingly."

The crew were unarmed when they were captured, according to previous reports.

The newly-released boat was being escorted to safety by a Chinese naval convoy sent to Gulf of Aden last month on a landmark mission to protect the country's shipping from pirates, the ministry said.

The statement made no reference to any ransom being paid to the pirates.

The naval task force, comprising two destroyers and a supply ship, was deployed in response to an escalation of pirate attacks on merchant ships, including Chinese vessels, plying the crucial shipping route linking Asia and Europe.

The force's mission marked China's first potential combat mission beyond its territorial waters in centuries.

US and European ships have also been sent to the waters off Somalia, where pirates attacked more than 100 vessels last year.

The Tianyu's release comes after the Ukrainian vessel MV Faina and its crew were freed on Thursday following four-and-a-half months of captivity. The UKrainian ship was carrying a controversial cargo of 33 Soviet-era battle tanks as well as other weaponry

According to pirates and sources close to the case, at least 3.2 million dollars in ransom money was paid for the release of the Ukrainian vessel.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Dutch extradite five Somali pirates*
AFP 10 February 2009

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Five suspected Somali pirates intercepted in the Gulf of Aden as they attacked a Dutch cargo ship last month were extradited Tuesday to the Netherlands, a prosecution spokesman said.

The five men, held aboard a Danish naval vessel since the January 2 incident, were flown to the Netherlands on a military plane from the Gulf state of Bahrain, prosecution spokesman Wim de Bruin told AFP.

"They arrived this afternoon in Eindhoven and will be brought before a magistrate in Rotterdam tomorrow," who will decide whether to remand them in custody for a further two weeks, he added.

The men risk up to nine years in jail if found guilty, with the leader of the group facing a possible 12-year sentence.

Their high-speed powerboat was intercepted by a participating Danish frigate in the first days of a multinational anti-piracy task force in the Gulf of Aden.

Prosecutors say the men were preparing to board a Dutch Antilles cargo ship, the Samanyulo.

Arrest warrants were issued for the men on January 21 while they were being held aboard the frigate, the Absalon.

"Investigators have taken statements from those on board the attacked cargo vessel," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

De Bruin said it was the Netherlands' first judicial case against Somali pirates.

France jailed 12 Somalis last year after French commandos swooped on the hijackers of two luxury yachts in the same shipping lane.

Pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden last year, an increase of more than 200 percent on 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau which tracks piracy and shipping security issues.

Heavily armed pirates operate high-powered speedboats and sometimes hold ships for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or shipowners.

More than 150 suspected pirates have been arrested by naval patrols in the Gulf in 2008, the International Maritime Organization, another marine safety group, was told at a conference in Djibouti in January.

Nineteen of the suspects were handed over to European states whose ships were attacked, while 85 others were taken into custody by the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland, or by Yemen, according to a Djibouti document presented to the conference.


----------



## geo

> The men risk up to nine years in jail if found guilty,



Umm.... nine years in a dutch jail - rations and quarters provided...  Methinks they will be pinching themselves... died & gone to heaven


----------



## OldSolduer

geo said:
			
		

> Umm.... nine years in a dutch jail - rations and quarters provided...  Methinks they will be pinching themselves... died & gone to heaven



And they will form their own prison gang. They will not ask for but DEMAND special treatment due to cultural and religous issues. They will harm staff and corrupt some as well.


----------



## YZT580

geo said:
			
		

> Umm.... nine years in a dutch jail - rations and quarters provided...  Methinks they will be pinching themselves... died & gone to heaven


And finally, when they are released after serving less than 5 years of their maximum nine year sentence they will ask for and receive refugee status in Holland.  Whilst in prison, several will be meet and marry and then receive conjugal visits from young lassies who are firmly convinced that they are criminals only because of poor upbringing or a father who beat them regularly. (sigh) :crybaby: :


----------



## OldSolduer

YZT580 said:
			
		

> And finally, when they are released after serving less than 5 years of their maximum nine year sentence they will ask for and receive refugee status in Holland.  Whilst in prison, several will be meet and marry and then receive conjugal visits from young lassies who are firmly convinced that they are criminals only because of poor upbringing or a father who beat them regularly. (sigh) :crybaby: :



Sounds like you work in the justice system...I mean industry.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*U.S. cruiser captures 7 suspected pirates*


> By Philip Ewing - Staff writer Navy Times   Posted : Wednesday Feb 11, 2009 17:13:10 EST
> 
> The cruiser Vella Gulf captured seven suspected pirates Wednesday off Somalia, becoming the first U.S. ship to bring in would-be hijackers since the Navy stood up its dedicated counter-piracy force.
> 
> The Vella Gulf heard a distress call at about 3 p.m. local time from the merchant vessel Polaris, which reported that men in a small boat had attempted to come aboard on a ladder, a Navy official said. The Polaris’ crew removed the ladder before the men could climb up.
> 
> As this was happening, the Vella Gulf changed its course and increased speed to rendezvous with the Polaris. En route, the cruiser intercepted the small boat the merchant sailors had described.
> 
> “The skiff contained individuals fitting the physical descriptions given by Polaris crew members,” a Navy statement said. “A Vella Gulf visit, board, search and seizure team conducted a consensual boarding and found several weapons.”
> 
> When the Vella Gulf met up with the Polaris, the merchant ship’s crew identified the men in the small boat as the ones who had tried to force their way aboard. So they were taken into custody aboard the U.S. warship.
> 
> The suspected pirates will likely stay aboard the Vella Gulf until sometime Thursday, when they’ll be transferred to a new temporary brig aboard the Military Sealift Command supply ship Lewis and Clark. One of the Lewis and Clark’s cargo holds has been outfitted with foam pallets and portable toilets to serve as a holding area for as many as 26 people. A detachment of Marines aboard the ship serves as guards.
> 
> The captured men will only be held aboard the Lewis and Clark until they can be taken to Kenya, where a new court system is being set up to try and punish pirates.
> 
> The world’s governments and navies have struggled with how to respond to the rampant piracy off the lawless coast of Somalia. The new pirate courts are one step, along with the dedicated anti-piracy armada, Combined Task Force 151, of which the Vella Gulf is flagship. Other warships, from Europe, Russia and China, also patrol the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the coast of Somalia.


----------



## CougarKing

Just more details on the USN's latest action described above.



> *U.S. Navy Apprehends Somali Pirates for the First Time*
> Email
> Share
> 
> February 11, 2009 3:07 PM
> 
> RadiaABC News' Kirit Radia reports: A U.S. Navy ship working as part of a multinational team called Combined Task Force 151, apprehended a group of seven Somali pirates today, the first time the task force has picked up Somali pirates.
> 
> The apprehension appears to be in response to what U.S. officials tell ABC News was an order from the Pentagon issued last Thursday to pursue pirates off the Somali coast.
> 
> "At approximately 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, the Marshall Islands-flagged *Motor Vessel Polaris* sent a distress call to all ships in the area reporting that a small skiff containing seven suspected pirates had attempted a forcible boarding of their vessel using a ladder. Polaris crewmembers removed the ladder before pirates could come aboard," the Navy's 5th fleet said in a statement.
> 
> The U.S. Navy ship *USS Vella Gulf* responded to the distress call and intercepted the pirate skiff.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *USS Vella Gulf*
> 
> After positively identifying the suspected pirates, they were brought on board the Vella Gulf for processing and will be transferred to the *USNS Lewis and Clark* where they will be temporarily detained.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *USNS Lewis and Clark*
> 
> U.S. officials have previously told ABC News that Kenya has agreed to take in captured Somali pirates until they can be tried. There is no official word yet if the alleged pirates captured today will be sent there, but the agreement with Kenya is designed for just such cases.
> 
> According to U.S. officials who spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity, last Thursday the Joint Chiefs of Staff last week issued a Counter Piracy Execute Order that charged the military with pursuing and apprehending pirates who threaten commercial ships in the Horn of Africa region off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> Officials say the order creates an operating zone to go after pirates about 500 nautical miles out to sea and spans from the Gulf of Aden near Yemen down to the borders with Kenya and Tanzania.
> 
> In other words, it is now open season for the U.S. Navy to go after Somali pirates that have haunted one of the world's vital shipping lanes.
> 
> http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/20...vy-apprehe.html


----------



## CougarKing

One would have thought that Singapore would have been more eager to show off its shiny new FORMIDABLE class Stealth Frigates.



> *Singapore To Join Anti-Piracy Mission: Minister*
> By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
> Published: 12 Feb 06:45 EST (11:45 GMT)
> 
> SINGAPORE - *Singapore will send a navy transport ship and two helicopters to support multinational anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden area, the defense minister said Feb. 11.*
> 
> *Teo Chee Hean told parliament that the Southeast Asian city-state - which has one of Asia's most modern armed forces - will send a landing ship tank (LST) and two Super Puma helicopters.*
> 
> He said they will work with the new international counter-piracy task force, known as CTF-151, operating in and around the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
> 
> The minister did not give a date for the Singapore contingent's deployment.
> 
> On Feb. 10 the U.S. Navy, which currently leads the CTF-151, said it had arrested seven suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the first time the task force has apprehended suspected pirates since its formation a month ago.
> 
> Singapore has also sent LST vessels to waters near Iraq to support coalition forces there.
> 
> China has already sent naval forces to the Gulf of Aden, and Japan's defense minister said recently his country's navy may be deployed as part of the anti-piracy operations as early as March.
> 
> Pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden last year, an increase of more than 200 percent on 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy and shipping security issues.


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Somali pirates free Japanese-owned ship *


> The Associated Press  Friday, February 13, 2009
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya: Somali pirates have released a Japanese-owned cargo ship and its 23 crew members after nearly three months in captivity, a diplomat said Friday.
> 
> The Nairobi, Kenya-based diplomat, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the ship carrying unidentified chemicals was released Thursday night.
> 
> The MV Chemstar Venus, owned by a Japanese shipping company and registered in Panama, was seized by armed Somali gunmen on Nov. 15 in the Gulf of Aden. On board were five South Koreans and 18 Filipinos.
> 
> Thursday's release came as a maritime watchdog warned on Friday that the pirate attacks off Somalia have risen sharply as weather improved. Piracy off Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991, peaked between September and November last year. Somali pirates, seeking multimillion-dollar ransoms, launched 111 attacks and seized 42 vessels last year, mostly in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> Also Friday, the Russian navy said its heavy missile cruiser Peter The Great had detained 10 Somali pirates who were closing in on an Iranian-flagged fishing trawler Thursday. Military prosecutors were interviewing the men, who were caught with rifles, grenade-launchers, illegal narcotics and a large sum of money, the navy said.
> 
> Worldwide, 49 vessels were hijacked and 889 crew members were taken hostage — the highest figures since the London-based International Maritime Bureau began keeping records in 1991.
> 
> The increased danger led the United States, India, Britain, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and other countries to send warships to the area to protect commercial vessels and more quickly rush to their aid.
> 
> Despite the measures, the attacks have continued, and the International Maritime Bureau warned on Friday ships plying the popular trade route off eastern Africa to be more vigilant.
> 
> Noel Choong, who heads the bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, said six ships were attacked on Wednesday and Thursday alone.
> 
> "We haven't seen such an increase in attacks for some time," he said.
> 
> Since the beginning of January, 22 vessels had been attacked, and three were hijacked. Choong said favorable weather made it easier for the smaller pirate boats to ambush ships. He also said seven ships have been released over the past month, likely pushing pirates to try to replenish their stocks.
> ____
> Associated Press writers Mike Eckel in Moscow and Julia Zappei in Kuala Lumpur, Malasyia, contributed to this report.




*Somali pirates attack six ships: watchdog*


> 13 February 2009
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Heavily armed Somali pirates attacked six ships, including British, Indian and Singapore-managed vessels, earlier this week but all managed to escape, a global maritime watchdog said Friday.
> 
> "In the past two days, pirates have been actively attacking vessels with intent to hijack," Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, said in a statement.
> 
> "It appears that favourable weather conditions in the area and the high number of hijacked vessel that have been released recently may have prompted the pirates to actively seek for new targets," he added.
> 
> But the ships -- managed by Indian, British, Greek, Singapore and Philippine companies and one unknown -- managed to escape from the pirates.
> 
> Choong said the strong presence of naval warships in strategic locations had prevented successful hijackings in recent weeks.
> 
> "The number of successful hijackings has been reduced due to naval activities," he told AFP.
> 
> Choong urged ships to maintain 24-hour visual and radar watches to prevent hijacks.
> 
> In one attack on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden, Choong said Somali pirates in a speed boat opened fire on a Indian-managed ship.
> 
> "The master contacted naval warships. The pirate's boat came close to the vessel but aborted the attempt due to evasive actions taken by the vessel," he said.
> 
> In another dramatic attack, pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at a Singapore ship in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> "The ship's master reported that pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel. A military helicopter responded to its distress call," he said.
> 
> Choong said six pirates attacked a Philippine ship on Wednesday off Somalia.
> 
> "Six pirates armed with RPGs and guns in a speed boat chased and fired their RPG at the bulk carrier. The vessel took evasive manoeuvres and escaped from the pirates," he said.
> 
> Choong said since January 2009, there had been 22 attacks, with seven vessels and 123 seamen being held by Somali pirates.
> 
> Japanese warships are expected to soon join a growing fleet of foreign navies patrolling what have become the world's most dangerous waters, with more than 130 pirate attacks in 2008 alone.
> 
> According to experts, a slightly lower rate of successful pirate attacks since the start of 2009 is due to a combination of weather conditions and increased navy surveillance.




*Russian navy 'captures 10 Somali pirates'*


> 13 February 2009
> 
> MOSCOW (AFP) — A Russian nuclear-powered cruiser has captured 10 Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean armed with grenade launchers, automatic rifles and landmines, a navy spokesman said Friday.
> 
> "The nuclear cruiser Pyotr Veliky has detained three small pirate boats," said Igor Dygalo, adding that 10 armed men of Somali citizenship were seized in the operation Thursday.
> 
> The pirates had been spotted by the cruiser's helicopter southeast of the Yemeni island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean, the spokesman told AFP.
> 
> "It was visually established how weapons were being dumped from the boats into the sea," Dygalo said in a separate statement.
> 
> He added that the navy managed to confiscate grenade launchers, automatic rifles, landmines and 500 grammes of a "narcotic substance," among other things.
> 
> The news of the Somali pirates' detention comes as the crew of a Ukrainian ship captured by Somali pirates arrived home at Kiev airport on Friday after a 19-week hijacking ordeal.
> 
> The MV Faina, released last week, docked Thursday in Mombasa with its exhausted crew of 17 Ukrainians, two Russians and one Latvian and controversial cargo of tanks and munitions.
> 
> The Russian military prosecutors were now investigating the pirates' case adding it would be then up to the Russian foreign and justice ministries to determine their fate.


----------



## Yrys

Same subject as last article :

Russians capture Somali pirates





Peter the Great, a Russian warship, is 
patrolling the area on anti-piracy duty.

The Russian navy says one of its warships has captured three pirate vessels 
off the coast of Somalia. Ten pirates aboard the vessels were also detained, 
according to a statement given by the navy to news agencies. A spokesman 
for the Russian navy said all those captured by the nuclear-powered warship, 
Peter the Great, were Somali nationals.

Pirates from Somalia target merchant ships sailing through the busy Gulf of 
Aden, which connects Europe and Asia.

Russian navy spokesman Igor Dygalo said the pirate boats were spotted by 
the warship's helicopter south-east of the Yemeni island of Socotra in the 
Indian Ocean. "It was visually established how weapons were being dumped 
from the boats into the sea," Mr Dygalo said in a statement. He said the navy 
seized weapons including grenade launchers and automatic rifles as well as a 
quantity of a "narcotic substance".

A multi-national task force including the United States, the UK, India and 
Russia currently patrol the sea off the unstable Horn of Africa to deter pirates. 
On Thursday, the US navy said it had detained nine pirates.

The report of the Russian detentions came as the International Maritime Bureau 
issued a warning to shipping that the risk from piracy off the coast of Somalia 
was rising again. The bureau's reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur says six ships 
were attacked this week alone, but all managed to escape. The bureau blamed 
the heightened risk on more favourable weather and the temptation for pirates 
to target more ships for ransom, after recently releasing a number of hijacked 
vessels.

News of the Somali pirates' detention came on the same day the crew of a 
Ukrainian ship captured by Somali pirates arrived home at Kiev airport after a 
19-week hijacking ordeal. The MV Faina, released last week, docked on Thursday 
in Mombasa with its crew of 17 Ukrainians, two Russians and one Latvian, with a 
cargo of tanks and munitions.


----------



## CougarKing

The Saudis beginning to make their presence felt?



> *SAUDI FRIGATE SAVES TURKISH SHIP FROM PIRATES*
> 
> (AGI) - Rome, 17 Feb. – A frigate of the Saudi Navy prevented an attack by Somali pirates against a Turkish cargo ship in waters close to the Gulf of Aden, as reported by daily paper 'Arab News' which in turn cited the 'Spa' press agency. The operation, the first of this sort ever reported by Saudi authorities, was carried out yesterday by the frigate *'al-Riyadh'*, which answered a plea for help by Turkish cargo ship *'Yasa Seyhan'* that was being attacked by three small pirate vessels. The unit was nearby, as part of the international task force deployed in Somali waters to combat piracy, which has been active for some years. The pirates fled upon the frigate’s arrival. In 2008, in the wake of more than 100 attacks, more than 150 alleged pirates were arrested in the Gulf of Aden by patrol units of the international task force.
> This year more pirates have been caught and arrested by American, Danish and Russian units. Heavily armed, the pirates work with powerful boats and occasionally capture ships for weeks before setting them free in exchange for large ransoms paid by the States of origin or by ship-owners.
> 
> http://www.agi.it/world/news/200902171619-...en0035-art.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Al Riyadh (F3000S Sawari II) Class Multipurpose AAW Frigate, Saudi Arabia*


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Russian Navy transfers detained Somali pirates to Yemen*

MOSCOW, February 18, 2009 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Navy has handed over to Yemen 10 Somali pirates detained several days ago off the Horn of Africa, Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. 

The Navy spokesman said the Yemeni authorities would decide on any legal action taken against the detainees. 

"The pirates were transferred from the Pyotr Veliky missile cruiser onto the Admiral Vinogradov destroyer, and then handed over to Yemen's Coast Guard and Interior Ministry," he said. 

On February 12, two speedboats and a large parent ship were detained with 10 Somali pirates on board near Yemen's Sokotra Island. A helicopter from the Pyotr Veliky spotted the speedboats moving in the direction of an Iranian flagged fishing boat. Upon spotting the helicopter, the people on board the speedboats began hurling arms overboard. 

The helicopter crew continued surveillance until the Pyotr Veliky arrived at the scene. 

Weapons, including assault rifles and grenade launchers, as well as drugs and a large amount of cash were discovered on board the vessels. 

Dygalo said earlier that "the detainees were in a state of narcotic intoxication." 

According to the UN, Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008, resulting in combined ransom payouts of around $150 million. 

Around 20 warships from the navies of at least 10 countries, including Russia, are involved in anti-piracy operations off Somalia. The East African country, ravaged by years of civil war, has no functioning government.


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirate patrol: Day one, BBC News, Thursday, 19 February 2009


 Video of "On the deck of HMS Northumberland", 2 min 13 sec

The BBC's Jonah Fisher has joined British Royal Navy frigate HMS Northumberland as 
it patrols the Gulf of Aden in an EU taskforce to deter Somali pirates.

In the first instalment of his diary from the ship's deck, our correspondent finds that 
even with a fleet of warships, catching the seaborne hijackers is not as easy as one 
might imagine.







THURSDAY 19 FEBRUARY

We've been at sea now for a few hours and still no sign of Keira Knightley or Johnny 
Depp. It's an obvious joke. But the deployment of a British frigate off Somalia's coast 
and in the Gulf of Aden shows just how seriously the struggle against modern piracy 
is now being taken.

The HMS Northumberland has for the last three months been part of the European 
Union's anti-piracy Combined Task Force Atalanta. It's one of six warships from 
across the continent trying to cover an area of more than a million square miles 
(2.6m sq km). From Mombasa in the south and as far north and east as Oman.

*Elusive prey*

Duties within the taskforce are shared between the warships and are a mixture 
of escorting aid deliveries into Somali ports and patrolling commercial shipping 
lanes to try to deter attacks. Warships from Russia, China, Malaysia and India 
are also on their own anti-piracy missions in the region. So far the jury is out 
on their success.

After the high-profile captures of the oil tanker, the Sirius Star, and the Ukrainian 
MV Faina in late 2008 the last two months have seen the number of piracy attacks 
decrease markedly. So far this year there have been 21 attempted boardings - 
just three of them successful.

But that improvement could also be down to changing sea conditions. Monsoon 
winds made December and January much harder for the pirates in their small 
open boats to operate. Now the weather is improving and the navy is waiting 
to see if the pirates emerge.

So far the nearly 200 crew of the HMS Northumberland have made only limited 
contact with the pirates. And when they have, the complex legal basis for the 
operation has made taking action difficult.






"For us to intervene we have to actually arrive as an act of piracy is taking place," 
Martin Simpson, the commander of HMS Northumberland, told me. "That means 
we see the pirates approaching a merchant vessel with AK47s (automatic rifles) 
or RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and trying to put a ladder in place to climb 
aboard."

On two occasions the HMS Northumberland has arrived just too late and was 
unable to prevent the ships being taken. Once the Somalis have scrambled up a 
ladder on to deck there is no prospect of a rescue bid.

The owners of the merchant vessels prefer to enter into ransom negotiations with 
the pirates. After several months of talks with intermediaries the crew and cargo 
have usually been released unharmed in return for several million US dollars.

For the next few days I'll be reporting from on board the HMS Northumberland as 
it patrols the world's most dangerous shipping lane through the Gulf of Aden. At 
present we've just left the Omani port of Salalah and are heading west towards 
Somalia and Djibouti.


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirate patrol: Day two, BBC News, Friday, 20 February 2009

The BBC's Jonah Fisher has joined British Royal Navy frigate HMS Northumberland 
as it patrols the Gulf of Aden in an EU taskforce to deter Somali pirates.

In the second instalment of his diary from the ship's deck, our correspondent joins 
a helicopter patrol.

FRIDAY 20 FEBRUARY

A trip in the Merlin helicopter provided the perfect opportunity to see how hard it 
is to tackle Somali piracy.This is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, 
with huge container ships and tankers making their way to and from the Suez 
Canal.

But there are also lots of much smaller local ships here, and almost all of them 
match the initial profile of "Somali pirate ship". That means a wooden dhow with 
fast-moving motorised skiffs attached alongside. From high in the sky ships that 
could hardly be seen with the naked eye were magnified through a powerful 
video camera mounted on the outside of the helicopter.





Patrols can home in on boats from a 
helicopter's vantage point

*Suspicious signs*

I watched as the operator skilfully zoomed in, trying to look for secondary clues 
that the boats might be more than just fishing vessels. The key indicators are the 
presence of ladders or grapple hooks which the pirates use to climb from the skiffs 
onto the hijacked ship. Large numbers of men - far too many for a fishing trip - is 
another sign, as is lots of fuel on board that the pirates can use as they wait at sea 
for their target to come along.

But you wouldn't have to be the cleverest Somali pirate captain to stash your ladders 
and fuel out of sight and to keep as many of your men as possible under a tarpaulin.
So most of the local ships we checked out from the air were inconclusive.

Nothing to warrant sending the Royal Marines in their speed boats - but impossible 
to say with conviction that they were not pirates.

*Deterrence role*

It's clear that the sailors on board the HMS Northumberland are keen for action. For 
two hours late on Thursday a real buzz went around the ship as it was briefly diverted 
to intercept a drug-running ship. But the information turned out to be old. Then today 
the Royal Marines got kitted up to go and check out some local fisherman.

Unfortunately for them the chances of an act of piracy taking place close enough to 
the Northumberland for it to act are pretty slim.

Deterrence is a big part of the role of the EU Atalanta taskforce - and it seems that 
in the areas that they operate the warships are having an effect.

This afternoon the biggest gun on the ship - with shells four-and-a-half inches wide - 
was fired in a training exercise. If pirates were watching they would have been impressed.

But with between just 10 and 15 warships in the region, most of the one million square 
miles around Somalia are still perfect for bounty hunting.


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirate patrol: Day three, BBC News, Saturday, 21 February 2009

The BBC's Jonah Fisher has joined British Royal Navy frigate HMS Northumberland 
as it patrols the Gulf of Aden in an EU taskforce to deter Somali pirates.

In the third instalment of his diary from the ship's deck, our correspondent joins 
a helicopter patrol.

SATURDAY 21 FEBRUARY

 Video  "Helicopter hunt for sea pirates", 1 min 24 sec

For the last two days I've been shown the British navy's search and respond capabilities
in the Gulf of Aden. But there have been no pirates.

This morning, in a somewhat desperate bid to keep us entertained, the Royal Marines 
showed us their guns. We were even given the chance to fire them. A huge inflatable 
red ball nicknamed the Killer Tomato was thrown into the water and allowed to drift 
half a kilometre from the HMS Northumberland.

A 30mm cannon capable of 600 rounds per minute was then fired. With each earsplitting 
rounds costing nearly £50 ($72), some novice shooting meant sinking the Killer Tomato 
wasn't cheap.

After another helicopter ride in the afternoon failed to identify any pirates we returned 
to the ship expecting the day to wind down before a formal evening meal in the officer's 
mess. Instead we were greeted by Royal Marines arming themselves to head out to sea. 
A lone skiff ahead of the HMS Northumberland had attracted the captain's attention - and 
he wanted the marines to take a closer look.

I was on board one of the two Royal Marine boats as it sped a mile towards the skiff in 
question. As we came closer it became clear that this was not pirates. Inside the boat 
were 35 scared men,  women and children.

The leader of the Royal Marines got out his Arabic phrasebook and ventured. "Inta min wehn," 
he asked. "Where are you from?" "Somalia," came the reply, in English. "Hungry. We are hungry"

The skiff was one of the many making the dangerous journey from Somalia's chaos to Yemen 
in search of a better life. When we arrived back on board the Northumberland the radio on the 
bridge was buzzing noisily. Several ships were worried about a skiff that was moving rapidly 
among them.

The helicopter was despatched to take a closer look and the marines readied themselves to 
head out again. But - as has happened so often - there was nothing which gave the British 
any reason to believe that the boat was anything more than a fisherman on his way home.


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirate patrol: Day four,BBC News, Sunday, 22 February 2009

The BBC's Jonah Fisher has joined British Royal Navy frigate HMS 
Northumberland as it patrols the Gulf of Aden in an EU taskforce 
to deter Somali pirates.

In the fourth instalment of his diary from the ship's deck, our 
correspondent sees how the pirates are able to seize ships only 
a few miles away from naval vessels.

SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY

The day jolted into life with the news that the MV Saldanha had 
been taken by pirates. The first realisation that the Saldanha, a 
Greek-owned container ship was in trouble came on the radar. 
Instead of following the established shipping corridor through 
the Gulf of Aden it was heading directly towards Somalia.

The helicopter was sent up to take a closer look while the HMS 
Northumberland moved towards the Saldanha at top speed. 
Two miles away radio contact was established. The frightened 
voice of the Saldanha's captain came over the airwaves. A 
"hostage situation" had now developed, he said, with the pirates 
issuing the demand that the warship stay away.

There was little that Martin Simpson, captain of the Northumberland, 
could do. He was forced to watch as the Saldanha with its crew of
 22 below deck drifted past the bridge windows and on towards the 
Horn of Africa.

The Greek owner will now be expecting the phone call that begins 
ransom negotiations.The mandate of the European Union taskforce - 
of which the Northumberland is part - is to act as a deterrent and try 
and stop acts of piracy in process or about to take place. It does not 
have the mandate or capability to retake captured ships like the 
Saldanha.

It appears that the Saldanha was seized either at night or at first light 
about 60 miles (100km) from the Northumberland's location. Despite 
being relatively close in maritime terms, with no alarm being sounded 
there was no chance of the Northumberland being able to act.

Later in the day an abandoned skiff was spotted drifting. It appeared 
to be the launch vessel that the pirates had used. On board was a 
large amount of fuel, a ladder with hooked ends, two RPG grenades 
and a quantity of money.






After having a close look at the skiff the decision was taken to sink it. 
The ship's snipers and machine gunners were given the honour and 
some impromptu target practice eventually led to an explosion and 
the pirate boat going under.






Not for the first time on this three-month-long mission, the 
Northumberland has found itself in the same region as an act 
of piracy but without the advance warning to stop it.


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirate patrol: Day five,BBC News, Monday, 23 February 2009

The BBC's Jonah Fisher has joined British Royal Navy frigate HMS 
Northumberland as it patrols the Gulf of Aden in an EU taskforce 
to deter Somali pirates.

In the fifth instalment of his diary from the ship's deck, our 
correspondent asks whether such patrols can succeed in the 
troubled region.


MONDAY 23 FEBRUARY

This morning at about 1130 the HMS Northumberland arrived 
in the port of Djibouti. For the crew of the ship engine trouble 
means they'll be turning around and heading back to Oman. 
But for both the ship and I our time on "pirate patrol" has 
come to an end.

The most tangible sign that the Northumberland has made a 
difference during its three months with the EU anti-piracy 
taskforce has been its success escorting ships carrying food 
aid into Somali ports.

It has had rather less joy catching pirates or stepping into 
prevent attacks. On three occasions, the most latest being 
the case of the MV Saldanha this weekend, the frigate has 
arrived just too late.

Whether because they were too far away - or because no 
alarm was raised - the crew has three times had the 
frustrating experience of watching a hijacked ship sail off 
over the horizon.

*Inevitable weaknesses*

Several people have emailed to ask why the taskforce is 
not mandated to retake captured ships. There are several 
reasons.

First, it is an operational one - the Northumberland's captain 
Martin Simpson was at pains to stress that he would need a 
much more robust force - including two helicopters - to 
ensure that his crew were not at risk. Boosting the force 
would increase the costs - and yet still in such a large area 
it would be impossible to ensure everyone was protected.

Secondly and most importantly, it is not what the shipping 
community want. If a merchant vessel is transporting $100m 
(£69m) of oil and 23 crew, its owners would much rather 
pay a ransom than risk a bloodbath and the loss of the cargo.

The taskforce stress that they act as a deterrent and are 
focusing their patrolling on narrow corridors in the Gulf of 
Aden.

But the brazen theft of the Saldanha just 60 miles (97km) 
from the Northumberland on Sunday illustrates the inevitable 
weaknesses that still exist when a handful of warships attempt 
to cover a million square miles of water. With Somalia in ruins 
the lure of piracy is unlikely to diminish anytime soon.

The question then for the countries with warships in the region 
is this: Do they have the long-term commitment to keep funding 
a force that is at best a sticking plaster for the problem?


----------



## CougarKing

The PLAN in action again.



> *China navy halts pirate attack off Somalia*
> 
> Published: 02.26.09, 14:02 / Israel News
> 
> A Chinese naval patrol rescued an Italian merchant ship from a pirate attack in the waters off Somalia, China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.
> 
> A Chinese destroyer, *Haikou*, was escorting a fleet of ships in the Gulf of Aden on Feb. 24 when an Italian boat suffered an engine failure and was attacked. Haikou dispatched three special operations troops in a helicopter, which flew directly above the Italian boat and fired two warning shots to scare the pirates away, the report said. (Reuters)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A helicopter rests on the destroyer "Haikou" from the South China Sea Fleet_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3678068,00.html


----------



## CougarKing

another update on CTF 151:



> _090220-N-1082Z-215 GULF OF ADEN (Feb. 20, 2009) The Dutch flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16), right, the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) transit the Gulf of Aden. Vella Gulf is the flagship for Combined Task Force 151, a multi-national task force conducting counter-piracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky/Released)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _090219-N-6278K-062 GULF OF ADEN (Feb. 19, 2009) The visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team assigned to the Danish flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16) conduct training aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Vela Gulf (CG 72). Vela Gulf is the flagship for Combined Task Force 151, a multi-national task force conducting counter-piracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joan E. Kretschmer/Released)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _090219-N-6278K-006 GULF OF ADEN (Feb. 19, 2009) The visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team assigned to the Dutch flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16) conduct VBSS training with the guided-missile cruiser USS Vela Gulf (CG 72). Vela Gulf is the flagship for Combined Task Force 151, a multi-national task force conducting counter-piracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joan E. Kretschmer/Released)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _090219-N-1082Z-064 GULF OF ADEN (Feb. 19, 2009) The visit, board, search and seizure team assigned to the Dutch flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16) trains by boarding the guided-missile cruiser USS Vela Gulf (CG 72). Vela Gulf is the flagship for Combined Task Force 151, a multi-national task force conducting counter-piracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Jason R. Zalasky/Released)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _090219-N-6278K-024 GULF OF ADEN (Feb. 19, 2009) The visit, board, search and seizure team assigned to the Danish flexible support ship HDMS Absalon (L 16) trains by boarding the guided-missile cruiser USS Vela Gulf (CG 72). Vela Gulf is the flagship for Combined Task Force 151, a multi-national task force conducting counter-piracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joan E. Kretschmer/Released)_


----------



## Yrys

(U.S.) Navy releases 9 suspected pirates, citing lack of evidence, updated 1 hour, 23 minutes ago





The U.S. Navy apprehends suspected pirates February 12 
in the Gulf of Arden.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy released nine of the 16 suspected pirates it was holding 
on a ship for the last few weeks, according to defense officials.

The pirates were released because the Navy did not have enough evidence to hand them over 
to Kenya for prosecution in court, in accordance with a recent agreement between the United 
States and Kenya, the officials explained. The nine were brought into Somali waters and then 
handed over to that country's coast guard.

The suspected pirates were detained by the Navy after the captain of the Indian-flagged ship 
Premdivya broadcast a distress call to all ships in the area that it had come under attack by a 
small boat.

The Navy saw a small boat meeting the description given by the Premdivya, and the occupants
were detained and moved to the nearby USS Vella Gulf, where they were held.


----------



## CougarKing

> _South Korean navy sailors and special forces salute during a launching ceremony of the ”Cheonghae” unit at a naval port in Busan, about 420 km (262 miles) southeast of Seoul, March 3, 2009. The Cheonghae unit consisting of a 4,500-tonnes destroyer, 270 crew, one helicopter and 30 special forces, will be dispatched to the Gulf of Aden to protect the countrys commercial vessels from Somali pirates, South Korean navy said on Tuesday. REUTERS_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _South Korean navy sailors salute in front of its KDX-II class destroyer ”Munmu the Great” during a launching ceremony of the ”Cheonghae” unit at a naval port in Busan, about 420 km (262 miles) southeast of Seoul, March 3, 2009. The Cheonghae unit consisting of a 4,500-tonnes destroyer, 270 crew, one helicopter and 30 special forces, will be dispatched to the Gulf of Aden to protect the countrys commercial vessels from Somali pirates, South Korean navy said on Tuesday. REUTERS_


----------



## CougarKing

Yikes!!!!




> *Pirates Target 1,000 Brits On Cruise Ship*
> 
> 10:18am UK, Thursday March 05, 2009
> 
> Alex Watts, Sky News Online
> More than 1,000 British tourists on a world cruise have been targeted by suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _*Balmoral *has been involved in three incidents this year_
> 
> The terrified holidaymakers were made to sit below deck as the 43,000-tonne Balmoral zig-zagged to get away from the attackers.
> 
> The alarm was raised when two small craft travelling at 20 knots followed the 218m-long vessel in notorious seas, dubbed the Gates of Hell.
> 
> A spokeswoman for tour operator Fred Olsen told Sky News Online: "Balmoral encountered suspicious activity by two small craft, closing at high speed.
> 
> "The ship's master requested passengers to assemble in safe havens as part of a pre-planned safety procedure.
> 
> "Aggressive manoeuvring was implemented and contact was made with the EU Coalition Task Force (which patrols the Gulf of Aden in an effort to combat piracy)."
> 
> She denied reports that shots were fired at the vessel.
> 
> Officers sent up distress flares to alert Royal Navy and US warships searching for Somali pirates in the area.
> 
> Somali pirates holding the merchant vessel, MV Faina
> 
> Somali pirates operate in area
> 
> The company has since taken the Balmoral, formerly the Norwegian Crown, off its website ship locator.
> 
> The spokeswoman said no-one was injured, and the vessel had now arrived at Salalah in Oman as scheduled.
> 
> Passenger Stuart McKellar, 49, from Morpeth, Northumberland, told reporters: "All the passengers were ordered to go and sit down in a safe haven.
> 
> "There was concern but it was all quite civilised.
> 
> "The majority of the passengers on board the ship are elderly but everyone was taken safely back to their cabins."
> 
> The 104-day cruise left Dover on February 14, with prices ranging from £11,430 to £38,000 per person.
> 
> It is due to return to Dover on May 29 after visiting Africa, Singapore, Japan, Canada and the US.
> 
> The Balmoral - which was refitted last year and has 738 cabins - had a norovirus outbreak in January.
> 
> A few weeks later it became an internet sensation after a video of it sailing through a force 12 gale in the Bay of Biscay off northern Spain was posted on Youtube.
> 
> Pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden last year, more than double the number of the previous year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/P...In_Gulf_Of_Aden


----------



## CougarKing

The Bundeswehr has dedicated naval infantry/Marines?  ???



> _German *marines*, backed by US forces, responded to the attack on the MV Courier_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _After a heavy fire exchange, German forces managed to stop the assault._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The presence of international troops has cut the number of attacks_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Bundeswehr soldiers approach pirates in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia_


----------



## ironduke57

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> The Bundeswehr has dedicated naval infantry/Marines?  ???


Sort of. 

[quote author=wiki]The Bundesmarine maintains two distinct marine commando organizations:

Spezialisierte Einsatzkräfte Marine (SEK M) is a special operations formation of German Navy. The Bataillon includes next to other units the Kampfschwimmerkompanie and a boarding-company. The unit is based at Eckernförde. 
The Marineschutzkräfte (MSK), which are responsible for the protection of naval vehicles and facilities. The battalion is based in Eckernförde and ist organized into five units: one staff & support company, three fleet protection companies and a military intelligence platoon. [/quote]

Regards,
ironduke57


----------



## Blackadder1916

*Berlin Spared Embarrassment by Kenya Deal on Pirates*
SPIEGEL ONLINE By Horand Knaup and Alexander Szandar 03/09/2009 03:36 PM

The Germany's navy first capture of pirates off the coast of Somalia triggered confusion back in Berlin last week, where officials quarrelled over what should be done with them. An EU agreement reached with Kenya on Friday should help avoid a repeat of the embarrassment.

Since last Tuesday, nine Somali pirates who tried to hijack the German-owned freighter "Courier" have been baking on the deck of the German navy frigate "Rheinland-Pfalz". They are sitting in a white tent as the frigate steams through the Indian Ocean towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa, and they'll probably soon be harboring fond memories of their days in German custody.

Their trip is likely to end in a Kenyan high-security jail -- in Shimo la Tewa, the infamous Mombasa jail where eight other pirates are already awaiting trial. The place has 3,500 prisoners, it's humid and sweltering, most of them sleep on the floor -- and at night rats and cockroaches crawl over their legs. The drinking water is salty and malaria is widespread.

Last Friday, the call came from the German embassy in Nairobi that sealed the fate of the pirates and spared Germany international embarrassment. The European Union's extradition deal with the Kenyans had been signed.

Germany's ambassador to Kenya, Walter Lindner, had used all his diplomatic skills in months of negotiation to arrive at an extradition treaty between the European Union and Kenya so that European warships will in the future be able to hand over arrested pirates to Kenya, where they will be put on trial. 

It was high time, because by that time the Rheinland-Pfalz had had the pirates on board for three days during which the sailors had learned that it's not hard to capture pirates, but that it can be very tough to figure out what to do with them. Should they be taken to Germany? Or handed over to a third country? Or would it be best to simply let them go?

Berlin Bureaucrats in Disarray 

Back in Berlin, no one knew what to do at first. It seemed as though the relevant ministries were totally surprised by the unheard-of fact that the soldiers Germany had dispatched to the Gulf of Aden might actually catch some pirates.

The departmental heads in the ministries had planned everything as thoroughly as one would expect from a proper German pirate hunt. On February 12, a committee made up of senior officials from the defense, foreign, interior and justice ministries had met to run through the procedures following a capture. 

They asked the right question -- what happens if German soldiers capture pirates? The committee also discussed a scenario that was especially complex from a legal point of view: a pirate attack on a ship owned by a German company but registered under a foreign flag and manned by a non-German crew.

They agreed that captured pirates should not be brought to Germany. Then last Tuesday, shortly after 9 a.m., pirates armed with small arms weapons and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Courier -- a ship belonging to a Hamburg-based shipping company but traveling under the flag of the Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda and with a crew consisting of Philippinos and one Burmese man. The German frigate rushed to their aid. 

It was exactly the kind of case the Berlin bureaucrats had trained for. But everything went wrong. Even before the ministerial committee had convened on Wednesday evening, the Interior Ministry, in the hands of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats, and the Foreign Ministry, headed by Social Democrat Frank-Walter Steinmeier, were already quarrelling publicly about the best course of action. 

An Interior Ministry official accused the Foreign Ministry of failing to negotiate treaties with third countries such as Kenya. Steinmeier's diplomats retorted that an EU agreement with Kenya was ready to be signed. 

To complicate matters, the state public prosecutor's office in the port city of Hamburg got involved and said it may press charges. After all, it's in charge of handling crimes committed at sea.

That irritated the ministry people in Berlin. Things weren't going as they had planned. So they decided to play for time. 

They wanted to avoid having the pirates simply released somewhere on the coast of Somalia. So they ordered the frigate to keep course for Mombasa in the hope that Ambassador Lindner and his Czech colleague Margita Fuchsova, representing the current Czech presidency of the EU, would get the Kenyan government to sign an extradition treaty in time. 

General Problem 

The story of the Rheinland-Pfalz and its pirates sounds like a bureaucratic nightmare, but the Germans aren't the only ones with this problem. All countries that have dispatched warships to patrol the coast of Somalia are in a difficult legal position as soon as they make arrests. 

Last September, the Danish navy released 10 pirates on a Somali beach because they didn't know what else to do with them. In January, the Danish warship Absalon sailed around the Gulf of Aden with five arrested pirates who had tried to seize a ship registered under the flag of Aruba. They were finally handed over to a Dutch warship. 

The French, by contrast, took determined action when the French luxury yacht Le Ponant was captured by kidnappers. They sent in elite troops and took the kidnappers back to France. 

So far, only Britain and the US have their own treaties with Kenya. The EU-Kenyan treaty signed last Friday will make life easier for the European warships patrolling the area as part of Operation Atalanta. But the problems haven't really been solved. 

Kenya Reluctant 

"We can't put all the pirates on trial here," said a Kenyan government spokesman. Human rights organizations have also been warning against agreements with the Kenyans. "No one guarantees a fair trial in Kenya," said Ben Rawlence of Human Rights Watch.

It's not even certain the pirates held in Kenya will end up being convicted. The lawyer of eight pirates currently in jail in Mombasa argues that the ships attacked weren't registered under a Kenyan flag and weren't heading for the country. "There is no logical reason for a Kenyan court to try to convict the suspects," he said.

The Rheinland-Pfalz will soon be rid of its pirates. Captain Markus Rehbein had even worked out what to do if Kenya, Antigua, the Philippines and the Hamburg prosecutors had all refused to take the pirates. 

He had the pirates' boat lifted on board to make sure that, if he had been forced to release them on a Somali beach, he at least wouldn't have to do them the honor of ferrying them ashore in one of his ship's own launches. 

RELATED SPIEGEL ONLINE LINKS:
First Arrests: German Navy Detains 9 Pirate Suspects (03/03/2009)


----------



## Yrys

Japan to join anti-piracy patrols, BBC News, Friday, 13 March 2009





Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force is 
only allowed to deploy defensively

Two Japanese warships are to join an anti-piracy mission off Somalia. The two destroyers 
are to set sail on Saturday and are expected to reach the Gulf of Aden in about three 
weeks. Their deployment follows a defence ministry decision in January, which required 
approval by parliament and the prime minister.

Japan's pacifist constitution allows its forces to mount operations only in self-defence, 
making the decision to deploy so far from home controversial.

The two ships, Sazanami and Samidare, will carry a total of about 400 sailors and coast 
guard officials. Their initial role is to protect Japanese ships as well as those carrying 
Japanese cargoes or crews. They will be allowed to fire only in self defence and to protect 
Japanese nationals in an emergency.

*Japan's role*

The public concern has been that Japan must not be drawn into military actions far beyond 
its own shores and interests. But the mission has been gaining support in recent weeks.

"Piracy off Somalia is a threat to Japan and the international community," Defence Minister 
Yasukazu Hamada told reporters. "It is an important duty for the Self-Defence Forces to 
protect Japanese lives and assets," he said.

No Japanese ship has been taken by pirates yet, the government said, but pirates have fired 
at three Japanese vessels. Japan's forces are engaged in other operations overseas, in Iraq, 
Afghanistan, and as UN peacekeepers. But these have largely been logistics and support 
missions, providing re-fuelling, transport and reconstruction.

Japan's deployment comes three months after China sent ships to join the anti-piracy patrols.

*Expanded mission?*

Although current rules of engagement allow the two Maritime Self-Defence Force destroyers 
to protect only Japanese ships, nationals and cargo, this could change.

Prime Minister Taro Aso's Liberal Democratic Party has proposed legislation that would widen 
the scope of the mission, allowing the ships to escort foreign vessels in danger. If passed by 
parliament it would also allow the sailors to use weapons in a broader range of circumstances 
if engaged by pirates.

The United Nations Security Council decided in early December to extend for another year its 
authorisation for countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters, with advance notice, and use 
"all necessary means" to stop acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.

Piracy has taken an increasing toll on international shipping, especially in the Gulf of Aden, 
one of the world's busiest sea lanes. 





World leaders have called for more 
action to tackle piracy


----------



## Yrys

Japan Sends Destroyers on Anti-Piracy Patrol, NY Times, March 13, 2009

HONG KONG — In a move to safeguard vital oil shipments, Japan said Friday it will deploy 
two warships to join anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.

“Piracy is a threat to the international community, including Japan, and it is an issue that 
should be dealt with immediately,” the defense minister, Yasukazu Hamada, said Friday 
in Tokyo.

Two destroyers from Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force are due to leave southern Japan 
on Saturday. They will join a flotilla from the European Union, a task force led by the 
United States and other navies operating independently in the gulf. China has two destroyers 
and a supply ship there, and Iran and Russia have mounted anti-piracy patrols as well.

Japan’s pacifist Constitution restricts the activities of its military, although the navy is allowed 
to conduct policing patrols and protect Japanese vessels. The deployment to the gulf would 
almost certainly put the destroyers in the position of having to aid ships from other nations, 
and Mr. Hamada said new legislation would be submitted to parliament to extend the navy’s 
mandate.

The deployment was not expected to be as politically sensitive as other missions in recent 
years. Japan sent ground troops to Iraq as part of a humanitarian mission and its naval forces 
to the Indian Ocean on refueling duties as part of the war in Afghanistan. About 90 percent of 
Japan’s crude oil imports come from the Middle East, according to the International Energy 
Agency. Japan is the world’s second largest net importer of oil, after the United States.

The Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said 111 ships were attacked last year 
by  pirates in the gulf and along the coast of Somalia. And while international shippers say 
the presence of the naval vessels has helped deter attacks, the reporting center said Friday 
that 33 ships have been hit in the gulf this year. Four have been hijacked and are being 
held for ransom.

“In the short run the situation in the gulf has improved a lot,” Finn Brobersen, senior director 
in charge of security for the Maersk shipping line, said in an interview from Copenhagen. “But 
I don’t think there’s any silver bullet. Warships are not going to solve the root cause of the 
problem, which is the government in Somalia. In the long run, the international community 
has to deal with Somalia.”

There is growing evidence that boats most easily captured by pirates — slow vessels that sit 
low in the water, with what is known as a low freeboard — are now avoiding the Gulf of Aden 
and going around the Cape of Good Hope.

“If it’s a type of boat that’s vulnerable, then our policy is to go around Africa,” said Mr. Brobersen,
noting that Maersk has a wide range of merchant vessels, including container ships and 
supertankers.

The re-rerouting adds about seven days of travel time, plus extra fuel and crew costs. But fuel 
prices are down, and many ship owners are eager to avoid what they consider extortionate 
Suez Canal fees. A single Maersk merchant ship, for example, can be charged $850,000 for one 
passage through the canal.

“With canal fees so high, it’s now a viable option to go the long way,” said Tillman Kratz, 
a senior consultant with the reinsurer Munich Re. “In the current economic climate, the bottom 
line would even out.”


----------



## Yrys

What to do with a captured pirate, Tuesday, 10 March 2009






When pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia surged last year, the world sent its navies to tackle 
the problem. But now that we are taking the pirates on, does anyone know what to do when we 
catch them?

The Roman law-maker Cicero once dubbed them "enemies of all mankind". And certainly pirates 
have long posed a major legal problem. It has become even more acute in recent months, 
following the audacious attack last November on the world's largest supertanker, the Sirius Star, 
off the coast of Somalia.

It is not just a question of headline-grabbing attacks on prestige ships. Vessels from states across 
the developed and developing world face the threat of piracy from a new generation of pirates, 
often from failed or failing states.

*Jurisdiction*

Piracy is what is known as a universal crime. That means that because the pirates commit 
their crimes on the high seas, beyond any one country's jurisdiction, they are treated as a 
threat to every country. In turn, each country may arrest pirates at sea and prosecute them 
at home.

At least that is how it is supposed to work. In practice, whether a country can prosecute arrested 
pirates depends on its own laws. It is a problem the Danish Navy came up against last September 
when the flagship Absalon detained 10 suspected armed pirates in the seas off Somalia after they 
had allegedly been attacking merchant ships.

"We were stuck with them," says Thomas Winkler, a legal expert at the Danish Foreign Ministry.
"We only have national criminal jurisdiction if the pirates are attacking a Danish ship or Danish 
citizens. So we couldn't bring them to Denmark for prosecution. "We looked to other states, 
but the evidence we had was not sufficient for these states. We had to set them free and land 
them in a safe place on the shore of Somalia."

*Labyrinth*

The Danes are not alone. The German authorities had to release suspected pirates just before 
Christmas.

BBC Radio 4's Law in Action has discovered that on two occasions last year, the Royal Navy 
also released pirate suspects after confiscating their equipment. Some other navies are 
reluctant to detain the pirates they catch for fear of becoming legally responsible for them.

The problem is particularly acute with Somalia because it lacks an effective criminal justice s
ystem. According to Rear Admiral Philip Jones, who heads the European Union's piracy task 
force Operation Atalanta, when a navy intervenes to stop a pirate attack, they often do not 
know whether the pirates they catch can be prosecuted.

"That depends on where we find them, on the nationality of the ship that arrests them, on the 
nationality of the pirates themselves and the circumstances in which they are arrested. "There 
is a different response available in almost every case."

*Impunity?*

The consequences of this legal labyrinth can be seen in official figures released by the US Navy 
at the beginning of March. Out of the 238 suspected pirates investigated by navies operating off 
Somalia, barely half were sent for prosecution. Most of them were released.

Even these figures overstate the number of pirates that actually face trial because they include 
those handed over to the authorities in Puntland, the semi-autonomous region in the north-east 
of Somalia from which most pirates come.

According to Roger Middleton, in-house expert on Somali piracy at the Royal Institute of 
International Affairs, Chatham House, it is often unclear how long the pirates will stay in prison.
"Often not for very long," he says. "They either walk out or someone pays a bribe for them to be 
released."

Of the 57 pirates caught by the French Navy so far, 45 have been handed over to the Puntland 
authorities. The US Navy sent nine more pirates to Puntland at the beginning of March. That 
means Puntland accounts for roughly half of the pirates reported to be facing prosecution.

*Deal*

In a bid to tackle the apparent impunity with which pirates can operate, the US and the EU have 
both concluded deals with Somalia's neighbour Kenya to send pirates for prosecution there. Britain 
sent eight suspected pirates to Kenya last November. The US is in the process of sending another 
seven.

But is using Kenya as the first choice jurisdiction for prosecuting Somali pirates a viable long-term
solution?

The Kenyan Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula has insisted that Kenya will not become 
a dumping ground for every Somali pirate captured on the high seas, despite the agreements.

And human rights groups have raised concerns about the standard of justice that pirate suspects 
will face there. Ben Rawlence of Human Rights Watch says there are significant problems with 
Kenya's justice system. "People are routinely beaten in jail. Trials are rarely free and fair. Judges 
are highly susceptible to corruption," he claims.

However, the British government insists that the pirate suspects which it sends to Kenya will be 
treated in accordance with the UK's human rights obligations.

Everybody agrees that the long-term solution to piracy off Somalia is an effective government in 
Somalia with a well-resourced coast guard and a functional justice system. Until that happens - 
and with civil strife in Somalia still acute - countries trying to combat piracy face huge problems 
in bringing pirates to justice. 


*SOMALIA PIRACY*
Map showing areas of pirate attacks




More than 100 attacks in 2008
42 successful hijackings in 2008
815 crew held hostage in 2008
6 ships currently held
Source: International Maritime Bureau, 2009


----------



## geo

Best thing to do from my perspective is to capture the Pirates, confiscate theyr guns, ammo & ship, give em enough for bus fare & drop the off someplace convenient.... like the stern


----------



## Yrys

I presume that the problem is that officially navy from an orderly country (democratic or not)
has to obey laws, so beaching pirates ain't possible. And unofficial acts would just open cans 
of worms...


----------



## Yrys

Japan Joins Anti-Piracy Effort Despite Concerns

TOKYO (AP) — Two navy destroyers left Japan on Saturday to join an international anti-piracy 
mission off the coast of Somalia, despite concerns that the country’s troops could be pressed 
into combat in violation of the Japan’s pacifist Constitution.

The five-month deployment is the first overseas policing action for Japan’s military, which is 
limited by the country’s post-World War II charter to defensive missions. The military’s forays 
abroad have been largely restricted to refueling, airlifting and humanitarian activities.

The decision to join the fight against piracy has been controversial because opposition lawmakers 
say Japanese ships could be drawn into combat or protecting foreign ships in an emergency. 
Governing party members, however, have argued that the battle against piracy is more a 
crime-fighting operation than a military one and therefore is not banned by the Constitution.

The two destroyers, the Sazanami and the Samidare, carrying two SH-60K patrol helicopters 
and a pair of speedboats, are expected to reach Somali waters in early April. Together they 
carry about 400 sailors, including specially trained commandos.

With about 1,000 people watching from the dock, a brass band played as the Japanese prime 
minister, Taro Aso, saw the ships off. “It is well known that piracy is growing in the Gulf of Aden,” 
Mr. Aso said. “We hope you will fulfill your mission and return safely.”

The authorities say marauding criminals in speedboats attacked more than 100 ships off Somalia’s
coast last year, including high-profile hijackings with multimillion-dollar ransom demands. Japan’s
ships can only be deployed to protect Japanese boats — about 2,000 of them pass through waters 
near Somalia every year — and their crews. About 90 percent of Japan’s crude oil imports come 
from the Middle East, according to the International Energy Agency, and Japan is the world’s 
second largest net importer of oil, after the United States.

To allow the deployment, Japan’s cabinet also has approved a new anti-piracy bill, intended to relax 
restrictions on the use of arms by personnel on navy ships if engaged by pirates and allow vessels 
to escort foreign ships in danger.

Japan’s deployment comes as more than a dozen warships from several countries, including Britain, 
the United States, France, China and Germany, are guarding the region. There were roughly 10 times
as many attacks in January and February this year as there were during the same months last year.

But while Somalia’s pirates are keeping up their attacks in one of the world’s most important shipping
routes, they are finding it harder to seize vessels in recent months, according to the International
Maritime Bureau.

The United States Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain and patrols the region, said the decline in the
number of successful pirate attacks could be partly attributed to the increased number of warships in
the area — 15 to 20 at any one time.


----------



## GAP

Prepare To Repel Boarders
March 13, 2009
Article Link

 The Somali pirates are having a harder time taking merchant ships for ransom. It’s not for lack of traffic. The Gulf of Aden, where most of the pirates operate, is one the busiest shipping lanes in the world (with nearly ten percent of world traffic). Each month, 1500-1600 ships pass the northern coast of Somalia. Last year, about one out of 200 ships was attacked. Because of that, the chances of getting attacked were so low that most crews did not pay much attention to it. 
But the millions paid out in ransoms for the 42 ships that were taken, had to be paid for. Soon it was costing all ships an additional $20,000 in insurance, fuel and danger bonus costs to transit the 1,500 kilometer length of the Gulf of Aden. Owners incurred additional costs if one of their ships was seized, although insurance companies are willing to offer policies for that as well. So, in the past year, most owners have ordered their captains to prepare their crews for the possibility of pirate attacks while transiting the Gulf. 

As a result, most merchant ships are more prepared for pirate attacks. They put on extra lookouts, especially at night, and often transit the 1,500 kilometer long Gulf of Aden at high speed (even though this costs them thousands of dollars in additional fuel). The pirates seek the slower moving, apparently unwary, ships, and go after them before they can speed up enough to get away. The international anti-piracy patrol offers convoy protection, but many ships don't want to halt and wait for a convoy to form. Ships that decide to proceed on their own, take additional precautions.

An example of these precautions can be seen in the experience of a Chinese cargo ship, the Zhenhua 4, last December. Back then, the ship was boarded by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The resolute crew retreated to their living quarters and called for help. As the pirates came aboard, the crew fought back with fire bombs and fire hoses, and refused to come out of the living quarters. The pirates fired at the crew, and were apparently perplexed at what to do. Meanwhile, a nearby Malaysian warship dispatched a helicopter, which shot at the pirates and caused them to flee in their speedboats. The crew of the Zhenhua 4 patched up the bullet holes and resumed their voyage. 

The resistance on the Zhenhua 4 was no accident. The captain had worked out a drill to resist boarders, and had the crew rehearse it ten days before they were attacked. Moreover, the Chinese were aware that, on October 30th, 2007, a North Korean merchant ship, the Dai Hong Dan, was boarded by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The North Koreans managed to get off a distress message. The ship was in international waters, 108 kilometers off the coast, unloading sugar to smaller boats. This offshore unloading arrangement was supposed to protect the North Koreans from pirates. The pirates were actually armed guards hired to protect the crew from real pirates during this unloading operation. The North Koreans fought back, killed some of the pirates (and lost some crew members) and regained control of their ship.

The Internet have proved an invaluable tool for ships planning for the Aden run. Everyone knows of the measures used by the Zhenhua 4 and the North Koreans, but there are many more ideas that have not gotten much coverage in the mass media. For example, crews now make more use of the fire hoses, and collect large objects (sheets of metal, junked furniture and empty boxes) to be heaved overboard onto the pirate boats. Poles are fabricated for pushing away ladders pirates often use to get aboard. The captains and crew members on the Internet exchange techniques for training crews, and preparing "repel boarders" drills. Sailors that have been aboard captured ships, and spent months in captivity, relate what that experience was like, and let other sailors know what to expect. This encourages the merchant ship sailors to pay closer attention to the drills and techniques to be used to avoid capture in the first place. Captains pay particular attention to the use of speed and maneuvering successfully used to avoid the approaching pirate speedboats. This may not always enable the ships to escape, but it does provide time for the troops to get ready to repel the pirates attempting to board.
More on link


----------



## The Bread Guy

*NATO resumes anti-piracy operations*
NATO news release, 13 March 2009
News release link

MONS, Belgium – NATO will resume counter piracy operations off the Horn of Africa later this month after the North Atlantic Council (NAC) gave final approval for the mission.  Operation ALLIED PROTECTOR is NATO’s continuing contribution to international community efforts to enhance the safety of commercial maritime routes and international navigation in the area.

Five NATO ships will assist in international efforts to deter, defend against, and disrupt pirate activities off the Horn of Africa.  The ships, part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) under the command of Portuguese Rear Admiral Jose Pereira da Cunha, will start their duties at the end of March.  The five ships expected to participate are:

NRP Corte Real (flagship, Portugal)
*HMCS Winnipeg (Canada)*
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën (Netherlands)
SPS Blas de Lezo (Spain)
USS Halyburton (United States of America)

“In this era of globalisation, economic security is inextricably linked to physical security,” said General John Craddock, Supreme Allied Commander Europe.  “This operation demonstrates the continuing importance of the NATO Alliance in addressing our collective security concerns.”

The first phase of counter piracy operations will be undertaken on the outbound leg of NATO’s first ever maritime deployment to SE Asia.  The second phase will take place as SNMG1 makes the return journey towards European waters at the end of June.

The deployment to SE Asia demonstrates the high value that NATO places on its relationship with other partners across the globe.  It will include a visit to Karachi, Pakistan, before sailing on to Singapore to take part in the IMDEX 2009 Exhibition and Conference at the invitation of the Republic of Singapore Navy.  From Singapore SNMG1 will sail to Perth, Australia.  

Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope KCB OBE, Commander Maritime Component Command Northwood which will oversee Operation ALLIED PROTECTOR, said, “This mission reflects NATO’s relevance and adaptability to meet the challenges of the current security environment.  In conjunction with other nations and international organisations we aim to enhance the safety of commercial maritime routes vital for the global economy.”  

The counter piracy mission will be co-ordinated with other international actors and expands on what was achieved during Operation Allied Provider in 2008. The NATO Force will assume a highly visible profile, conducting surveillance tasks and providing protection to deter and suppress piracy and armed robbery.

“I recognize that nations face difficult choices in resourcing decisions,” said Craddock.  “The ability to reconfigure the original deployment to encompass this additional role is a testament to Alliance cooperation and the adaptability of the forces provided to NATO.”

Contact Information for Allied Command Operations Public Affairs Office at SHAPE:
Tel: +32 (0)65 44 4119 (week days 0830 – 1730)
Mobile: 0032 (0) 475 77 31 05 (week days 1730 – 0830, weekends and holidays)
Email:  shapepao@shape.nato.int


----------



## FormerHorseGuard

some one might of already  asked this.
But has no country  with a carrier not parked one there in the area and do air combat  patrols,  some jets over flying might end the problem a lot faster than some ships and helicopters. Faster and more deadly  to the small boats then a chopper. A jet using the lower speeds could be anywhere in the area in less than a hour. If a jet  was on  patrol and with awac type aircraft they  could patrol a  huge area and be on the look out for just about anything. I think it might work.

I guess the cost of a carrier is too much for the people to pay.

just my  thoughts
take


----------



## GAP

I suspect that the size of the attack boats would largely preclude the wide coverage you are suggesting. The speed of the jets would probably be still too fast to be effective to that small of a craft...

others with far more TI could probably correct me/redirect


----------



## old medic

Pirates seize Greek cargo ship in Gulf of Aden
Mar. 20 2009
The Associated Press



> ATHENS, Greece -- Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry says pirates have seized a Greek-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> The ministry says the St. Vincent-flagged Titan, with 24 crew members on board, was seized late Thursday night. Three of the crew members, including the captain, are Greek.
> 
> The Titan had been sailing from the Black Sea to Korea with a cargo of metal when it came under attack, the ministry said.
> 
> Last month, pirates in the same area seized another Greek-owned cargo ship with a 22-member crew.
> 
> Pirate attacks are frequent off the Somali coast, and have continued despite the presence of a large number of warships to protect commercial shipping.


----------



## CougarKing

Looks like those pirates may be sorry if they run into Greek warships like the one whose crew are photographed in action below:



> _A helicopter pilot aboard the Greek Frigate HS PSARA plugs his ears as a helicopter lands on the ship's flight deck as it patrols the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden in search for Somali pirates March 8, 2009. Picture taken March 8, 2009.
> REUTERS/Fouad Juez (ARABIAN SEA CONFLICT SOCIETY MILITARY)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A Greek Special Forces agent rappels from a helicopter onto the Greek Frigate HS PSARA as it patrols the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden in search for Somali pirates March 8, 2009. Picture taken March 8, 2009.
> REUTERS/Fouad Juez (ARABIAN SEA CONFLICT SOCIETY MILITARY)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A crew member from the Greek Frigate HS PSARA monitors the ship's instruments as it patrols the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden in search for Somali pirates March 8, 2009. Picture taken March 8, 2009.
> REUTERS/Fouad Juez (ARABIAN SEA CONFLICT SOCIETY MILITARY)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A crew member from the Greek Frigate HS PSARA monitors the ship's instruments as it patrols the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden in search for Somali pirates March 8, 2009.
> REUTERS/Fouad Juez (ARABIAN SEA CONFLICT SOCIETY MILITARY)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Greek Frigate HS PSARA's canon and crew seen from the ship's bridge as it patrols the Arabian sea and Gulf of Aden in search for Somali pirates March 8, 2009. Picture taken March 8, 2009.
> REUTERS/Fouad Juez (ARABIAN SEA CONFLICT SOCIETY MILITARY)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *HS Psara (F 454)*
> 
> 
> ------------
> *Another case of no assurance of a country's naval presence at the Gulf of Aden will stop pirate attacks on its merchant ships.*
> 
> *Pirates seize Greek cargo ship in Gulf of Aden*
> 
> 53 mins ago
> 
> ATHENS, Greece – Greece's Merchant Marine Ministry says pirates have seized a Greek-owned cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> The ministry says *the St. Vincent-flagged Titan*, with 24 crew members on board, was seized late Thursday night. Three of the crew members, including the captain, are Greek.
> 
> The Titan had been sailing from the Black Sea to Korea with a cargo of metal when it came under attack, the ministry said.
> 
> Last month, pirates in the same area seized another Greek-owned cargo ship with a 22-member crew.
> 
> Pirate attacks are frequent off the Somali coast, and have continued despite the presence of a large number of warships to protect commercial shipping.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090320/ap_on_re_eu/piracy


----------



## Journeyman

A somewhat different perspective on piracy, from _Vanity Fair._

It tells the story of pirates hijacking for ransom of the French cruise ship "_Le Ponant_" last spring. While it reads like typical fluff journalism (on-board affairs, haute cuisine on cruise ships...), it does show in interesting trend:



> ....the _Ponant_’s crew felt relieved by _HMCS Charlottetown_’s arrival. The pirates, however, did not seem to care. With these hostages they could hold off any armada.
> 
> [France takes over on-scene responsibility] ---------
> For all its firepower and training, the French Navy was neutralized by the fact that Ahmed never threatened to start executing the hostages, and that for whatever reason he actually cared about their welfare. As a result, the best the French Navy could do was stand by, eat well, and serve as bagmen for the money. It was successful at this...


----------



## Yrys

old medic said:
			
		

> Pirates seize Greek cargo ship in Gulf of Aden
> Mar. 20 2009
> The Associated Press



Same evenement : Pirates 'seize ship off Somalia', Friday, 20 March 2009

"Pirates have seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, 
Greek officials say.

The Titan, with 24 crew members on board, was seized on Thursday night, 
Greece's merchant marine ministry said. The St Vincent-flagged vessel came 
under attack as it sailed to Korea from the Black Sea with a cargo of metal, 
the ministry said. "



Q & A: Somali piracy

In January 2009 Somali pirates freed the Saudi supertanker whose 
capture two months earlier drew the world's attention to the surge 
in piracy off the Horn of Africa.

Since the seizure of the Sirius Star, global navies have been rushing to 
protect one of the world's most important shipping lanes. Major powers 
have been also been debating a long-term solution to the hijackings in 
what have become the most dangerous waters in the world - accounting 
for a third of all pirate attacks.

*How do the pirates seize the ships?*

The pirates are very good at what they do. They run sophisticated operations 
using the latest hi-tech equipment such as satellite phones and GPS. They are 
also heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s. The pirates 
are known to receive tip-offs from contacts at ports in the Gulf of Aden. They 
use speedboats with very powerful outboard motors to approach their target. 
Sometimes the speedboats are launched from much larger "mother ships" on 
the high seas.

To actually hijack the ships, the pirates first use grappling hooks and irons - 
some of which are even rocket-propelled - and climb aboard using ropes and 
ladders. The pirates have also on occasion fired at the ships to scare them into 
stopping, so it is easier for them to board the vessel.

The pirates then sail the hijacked ship to the Somali pirate hub town, Eyl. There, 
pirates usually take the hostages ashore where they are normally well-looked 
after until a ransom is paid.

*Why can't the pirates be stopped?*

Warships from at least nine countries are now operating in the Gulf of Aden and 
the waters off Somalia, but this may have only shifted the problem.

The Sirius Star was attacked a long way south of Somalia. The targeted area now 
encompasses over a quarter of the Indian Ocean and so is impossible to police. The 
International Maritime Bureau is advising ship-owners to adopt measure such as 
having look-outs or travelling at speeds which would allow them to outrun the pirates.

However, the pirates move extremely quickly and often at night and so it is often 
too late before the crew has realised what has happened. Once the pirates have 
taken control of a ship, military intervention is complicated because of the hostages 
on board.

There is also no international legal system for people accused of piracy, although 
some have been put on trial in Kenya, while one group was captured by French 
forces and taken to face justice in France. Some argue an international court is 
needed, backed by the UN, with perhaps even an international prison for those 
convicted. 

In mid-December 2008, the UN Security Council approved a resolution allowing 
countries to pursue Somali pirates on land as well as at sea - an extension of the 
powers countries already have to enter Somali waters to chase pirates. But as long 
as Somalia continues to exist without an effective government, many believe 
lawlessness within the country and off its lengthy coast will only grow.

*Why do the pirates do it?*

For the money.

The pirates treat the ship, its cargo and its crew as hostages and hold them for 
ransom. The rewards they receive are rich in a country where there are no jobs 
and almost half the population needs food aid after 17 years of non-stop conflict.

The Kenyan foreign minister estimates that pirates have received $150m in the 
past year in ransom payments. They use some of this money to fund future 
operations - more powerful weapons, bigger, faster boats and more sophisticated 
equipment.

*How does piracy affect people outside Somalia?*

Unless they are involved in the shipping industry, the main effect is higher prices.

Shipping companies pass on the increased costs - security, higher insurance premiums, 
ransoms and extra fuel for longer routes - in their fees and so it eventually finds its way 
onto the high street.

Piracy is estimated to have cost the world an estimated $60 - 70m in 2008.  





More than 100 attacks in 2008
40 successful hijackings
14 ships currently held, including the MV Faina carrying tanks
About 200 crew held hostage
Source: International Maritime Bureau, 2008

IMB Piracy Reporting Centre


----------



## Yrys

3 Pirate Attacks Reported Off Somalia

TOKYO (AP) -- Pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at Japanese, 
Greek and Hong Kong cargo ships off the coast of Somalia but fled after the ships took evasive
maneuvers, officials said Monday. No one was injured in the attacks, the latest to be reported 
in Somalia's pirate-infested waters.

Masami Suekado, a Japanese Transport Ministry official, said pirates in two small vessels 
approached the Jasmine Ace and fired several shots before fleeing. Bullets broke windows 
and hit the ceiling of the bridge.

Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala 
Lumpur, said the attack was one of three Sunday off southern Somalia, about 500 nautical 
miles from the coast.

In the other attacks, pirates in two small boats fired RPGs and machine guns for 30 minutes 
at a Hong Kong container ship but the vessel managed to escape by increasing speed and 
carrying out evasive maneuvers.

An hour later, the brigands fired at a Greek bulk carrier but aborted the attempt after the 
ship took anti-piracy measures, including evasive maneuvers, he said.

The Japanese cargo ship was attacked four hours after the Greek carrier. ''Fortunately no 
one was injured and killed. It is believed to be the same pirate group and it shows they are 
now operating in the southern part of Somalia,'' Choong said.

Atsuko Nakajima, a spokesman for Mitsui O.S.K Lines, which operates the Japanese ship, 
said 18 people -- all from the Philippines -- were aboard the ship, which was carrying a 
cargo of automobiles. Nakajima declined to give the ship's current location for security 
reasons.

Suekado said the 13,000-ton cargo ship zigzagged away and the pirates broke off their 
assault. The ship was heading toward Mombasa, in Kenya, when it was attacked.

Last year, 12 Japanese owned or operated ships were attacked in the area. This was the 
first strike on a Japanese operated ship there this year.

To help get control of the situation, two Japanese navy destroyers left earlier this month 
to join an international anti-piracy mission. The five-month deployment marks the first 
overseas policing action for Japan's military, which is limited by the country's post-World 
War II constitution to defensive missions. They are expected to reach Somalia's coastal 
waters next month.

Japan's dispatch comes as more than a dozen warships from countries including Britain, 
the United States, France, China and Germany are guarding the region.

Authorities say marauding criminals in speedboats attacked more than 100 ships off 
Somalia's coast last year, including high-profile hijackings with multimillion-dollar ransom 
demands. There were roughly 10 times as many attacks in January and February 2009 as 
there were over the same period last year.

But while Somalia's pirates are keeping up their attacks in one of the world's most 
important shipping routes, they are finding it harder to seize vessels in recent months, 
according to the International Maritime Bureau.

The Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the region, says the decline in the number 
of successful pirate attacks could be partly attributed to the increased number of warships 
in the area -- between 15 and 20 at any one time.

Choong, however, said attacks have increased in recent weeks due to better weather, with 
pirates becoming more violent as their attempts continue to be foiled by the international 
naval coalition. ''Pirates are quite desperate now, so they will start firing to stop the ships 
and intimidate the captain,'' Choong said. The focus appears to be on the eastern and northern 
coast of Somalia, where there are fewer naval patrols, he said.

Forty ships have been attacked in the area this year, of which five were hijacked, he said. 
Pirates are still holding seven vessels and 118 crew members for ransom.

------

_Associated Press writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report._


----------



## ironduke57

*Naval force nabs pirates after attack on German ship *  


> Naval force nabs pirates after attack on German ship
> 
> Berlin - German naval forces detained seven pirates who attacked a German supply tanker off the coast of Somalia, a defence ministry spokesman said Monday. The pirates opened fire on the civilian-crewed vessel Spessart Sunday afternoon, but were driven off by a "mobile protection element" on board, the spokesman said.
> 
> A German and Greek naval unit in the vicinity gave chase and apprehended the pirates, who were later taken on board the German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz, the spokesman added.
> 
> The vessels are part of the EU Atalanta mission established to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa.
> 
> On March 10, Germany handed over over to Kenya nine Somali pirates who attacked a German freighter in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> Sunday's incident came a day after the release of a German gas tanker hijacked in January by pirates in region. The 100-metre-long Longchamp and its crew were able to resume their journey, apparently after a ransom was paid, reports said.


- http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/262145,naval-force-nabs-pirates-after-attack-on-german-ship.html

Regards,
ironduke57


----------



## CougarKing

HA!!!! That last attack posted by Ironduke above reminded me of a scene from a movie where someone tries to rob a donut place, only to find out that many cops often ate there and had several guns then trained on him.

The pirates don't know the difference between a merchant ship and a naval auxiliary/oiler. Here's more details from that incident:



> *Pirates attacking German (Naval) ship captured off Somalia*
> 
> By AHMED AL-HAJ – 8 hours ago
> 
> SAN'A, Yemen (AP) — Seven pirates opened fire on a German naval supply ship in the Gulf of Aden but were chased down and captured by an international anti-piracy task force, the U.S. Navy and European officials said Monday.
> 
> Meanwhile, Yemen reported that pirates killed a Yemeni fisherman and wounded two others in an attack on a fishing boat Saturday, also in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> The expanse between Somalia and Yemen is one of the world's busiest waterways and the thousands of ships passing through each year have been plagued by pirate attacks.
> 
> In the attack on the German ship, pirates apparently mistook German* FGS Spessart* supply vessel for a commercial ship when they opened fire on it on Sunday afternoon, U.S. Navy 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nate Christensen said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> * FGS Spessart*
> 
> The German sailors returned fire and pursued the skiff while also calling in for support. Several naval ships — *including a Greek and a Dutch frigate, a Spanish warship and the USS Boxer — sped to the area while a Spanish marine aircraft and two U.S. Marine Cobra helicopters joined the pursuit.*
> 
> Five hours later, Greek sailors reached the pirate skiff, boarded it and seized the seven suspects and their weapons, including assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, the Greek navy said. The suspects were disarmed and transferred for questioning to the German frigate *Rheinland-Pfalz* where they remain Monday, pending a decision on whether they will be legally prosecuted, Christensen said.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Rheinland-Pfalz*
> 
> Germany's Ministry spokesman Christian Dienst said no one was injured in the attack, the first on a German naval ship in this area.
> 
> Christensen said that while the casualty-free operation "showcased the incredible international naval capabilities" it also "highlighted the complexity of counter-piracy operations." Apart from the Gulf of Aden, where the international anti-piracy efforts have been increasingly successful, pirates have also stepped up attacks further south off the eastern Somali coast.
> 
> The two areas combined equal more than 1.1 million square miles, or roughly four times the size of Texas, said Christensen. *"We can't be everywhere at once,"* he said, adding that* merchant mariners must often serve as the first line of defense against pirates.*
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since clan-based militias overthrew a socialist dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other.
> 
> Pirate attacks off its coastline hit unprecedented levels in 2008, when pirates made 111 attacks and seized 42 vessels, mostly in the Gulf of Aden. Seven ships have been seized so far this year, although there were roughly 10 times as many attacks in January and February 2009 as there were over the same period last year. There have been almost daily attacks in March.
> 
> Somali pirates currently hold 11 ships hostage, with the oldest pirate hijacking dating back to last August, Christensen said.
> 
> Yemeni fishermen have also been targeted by pirates, and Yemeni media reported about 50 fishing boats were attacked over the past year. On Saturday, pirates opened fire on a Yemeni fishing boat, killing one fisherman and wounding two others, a Yemeni interior ministry official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the press.
> 
> The fishermen were in Somali territorial waters when they came under fire, he said. The fishing boat managed to flee and the body of the dead fisherman was later brought back to the Yemeni port of Mukalla, 350 miles (560 kilometers) southeast of the capital, San'a.
> 
> The latest attacks came as gas tanker Longchamp, hijacked in January, was released on Saturday with 12 Filipino crew and an Indonesian second engineer on board. The company that manages the vessel said they were unharmed.
> 
> Also Saturday, the captain of a Norwegian tanker Bow Asir hijacked off Somalia on Thursday by pirates carrying machine guns, called the owner to say all 27 crew members are safe and sound, according to the Norwegian news agency.
> 
> Associated Press Writers Melissa Eddy in Berlin, Nicholas Paphitis in Athens, Katarina Kratovac in Cairo and Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...I4-H2wD978EB703
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _In this image made available by the Greek navy in Athens, Monday, March 30, 2009, a speedboat with Greek commandos is seen, right, alongside a pirate vessel with detained Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, Sunday March 29, 2009, after a failed attack on a German tanker. The navy said Greek commandos detained seven men in the vessel and handed them over to the crew of a German frigate south of Yemen. Nobody was hurt in the joint operation by European Union forces patrolling the pirate-infested waters. (AP Photo/ Greek Navy, ho)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _In this image made available by the Greek Navy in Athens, Monday, March 30, 2009, seized assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades are seen in a speedboat used by Somali pirates detained in the Gulf of Aden Sunday March 29, 2009, after a failed attack on a German tanker. The Greek navy said Greek commandos detained the seven men in the vessel and handed them over to the crew of a German frigate south of Yemen. Nobody was hurt in the joint operation by European Union forces patrolling the pirate-infested waters.
> (AP Photo/ Greek Navy, ho)_


----------



## CougarKing

_(L-R) Corvettes HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmo and support vessel HMS Trosso are seen off the Karlskrona naval base in southern Sweden, March 21, 2009. The two Stockholm class corvettes HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmo, accompanied by HMS Trosso, will take part in the anti-piracy EU NAVFOR Somalia (Operation Atalanta) off the Somali coast starting May 15. REUTERS/Paul Madej/Scanpix (SWEDEN POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT SOCIETY) NO COMMERCIAL SALES. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN_






_Soldiers prepare for combat on the deck of the corvette HMS Malmo off the Karlskrona naval base in southern Sweden, March 21, 2009. The two Stockholm class corvettes HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmo, accompanied by support vessel HMS Trosso, will take part in the anti-piracy EU NAVFOR Somalia (Operation Atalanta) off the Somali coast starting May 15. REUTERS/Paul Madej/Scanpix (SWEDEN POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT SOCIETY) NO COMMERCIAL SALES. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN. QUALITY FROM SOURCE_






_Two gunners on the corvette HMS Malmo look at support vessel HMS Trosso off the Karlskrona naval base in southern Sweden, March 21, 2009. The two Stockholm class corvettes HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmo, accompanied by HMS Trosso, will take part in the anti-piracy EU NAVFOR Somalia (Operation Atalanta) off the Somali coast starting May 15. REUTERS/Paul Madej/Scanpix_






_Soldiers speed past corvette HMS Malmo during an exercise off the Karlskrona naval base in southern Sweden, March 21, 2009. Two Stockholm class corvettes HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmo, accompanied by support vessel HMS Trosso, will take part in the anti-piracy EU NAVFOR Somalia (Operation Atalanta) off the Somali coast starting May 15. REUTERS/Paul Madej/Scanpix_






_Corvette HMS Stockholm ® speeds in front of support vessel HMS Trosso outside the Karlskrona naval base in southern Sweden, March 21, 2009. Two Stockholm class corvettes HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmo, accompanied by HMS Trosso, will take part in the anti-piracy EU NAVFOR Somalia (Operation Atalanta) off the Somali coast starting May 15. REUTERS/Paul Madej/Scanpix_


----------



## GAP

HMCS Winnipeg thwarts Arabian Sea pirate attack
Updated Sun. Apr. 5 2009 8:00 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff
Article Link

A Canadian warship has had a busy weekend on the Arabian Sea, thwarting a pirate attack and delivering supplies to a boatload of Somali refugees all in the same 24-hour period. 

On Saturday, HMCS Winnipeg, currently involved in an anti-pirate NATO mission called Operation Allied Protector, saw three skiffs approaching an Indian merchant vessel. 

The Pacific Opal radioed for help and Cmdr. Craig Baines, the commanding officer of the Canadian warship, sent out a Sea King helicopter to investigate. 

Baines told CTV Newsnet that HMCS Winnipeg got the call for help while it was busy escorting another ship. 

"We were actually escorting another vessel at the time when we noticed that another ship launched three smaller vessels that rapidly closed in on a merchant vessel that was nearby in the area," he said Sunday. 

Pilot Maj. James Hawthorne said the pirates complied with Canadian instructions, which came in the form of a sign hanging from the side of the helicopter with the word "Stop" written in Somali. 

"Whatever their intentions were, they complied without instructions and allowed the merchant vessel to proceed," Hawthorne said, when quoted in a military statement that was released Saturday. 

Baines said the helicopter shadowed the suspected pirate skiffs for about 15 minutes in total. 

"After we've deterred something, if they haven't actually done an act of piracy, which in this case they hadn't because we intervened beforehand, we usually just let them carry on and try to monitor their position," Baines said. 

Few pirates would engage a military ship or helicopter, he said, because the risks are too high. 

"The fortunate thing is that the pirates want nothing to do with warships or helicopters," Baines said. 

"They are in this for economic gain only and so they know that if they ever tried to engage a ship or a helicopter, it would end badly for them." 
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Darn it- to think these pirates would have learned by now.



> *Somali pirates hijack 2 ships*
> AP
> 
> By KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Writer Katharine Houreld, Associated Press Writer – 2 mins ago
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates have hijacked a *Taiwanese fishing vessel and a British cargo ship*, diplomats said Monday.
> 
> The Taiwanese ship *MV Win Far 161* was seized near an island in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, the diplomats said. It is the second attack in the Seychelles within a week.
> 
> No location was given for the attack on the British-owned cargo ship the *Malaspina Castle*. The ship is Italian-operated and flies a Panamanian flag.
> 
> There was no word on the nationalities or numbers of crew on board the two vessels or the exact time of the attacks.
> 
> The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
> 
> The hijacking of the Taiwanese ship is the latest in a series of attacks in the Indian Ocean. Analysts say the pirates have moved many of their operations out of the Gulf of Aden, which is heavily patrolled by naval warships from countries as diverse as China, the United States, France and India. Instead, they are attacking off the east African coast, targeting ships coming out of the Mozambican channel.
> 
> The multimillion-dollar ransoms are a rare source of cash in Somalia, where nearly half the population is dependent on food aid and clan-based militias are tearing the country apart. The lawless Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning government since 1991.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090406/ap_on_re_af/piracy


----------



## CougarKing

And these pirate scum continue their attacks.



> *Somali pirates raid Israeli ship, hijack another*
> 
> Sat, 04 Apr 2009 21:57:40 GMT
> Somali pirates have hijacked an unidentified cargo ship between Kismayu and Mombasa Seaport, after failing to seize an Israeli vessel.
> 
> The pirates opened fire on an Israeli cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to hijack the vessel on Saturday. However the vessel called in air support, which drove the pirates away.
> 
> The Maltese-flagged cargo ship, *The Africa Star*, was owned by Israeli logistics and transportation giant Zim.
> 
> Having failed to hijack the Israeli ship, the heavily armed bandits captured another cargo ship holding as least 27 crewmembers hostage, sources told Press TV.
> 
> The owner company of the vessel or the nationality of the crewmembers held hostage remains unknown.
> 
> More than 130 merchant ships were attacked in the region last year according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> A surge in vessel attacks off Somalia's unpatrolled coast prompted the deployment of a multinational naval force to secure one of the world's key shipping routes.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is the quickest route for more than 20,000 vessels going from Asia to Europe and the Americas every year.
> 
> Attacks by heavily-armed Somali raiders in speedboats have prompted some of the world's biggest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal and send cargo vessels around southern Africa, causing a hike in shipping costs.
> 
> The pirate-infested Somali waters remain dangerous despite the presence of foreign navies on patrol.
> 
> http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=90471...ionid=351020501
> 
> They also captured another French yacth recently. A French rescue in the coming days?  :aberet:
> 
> 
> *Somali pirates hijack French yacht in Indian Ocean*
> AFP
> 
> NAIROBI (AFP) – Somali pirates have hijacked a French-flagged yacht with four crew members in the Indian Ocean, Ecoterra International, an organisation monitoring piracy in the region, said Monday.
> 
> Ecoterra International said in a statement that the attack took place on Saturday "around 640 kilometres (400 miles) off Ras Hafun in Northeast Somalia."
> 
> There was no immediate confirmation from the French naval forces engaged in anti-piracy operations in the area but Ecoterra International said brief satellite phone contact was made with the ship on Sunday.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090406/wl_af..._20090406071244


----------



## GAP

Somali pirates seize 21 American sailors
Updated Wed. Apr. 8 2009 6:24 AM ET The Associated Press 
Article Link

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Somali pirates on Wednesday hijacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship with 21 crew members aboard, a diplomat and a U.S. Navy spokesman said. 

The Kenya-based diplomat identified the vessel as the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama and said all the crew members are American. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. 

The U.S. Navy confirmed that a U.S. flagged ship with 21 members of crew was hijacked early Wednesday off the eastern coast of Somalia. 

Spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said the attacked happened in the early hours of the morning hours, about 450 kilometres northeast of Eyl, a town in the northern Puntland region of Somalia. 

Christensen said there were U.S. citizens aboard the ship, but he did not say how many. He declined to release the name of the ship until the family members of the crew are notified. 

He said the ship was operated by the Danish company Maersk, which deals with the U.S. Department of Defense. Christensen said the vessel was not working under a Pentagon contract when hijacked. 

Maersk Kenya Managing Director Rolf Nielsen said the company was still verifying reports of the hijacking. An U.S. embassy spokeswoman was not immediately able to confirm the incident. 

Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program said the ship was taken about 640 kilometres from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. 

The vessel is the sixth to be seized within a week and the first with an all-American crew. 
End


----------



## dapaterson

This may well be a turning point.  I cannot see the US letting this go unchallenged.  American citizens seized by pirates changes the dynamic.  American SOF will be ramping up for a sweep, and I could easily see some of the new construction in the pirate towns ending up on the wrong end of a 500lb bomb.


----------



## OldSolduer

I would have to agree with you. This action will not go unchallenged. 

And about time. This should and could have been stopped much earlier.


----------



## dapaterson

BBC is reporting that the crew has retaken the vessel:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7990566.stm



> The US crew of a ship hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia has retaken control of the vessel, according to Pentagon sources.
> 
> Unnamed US defence officials said one pirate had been captured by the crew of the Danish-owned Maersk Alabama, which was seized earlier in the Indian Ocean.
> 
> The status of the other pirates was unknown, but officials said they were "in the water".
> 
> It was the sixth hijack in recent days, including a British and Taiwanese ship.


----------



## GAP

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> I would have to agree with you. This action will not go unchallenged.
> 
> And about time. This should and could have been stopped much earlier.



Pity of it is, nothing happens until a US ship is effected.....hypocrisy 101 anyone?


----------



## Snakedoc

Reports that the Captain of the US ship is still being held hostage.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090408/pirates_sailors_090408/20090408?hub=TopStories


Captain of hijacked ship still being held hostage
Updated Wed. Apr. 8 2009 1:54 PM ET

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- A crew member on the vessel hijacked by pirates is telling The Associated Press that the ship's captain is still being held hostage. The American says negotiations are underway for his release. 
The AP called the ship's satellite phone. The man who answered it said the 20-member crew had been taken hostage but managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiate their own release.

He says the crew has retaken control of the ship and the pirates are now in a lifeboat. But the man also says that they are holding the ship's captain hostage in the vessel.

The man did not identify himself in the brief phone conversation.

Government officials said details were murky and declined to confirm the report.


----------



## tomahawk6

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/04/ap_piracy_update_040809/

Bainbridge arrives at pirate hijacking

By Katharine Houreld - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Apr 8, 2009 21:47:43 EDT
   
NAIROBI, Kenya— In a riveting high-seas drama, an unarmed American crew wrested control of their U.S.-flagged cargo ship from Somali pirates and sent them fleeing to a lifeboat with the captain as hostage.

A U.S. warship arrived on the scene Thursday morning and was near the ship — the first with an American crew to be taken by pirates off the Horn of Africa — as crew members negotiated with the pirates for the return of the captain.

The owner of the Maersk Alabama, the American cargo ship seized Wednesday by Somali pirates, said the destroyer Bainbridge had arrived.

It was not clear what the military crews would do. Options could include negotiation, backed by the threat of force. But any military action could risk the lives of the Americans, especially the captain being held hostage.

Family members said Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew.

“What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage,” said Gina Coggio, 29, half-sister of Phillips’ wife. “That is what he would do. It’s just who he is and his response as a captain.”

Details of the day’s events emerged sporadically as members of the crew were reached by satellite phone, providing a glimpse of the maneuvering.

A sailor who spoke to the Associated Press said the entire 20-member crew had been taken hostage but managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiated their own release. The man did not identify himself during the brief conversation.

The crisis played out hundreds of miles off the coast of Somalia — one of the most lawless nations on earth. President Barack Obama was following the situation closely, foreign policy adviser Denis McDonough said.

The Maersk Alabama was the sixth vessel seized by Somalis pirates in a week. Pirates have staged 66 attacks since January, and they are still holding 14 ships and 260 crew members as hostages, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a watchdog group based in Kuala Lumpur.

Somalia’s 1,900-mile long coastline borders one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and offers a perfect haven to the heavily armed pirate gangs. They often dress in military fatigues and use GPS systems and satellite phones to coordinate attacks from small, fast speedboats re-supplied by a larger “mother ship.”

The pirates usually use rocket propelled grenades, anti-tank rocket launchers and automatic weapons to capture large, slow-moving vessels like the U.S.-flagged 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama, which was carrying food aid from USAID and other agencies to help malnourished people in Uganda and Somalia.

According to reports from the crew, the pirates sank their boat when they boarded the ship. The captain talked them into getting off the vessel using one of the ship’s lifeboats.

Second Mate Ken Quinn told CNN in a live interview Wednesday that the crew also had held a hostage.

“We had a pirate, we took him for 12 hours,” Quinn said. “We returned him, but they didn’t return the captain.”

Maersk Line Limited CEO John F. Reinhart said his company received a call that indicated the crewmen were safe. But the call got cut off, and the company could not ask any more questions.

It remained unclear how the unarmed sailors could have overpowered pirates armed with automatic weapons.

Capt. Shane Murphy, second in command on the ship, told his wife, Serena, that pirates had followed the ship Monday and pursued it again for three or four hours before boarding it Wednesday morning, family members said.

The ship was taken about 7:30 a.m. local time about 380 miles east of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Analysts say many of the pirates have shifted their operations down the Somali coastline from the Gulf of Aden to escape naval warship patrols.

Reinhart said the company’s vessels had received a heightened alert about piracy activity. He did not have particulars about how the ship was taken, but said the crew’s orders were to hide in safe rooms until aid came. They did not have weapons, he said, and typically, their defense would be to fight the pirates off with fire hoses as they climbed up the stern.

Andrea Phillips, the captain’s wife, said her husband had sailed in those waters “for quite some time” and a hijacking was perhaps “inevitable.”

Capt. Joseph Murphy, a professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said his son was a 2001 Massachusetts Maritime Academy graduate who recently talked to a class about the dangers of piracy.

The younger Murphy wrote on his Facebook profile that he worked in waters between Oman and Kenya.

“These waters are infested with pirates that highjack (sic) ships daily,” Murphy wrote on the page, which features a photograph of him. “I feel like it’s only a matter of time before my number gets called.”

Joseph Murphy said his son was trained in anti-piracy tactics at the academy and received training with firearms and small-arms tactics.

Piracy expert Roger Middleton from London-based think-tank Chatham House said it was unclear whether the pirates knew they were hijacking a ship with American crew, but the incident would strengthen the hand of those in American military circles who wanted to take a more robust approach to anti-piracy operations.

Multimillion dollar ransoms are fueling a piracy explosion. There were 111 attacks in 2008, and more than half that number have been occurred in the first four months of this year. Last year, pirates made off with up to $80 million in ransom money, said Middleton. Those hauls included payment for a Saudi oil tanker and a Ukrainian ship loaded with military tanks, both of which were later released.

NATO already has five warships in the Gulf of Aden and is planning to deploy a permanent flotilla to the region this summer.

The hijackings — and the resulting jumps in insurance fees and shipping costs — have prompted many countries to send their navies to the region. The NATO warships patrol alongside three frigates from the European Union, and up to ten American ships. India, China, Japan, Russia and other nations also cooperate in the international patrols.

U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said the closest U.S. ship at the time of the hijacking was 345 miles (555 kilometers) away.

“The area the ship was taken in is not where the focus of our ships has been,” Christensen said. “The area we’re patrolling is more than a million miles in size. Our ships cannot be everywhere at every time.”

It’s a lesson the Somali pirates have taken to heart, venturing hundreds of miles offshore to capture a British ship, a Taiwanese trawler, a Yemeni tug, a German vessel and a French yacht in the past week.

In an interview with the AP, a man identified by villagers as a pirate, said his gang was not merely a band ruffians, but a well-organized, business-minded group that also had philanthropic concerns.

“We have leaders, investors, young people who go to the sea for hunting ships and also negotiators in many areas,” said the man, who identified himself only as Madobe. He said he was in his 20s.

Douglas J. Mavrinac, the head of maritime research at investment firm Jefferies & Co., said using U.S.-fagged ships with American crews was rare because of the high costs. But they are used to carry U.S. government aid.

There are fewer than 200 U.S.-flagged vessels in international waters, said Larry Howard, chair of the Global Business and Transportation Department at SUNY Maritime College in New York.


----------



## Stauds

Seems about time boat crews start arming themselves. It would probably scare the hell out of the pirates if they started taking fire from the boat they were trying to capture. Although, maybe the reason they don't is they would be killed rather than just taken hostage.  :2c:


----------



## geo

The pirates come from Somalia... a failed state that has been at war for night on 35 years.
Having someone shooting back at them would have little or no effect on the pirates... other than escalating the firepower & ruthlessness used by the pirates.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

geo said:
			
		

> The pirates come from Somalia... a failed state that has been at war for night on 35 years.
> Having someone shooting back at them would have little or no effect on the pirates... other than escalating the firepower & ruthlessness used by the pirates.



That's just your opinion, and one that few likely agree with. Armed resistance has always been a deterrent for the bad guys. That's why an armed citizenry has a lower crime rate than those that don't. Criminals are cowards at heart and don't like being killed.


----------



## OldSolduer

Rant Time! :rage:
Enough of making excuses for these "pirates". I could care less about "socio-economic" conditions or "psychological" excuses.
When someone tries to take your stuff by forcefully entering your home what should you do? FIGHT BACK!!!!
And if you kill them, they won't do it again will they? And this is recognized under law that you are acting in self defense.
Same applies here. Kill the pirates, problem goes away. Simple. :rage:
AM I the only one who sees this?


----------



## GAP

CTV's Update

U.S. warship arrives as pirates' options dwindle
Updated Thu. Apr. 9 2009 6:27 AM ET The Associated Press
Article Link

NAIROBI, Kenya -- A U.S. destroyer kept watch Thursday over the waters where Somali pirates held the American captain of a hijacked cargo ship that was later retaken by the crew in an hours-long, high seas drama. 

The pirates took Capt. Richard Phillips as a hostage as they escaped into a lifeboat Wednesday in the first such attack on American sailors in around 200 years. 

Kevin Speers, a spokesman for the ship company Maersk, said the USS Bainbridge had arrived off the Horn of Africa near where the pirates were floating near the Maersk Alabama. 

"It's on the scene at this point," Speers said of the Bainbridge, adding that the lifeboat holding the pirates and the captain is out of fuel. 

"The boat is dead in the water," he told AP Radio. "It's floating near the Alabama. It's my understanding that it's floating freely." 

The Bainbridge was among several U.S. ships that had been patrolling in the region when the 17,000-ton U.S.-flagged cargo ship and its 20 crew were captured Wednesday. 

Phillips' family was gathered at his Vermont farmhouse, anxiously watching news reports and taking telephone calls from the U.S. State Department to learn if he would be freed. 

"We are on pins and needles," said Gina Coggio, 29, half-sister of Phillips' wife, Andrea, as she stood on the porch of his one-story house Wednesday in a light snow. "I know the crew has been in touch with their own family members, and we're hoping we'll hear from Richard soon." 

Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew, Coggio said. 

"What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," she said. "That is what he would do. It's just who he is and his response as a captain." 

With one warship nearby and more on the way, piracy expert Roger Middleton from London-based think tank Chatham House said the pirates were facing difficult choices. 

"The pirates are in a very, very tight corner," Middleton said. "They've got only one guy, they've got nowhere to hide him, they've got no way to defend themselves effectively against the military who are on the way and they are hundreds of miles from Somalia." 

The pirates would probably try to get to a mothership, he said, one of the larger vessels that tow the pirates' speedboats out to sea and resupply them as they lie in wait for prey. But they also would be aware that if they try to take Phillips to Somalia, they might be intercepted. And if they hand him over, they would almost certainly be arrested. 

"If I was a pirate at this point, I think I'd resign and take up gardening," Middleton said. 

Other analysts say the U.S. will be reluctant to use force as long as one of its citizens remains hostage. French commandos, for example, have mounted two military operations against pirates once the ransom had been paid and its citizens were safe. 

The Maersk Alabama, en route to neighboring Kenya and loaded with relief aid, was attacked about 380 miles (610 kilometers) east of the Somali capital of Mogadishu. It was the sixth vessel seized in a week. 
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

And the naval standoff continues. Hopefully they'll be able to rescue the _Maersk Alabama_'s captain soon.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/090409/us/usreport_us_somalia_piracy



> MOGADISHU/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Somali pirates defied international naval powers on Thursday to keep an American ship captain hostage on a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean after their first seizure of U.S. citizens.
> 
> 
> The increasingly bold gunmen briefly hijacked the 17,000-tonne Maersk Alabama freighter on Wednesday, but the 20 American crew retook control after a confrontation far out at sea, where pirates have captured five other vessels in a week.
> 
> 
> *Four gang members were holding the captain, Richard Phillips, on the ship's lifeboat after he apparently volunteered to be a hostage for the sake of his crew.
> 
> 
> "What I understand is he offered himself as the hostage to keep the rest of the crew safe," his sister-in-law Gina Coggio told the ABC network. "That is what he would do, that's just who he is, and his responsibility as the captain."
> 
> 
> The Pentagon said it was seeking a peaceful solution but was not ruling out any option in freeing Phillips.*
> 
> 
> His capture and the attack on his ship has once again focused world attention on Somali piracy, as happened last year when gunmen seized a Saudi supertanker with $100 million of oil on board, and a Ukrainian ship with 33 tanks.
> 
> 
> Yet the attacks have been happening for years, reaching unprecedented levels in 2008, and pirates are holding more than 200 other hostages on captured ships.
> 
> 
> *Reached by Reuters via satellite phone, the pirates on the lifeboat sounded desperate as they watched a U.S. warship and other foreign naval vessels close to them. "We are surrounded by warships and don't have time to talk," one said. "Please pray for us."*
> 
> 
> The Danish-owned freighter's operator Maersk Line Ltd said Phillips was unharmed and securing his safe return was the firm's priority. The U.S. warship Bainbridge arrived on the scene before dawn, it added.
> 
> 
> The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it had been called in to assist, and its negotiators were "fully engaged."
> 
> 
> *U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the lifeboat now appeared to be out of fuel. An East African maritime group said the Maersk Alabama was on its way to Kenya's Mombasa port and would reach there in a couple of days.*
> 
> 
> The attack was the latest in a sharp escalation in piracy in the waters off lawless Somalia, where heavily armed sea gangs hijacked dozens of vessels last year and extracted millions of dollars in ransoms.
> 
> 
> The Saudi and Ukrainian boats fetched about $3 million each.
> 
> 
> The long-running phenomenon has disrupted shipping in the strategic Gulf of Aden and busy Indian Ocean waterways, increased insurance costs and made some firms send their cargoes round South Africa instead of through the Suez Canal.
> 
> 
> The upsurge in attacks makes a mockery of an unprecedented international naval effort against the pirates, including ships from Europe, the United States, China, Japan and others, who are patrolling off Somalia, mainly in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> 
> PIRATES HOLD CAPTAIN AS "SHIELD"
> 
> 
> Pirates say they are undeterred by the foreign flotilla and will simply move operations away from the patrols, further out into the Indian Ocean.
> 
> "The solution to the problem, as ever, is the political situation in Somalia," said analyst Jim Wilson, of Lloyds Register-Fairplay. Somalia has been mired in civil conflict, with no effective central control, for 18 years.
> 
> "Until there is peace on land there will be piracy at sea."
> 
> Maersk said its crew regained control of the Alabama on Wednesday when the pirates left the ship with the captain.
> 
> The ship was carrying thousands of tons of food aid destined for Somalia and Uganda from Djibouti to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked about 300 miles off Somalia.
> 
> "We are just trying to offer them whatever we can, food, but it is not working too good," second mate Ken Quinn told CNN of efforts to secure their captain's release. He said the four pirates sank their own boat after they boarded the Alabama.
> 
> Then the captain talked the gunmen into the ship's lifeboat with him. The crew overpowered one of the pirates and sought to swap him for the captain, Quinn told CNN.
> 
> "We kept him for 12 hours. We tied him up," Quinn said. They freed their captive, he added, but the exchange did not work.
> 
> In Haradheere port, a pirate stronghold, an associate of the gang said the gunmen were armed and ready to defend themselves.
> 
> "Our friends are still holding the captain but they cannot move, they are afraid of the warships," he told Reuters. "We want a ransom and of course the captain is our shield. The warships might not destroy the boat as long as he is on board."
> 
> Pirates there said two boats full of gunmen had left the port to go and support their surrounded colleagues.
> 
> "We are afraid warships will destroy them before they reach the scene," one told Reuters.
> 
> (Additional reporting by Washington bureau and Daniel Wallis, Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi; Writing by Daniel Wallis and Andrew Cawthorne, editing by Mark Trevelyan)


----------



## The Bread Guy

....from Danger Room @ wired.com:


> A standoff in the Indian Ocean is continuing after an attack by Somali pirates on a U.S.-flagged container ship. Pirates fled the ship after they were overpowered by the vessel's crew, but the ship's captain, Richard Phillips, is being held hostage in a lifeboat. The destroyer USS Bainbridge is tracking the lifeboat; the Navy has now summoned the FBI's hostage rescue experts ....



_More on link_


----------



## NL_engineer

I was watching CNN this morning (I know, but there are more unbiased then the Canadian Media  :); They had an EX US Navy AJAG (what ever they call them) on, and he was saying that the Pirates holding the American Captive can be trailed in the US under International and US law.  He stopped just short of saying GITMO, but he implied it.


----------



## MarkOttawa

One answer to pirates--Peter Worthington of the _Toronto Sun_ rather longs for older times (usual copyright disclaimer):

Hang 'em from the yardarm
http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/peter_worthington/2009/04/09/9061306-sun.html



> The only thing odd about those Somali pirates who plunder the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea is how come they are still doing it?
> 
> One would have thought they'd have been exterminated by now.
> 
> But no, they're still at it. Not only that, they are alarmingly successful.
> 
> Over one weekend, five ships were hijacked -- merchant vessels from Britain, France, Germany, Taiwan and Yemen -- followed by the piracy of a British and a Taiwanese ship near the Seychelles in the mid-Indian Ocean.
> 
> What gives here?
> 
> There were some 130 piracy incidents in 2008 with 250 hostages taken (most still awaiting ransom or rescue, somewhere in Somalia). The world's navies seem incapable of halting this colourful way of earning a living, or extorting money.
> 
> News reports tell of a Canadian frigate's encounter with pirates
> http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2009/04/sheepdogs-doing-what-sheepdogs-do.html
> -- which may help explain why these brigands of the sea not only still exist, but seem to operate with impunity when confronted by the world's navies.
> 
> Apparently last weekend, HMCS Winnipeg, a frigate and a component of NATO'S counter-piracy mission (Operation Allied Protector) spotted three small pirate sciffs closing in on an Indian merchant ship (the Pacific Opal) in the Arabian Gulf.
> 
> Instead of demanding the pirates to surrender or be sunk, the Winnipeg's helicopter hovered between the pirates and the threatened vessel, and dangled a large sign over the side of the helicopter, alongside the chopper's machine gun, that had the word "Stop" written in Somali.
> 
> The news report quoted the Winnipeg's skipper, Cmdr. Craig Baines, as saying: "They got the idea that we don't like what they're doing," and the pirates called off their attack.
> 
> Surely peace and security and common sense would have been better served if the Winnipeg and its helicopter had given the crews of the three pirate sciffs a one way trip to Davey Jones' locker, and sunk them.
> 
> And then turned their attention to the pirates' mother ship, from which the three sciffs departed. At least the captain didn't apologize for interrupting their activities.
> 
> 'RULES OF ENGAGEMENT'
> 
> Cmdr. Baines obviously was following NATO orders -- likely more "rules of engagement" that plague our soldiers and inhibit them from firing back unless absolutely necessary, and giving the benefit of any doubts to insurgents.
> 
> In the old days, pirates used to be hanged from the yardarm when captured.
> 
> It didn't stop piracy, but it at least eliminated pirates one at a time.
> 
> One of the prize ships captured by pirates was a Ukrainian tanker loaded with tanks and weapons -- of substantial interest to those who might want to purchase such items.
> 
> What puzzles me is why some adventurous young millionaire somewhere, hasn't shown the enterprise to outfit a torpedo boat disguised as a pleasure craft, and head for the Somali coast to lure pirates into attacking -- and then unloading on them with massive firepower.
> 
> It's hard to fault pirates for doing what they can get away with, but there's no excuse for letting them do what they do with impunity.
> 
> On an encouraging note, Associated Press reports that an American cargo ship hijacked last week -- the sixth such incident in a week -- has been re-captured by its 20-member crew, with the pirates "apparently in the water."
> 
> One hopes so, even if President Barack Obama feels it necessary to apologize for such "arrogant" American lack of consideration to pirates.



President Obama still isn't out of the woods yet, especially if the pirates do not face justice. But things are a whole lot better than when the pirates first had the ship.

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## ironduke57

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> ....from Danger Room @ wired.com:
> _More on link_



There are rumors that there was already a GSG9 Unit on it´s way to the region to free the captured german ship as there are some german citizens onboard. But it was called off when the ship entered an Somali harbour.

Regards,
ironduke57


----------



## tomahawk6

The Captain tried to get away during the night but was recaptured. With only 4 pirates in the lifeboat I would think a SEAL action might be able to spring the man. Then you dont have to worry about jailing the bad guys.


----------



## Old Sweat

A SEAL action may be possible, but as a last resort. The pirates are short of food, water and hope, and negotiations may lead to a peaceful conclusion.

As for Peter Worthington's comment above re the traditional practice of hanging captured pirates from the yardarm, I have a short comment "hogwash." David Cordingly's _Under the Black Flag, The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates_, which is considered a reliable source, has a long discussion of the trials and execution of pirates, especially in the era 1700-1730. There were about 2000 active pirates in the Caribbean and Eastern Seaboard of the British North American colonies at that time. A very large proportion were captured, tried on shore by properly constituted courts and executed. However, while these trials did not meet modern standards of due process, conviction and execution was not a foregone conclusion. A number of the accused were acquitted or, if convicted, received a lesser punishment.

Anyway, in the case of Winnipeg, it is my opinion after having read the DND press release, that the skiffs had not yet attacked the merchant ship. Now, whether the incident had reached the stage where an attack was imminent and anticipated, and thus pre-emption was justified under international law, |I was not there and I don't know.


----------



## geo

Old sweat, lesser punishment in the 1700s would be considered hard time by today's standards


----------



## Old Sweat

No doubt, but it still was a lesser punishment then. According to the above source, and this refers only to British courts, in the period in question (1700-1730) 550 men and two women were tried for piracy. Of these, 313 men were executed. The two women were convicted and sentenced to death, but the punishment was commuted as they were pregnant.

Back to the present, at least the world is taking some sort of action. It remains to be seen how effective it will be.


----------



## GAP

FBI hostage team joins standoff with pirates
PAUL KORING Globe and Mail Update April 9, 2009 at 9:53 AM EDT
Article Link

WASHINGTON — Gun-toting Somali pirates holding an American ship's captain hostage in a lifeboat were locked in a standoff today with a U.S. warship as a special FBI negotiating team was called in to try to end the high-seas drama.

The U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama remained nearby, its crew back in control after first losing a battle with Somali pirates, then managing to force them over the side after seizing one of the four attackers. Capt. Richard Phillips was bobbing in one of the Maersk Alabama's lifeboats, apparently a hostage but still alive.

Despite the enormous firepower of the guided-missile destroyer U.S.S. Bainbridge and its helicopters and naval aircraft circling overheard, a standoff continued between a handful of desperate armed men and the U.S. navy.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said a hostage rescue team is “fully engaged” with the military in strategizing ways to retrieve the ship's captain, although it was apparently working from a base in the United States, providing advice long distance.
More on link


----------



## Snakedoc

Sounds like a show-down is brewing, other pirate ships with hostages to be used as bargaining chips are heading to the area.  More U.S. Navy ships also heading to thearea.  Select portions of the article:

Somali pirates want ransom, fear U.S. reprisals
Updated Fri. Apr. 10 2009 1:32 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

"U.S. Defense Department officials say Phillips jumped off the lifeboat, located nearly 500 kilometres off Somalia's Indian Ocean coast, and began swimming away. But he was quickly recaptured. 

They do not believe the 53-year-old sea captain from Underhill, Vt., was harmed in the incident. 

The pirates fired shots from an automatic weapon during the escape attempt, but it was not clear if the shots were aimed at Phillips or into the air."

"Pirate reinforcements 

But it appears that the pirates have called for reinforcements as well. 

"The pirates have summoned assistance -- skiffs and motherships are heading towards the area from the coast," an unnamed Nairobi-based diplomat told to AP on Friday. "We knew they were gathering yesterday." 

Mohamed Samaw, a Somali resident who claims to own a "share" in a recently hijacked, British-owned ship, told AP that four foreign ships are headed for the lifeboat. 

The pirates have 54 international hostages on board two of the ships, whom they will be using as bargaining chips. Samaw said a seized German cargo ship is among the ships moving towards the lifeboat. 

Former FBI agent Jack Cloonan told AP that having other hijacked vessels arrive in the area "could complicate the negotiation strategy under way." 

And the situation already is tense enough with the U.S. warships that are sailing towards the scene. 

Abdi Sheikh, the Mogadishu Bureau Chief for Reuters, told CTV Newsnet that the pirates "are afraid to be bombed by the American warship." 

The Maersk Alabama left the area on Thursday, protected by armed Navy SEALs who will ride with the cargo ship until it arrives at its destination port in Mombasa, Kenya, on Saturday night. 

It was the sixth ship to be hit by pirates in the same week. 

Because pirates have been able to repeatedly extort multimillion-dollar ransom fees from shipping companies, such attacks have become an ever-more common phenomenon. 

Davis said pirates, like those involved in the current standoff, care little about the turmoil they cause for their hostages. 

"They have no respect for anybody or anything else they just want the money to be able to change their own lives," he said.

With files from CTV Newsnet and The Associated Press"

More at: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090410/pirate_hostage_090410/20090410?hub=TopStories


----------



## a_majoor

A slightly different view:


----------



## tomahawk6

Obama's dithering is making the USN look bad. The Bainbridge has a SEAL team onboard so they have the means to strike if they get permission.


----------



## time expired

I have been following this thread and the story on the MSM and one
thing strikes me ,the spirit of appeasement abroad in the World.The
maritime expert claiming violence is not a solution that we should
negotiate and pay up.I personally cannot think of better way to 
convince pirates to continue in their chosen line of work and ensure
more to join them. The Captain of the Canadian should have blown
the mother ship out of the water IMHO, but of course that would not
have been a reasonable response,what would be a reasonable 
response be might I ask?.
                           Regards


----------



## geo

On this matter, I am more on the side of the French in how they have dealt / handled the hostage situation on that sailing yaght.  It's unfortunate that the master of the ship did lose his life in an exchange of fire between French commandos & the Somali pirates - but that is a price that has to be paid if international shipping is to be allowed uninterrupted transit


----------



## Michael OLeary

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_piracy_ships

*Officials: Navy has amphibious assault ship ready*



> By ANNE GEARAN, AP Military Writer Anne Gearan, Ap Military Writer   – Fri Apr 10, 9:02 pm ET
> 
> WASHINGTON – The Navy is moving a huge amphibious ship closer to the scene of the pirate hostage standoff off Somalia.
> 
> Defense officials say the USS Boxer will be nearby soon. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss sensitive ship movements.
> 
> The Boxer is the flag ship for a multination anti-piracy task force. The Boxer resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a crew of more than 1,000, a mobile hospital, missile launchers and about two dozen helicopters and attack planes.
> 
> Two other Navy ships are expected to remain much closer to the pirate-held lifeboat. The USS Bainbridge is in sight of the lifeboat; the USS Halyburton is nearby. The Bainbridge uses drones to keep watch on the lifeboat. The Halyburton has helicopters.


----------



## tomahawk6

The image of a modern destroyer 200m from a lifeboat with 4 pirates and 1 hostage doesnt favor the USN,what is it day 3 ?


----------



## Old Sweat

This is the difficult part. There is no doubt that the USN could resolve this incident in any number of bloody ways. The challenge is to resolve it without costing the hostage his life. The conventional wisdom is to wait the pirates out. The difficulty is getting inside the brains of a few thugs from a different culture. Western criminals would probably opt to take their chances with the legal system. It is an open question what these folks will do. However waiting provides the best chance for a successful resolution.

Even if they eventually murder the hostage, that is not an automatiic signal to blow the boat out of the water. These people may have considerable intelligence value, and in any case international law takes a dim view of a disproportionate response, especially in retaliation.

On a slight tangent, it will be interesting to see how well the administration handles the negotiations and the subsequent events regardless of the fate of the hostage. Given the less than firm hand seen in international relations to date, this incident may be the test within the first six months predicted before the inauguration. Cripes, maybe it will be a modern version of the War of Jenkin's Ear. At least, that's just my opinion.

For a short explanation of the War of Jenkin's Ear see:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/jenkins_ear.htm


----------



## Michael OLeary

Bring on the Synchronized Sniper team.    >


----------



## tomahawk6

We are way too pc to properly deal with the pirate threat. As long as you keep giving the bully your lunch money he wont stop holding you up. Kick him where it hurts and then he will leave you alone.


----------



## George Wallace

Well.  We have seen escalation on the part of the West.  There was no Naval contribution, in any official capacity, to safeguard shipping as little as twelve months ago.  Now we see several Navies patrolling these waters.  The fact that the pirates have continued, and not been intimidated by these forces, can only lead us to believe that the "West" will step up their methods a notch.  If we progress, in the same fashion as we do in Riot Control, we will see Naval Forces proceed through several steps before they ultimately resort to using "Deadly Force".  At that time, the threats of piracy will pretty much be eradicated in the Region, as long as a 'Standing' Fleet patrols the area.  Until such time, we will continue to see the pirates brazenly play 'Cat and Mouse' with the 'West'.


----------



## rn_sapper

To start off, i am a land lubber by the fact that I have never been deployed on a ship in my past.

One question that has not been addressed (yes I have read the entire thread) is "why does not a ship in internatoinal waters break out an arms locker and defend them selves from attack?" I am sure that the two bit "Pirates" would think twice if a supertaker had a couple of 50 cal spread on their beam.

I have been on several trans atlantic/pacific  sailing trips and we have always had some arms on board. Why not the big vessals?


----------



## tomahawk6

Merchant ships as a rule dont have weapons. Piracy is considered the price of doing business and the ship's owner always pays a ransom for the release of the ship,cargo and crew. This explains the lack of violence by the Somali pirates. Its business,there isnt a political agenda. Now if it was alqaeda boarding your ship thats a different story.


----------



## Yrys

Growing sophistication of pirates, BBC News,  Saturday, 11 April 2009





Somali pirates guard the crew of the 
hijacked Ukrainian vessel MV Faina

There seems to be no end to the attacks on foreign ships by Somali pirates. Several vessels and their 
crews are being held off the coast of Somalia; pirates are holding an American hostage far out in the 
Indian Ocean. On Saturday, there were two other attacks - one of them successful, with pirates seizing
a tug boat.

Somali piracy has been transformed from something very basic into something far more sophisticated 
in recent years. The pirates have graduated from being simple fishermen with rickety boats and 
maybe a couple of rusty guns into high-tech operators armed with modern weapons travelling in 
expensive speedboats. They have been able to do this because they have earned so much money from
ransom payments.

Last year, more than 40 ships were captured, and with ransoms ranging from $500,000 (£341,120) to 
$2m, they have made a fortune. One pirate, Yassin Dheere, recently said he had made $250,000 from 
a single incident.

*Hostage hunting*

Some of the money has gone on fast cars, new houses and lavish wedding parties, but much of it has
been spent on equipment. One reason why the pirates can now operate hundreds of kilometres out to 
sea is that they can afford faster, more robust boats and satellite tracking systems.

Pictures of pirate villages show fishing boats left disintegrating on the beaches, abandoned by their 
former owners who now take to sea in speedboats, hunting for hostages rather than fish. Despite the 
existence of a United Nations arms embargo against Somalia, the pirates have had no trouble in 
getting their hands on large quantities of military equipment.

After 18 years of civil conflict and no effective central government, the country is awash with 
weapons, easily purchased in the markets. The longer piracy goes on, the more experienced they will
become, devising ever-more ingenious ways of seizing enormous ships with their precious cargoes.

And as the pirates themselves say, piracy will only end in Somalia once the country gets an effective 
and stable government.


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirates seize another boat





US warships are heading to the area 
following Capt Phillips' capture

Somali pirates have hijacked a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden with 16 crew members on board - 10 
of them Italians. Maritime industry sources say the tug was towing two barges at the time of the 
attack at 0800 GMT. The crew are said to be unharmed.

Meanwhile pirates holding a US captain hostage have warned that using force to rescue him could 
result in "disaster". They said they hoped to put Capt Richard Phillips on a larger vessel. US ships 
are on their way to the area. He is being held by four pirates in a lifeboat hundreds of kilometres 
off Somalia.

In other developments:

    * Sailors on a Panama-flagged bulk carrier repulsed a pirate attack with water hoses. Nato officials
      on a nearby Portuguese warship said an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade landed in the 
      commanding officer's cabin

    * On Friday, one Frenchman and two pirates were killed in a rescue operation by French troops on 
       another vessel captured off Somalia. Four others, including a child, were freed from the yacht


*Growing concern*

Earlier reports suggested that a group of Somali elders were preparing to mediate between American 
officials and the pirates for Capt Phillips' release, but there has been no news of any progress.

The US national was taken hostage on Wednesday after pirates hijacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama,
as it sailed towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa carrying food aid. After a long struggle, crew 
members regained control of the ship. It is thought Capt Phillips offered himself as a hostage in order 
to save his crew. 

The Maersk Alabama arrived in Mombasa late on Saturday. "He's a hero," one crew member shouted 
as the ship moored, referring to Capt Phillips.

The BBC's Karen Allen at the port says there is unprecedented security. FBI agents are on board the 
ship. Maersk President and Chief Executive Officer John Reinhart told journalists the ship was now a 
crime scene and the crew would have to stay on it during the investigation. They would all be 
repatriated as soon as possible, he added.

There has been rising concern in the US over the fate of the captain - Defence Secretary Robert 
Gates told reporters in Washington on Friday that his safe return was a "top priority". FBI experts 
are helping negotiate his release, but analysts have said the process could be lengthy.

Capt Phillips tried to escape on Friday by jumping overboard and swimming towards a nearby US 
ship, but was recaptured. Reports in the US say the pirates are demanding a ransom of $2m for 
his safe release. The US Navy destroyer, USS Bainbridge, is at the scene of the confrontation with 
other American warships on the way.

Stories circulating in Somalia claim that extra pirate ships are also making their way towards the 
area. The pirates say they hope to transfer Capt Phillips to a bigger and better-protected vessel.

The Pentagon is also said to be considering other options, including possible military force, US 
sources say. But the Somali pirate commander warned against any forcible intervention. "I'm afraid 
this matter is likely to create disaster because it is taking too long and we are getting information 
that the Americans are planning rescue tricks like the French commandos did," Abdi Garad said.

*French ordeal*

The attacks have renewed international focus on hijackings in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

Florent Lemacon, the owner of the French yacht and father of the child who was on board, was killed 
during the rescue operation. French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on Saturday that officials 
"cannot rule out" that Mr Lemacon was killed by French fire. But he said the raid was "the best possible
decision," and that an investigation would determine what happened on board the Tanit. The four 
released hostages - Mr Lemacon's wife Chloe, their three-year-old son Colin, and two other adults - 
are due to arrive in Paris on Sunday, he said.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness which has 
allowed the pirates to thrive. Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid 
by the shipping companies. Last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m).

Efforts to stop the pirates have so far had only limited success, with international naval patrols 
struggling to cover the vast areas of ocean where pirates operate.

*MAJOR PIRATE INCIDENTS*
Ukrainian ship MV Faina seized on 25 September 2008, held until 5 February 2009
Saudi tanker Sirius Star held for two months from November 2008; a $3m ransom was negotiated
At least 15 pirate attacks reported to International Maritime Bureau during March 2009
The 32,500-tonne Malaspina Castle, UK-owned but operated by Italians, seized on 6 April 2009.


Profile: Captain Richard Phillips


----------



## Yrys

Gunboat diplomacy : The merits of a 19th Century approach to piracy





Palmerston did not hesitate to send 
in the gunboats


Could 19th-Century plan stop piracy?

_International efforts to thwart Somali piracy would appear to be floundering. Perhaps words from 
the 19th Century could offer a solution, writes the BBC News website's world affairs correspondent 
Paul Reynolds. _

If the navies of the world need some advice on ways to stop piracy off Somalia, they could look to 
Lord Palmerston, British Foreign Secretary in 1841. "Taking a wasps' nest... is more effective than 
catching the wasps one by one," he remarked.

Palmerston, the great advocate of gunboat diplomacy, was speaking in support of a British naval 
officer, Joseph Denman. Denman had attacked and destroyed slave quarters on the West African 
coast and had been sued by the Spanish owners for damages.

It was British policy to try to destroy the slave trade, but this sometimes ran into legal complications.
The British attorney general, in a gem of delicate legal advice, declared the following year that 
he "cannot take it upon himself to advise... that the instructions to Her Majesty's naval officers are 
such as can with perfect legality be carried into execution... "[He] is of the opinion that the blockading
of rivers, landing and destroying buildings and carrying off of persons held in slavery... cannot be 
considered as sanctioned by the law of nations."

Denman, a hero of the anti-slave trade campaign, was eventually vindicated and the Royal Navy 
carried on with its anti-slavery operations. James Walvin notes in his book Black Ivory: "Between 
1820 and 1870 the Royal Navy seized almost 1,600 ships and freed 150,000 slaves."

With Somali piracy still threatening shipping, it sounds as if modern navies need a few Captain Joseph 
Denmans, or the like-minded American, Commodore Stephen Decatur. Sent to attack the Barbary 
pirates off North Africa in 1815, Decatur simply captured the flagship of the Algerian Bey [ruler] 
and forced a capitulation. When the Bey later tried to repudiate the agreement, the British and Dutch 
bombarded Algiers.

No such action against the "wasps' nests" along the Somali coast is possible today, even though 
the UN Security Council has authorised the use of the "necessary means" to stop pirates on the 
high seas and hot pursuit into Somali territorial waters.






*Law of the sea*

However, the resolutions that made these actions permissible (1838 and 1846) also contain 
restrictions. Everything has to be done in accordance with "international law" and this is 
interpreted as complying with the conditions of the International Law of the Sea Convention.

This convention, in article 105, does permit the seizure of a pirate ship, but article 110 lays 
down that, in order to establish that a ship is indeed a pirate vessel, the warship - and it 
may only be a warship - has to send a boat to the suspected ship first and ask for its papers.
This is hardly a recipe for a Denman - or Decatur-type action.

Add to this legal restriction the relative lack of warships in the seas off Somalia - more than 
there were, but still insufficient - and the reluctance to tackle the pirates in their home bases, 
throw in the chaos in Somalia, where there is no effective government, and you have perfect 
conditions for piracy. Even if they are caught, they are simply handed over to Kenya whose 
legal system is not designed to deal with them.

The German navy transported another batch of captured pirates to Kenya recently. But nobody 
knows how long they will be in custody there. And the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia issue
a damning report last December in which it castigated ship owners for paying ransom. "Exorbitant 
ransom payments have fuelled the growth of [pirate] groups," it stated.

The report also expressed concern about "the apparent complicity in pirate networks of Puntland 
administration officials at all levels." Puntland is a self-declared autonomous region of Somalia, 
right at the tip of the Horn of Africa.

Since writing in December last year about the legal problems involved, I have had a lot of 
e-mails from people angry at the ineffectiveness of the measures taken so far and proposing 
their own solutions.

These include:

    * Convoys. Already done in the case of aid ships going into Kenyan and Somali ports
    * Arming the crews. The crews might not want this, though in the latest case the American 
      crew of cargo ship Maersk Alabama did fight back
    * Arming merchant ships with heavy guns. Ship owners might not want to risk an engagement 
       at sea
    * Luring pirates into attacking apparently unarmed ships which then declared themselves as 
       warships. Would this be in "accordance with international law"?
    * Other ideas suggested would appeal to officers Denman and Decatur

Paul.Reynolds-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk


----------



## OldSolduer

Is it my neanderthal brain, or am I missing something? Why do the left wing types continue to defend these criminals?


----------



## Yrys

Where did you see them defend the pirats ?

 New Somali bid to free US captain

Somali elders have launched a fresh attempt to resolve the standoff between the US navy 
and pirates holding an American captain hostage in a lifeboat. Somali sources say a group 
of elders have taken to sea to arrange safe passage for the hostage takers.

The pirates have warned the US navy, which has a warship within sight of the lifeboat, 
against trying to rescue Capt Richard Phillips by force. His container ship has arrived with 
the rest of its crew in Mombasa in Kenya. Crew members hailed his bravery, saying he 
offered himself as a hostage in order to save them when the Maersk Alabama was attacked 
on Wednesday.

The ship is now being treated as a crime scene and US federal agents have been interviewing 
the crew. The captain is now being held on a lifeboat said to be drifting about 30-45km (20 and 
30 miles) off the Somali coast.

*Shots fired*

A US military official said that on Saturday the four pirates guarding him fired shots at a small 
navy vessel which had approached, possibly to conduct reconnaissance. No-one was hurt and 
the navy vessel turned away without returning fire, an unnamed US official told the Associated 
Press news agency. 

In the latest attempt to end to the stand-off, elders said to be related to the pirates set sail from 
the northern Somali town of Eyl. US military officials confirmed fresh negotiations were under way.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Mombasa says the main stumbling block is the pirates' demand to be 
allowed to return to land before returning the hostage. Earlier talks failed when US officials insisted 
on the pirates' arrest, the New York Times newspaper says, quoting unnamed Somali officials.

Abdi Garad, a Somali pirate commander, told AFP news agency on Saturday that there was concern 
the Americans were "planning rescue tricks like the French commandos did". French commandos 
stormed a yacht on Friday to free hostages, but one captive was killed during the operation.

Also on Saturday, pirates hijacked a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden. The Buccaneer has 16 crew members 
on board, 10 of them Italians. The crew, which also includes five Romanians and a Croat, are said 
to have been unharmed. Another vessel, sailing under the Turkish flag, escaped when its crew used 
water hoses to repel the pirates who had fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the captain's cabin.

A piracy expert said the hijackings did not appear to be related to the attack on the Alabama Maersk.
"This is just the Somali pirate machine in full flow," Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, founder of Dryad Maritime
Intelligence Ltd, told AP.


----------



## mariomike

Yrys said:
			
		

> "Taking a wasps' nest... is more effective than catching the wasps one by one," he remarked.



"There's no use trying to swat one wasp with a wisp of straw. A wise man would pour a kettle of hot water down the hole and scuttle the lot. That's what we've got to do. Blast them out of their bloody sheds."
"Red" Mulock of Winnipeg to his C.O., Commander Spenser Grey regarding Zeppelin raids. ref: "The Years of the Sky King" by Arch Whitehouse. pg 78.

[/quote]
* Luring pirates into attacking apparently unarmed ships which then declared themselves as  warships. 
[/quote]

Q- Ships.
There's a good description of them in the Time-Life book, "The U-boats."


----------



## tomahawk6

Obama is treating piracy like a law enforcement issue rather than a national security issue. As a result we are looking pretty ineffective which will only embolden the pirates. The French are on the right track by using special forces to rescue their citizens. Ultimately the pirates wont be stopped until we destroy their bases and boats.


----------



## CougarKing

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Obama is treating piracy like a law enforcement issue rather than a national security issue. As a result we are looking pretty ineffective which will only embolden the pirates. The French are on the right track by using special forces to rescue their citizens. Ultimately the pirates wont be stopped until we destroy their bases and boats.



Mr. T6, please read my post at this thread. There is already a small African Union (AU) Peacekeeping force there that is supporting the Western-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia. They are making some progress in securing and stabilizing the country from local warlords and the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) insurgents, if I can recall correctly. 

Instead of just bombing the pirate havens to kingdom come, which will only solve the problem temporarily since that coastal area remains relatively lawless and more pirates will simply take their place, another more constructive solution would probably be to support that Somali Transitional Government
and the AU who are trying to stabilize the country. The West does not necessarily need to send its own troops there, but should at least continue to be supportive of the African Union trying to stabilize the country- through arms, training, airlift support and financial aid to the TFG, AU, etc- and allow the peoples of that region that to see that they can take charge of their own problems without further Western intervention. A larger AMISOM force there arguably, and a larger Somali government paramilitary force may be able to secure those pirate towns and prevent them from being used as bases from which to attack the shipping lanes further.

Here are other, more recent articles that detail their progress:

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=83880




> *SOMALIA: Ex-insurgents to merge with security forces - minister *
> 
> NAIROBI, 10 April 2009 (IRIN) - In an effort to secure Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, and ensure the population's safety, the recently elected National Unity Government has announced plans to integrate former insurgents into the security forces.
> 
> "We want to make sure the population go about their activities without fear of being attacked or robbed,” Omar Hashi, the Minister of Security, told IRIN on 9 April.
> 
> The effects will be felt within days, Hashi said, beginning with the reorganisation of the security forces.
> 
> "We inherited the TFG [Transitional Federal Government] forces and we are combining them with our own forces [former insurgents]," he said.
> 
> A civil society source in Mogadishu, who requested anonymity, told IRIN there was suspicion and mistrust between the former TFG forces and the former insurgents, who now form the backbone of government security forces.
> 
> The source said the government had to find a way of integrating the two.
> 
> This time, the source said, it may be different. "This government enjoys much more support than any in the past. It is something even those opposed to it have to acknowledge."
> 
> Pockets of calm
> 
> Hassan Mahamud, a local journalist, said Mogadishu residents were enjoying rare calm.
> 
> "The guns, at least the big ones, have been silent for now," he said. "People are returning from the displaced camps and there is hope that things will get better."
> 
> However, Mahamud said many residents were nervous the calm may not last if the government's effort at reconciliation with the opposition did not succeed.
> 
> Hashi said the government was determined to bring stability back to Mogadishu.
> 
> "Mogadishu is our number-one priority," he said. "Our plan is to get full control of the city between 15 to 30 days to allow for the free movement of people."
> 
> Hashi said upon reorganising and retraining the security forces, the government would expand its security programmes to other parts of the country.
> 
> The announcement comes as elders and religious leaders in the city continue their mediation efforts between the government and insurgents.
> 
> Flexibility
> 
> "We are in contact with both sides and we are hopeful that we will find a common ground,” said Mohamed Hassan Haad, chairman of the Hawiye elders' council.
> 
> This is not the first time a new government has said it would secure Mogadishu. Previous administrations have tried and failed.
> 
> The sources said the talks between the government and some insurgent groups were crucial to the plan's success.
> 
> Hashi said the government would "make sure the talks succeed and I am sure the other side does not want to prolong the suffering of the population".
> 
> ah/mw



http://www.kyivpost.com/world/35156




> African Union calls for quick reinforcement of Somalia force
> 9 February, 15:31 | Reuters
> 
> NAIROBI, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A small African Union peacekeeping mission in Mogadishu must be reinforced fast to capitalise on the arrival of a new Somali president, the AU said on Monday.
> 
> 
> Nicolas Bwakira, the AU's special representative for the Horn of Africa nation, said Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's election at United Nations-led talks in Djibouti provided a rare opportunity for peace in the country, which has been at war for 18 years.
> 
> "Now that there is an expanded parliament and a new president, we feel we have to accelerate the implementation of AMISOM activities," Bwakira told Reuters in an interview.
> 
> *The AU force in Mogadishu, AMISOM, currently has about 3,200 soldiers from Uganda and Burundi.*
> 
> Bwakira said the AU would help Ahmed reach out to the warring parties, and would also provide funding to pay the salaries of 2,700 paramilitaries to boost security in the bomb-wrecked city.
> 
> At a news conference at police headquarters in Mogadishu on Monday, Ahmed called for international aid and urged civilians uprooted by two years of fighting to return home.
> 
> Insurgents fired mortar bombs at the presidential palace on Saturday, hours after Ahmed returned to the city after being feted at an AU summit in Ethiopia.
> 
> Bwakira said Uganda and Burundi would deploy two more battalions of 850 men before the end the of month, bringing AMISOM's strength to 5,100 -- although still short of the planned 8,000.
> 
> Nigeria still said it was sending a long-delayed battalion too, but needed logistical support, he said.
> 
> Many countries have been loath to send troops to a nation where two years of fighting has killed more than 16,000 civilians and driven another 1 million from their homes.
> 
> Ahmed was the more moderate of two leaders of a sharia courts group that brought some stability to Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia in 2006, before Washington's main regional ally, Ethiopia, invaded to oust them.
> 
> Ethiopia's military withdrew last month, clearing the way for Ahmed's election in Djibouti a week ago.
> 
> He is opposed by hardline Islamist rebels including the al Shabaab group, which Washington accuses of links to al Qaeda.


----------



## tomahawk6

You cant be serious. :rofl:
Piracy is the only industry that Somalia has at the moment and the AU isnt going to mess with the islamists that have the upper hand in that place. Its pure fiction Cougar that there is a working government in place.


----------



## CougarKing

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> You cant be serious. :rofl:
> Piracy is the only industry that Somalia has at the moment and the AU isnt going to mess with the islamists that have the upper hand in that place. Its pure fiction Cougar that there is a working government in place.



Did you even read those articles? The Somalia Transitional Federal Government is just getting started and they have the support of the AU.


----------



## Old Sweat

CNN has just reported the captain has been released. No other details are available.

Meanwhile the main problem remains.


----------



## JBoyd

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> CNN has just reported the captain has been released. No other details are available.
> 
> Meanwhile the main problem remains.



Updated 4 minutes ago



> *American captain rescued, pirates killed, U.S. official says*
> 
> (CNN) -- The captain of the Maersk Alabama was freed Sunday after being held captive since Wednesday by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a senior U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told CNN.
> 
> The official said Capt. Richard Phillips is uninjured and in good condition, and that three of the four pirates were killed. The fourth pirate is in custody. Phillips was taken aboard the USS Bainbridge, a nearby naval warship.
> 
> Earlier Sunday afternoon Maersk Line Limited, owner of the Maersk Alabama, said the U.S. Navy informed the company that it had sighted Phillips in a lifeboat where pirates are holding him.
> 
> Phillips was spotted another time earlier in the day, the Navy said.
> 
> On Saturday, the FBI launched a criminal investigation into the hijacking of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship by Somali pirates, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which is responsible for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region, the officials said.
> 
> The Maersk Alabama reached port in Mombasa, Kenya, on Saturday. Crew members aboard the freed cargo ship described how some of their colleagues attempted to "jump" their pirate captors.
> 
> A scuffle ensued and one of the sailors stabbed a pirate in the hand in the battle to retake the container ship, one of the sailors told CNN.
> 
> Snippets of information are starting to emerge about how the Alabama's crew managed to retake the ship after it was hijacked by pirates Wednesday about 350 miles off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean.
> 
> Crew members smiled broadly as they stood on the ship's deck under the watchful eyes of security teams. Although the crew was kept away from the media, CNN's Stan Grant got close enough to ask crew members what happened after the pirates climbed aboard the ship.
> 
> One crew member said he recalled being awakened around 7 a.m. as the hijacking began. View a timeline of the attack and its aftermath »
> Don't Miss
> 
> * In the Field Blog:  Snippets of fear and bravery
> * Source: Pirates repel sailors attempting to reach captain
> * Ex-crew member: Captain prepared for pirate attack
> * WPVI:  Crew member's fiancee: 'Feels like a dream'
> 
> "I was scared," Grant quoted the man as saying.
> 
> Some of the crew managed to hide in a secure part of the Alabama as the pirates stormed the ship, the sailor said.
> 
> As the sailors described their clash with the pirates, a crew member pointed to one shipmate and said, "This guy is a hero. He and the chief engineer, they took down the pirate. ... He led him down there to the engine room and then they jumped him."
> 
> The shipmate added that he stabbed the pirate's hand and tied him up.
> 
> "Capt. Phillips is a hero," another crew member shouted from the deck of the freed ship.
> 
> Since Phillips was captured Wednesday, the destroyer USS Bainbridge has been in the area of the lifeboat, trying to free him.
> 
> An attempt by Phillips to escape from the 28-foot covered lifeboat was thwarted by a pirate, who dove into the Indian Ocean after him. Phillips' captors appear to have tied him up afterward, Pentagon officials said.
> advertisement
> 
> The Alabama resumed its course on Thursday for Mombasa, its original destination, carrying food aid and an armed 18-person security detail.
> 
> Maersk president and CEO John Reinhart told reporters Saturday that the crew will stay on board in Mombasa while the FBI conducts an investigation.



Source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html


----------



## tomahawk6

Evidently he jumped out of the lifeboat which gave the opportunity to the shooters to take the pirates out. The fourth pirate was on the Bainbridge as a negotiator.






"We can't all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by." 
Will Rogers


----------



## Old Sweat

Here is the link to the story on CTV.CA. The comments are interesting as there is almost 100% support for the US action as opposed to buying the captain's freedom and allowing the pirates to escape.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090412/pirate_standoff_090412/20090412?hub=TopStories


----------



## NL_engineer

The US Navy spokesman (on CNN Now) said that the pirates were shot from the USS Bainbridge.  The stories that the Captain jumped out of the boat doesn't seem to be true.


----------



## tomahawk6

The SEALs were inserted by C-130 at night 36 hours before the conclusion of the incident. They and their boats dropped into the ocean and then made a stealth approach to the Bainbridge. I give the skipper all of the credit and little to Obama. Obama didnt order a rescue,rather he authorized action if it was needed to preserve the life of Captain Phillips.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse

T-6, that takes a pretty sharp axe to split that hair, IMO.


----------



## tomahawk6

I know that Bruce. No different than the rules a SWAT team operates under. When things go well the man at the top gets the credit - unless you are George W.


----------



## Yrys

Same subject (rescue of Captain), others articles on BBC News :

US captain rescued from pirates

US Navy on captain's rescue (2 min 21 audio file)

HEAR ALSO on the Navy link

    * Family 'relieved' at captain's release (00.34)
    * Captain 'leader of men' says CEO (01.36)
    * Crew delighted by captain's rescue (00.37)
    * Captain's courage praised (00.48)


How Captain Phillips was rescued

US officials have been giving details about how Captain Richard Phillips was freed, 
in an operation which left three of the pirates who seized him dead.

US Navy spokesman Vice-Adm William Gortney said the pirates were shot because 
Capt Phillips' life appeared in "imminent danger". Snipers on a nearby US warship 
observed a pirate was pointing a gun at the captain's back, and decided to fire.
Capt Phillips was not hurt in the gunfire which killed the pirates.

At the time of the operations, a fourth pirate was on board the warship, the USS 
Bainbridge, which was tracking the lifeboat in which the captain was being held. 
He was taken into military custody.

*Tied up*

Capt Phillips had been held hostage in the lifeboat since Wednesday, when pirates 
attacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama. He had agreed to become a hostage so that 
his crew could go free, the crew said. US officials said he had been kept tied up in 
the lifeboat.

Negotiations involving Somali elders had been going on throughout Sunday to secure 
the captain's release, and one of the pirates was taking part in the talks on board the 
USS Bainbridge. Vice-Adm Gortney said the pirates were armed with AK-47 assault 
rifles and small-calibre pistols.

US President Barack Obama had given clear orders to shoot if Capt Phillips' life was 
in danger, he said. Snipers determined that one of the pirates had trained an AK-47 
on the captain and seemed about to fire, Vice-Adm Gortney added. The snipers fired 
on the pirates for several minutes. Capt Phillips was unhurt despite being just a few 
metres away from his captors during the shooting. He was then taken on board the 
Bainbridge, and later moved to the USS Boxer where he underwent a medical 
examination.


----------



## Snakedoc

BZ to the SEAL team and glad this incident ended with Capt. Phillips alive.


----------



## Yrys

Lessons From the Barbary Pirate Wars(200 years ago), NY Times 

Rescue Fuels Debate Over Arming Crews,April 12 2009 , NY Times

Somali Pirates Seize Five Ships in 48 Hours, April 6 2009, NY Times

Piracy at Sea, April 8 2009, NY Times

WITNESS: "Hi, is that the Somali pirates?", April 12 2009, Reuters



> Often, though, the pirates are friendly and helpful, though they detest use of the p-word.
> "We never kill people. We are Muslims. We are marines, coastguards -- not pirates," one said.



Rewards of buccaneering far outweigh the risks for Somali pirates, April 13 2009, The Times


Same subject (rescue of Captain), other article on NY Times :

In Rescue of Captain, Navy Kills 3 Pirates






_Crew members of the Maersk Alabama celebrated after hearing that their captain, 
who had been held hostage by Somali pirates, had been rescued._

...
Just after dark on Sunday, snipers on the U.S.S. Bainbridge saw that one of the pirates 
was pointing an automatic rifle at Captain Phillips, and that the captors’ heads and 
shoulders were exposed from the capsule-like lifeboat. President Obama had previously 
authorized the use of force if the commander on the scene believed the captain’s life was 
in danger, so they fired, Admiral Gortney said. The lifeboat was about 100 feet from the 
Bainbridge when the shots were fired, a little after 7 p.m. Somalia time (seven hours 
ahead of Eastern time). The vice admiral said he did not know Captain Phillips’s location 
at the time the shots were fired, but given the length of the lifeboat, he was less than 18 
feet from the snipers’ targets.

Captain Phillips was pulled out of the water — details were not clear on whether he had 
jumped in — and was transported to the Bainbridge, where sailors delivered him a note 
from his wife, Andrea. “Your family is saving a chocolate Easter egg for you,” she wrote, 
according to Vice Admiral Gortney. “Unless your son eats it first.”





_Richard Phillips, right, the captain of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship Maersk Alabama, 
after his rescue on Sunday with Cmdr. Frank Castellano, the commanding officer 
of the Navy destroyer Bainbridge._

According to John Reinhart, the Maersk Line president and chief executive, Mr. Phillips told 
him by telephone: “I’m just the byline. The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who 
have brought me home.” President Obama, making his first comments on the situation, 
praised Mr. Phillips’s “selfless concern for his crew,” who had been freed when the captain 
let pirates take him off his cargo ship. “His courage is a model for all Americans,” 
Mr. Obama said.

But American officials acknowledged that the deadly ending of this incident, which began 
on Wednesday, could lead to more confrontations with Somali pirates, who are currently 
holding more than 200 hostages. “This could escalate violence in this part of the world,” 
Vice Admiral Gortney said. Mr. Obama added that the United States needs help from other 
countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable, The Associated
Press reported.

Only three of the original four captors were in the lifeboat when Mr. Phillips was rescued.
Admiral Gortney said that a small Navy vessel had made multiple trips back and forth 
between the Bainbridge and the lifeboat, carrying food and water to Captain Phillips and 
the pirates and delivering clean clothes to the captain.

On Saturday night, the Navy fired warning shots at the lifeboat, followed by a brief exchange 
of fire, the official said. Hours afterward, the one pirate who was reportedly injured boarded 
the supply boat and surrendered to Navy personnel. Around the same time, the Navy managed 
to attach a line to the lifeboat and began towing it away from shore. Mr. Phillips was being 
held in a covered part at the back of the lifeboat, the official said, and one pirate typically 
stayed with him under cover. The lifeboat had gotten as close as 20 miles to shore, drifting 
after running out of fuel, off Gara’ad, Somalia.

In Somalia, Abdirahman Muhammad Faroole, president of the Puntland region, where some 
of the pirates were thought to be from, said that on Sunday afternoon, American officials 
whom he’d been talking to throughout the crisis abruptly told him to stop pursuing negotiations 
with tribal elders affiliated with the pirates. Mr. Faroole was told the Americans “had another 
action,” and said it was no longer necessary for him to work with the elders, he said.

The Justice Department will be reviewing evidence to decide whether charges will be 
brought against the surviving pirate, a Justice Department official told CNN.

In Underhill, Vt., Captain Phillips’s hometown, Alison McColl, a Maersk official assigned 
to Mr. Phillips's family, said, “This is truly a very happy Easter for the Phillips family.” 
“Andrea and Richard have spoken and you can imagine their joy and what a happy moment 
it was for them,” Ms. McColl said. Some drivers going by the Phillips household were 
honking their horns as they drove by out of support and happiness.

One of the Phillips’s next door neighbors, Becky Tierney, age 31, closed her eyes as she 
expressed relief about Mr. Phillips’ fate. “We are so glad that he is safe and we are so glad 
that this is over," she said. "This town has never been through anything like this, not even 
close.

The pirates — allegedly demanding $2 million in ransom — seized Mr. Phillips on Wednesday 
and escaped the cargo ship in a motorized lifeboat. A standoff between the pirates and the 
United States Navy then ensued until Saturday when negotiations between American officials 
and the pirates broke down, according to Somali officials, after the Americans insisted that 
the pirates be arrested and a group of elders representing the pirates refused.

The negotiations broke down hours after the pirates fired on a small United States Navy vessel 
that had tried to approach the lifeboat not long after sunrise Saturday in the Indian Ocean. The 
Maersk Alabama, a 17,000-ton cargo vessel, pulled into port at 8:30 Saturday evening in Mombasa, 
Kenya, with its 19 remaining American crew members. “The crew was really challenged with the 
order to leave Richard behind. But as a mariners they took the orders to preserve the ship,” said 
Mr. Reinhart, President of Maersk. When the crew members heard that their captain had been freed, 
they placed an American flag over the rail of the top of the ship. They whistled and pumped their 
fists in the air, The Associated Press reported.

More than 250 hostages are being held by various Somalian pirate groups, including the 16 crew 
members of an Italian tugboat captured on Saturday. *One pirate* named Ali, in Galkaiyo, Somalia, 
*said* the American Navy rescue won’t discourage other Somali pirate groups at all. “*As long as there 
is no just government in Somalia, we will still be the coast guard*,” he said, adding: “If we get an 
American, we will take revenge.”

_Reporting was contributed by Scott Shane and Mark Mazzetti in Washington, Serge F. Kovaleski 
from Underhill, Vt.; and employees of The New York Times from Somalia._


----------



## George Wallace

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Did you even read those articles? The Somalia Transitional Federal Government is just getting started and they have the support of the AU.



I must be listening to different news than you.  It seems that all the major news outlets are carrying statements like this:

CNN on Somoli Pirate situation:


> CNN reporter Stan Grant said Sunday that in the last year alone, Somali pirates have been able to net tens of millions of dollars by capturing cargo and other vessels off the Somali coast and demanding high ransom payments for hostages.
> 
> Rebel factions have battled for control of the country since that time, and it is within that lawlessness that the pirates are able to operate.
> 
> Somali pirates are relatively free to conduct such activity with little fear of retribution, Grant told CTV Newsnet, because Somalia has been without a central government since 1991.


----------



## Yrys

George Wallace said:
			
		

> I must be listening to different news than you.



Probably same as mine.

From Piracy at Sea ( April 8 2009, NY Times) :



> Somali officials said piracy started about 10 to 15 years ago as a response to illegal fishing.
> The country's tuna-rich waters were plundered by commercial fishing fleets soon after its government
> collapsed in 1991. Somali fishermen turned into armed vigilantes, confronting fishing boats and
> demanding they pay a tax. In 2008, more than 120 pirate attacks occurred in the Gulf of Aden,
> far more than in any other year in recent memory. Experts said the Somali pirates netted more than
> $100 million, an astronomical sum for a war-racked country whose economy is in tatters.



From Rescue Fuels Debate Over Arming Crews (April 12 2009 , NY Times) :



> John S. Burnett, who was himself attacked by pirates in 1992 and wrote the book “Dangerous
> Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas,” said piracy currently poses an irresistible
> economic temptation to Somali fishermen, increasing their earnings from perhaps $50 a month
> to many thousands of dollars.
> 
> “Poor fishermen know now that hijacking ships is far more lucrative than hauling up a half-empty fishing net,” Mr. Burnett said in a telephone interview from Zurich. The Internet, he said, has
> ensured that word of the success of some pirates in collecting large ransoms has spread to the
> entire fishing community, whose livelihood has already been threatened by overfishing.



From Rewards of buccaneering far outweigh the risks for Somali pirates (April 13 2009, The Times) :



> Life is cheap in a war-ravaged country, devastated by two decades of civil war,
> where warlords and Islamist militias hold sway. The fastest way to a job is to own an AK47,
> the only qualification needed to join one of the armed gangs that run protection rackets and
> man roadblocks.
> 
> Putting to sea offers a much better wage than the $10 or so a day a militiaman might earn.
> More than $3 million each has been paid out for two of the pirate’s biggest prizes in recent
> months, making the rewards far outweigh the risks.



I don't see how a stable government overthere would be able to bring earnings from the actual 
50$ a month to the levels these people have from piracy without the actual illegality ...
(not sure if I'm clearly expressing myself here)


----------



## CougarKing

_The lifeboat that Maersk-Alabama captain Richard Phillips is held hostage in is seen in this U.S. Navy handout photograph taken by the Scan Eagle UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) taken April 9, 2009 over the Indian Ocean. Phillips was freed from captivity at the hands of Somali pirates in a dramatic ending to a five-day standoff with American naval forces, the U.S. Navy said on April 12, 2009. REUTERS/Official U.S. Navy photo/Handout (SOMALIA MILITARY CONFLICT SOCIETY IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)_






_This image provided by the U.S. Navy taken from video shows the container ship Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, April 9, 2009. The freighter's Capt. Richard Phillips was taken hostage Wednesday by pirates who tried to hijack the U.S.-flagged vessel. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)_






_This image provided by the U.S. Navy taken from video made with an unmanned aerial vehicle shows the USS Bainbridge approaching a 28-foot lifeboat, bottom right, from the U.S.-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama on Thursday, April 9, 2009 in the Indian Ocean. According to the Navy, the cargo ship's Capt. Richard Phillips was being held by Somali pirates aboard the lifeboat when this video was made. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy)_






_A member of a special Navy escort walks down a stairway of the US merchant ship Maersk Alabama at a dock in the Kenyan coastal city port of Mombasa. US forces rescued an American container ship captain held by Somali pirates in an operation in which three pirates were killed, according to the US Navy.
(AFP/Roberto Schmidt)_






_Maersk-Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips ® stands alongside Cmdr. Frank Castellano, commanding officer of USS Bainbridge after being rescued by US Naval Forces off the coast of Somalia. Phillips was held hostage for five days by pirates.
(AFP/US Navy)_






_In this image made from video provided by the U.S. Navy, Maersk Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips, right, is welcomed aboard the USS Bainbridge on Sunday, April 12, 2009 after being rescued by U.S. naval forces off the coast of Somalia. Philips was held hostage for four days by pirates.
(AP Photo/U.S. Navy)_


----------



## CougarKing

George Wallace said:
			
		

> I must be listening to different news than you.  It seems that all the major news outlets are carrying statements like this:
> 
> CNN on Somoli Pirate situation:



On researching further, I found that the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia was actually forced into exile in Djibouti just last January when Islamic opposition forces retook the city of Baidoa from them, as detailed in the article excerpt below, although the African Union Peacekeeping force that supposedly supported it is still in Somalia. I never disputed that there is still much anarchy in Somalia since the 1990s which allowed the pirates to operate today; however, I still assert that during the short time the Ethiopian Army was in Somalia since 2007, before they withdrew, the Somali Transitional Federal Government had the breathing room to get started in the few areas of the country that the Ethiopian forces occupied. They obviously can't exercise much control while in exile now in Djibouti.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99995400



> *Somali Government In Exile; Islamists Take Over*
> by Gwen Thompkins
> 
> Morning Edition, January 29, 2009  · Somalia hasn't had a functioning government since 1991, but this week, the transitional government collapsed completely. A group of radical Islamist fighters overran the seat of government in the town of Baidoa and declared Shariah law.
> 
> Somali government leaders are gathered in the neighboring country of Djibouti. If they want to return to Somalia, chances are they will have to fight their way in.
> 
> The exiled leaders plan to choose a new president in the coming days, but Musa Jama, a Somali textile trader, says he's not optimistic.
> 
> Musa was a supporter of the last president of the transitional government, Abdullahi Yusuf. Two years ago, Yusuf arrived in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, in triumph — courtesy of the Ethiopian army. The Ethiopians had broken an Islamist movement that briefly controlled Somalia's capital and much of southern Somalia.
> 
> Today, nearly all of the government's territory is in the hands of an Islamist insurgent group called al-Shabab. The Ethiopians have pulled out. Yusuf is gone.
> 
> Ali Said Omar, who directs the Center for Peace and Democracy in south-central Somalia, says he thinks all Somalis are waiting to see what will come out of Djibouti.
> 
> "That's the only hope we have now," he says. "And, if that fails, it's like the Shabab will rule Somalia."
> 
> A Growing Movement
> 
> Ali says he left Mogadishu for good last year when he got caught in gunfire outside a mosque. If the insurgency has taught the world anything, he says, it's that Islamist leadership in Somalia is a sign of the times.
> 
> After all, Somalia is a Muslim nation and there has been a popular Islamist movement toward a more conservative read of the Quran. Islamists credit themselves with getting the unpopular Ethiopian army to quit Somalia. That's probably why Somalia's internationally backed government is reinventing itself.
> 
> In Djibouti, government leaders have nearly doubled the size of their parliament to include moderate Islamists. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a moderate, is now favored to become the next president. But Ali says it's unclear whether any moderate can lead all the disparate clans of Somalia.
> 
> "Many things will depend on the first message that president releases. If it becomes a message of unity, a message of hope — like Obama did in America, you know — if it becomes like that message, then everybody will say, 'We need a government,'" Ali says.
> 
> Many Groups At Odds
> 
> And yet, muscling back into Somalia may prove impossible. The government has al-Shabab to contend with — a group the U.S. says has ties to al-Qaida.
> 
> But al-Shabab reportedly has its own problems. There is said to be dissension in the ranks, as not all who fight say they are properly compensated. And Ali says there aren't enough Shabab fighters to govern all of Somalia. In most of the places it conquers, the militia leaves only a few people around to collect money from local businesses.
> 
> Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the United Nations special representative for Somalia, says the Shabab don't know how to live in peace. But he also says there are many other groups doing battle in Somalia.
> 
> "The violence we have now in Somalia, what violence is it? Is it political? Is it religious? Is it business? Because the conflict has been so long it is very difficult to pin [down]," he said recently.
> 
> What's more, there's no guarantee that any group will ever take the biggest prize of all: Mogadishu. Somalia's capital is dominated by powerful clans that have their own militias. Moderate Islamists also keep fighters there. And Mogadishu's big business owners, like those who run the nation's multimillion-dollar telecommunications and money transfer industries, employ hired guns.



And another link which confirms AMISOM's mandate there had been extended. Still, their role and presence  there now seems questionable, especially since the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia they were supposed to support is now in exile in Djibouti. And since AMISOM's number of troops had been described in an 2nd article excerpt of my post about this on the previous page, as not large enough to stabilize the country.

http://www.operationspaix.net/spip.php?page=chronologie&id_mot=458&date=2009/03



> 12 mars 2009
> Le Conseil de paix et de sécurité de l’UA (CPS) a prorogé hier de trois mois le mandat de l’AMISOM. L’ambassadeur du Bénin au CPS, Edouard Aho-Glélé, a indiqué que l’organe a aussi « décidé de demander au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU de lever l’embargo sur les armes en faveur du gouvernement de transition afin qu’il puisse s’équiper et assurer les besoins sécuritaires du pays ». Le CPS a également souhaité des troupes supplémentaires pour la force africaine.


----------



## Yrys

*BREAKING NEWS*:

Somali insurgents fire mortars at the plane of a US congressman visiting Mogadishu

_No further informations from  http://news.bbc.co.uk/ at the moment._

Mod : They have now post this article :

 US politician targeted in Somalia





_Donald Payne was escorted by 
African Union peacekeepers_

A US congressman has had a narrow escape on a visit to Mogadishu after Somali insurgents 
fired mortars towards his plane as it was about to take off. Airport officials told the BBC one 
mortar had landed at the airport as Donald Payne's plane was due to fly and five others after 
his plane departed.

Mr Payne had just met leaders of Somalia's government in the capital. He had discussed 
ways that the international community might be able to help war-torn Somalia.

The BBC's Mohammed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu says Mr Payne had just held a half-hour 
news conference at the presidential palace in the capital when the attack happened, according 
to airport officials.

Abukar Hassan, a police officer at Mogadishu airport, told Reuters news agency: "One mortar 
landed at the airport when Payne's plane was due to fly and five others after he left and no-one 
was hurt." Three people were wounded when one of the mortars hit a nearby neighbourhood, 
residents told Reuters.

Mr Payne had met President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid 
Ali Sharmarke, among other Somali officials. The New Jersey Democrat said it was his first 
visit to Somalia since the early 1990s, when the country last had a stable government.

*Fragile government*

During his brief stop in one of the world's most dangerous cities, Mr Payne was escorted by 
African Union (AU) soldiers, who are deployed in Somalia on a peacekeeping mission. Radical 
Islamist guerrillas committed to toppling the fragile transitional federal government control 
parts of the capital and much of central and southern Somalia.

Seventy-four-year-old Mr Payne is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's 
subcommittee on Africa and global health and a former head of the Congressional Black Caucus. 
The former top US diplomat for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, became the first high-ranking American 
official to visit Somalia in more than a decade when she landed in Baidoa in 2007, but the security 
situation kept her from visiting Mogadishu.

US foreign policy on the Horn of Africa nation has been overshadowed by the killing of 18 US 
soldiers in Mogadishu in 1993.

Somalia, a country of about eight million people, has not had a functioning national government 
since warlords overthrew President Siad Barre in 1991 and then turned on each other.


----------



## Yrys

US crew urge Obama to end piracy

American crew members of a ship that was at the centre of a hostage drama have urged 
US President Barack Obama to end the "crisis" of Somali piracy. In an emotional news 
conference in Kenya, second-in-command Shane Murphy also paid tribute to their captain.

Captain Richard Phillips was rescued when American naval snipers opened fire on the 
pirates holding him in a lifeboat, killing three outright. Mr Obama directly authorised 
Sunday's operation off Somalia's coast. Capt Phillips is now resting after his five days 
of captivity as he is de-briefed aboard a US navy ship, the USS Boxer.

A fourth pirate, who was on board another American vessel negotiating with US officials 
when the captain was rescued, is in US custody. The pirates hijacked Capt Phillips' ship, 
the Maersk Alabama, which was carrying food aid, in the Indian Ocean last Wednesday.

Capt Phillips told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin and surrendered himself to 
safeguard his men. He was then taken hostage in an enclosed lifeboat that was soon 
shadowed by US warships and a helicopter.

At a news conference on Monday in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, the Maersk Alabama's 
19 crew thanked the US Navy for rescuing them and paid tribute to the courage of their 
captain. Chief mate Mr Murphy, 33, said: "Everyone you see here today has the captain
 to thank for their lives and their freedom but additionally it was an entire crew-wide 
effort." He added: "We'd like to implore President Obama to use all of his resources to 
increase the commitment to end the Somali pirate scourge… It's a crisis." 

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in Mombasa says the one remaining question surrounding the Maersk 
Alabama is how its crew of merchant seamen managed to fight off Somali pirates equipped 
with AK-47s. The crew refused to provide an answer because they said the techniques they 
used were being kept secret to help other ships resist pirate attack.

Earlier Mr Obama said Capt Phillips' courage was a "model for all Americans" and that he was 
resolved to deal with the threat of piracy in the region.

Capt Phillips has spoken to his wife and family back in the US and is said to be looking forward 
to celebrating Easter when he gets home. He tried to escape on Thursday night by diving into 
the sea but was recaptured by the pirates.

A day after negotiations with the gang broke down, snipers opened fire on Sunday from a nearby 
warship as a pirate pointed a gun at the captive, the navy said. After the pirates were shot, navy 
personnel sailed to the lifeboat and released Capt Phillips, whom they found tied up inside.

The ship's owner, Maersk Line Ltd, has also praised the captain's behaviour. Chief executive John 
Reinhart said Capt Phillips had told him: "I'm just the byline, the heroes are the Navy Seals who 
brought me home."

In Eyl, a pirate stronghold on the Somali coast, one pirate chief reportedly threatened revenge 
against Americans. "We will intensify our attacks even reaching very far away from Somalia waters, 
and next time we get American citizens... they [should] expect no mercy from us," Abdi Garad told 
the Associated Press by telephone.

Four French citizens, including a three-year-old boy, were freed aboard a yacht by French troops on 
Friday. The yacht's owner, Florent Lemacon, was killed during the operation by French special forces, 
along with two pirates.

On Saturday, pirates hijacked a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden. The Buccaneer has 16 crew members on 
board, 10 of them Italians.


*REACTION TO CAPT PHILLIPS' RESCUE*

The sniper operation Sunday, with pirate guns aimed at Phillips, was a daring, high-stakes gambit, 
and it could have easily gone awry. If it had, the fallout would have probably landed hardest on 
Obama.

_Jennifer Loven, Associated Press_


The result - a dramatic and successful rescue operation by US Special Operations forces - left Obama
with an early victory that could help build confidence in his ability to direct military actions abroad.

_Michael D Shear, Washington Post_


A spate of attacks on ships off Somalia and the rescue Sunday of an American captain held hostage 
by pirates have reinvigorated a long-simmering debate over whether the crews of commercial vessels
should be armed.

_Keith Bradsher, New York Times_


For Phillips captaining a ship turned out to mean more than safely manoeuvering around shallow shoals
or managing a crew. It meant taking on the pirates who dared for the first time in centuries to attack
an American-flagged ship.

_Stephanie S Garlow, GlobalPost.com_


----------



## Yrys

Obama Signals More Active Response to Piracy Threat





_Crew members of Maersk Alabama arrived to talk to media at the dock 
in the port of Mombasa, Kenya Monday._

WASHINGTON — President Obama vowed on Monday to “halt the rise of piracy” off the coast of Africa,
foreshadowing a longer and potentially more treacherous struggle to come, a day after Navy snipers 
rescued an American merchant-ship captain held hostage on the Indian Ocean.

Mr. Obama, making his first live comments since the rescue Sunday, told an audience at the 
Transportation Department that he was “very proud” of the United States military and other 
agencies that responded to the hostage-taking. And he hailed the captain, Richard Phillips, 
for his “courage and leadership and selfless concern for his crew.”

Mr. Obama’s decision to permit Navy Seals to shoot the pirates holding Captain Phillips, if that 
became necessary to save his life, was the first known order by the new president authorizing 
deadly force in a specific situation. For Mr. Obama, the episode ended successfully with the 
precision takedown of three pirates with three bullets and the recovery of Captain Phillips g
enerally unharmed.

But the operation on the waters off the Horn of Africa may presage a more complicated challenge 
for a president already trying to end a war in Iraq and win another in Afghanistan. Somali pirates 
have vowed to take revenge on Americans, and they have demonstrated in recent months their 
ability to seize ships from all sorts of countries with impunity. Even now, pirates in Somalia are 
holding more than 200 hostages from countries other than the United States.

“I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region,” Mr. Obama said.
“And to achieve that goal, we’re going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future 
attacks. We have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise. And we have to ensure 
that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes.”

The president’s remarks came as an American congressman reportedly escaped an attack in Somalia.
...

Back in Washington, Mr. Payne’s Senate counterpart, Senator Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat 
and chairman of the Senate’s subcommittee on African affairs, said the United States government 
needs to develop a “comprehensive strategy” to help Somalia stabilize and fight piracy. “For years, 
Somalia’s growing instability was neglected by the Bush administration and the international 
community,” Mr. Feingold said in a statement. “The new administration must not make the same 
mistake.”

On a more visceral level, the rescue of Captain Phillips led to jubilation from his crew, relief from 
his family and vows of bitter revenge from Somali pirates.
...

Saying they felt lucky to be alive, the crew paid tribute on Monday to the courage of their captain,
thanked the Navy for helping them and called on President Obama to do more to stamp out piracy 
near the Horn of Africa, where a dozen other ships with more than 200 crew members are being 
held for ransom now, according to the Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau.
...

While the outcome of the standoff over Captain Phillips on the lifeboat was a triumph for America, 
officials in many countries plagued by pirates said that it was not likely to discourage them. In 
Somalia itself, other pirates reacted angrily to news of the rescue, and some said they would 
avenge the deaths of their colleagues by killing Americans in sea hijackings to come.

“Every country will be treated the way it treats us,” Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding a 
Greek ship anchored in the pirate den of Gaan, a central Somali town, was quoted by The Associated 
Press as saying in a telephone interview. “In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying.”

Pirates have also vowed violent revenge against French ships and sailors after French commandos 
stormed a private yacht seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, an action inn which two pirates
and one hostage died while four hostages were freed and three pirates captured. “The French and the 
Americans will regret starting this killing,” a pirate identified only as Hussein told Reuters by satellite 
telephone on Monday. “We do not kill, but take only ransom. We shall do something to anyone we see 
as French or American from now.”

*The rescue of Captain Phillips required just three remarkable shots* — one each by snipers firing
from a distance, using night-vision scopes, according to Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of 
American naval forces in the region. Within minutes, rescuers slid down ropes from the Bainbridge, 
climbed aboard the lifeboat and found the three pirates dead. They then untied Captain Phillips, ending 
the contretemps at sea that had riveted much of the world’s attention.

The Navy Seals acted with President Obama’s authorization and in the belief that Captain Phillips was 
in imminent danger of being killed, the officials said. Two of the captors had poked their heads out of 
a rear hatch of the lifeboat, exposing themselves to clear shots, and the third could be seen through 
a window in the bow, pointing an automatic rifle at the captain, who was tied up inside the 18-foot 
lifeboat, they said.

Shortly after his rescue, Captain Phillips, 53, was taken aboard the Bainbridge, underwent a medical 
exam and was found to be in relatively good condition. He called home and was flown to the U.S.S. 
Boxer, an amphibious assault ship also off the Somali coast. After being debriefed about the episode, 
the captain was expected to return to the United States and his home in Underhill, Vt., perhaps by 
Tuesday.
...

When four pirates attacked the ship on Wednesday, the crew escaped harm after the captain offered 
himself as a hostage. Over the ensuing days, according to official accounts of the episode, the pirates 
demanded $2 million in ransom for the captain’s life and made repeated threats to kill him as their 
motorized lifeboat moved about 30 miles off the Somali coast. It was closely watched by United States
warships and helicopters in an increasingly tense standoff. 

Talks to free the captain began Thursday, with the commander of the Bainbridge communicating with 
the pirates under instructions from F.B.I. hostage negotiators flown to the scene. The pirates 
threatened to kill Captain Phillips if attacked, and the result was tragicomic: the world’s most powerful
navy vs. a lifeboat. Admiral Gortney said in a briefing in Bahrain that despite ransom demands from 
the pirates, the United States had not discussed any ransom and had talked to the pirates only about 
the release of Captain Phillips and the pirates’ surrender.

The Defense Department twice sought Mr. Obama’s permission to use force to rescue Captain Phillips,
most recently on Friday night, senior defense officials said. On Saturday morning, the president 
agreed, they said, if it appeared that the captain’s life was in imminent danger.

By Friday, with several warships within easy reach of the lifeboat, the negotiations had gone nowhere.
Captain Phillips jumped into the sea, but was quickly recaptured. On Saturday, the pirates fired several
shots at a small boat that had approached from the Bainbridge. By the weekend, however, the pirates 
had begun to run out of food, water and fuel. That apparently provided the opening officials were 
hoping for. In briefings, senior officers who spoke anonymously because they had not been authorized
to disclose information said that the pirates agreed to accept food and water. A small craft was used 
to deliver them and it apparently made several trips between the Bainbridge and the lifeboat.

On one trip, one of the four pirates — whose hand had been gashed during the capture of Captain 
Phillips — asked for medical treatment and, in effect surrendering, was taken in the small boat to 
the Bainbridge. Justice Department officials were studying options for his case, including criminal 
charges in the United States or turning him over to Kenya, where dozens of pirates have faced 
prosecution. Three pirates were left on board with Captain Phillips.

Meanwhile, members of the Navy Seals were flown in by fixed-wing aircraft. They parachuted into 
the sea with inflatable boats and were picked up by the Bainbridge. On Sunday, the pirates, their 
fuel gone, were drifting toward the Somali coast. They agreed to accept a tow from the Bainbridge, 
the senior officials said. At first, the towline was 200 feet long, but as darkness gathered and seas 
became rough, the towline was shortened to 100 feet, the officials said. It was unclear if this was 
done with the pirates’ knowledge.

At dusk, a single tracer bullet was seen fired from the lifeboat. The intent was unclear, but it 
ratcheted up the tension and Seal snipers at the stern rail of the Bainbridge fixed night-vision 
scopes to their high-powered rifles, getting ready for action. What they saw was the head and 
shoulders of two of the pirates emerging from the rear hatch of the lifeboat. Through the window 
of the front hatch they saw the third pirate, pointing his AK-47 at the back of Captain Phillips, 
who was seen to be tied up.

That was it: the provocation that fulfilled the president’s order to act only if the captain’s life was 
in imminent danger, and the opportunity of having clear shots at each captor. The order was given.
Senior defense officials, themselves marveling at the skill of the snipers, said each took a target 
and fired one shot.

“This was an incredible team effort,” Admiral Gortney said when it was over. “And I am extremely 
proud of the tireless efforts of all the men and women who made this rescue possible.”


----------



## Yrys

Washington envisage la possibilité de juger un pirate aux ÉU, Agence France-Presse

Washington is thinking about the possibility of judging a pirate in the US

The United States study the possibility of judging on their territory the young presumed pirate 
who surrendered during the liberation by weapons on Sunday of an American captain held as 
hostage off Somalia.

Three of four pirates were killed in exchanges of shot. The fourth, which surrendered, was 
placed in detention and " is treated with humanity ", indicated the American authorities. "The department of Justice continues to examine the proofs and the other questions to determine 
if a judgment could take place in the United States ", indicated a Ministry Spokesman, Dean Boyd.

These pirates who held as hostage five days the American captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, Richard Phillips were from 17 to 19 years old, revealed the American secretary of
Defence Robert Gates, without clarifying the age of the one who was arrested.

If he is less than 18 years old, he could be judged as a minor and see imposing a reduced 
punishment. A hostage taking is potentially punished for the life imprisonment, indicated 
the Ministry of Justice.

If he is not transferred in the United States, agreements exist with Kenya to translate in 
front of the courts of this country of the Somalian pirates raging in the Gulf of Aden.  It is 
the case for seven Somalians presumed pirates, put back(handed) by the German navy to 
the kényane police to judge them for the attack of a German tanker on March 29th.

This decision had been taken on the basis of an agreement concluded between Nairobi and 
the European Union to facilitate the transfer in Somalians' Kenya suspected of piracy.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from a jihadist blogger, finally explaining why the pirates feel compelled to break the law defend their territory  : - full post attached as .pdf



> .... One of the pirate leaders, Sugule Ali, said their motive was “to stop illegal fishing and dumping in our waters … We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits <to be> those who illegally fish and dump in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas”....


----------



## PanaEng

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> This from a jihadist blogger, finally explaining why the pirates feel compelled to break the law defend their territory  : - full post attached as .pdf


I has been documented before as being the reason it started; but it started as simply intercepting fishing boats caught in their waters and demanding a tax which soon escalated to ransom for the boat, then to other boats and ships.


----------



## George Wallace

I think these pirates are in for a very nasty lesson in life and death in the realms of politics and gunboat diplomacy.  If they do start taking 'revenge' on any of their hostages, they may not like the response to eradicate them permanently.


----------



## NL_engineer

I don't think they will target US flagged ships anymore.


----------



## CougarKing

Apparently even the White House may not have much confidence in the African Union peacekeeping force now in Somalia, called AMISOM, which was supporting the efforts of the Somali Transitional Government (in exile in 
Djibouti), as mentioned
above and in the previous page. 

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aYhvgOfyTmYA




> *U.S. Military Considers Attacks on Somali Pirates’ Land Bases *
> 
> By Jeff Bliss
> 
> 
> April 13 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. military is considering attacks on pirate bases on land and aid for the Somali people to help stem ship hijackings off Africa’s east coast, defense officials said.
> 
> The military also is drawing up proposals to aid the fledgling Somalia government to train security forces and develop its own coast guard, said the officials, who requested anonymity. The plans will be presented to the Obama administration as it considers a coordinated U.S. government and international response to piracy, the officials said.
> 
> The effort follows the freeing yesterday of Richard Phillips, a U.S. cargo ship captain held hostage since April 8 by Somali pirates. Security analysts said making shipping lanes safe would require disrupting the pirates’ support network on land.
> 
> “There really isn’t a silver-bullet solution other than going into Somalia and rooting out the bases” of the pirates, said James Carafano, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based group.
> 
> In 1992, under then-President George H.W. Bush, U.S. forces that landed in Somalia to confront widespread starvation found themselves in the middle of a civil war. Forty-two Americans died before former President Bill Clinton pulled out the troops in 1994.
> 
> No such broad military effort is being seriously considered now, the defense officials said.
> 
> Need for Somali Support
> 
> The defense officials cautioned that any actions, whether diplomatic or military, would need the support of the Somali people, who are traditionally suspicious of foreign intervention.
> 
> President Barack Obama, who gave permission for the military operation to free Phillips yesterday, is coordinating the U.S. response to piracy with other countries and the shipping industry to reduce vessels’ vulnerability to attack, boost operations to foil attacks and prosecute any captured suspects, said a senior administration official.
> 
> The administration official, who requested anonymity, declined to provide further details.
> 
> U.S. officials said the goal of a response to the piracy problem would be to encourage Somalis to help clamp down on lawlessness and to ease poverty, an outgrowth of 18 years without a strong central government.
> 
> ‘One Symptom’
> 
> “Piracy is one symptom of the difficult situation in Somalia,” said Laura Tischler, a State Department spokeswoman.
> 
> Under discussion are ways to send more direct food and agricultural aid to the country, the defense officials said.
> 
> The U.S. military’s African Command, or Africom, could lead the land-based effort. Unlike other commands, Africom doesn’t have large military units. It also has only one permanent base, in Djibouti. The staff of Africom is half civilian and half military personnel and includes representatives from the Departments of State, Treasury and Health and Human Services.
> 
> Any U.S. actions on the seas may be coordinated by the Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.
> 
> Also, efforts to ferret out pirates may be jointly conducted with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the defense official said.
> 
> Joint Partnerships
> 
> The U.S. has used a similar partnership between the military and law enforcement to fight drug cartels in South and Central America.
> 
> U.S. action would come as new approaches to fight piracy have emerged over the past seven months. In August, countries increased ship escorts and naval patrols around the Gulf of Aden, site of most East African attacks. In December, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed an anti-piracy resolution.
> 
> The UN measure allowed for attacks on pirate land bases and led to the formation of a 28-nation group that has met twice since January to coordinate diplomatic, legal and military efforts.
> 
> In January, the U.S. also signed an agreement with Kenya to prosecute suspected pirates handed over by the U.S. military. The U.S. will try anyone who attempts to hijack U.S. ships or hold U.S. captives, Tischler said.
> 
> Countries should use existing legal codes, such as the Law of the Sea Treaty and Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, to develop a process for prosecuting pirates, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen said.
> 
> ‘Ample Legal Requirements’
> 
> There are “ample legal requirements and jurisdiction to be able to take action against these pirates,” Allen said yesterday on ABC’s “This Week.” “That’s what we should be doing.”
> 
> The Obama administration also is urging shipping companies and international maritime groups to employ private security forces and take steps such as unbolting ladders that pirates could use to board a vessel.
> 
> The U.S. should make sure to involve other countries, international aid organizations and the shipping industry in its plans, security analysts said.
> Lack of coordination has been a major reason for the proliferation of piracy incidents, said Yonah Alexander, director of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies’ International Center for Terrorism Studies, a Washington-based policy group.
> 
> Lack of Strategy
> 
> “Everyone is trying to water their own tree rather than looking at the whole forest,” said Alexander, co-author of the soon-to-be-published “Terror on the High Seas: From Piracy to Strategic Challenge.” “The international community doesn’t have a coherent, holistic strategy to deal with this.”
> 
> Current military efforts have had limited success, security analysts said. In January, the U.S. formed Task Force 151, which uses ships, helicopters and Marine Corps snipers to thwart piracy in the region.
> 
> In February, the task force prevented pirates from seizing two vessels. It also responded to the seizure of Phillips’ vessel, the Maersk Alabama, which is operated by Maersk Line, the Norfolk, Virginia-based U.S. unit of Copenhagen-based A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S.
> 
> About 25 warships from the European Union, the U.S., Turkey, Russia, India and China have concentrated their efforts to protect the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> In response, the pirates have moved south and further out to sea.
> 
> Futility
> 
> The capture of the Maersk Alabama, which was hijacked 500 miles south of the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean, shows the futility of concentrating security forces solely at sea, said Neil Livingstone, chairman and chief executive officer of ExecutiveAction LLC, a Washington-based anti-terrorism consultant for businesses.
> 
> “It’s a massive area,” he said. “You can’t patrol all of it.”
> 
> The region Somali pirates operate in is equal in size to the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined.
> 
> The U.S. should take as its model the 1801 decision by then-President Thomas Jefferson to send a naval force to assault the land bases of Barbary pirates, who were extorting money from U.S. merchant ships off Libya’s coast, security analysts said.
> 
> The pirates eventually succumbed to a mixture of U.S. military and diplomatic pressure.
> 
> Before taking any action, though, the U.S. should come up with a plan so it isn’t caught unprepared like it was during its 1992 Somalia intervention, Carafano said.
> 
> “We need to be a little more thoughtful and rational” this time and develop a detailed strategy, he said.
> 
> To contact the reporter on this story: Jeff Bliss in Washington jbliss@bloomberg.net .
> 
> Last Updated: April 12, 2009 22:20 EDT


----------



## Yrys

Une émission de télé-réalité sur le piratage, Agence France-Presse








The American television channel Spike TV announced on Monday that it prepared a broadcast 
accompanying the American naval forces in actions against the piracy in the gulf of Aden.

This announcement intervenes after the liberation by American Marine of the captain Richard 
Phillips, the prisoner during five days by Somalian pirates on a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean.
Baptized Pirate Hunters: USN, the show will allow to see the "wings" of the operations of 
American Marine "to end the mortal threat of the piracy in the gulf of Aden", indicated Spike 
TV.

The broadcast of a duration of one hour and which will be diffused in the year, will be shot 
aboard the ships USS San Antonio and USS Boxer in the ocean near of the Somalian coast.

The acts of pirating in this region, which reached summits in 2008, multiplied since the last 
ten days in spite of a massive deployment of fleets of several countries.


----------



## Michael OLeary

Let's hope the US doesn't lose any ships this time around.

First Barbary War


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirates capture new ships, BBC News

Somali pirates have hijacked a fourth vessel in 48 hours, seizing a Lebanese-owned cargo ship.
The 5,000-tonne Togo-flagged MV Sea Horse was taken by gunmen in up to four skiffs, Nato 
officials said. Earlier, pirates hijacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier, the MV Irene, in the Gulf 
of Aden. On Monday, Somali raiders captured two Egyptian fishing boats.

Analysts say the gangs are clearly not put off by recent US and French hostage rescues that left 
several bandits dead. 

Somali Pirates Hijack 4 More Ships, NY Times, Filed at 9:16 a.m. ET

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- NATO says Somali pirates have hijacked another cargo ship in the Gulf 
of Aden, the fourth ship seized in the last two days.

NATO spokeswoman Shona Lowe says the Lebanese-owned MV Sea Horse was attacked Tuesday 
off the Somali coast by pirates in three or four speedboats. She had no further details.

Earlier, Somali pirates captured the MV Irene E.M., a Greek-managed bulk carrier sailing from 
the Middle East to South Asia. The Irene was seized in the middle of the night Tuesday -- a rare 
tactic for the pirates.

Somali pirates appear undeterred by U.S. and French attacks that have killed five pirates in the 
past week during hostage rescues, including that of an American sea captain. Pirates have vowed 
to retaliate for the killing of their colleagues.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) -- Undeterred by U.S. and French hostage rescues that killed five bandits, 
Somali pirates brazenly hijacked three more ships in the Gulf of Aden, the waterway at the center 
of the world's fight against piracy. Pirates have vowed to retaliate for the killing of their colleagues 
-- and the top U.S. military officer said Tuesday he takes those comments seriously.

But Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC's ''Good Morning America'' 
that ''we're very well prepared to deal with anything like that.''

The latest trophy for the pirates was the M.V. Irene E.M., a Greek-managed bulk carrier sailing 
from the Middle East to South Asia, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime 
Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. The Irene was attacked and seized in the 
middle of the night Tuesday -- a rare tactic for the pirates.

U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said the Irene 
was flagged in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and carried 23 
Filipino crew. Choong reported a crew of 21, and there was no immediate way to reconcile the 
figures.

A maritime security contractor, speaking on condition of anonymity because it is a sensitive 
security issue, said the ship put out a distress signal ''to say they had a suspicious vessel 
approaching. That rapidly turned into an attack and then a hijacking.'' ''They tried to call in 
support on the emergency channels, but they never got any response,'' the contractor said.

On Monday, Somali pirates also seized two Egyptian fishing boats in the Gulf of Aden off 
Somalia's northern coast, according to Egypt's Foreign Ministry, which said the boats carried 
18 to 24 Egyptians total.

A flotilla of warships from nearly a dozen countries has patrolled the Gulf of Aden and nearby 
Indian Ocean waters for months. They have halted several attacks on ships this year, but say 
the area is so vast they can't stop all hijackings.

Choong said pirate attacks this year had risen to 77, with 18 of those ships hijacked and 16 
vessels with 285 crew still in pirates' hands. Each boat carries the potential of a million-dollar 
ransom.

The latest seizures come after Navy SEAL snipers rescued American ship captain Richard Phillips 
on Sunday by killing three young pirates who held him captive in a drifting lifeboat for five days. 
A fourth pirate surrendered after seeking medical attention for a wound he received in trying to 
take over Phillips' vessel, the Maersk Alabama. Phillips is aboard a Navy vessel at an undisclosed 
location, Christensen said Tuesday. He was initially taken aboard the Norfolk, Va.-based USS 
Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based USS Boxer for a medical exam.

In Washington, President Barack Obama appeared to move the piracy issue higher on his agenda, 
vowing the United States would work with nations around the world to fight the problem. ''I want 
to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region and to achieve that 
goal, we're going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks,'' Obama 
said at a news conference Monday.

The 19 crew members of the Alabama celebrated their skipper's freedom with beer and an evening 
barbecue Monday in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, said crewman Ken Quinn. The vessel's chief mate 
was among those urging strong U.S. action against piracy.

''It's time for us to step in and put an end to this crisis,'' Shane Murphy said. ''It's a crisis. Wake up.''

The U.S. is considering new options to fight piracy, including adding Navy gunships along the Somali 
coastline and launching a campaign to disable pirate ''mother ships,'' according to military officials. 
They spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made yet.

In Burlington, Vt., Phillips' wife, Andrea Phillips thanked Obama, who approved the dramatic sniper 
operation. ''With Richard saved, you all just gave me the best Easter ever,'' she said in a statement.

The four pirates that attacked the Alabama were between 17 and 19 years old, Defense Secretary 
Robert Gates said. ''Untrained teenagers with heavy weapons,'' Gates told students and faculty at 
the Marine Corps War College. ''Everybody in the room knows the consequences of that.''

U.S. officials were now considering whether to bring the fourth pirate, who surrendered shortly 
before the sniper shootings, to the United States or possibly turn him over to Kenya. Both piracy 
and hostage-taking carry life prison sentences under U.S. law.

The French navy late Monday handed over the bodies of two Somali pirates killed in a hostage 
rescue operation last week to authorities in Somali's semiautonomous northern region of Puntland 
and locals buried the bodies.

------

_Jelinek reported from Washington. Associated Press writers who contributed to this report 
include Mohamed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu, Somalia; Michelle Faul, Malkhadir M. Muhumed, 
Tom Maliti and Todd Pitman in Kenya; Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Adam Schreck in 
Manama, Bahrain, Lara Jakes, Anne Gearan and Devlin Barrett in Washington; and John Curran 
in Burlington, Vermont._


----------



## CougarKing

A TV reality show? Seems the next logical media step if they want to cash in on the hype surrounding the pirates.



> Agence France-Presse - 4/13/2009 10:22 PM GMT
> *TV show to follow real-life pirate drama*
> A television reality show will follow US naval units hunting for pirates in the Gulf of Aden, executives said Monday, just a day after navy commandos killed three pirates to free a US captain.
> 
> *The Spike TV show, made in cooperation with the military, will bring "an up-close and behind-the-scenes look at the US Navy operation to end this deadly threat of piracy in the Gulf of Aden," a statement from Spike said. *
> 
> "We are thrilled to be front and center with the navy on such an important mission," said Sharon Levy, a Spike executive, in a statement.
> 
> "The access we have will really give our viewers the kind of heart-stopping action they have come to expect from Spike programming," she said.
> 
> The show, titled "Pirate Hunters: USN" and to air as a one-hour special later this year, will be filmed aboard the USS San Antonio and USS Boxer as they patrol the lawless seas off Somalia.
> 
> The announcement comes on the heels of an all-too-real drama in which navy snipers shot dead three Somali pirates holding hostage a US cargo ship captain, Richard Phillips.
> 
> US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the four hostage-takers were heavily armed but inexperienced youths, aged 17 to 19. A fourth pirate surrendered before the deadly rescue and is in US custody.


----------



## Michael OLeary

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/13/somalia.pirates.revenge/

*Pirates vow to kill U.S., French sailors*



> (CNN) -- Two pirates in Somalia vowed revenge Monday, after the U.S. military killed three pirates and freed a U.S. ship captain who had been held hostage for several days.
> 
> The pirates told a Somali journalist that they were angered by the U.S. action, as well as a French raid Friday that killed two pirates and one hostage and freed four hostages.
> 
> "We have decided to kill U.S. and French sailors if they happen to be among our future hostages," said Abdullahi Ahmed, a member of a pirate group based at Harardhere, a coastal town in central Somalia.



More at link.


----------



## Yrys

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> A TV reality show? Seems the next logical media step if they want to cash in on the hype surrounding the pirates.



http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/67625.630.html

I don't know how they got acces to those ships 
and the permission to film while the Navy will be 
pursuing the pirates, but a one hour show seems 
to me a poor step for the media, with all that they 
could do with that kind of availability of them (Navy).

I would like at least a three part (hours) serie, 
beginning with the formation, and ending with 
the return to home after operations overthere...


----------



## NL_engineer

Well if that is their plan, I can see many of their friends death's when a US ship has an ND or 2 or 10 (ya, that's it) and more of there fellow pirates go to Davie Jones Locker.

With Obama trying to put an end to the Somalia Pirate problem; how long till the US start air/ground raids to the mainland?

I think it will come sooner then later because the naval presence isn't going solve the problem; but a strike on their homeland, and a stable Somali Government (like we well ever see it) will.

I think we should maybe try to stop there commutations (satphones), this can prevent attacks from being coordinated/directed from shore.

just my  :2c:

Edited for spelling


----------



## George Wallace

I know Spell Check couldn't help you much, but there are great differences between there and their, and I am not sure if we should be doing some navel gazing or looking for some naval action.


----------



## NL_engineer

George Wallace said:
			
		

> I know Spell Check couldn't help you much, but there are great differences between there and their, and I am not sure if we should be doing some navel gazing or looking for some naval action.



thanks for reminding my spelling/grammar sucks  :-[


----------



## George Wallace

NL_engineer said:
			
		

> thanks for reminding my spelling/grammar sucks  :-[



It is PER/PDR Season.  Someday, you too will have to put good grammar, spelling and imaginative creative writting to work.   ;D


----------



## NL_engineer

George Wallace said:
			
		

> It is PER/PDR Season.  Someday, you too will have to put good grammar, spelling and imaginative creative writting to work.   ;D



Or I can just do what mine looks like, the same as all other members of my section.  Only difference is name and position in the section  :


----------



## CougarKing

_The guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) tows the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) (in background R) to be processed for evidence after the successful rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia in this picture taken April 13, 2009. Phillips had been held captive by suspected Somali pirates in the lifeboat in the Indian Ocean for five days. Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third on April 14, 2009 in attacks that showed a determination to go on striking at shipping on the region's strategic trade routes. REUTERS/Megan E. Sindelar/U.S. Navy photo/Handout_






_A team from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) tows the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama to Boxer to be processed for evidence after the successful rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia in this picture taken April 13, 2009. Phillips had been held captive by suspected Somali pirates in the lifeboat in the Indian Ocean for five days. Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third on April 14, 2009 in attacks that showed a determination to go on striking at shipping on the region's strategic trade routes. REUTERS/Jon Rasmussen/U.S. Navy photo/Handout_






_RETRANSMITTING TO CORRECT REFERENCE TO NAME TO RICHARD NOT ROBERT - This Monday, April 13, 2009 photo provided by the U.S. Navy on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 shows the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama being hoisted aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer to be processed for evidence after the successful rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips. Phillips was held captive by suspected Somali pirates in the lifeboat in the Indian Ocean for five days after a failed hijacking attempt off the Somali coast. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jon Rasmussen)_






_This Monday, April 13, 2009 photo provided by the U.S. Navy on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 shows the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama being hoisted aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer in the Indian Ocean, to be processed for evidence after the successful rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips. Phillips was held captive by suspected Somali pirates in the lifeboat in the Indian Ocean for five days after a failed hijacking attempt off the Somali coast. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jon Rasmussen)_


----------



## a_majoor

"Broken Windows" applied to piracy and the larger problems of the world. Hopefully a new sherrif will be in town in 2012:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31474



> *Navy Seals: 3, Somali Pirates: 0*
> 
> The good news came on Easter Sunday. All Americans said a prayer of thanks when three eagle-eyed Navy Seals freed American Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates with just three shots.
> 
> By simply doing their job, honorably and effectively, these remarkable men set the right standard for a civilized world.  And give credit to President Obama for authorizing the use of force to protect the captain.
> 
> But are you ready for the bad news?  Here it is: The Seals’ show of strength and leadership was a singular event in a dangerous world.
> 
> In New York In the 1970s, Civilization Was Giving Way to Predators
> 
> Do you remember New York City in the 1970s?  It seems like every other car parked on the street had a sign posted in its window that said:  “No Radio.”
> 
> These “No Radio” signs were a white flag of surrender to the rampant crime that terrorized New York in the 1970s.  They were a signal that the criminals were winning; the ultimate sign of the weakness of civilization in the face of the uncivilized: Predators, aggressors and thieves.
> 
> Much like New York 30 years ago, the world today is full of predators and aggressors constantly testing the limits of what they can get away with.  They prey on the weak and the innocent.  And the signal they are receiving from America and the civilized world is that there are no consequences for their bad behavior.
> 
> Hanging Up a “No Radio” Sign in the International Arena
> 
> We are back to hanging up “No Radio” signs.  And the Somali pirates are just the latest example.
> 
> •    North Korea fires a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear weapon deliberately on the day the President is giving a big speech on nuclear disarmament, and the civilized world wrings it hands and talks about legal conventions.
> •    The Iranian dictatorship cheerfully announces that is has 7,300 centrifuges to make nuclear bombs and nothing happens.
> •    Hamas fires a few more missiles into Israel and everyone ignores it.
> •    Pakistan transfers power to the Taliban in its North West Frontier and the world stands idly by.
> •    There’s a Mexican drug war going on that barely makes the newspapers.
> •    And as Rich Galen points out, there are still approximately 260 hostages being held by Somali pirates.  Two more ships were seized Tuesday.  But you never hear about them because they’re not Americans.
> 
> Strength Works Against Predators -- Weakness Only Invites More Predation
> 
> As mayor, Rudy Giuliani, along with his police commissioner, William Bratton, transformed New York by doing something very simple in conception but very difficult in execution.
> 
> Giuliani and Bratton cleaned up crime in New York by showing that strength works against predatory aggressors.
> 
> Weakness only invites more predatory aggression.
> 
> Mayor Giuliani and Commissioner Bratton were inspired by a theory developed by social scientist James Q. Wilson and criminologist George Kelling called the “broken windows” theory.
> 
> If Criminals Believe There are No Consequences, More (And Worse) Crime Will Follow
> 
> *The Broken Windows theory simply states that if a building has a broken window that is not fixed, the message is sent that no one cares.  Vandals believe there will be no consequences for their bad behavior, and consequently, worse behavior will follow.
> 
> However, fixing the broken window sends a message that people care about their community and are watching, which deters crime.*
> 
> Giuliani and Bratton acted on the insights of the Broken Windows theory to transform New York from one of the most dangerous cities in America to the safest big city in the country by treating minor crimes like vandalism, prostitution, and loitering like broken windows.
> 
> They deployed police to where they were most needed using the CompStat (computer statistics) system.  And instead of tolerating these crimes and showing weakness to criminals and would-be criminals, the police showed strength.  They instituted a “zero tolerance” policy for so-called minor crimes.
> 
> When other criminals witnessed this show of strength, they were deterred.  Citizens, meanwhile, felt safer walking the streets and taking the subway.  They took more responsibility for their neighborhoods and helped make them safer as well.
> 
> In New York, restoring a sense of order to the streets meant that police didn’t have to spend all their time responding to actual crime.  Their show of strength inspired citizens to care more for their own communities and deterred criminals from committing crimes in the first place.
> 
> President Obama Should Take a Lesson from the Wilson, Giuliani, Bratton and Reagan Playbook
> 
> This is a lesson that all those who now dismiss the Somali pirates as “distractions” would do well to learn.
> 
> It’s a lesson that Ronald Reagan, in addition to Mayor Giuliani and Commissioner Bratton, well understood.  As Callista and I tell in our new movie, Rendezvous with Destiny, the time America spent under the presidency of Jimmy Carter was a four-year lesson in the perils of weakness.
> 
> Ronald Reagan moved America from weakness to strength with astounding speed, and the end of the existential threat to America of the 20th century, the Cold War, was the result.
> 
> President Obama should take a page from James Q. Wilson, Rudy Giuliani, William Bratton and Ronald Reagan’s playbook:
> 
> Strength works.  Weakness fails.
> 
> We need a strategy to end piracy.


----------



## OldSolduer

I couldn't agree more Thucydides. 
Its time to take back the night, so to speak.


----------



## CougarKing

A belated update from yesterday.



> *French raid pirate ship, US seeks to freeze assets*
> AP
> 
> By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY and TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writers Elizabeth A. Kennedy And Todd Pitman, Associated Press Writers – 1 min ago
> 
> MOMBASA, Kenya – The U.S. and its allies battled Somalia's pirates on two fronts Wednesday, with French forces seizing a bandit mother ship and Washington seeking to keep the marauders from their spoils. Another U.S. freighter headed to port with armed sailors aboard after pirates damaged it with gunshots and grenades.
> 
> One pirate issued a new threat to "slaughter" Americans, and Tuesday's assault on a second U.S. cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, underscored the outlaws' ability to act with impunity despite international naval operations against them and mounting concern worldwide over how to end the escalating attacks off the Horn of Africa.
> 
> Pirates bombarded the U.S.-flagged Liberty Sun with automatic weapons fire and rocket-propelled grenades, but its American crew of about 20 successfully blockaded themselves in the engine room and warded off the attack with evasive maneuvers.
> 
> The ship, carrying food aid for hungry Africans — including Somalis — was damaged "pretty badly" on its bridge, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record about the ship.
> 
> Windows were blown out and the crew had to put out a small fire, the official said, but they were still able to navigate. By the time the USS Bainbridge arrived five hours later, the pirates were gone.
> 
> Meanwhile, French naval forces launched an early-morning attack on a suspected pirate "mother ship" 550 miles east of Mombasa and seized 11 men, thwarting an attack on the Liberian cargo ship *Safmarine Asia,* the French Defense Ministry said. No one was injured.
> 
> The ministry said the vessel was a larger ship that pirates use to allow their tiny skiffs to operate hundreds of miles off the coast.
> 
> French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Prazuck said a French helicopter in the area heard a distress call from the Safmarine Asia. He described the seized ship as a small, noncommercial vessel carrying fuel, water and food supplies.
> 
> The 11 pirates, believed to be Somalis, were being held on the *Nivose*, a French frigate among the international fleet trying to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _French frigate the Nivose © escorts the ships the Seaborn Spirit ® and the Alizee to protect them against piracy off the coast of Djibouti, as part of their assignment to escort commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden. (Eric Cabanis/AFP/Getty Images)_
> 
> France has been proactive against pirates for at least the past year, intervening to save three of its ships and spearheading a Europe-wide anti-piracy force called Atalanta. French politicians have sought to have other European countries take greater action against pirates.
> 
> Three Somali pirates in the French city of Rennes faced judicial investigation after being captured in a hostage rescue Friday. Several other pirates also have been in French custody since last year.
> 
> In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced new diplomatic efforts to freeze the pirates' assets and said the Obama administration will work with shippers and insurers to improve their defenses against pirates, part of a diplomatic initiative to thwart attacks on shipping.
> 
> "These pirates are criminals, they are armed gangs on the sea. And those plotting attacks must be stopped," Clinton said at the State Department.
> 
> Clinton did not call for military force, although she mentioned "going after" pirate bases in Somalia, as authorized by the U.N. several months ago.
> 
> She said it may be possible to stop boat-building companies from doing business with the pirates.
> 
> The measures outlined by Clinton are largely stopgap moves while the administration weighs more comprehensive diplomatic and military action.
> 
> She acknowledged it will be hard to find the pirates' assets. But she wants the U.S. and others to "explore ways to track and freeze" pirate ransom money and other funds used in purchases of new boats, weapons and communications equipment.
> 
> "We have noticed that the pirates are buying more and more sophisticated equipment, they're buying faster and more capable vessels, they are clearly using their ransom money for their benefit — both personally and on behalf of their piracy," she said. "We think we can begin to try and track and prevent that from happening."
> 
> Clinton said the administration will also call for immediate meetings of an international counterpiracy task force to expand naval coordination.
> 
> The U.S. plans to send an envoy to an April 23 conference on piracy in Brussels. The U.S. will also organize meetings with officials from Somalia's largely powerless transitional national government as well as regional leaders in its semiautonomous Puntland region to encourage them to do more to combat piracy.
> 
> Maritime experts say military force alone cannot solve the problem because the pirates operate in an area so vast as to render the flotilla of international warships largely ineffective. And with ships legally unable to carry arms in many ports, the world has struggled to end the scourge.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, which links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is the shortest route from Asia to Europe. More than 20,000 ships cross the vital sea lane every year. It is becoming more dangerous by the day.
> 
> In 2003, there were only 21 attacks in these waters. In less than four months this year, there have been 79 attacks, compared with 111 for all of 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> Somali pirates are holding more than 280 foreign crewmen on 15 ships — at least 76 of those sailors captured in recent days.
> 
> On Wednesday, pirates released the Greek-owned cargo ship Titan and Greek authorities said all 24 crewmen were in good health. The ship was hijacked March 19.
> 
> The assault on the Liberty Sun delayed a reunion between freed American sea captain Richard Phillips and the 19 crewmen of the Maersk Alabama he helped save in an attempted hijacking last week. Phillips had planned to meet his crew in Mombasa and fly home with them Wednesday, but he was stuck on the Bainbridge when it was diverted to help the Liberty Sun.
> 
> The Liberty Sun arrived safely in Mombasa Wednesday night accompanied by a U.S. Navy vessel, according to the cargo ship's operator, New York-based Liberty Maritime Corp.
> 
> The company did not name the the naval vessel, but it was likely the Bainbridge. A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press about the matter said earlier that the Bainbridge was traveling with the Liberty Sun to port.
> 
> The Alabama's crew left without Phillips Wednesday, heading to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on a chartered plane.
> 
> "We are very happy to be going home," crewman William Rios of New York City said. But "we are disappointed to not be reuniting with the captain in Mombasa. He is a very brave man."
> 
> A pirate whose gang attacked the Liberty Sun claimed his group was targeting American ships and sailors.
> 
> "We will seek out the Americans, and if we capture them, we will slaughter them," said a 25-year-old pirate based in the Somali port of Harardhere who gave only his first name, Ismail.
> 
> "We will target their ships because we know their flags. Last night, an American-flagged ship escaped us by a whisker. We have showered them with rocket-propelled grenades," said Ismail, who did not take part in the Liberty Sun attack.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_...mVuY2hyYWlkcGk-


----------



## CougarKing

Also from yesterday:



> *Pirates attack (2nd) U.S.-flagged ship, fail to board*
> Reuters
> 
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pirates attacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia with rockets and automatic weapons, but failed to board the craft, the ship's owner said on Tuesday.
> 
> The crew of the *Liberty Sun* was unharmed, but the vessel suffered damage, according to a statement from Liberty Maritime Corp of Lake Success, New York.
> 
> *The ship immediately requested help from the U.S. Navy and was now under escort, the statement said.*
> 
> "We are grateful and pleased that no one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," it said.
> 
> Liberty Maritime said *the pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the vessel, which was carrying U.S. food aid for African nations and was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, from Houston*, it said.
> 
> A spokesman for U.S. Central Command had no immediate comment on the incident.
> 
> *It was the second attack in a week on a U.S.-flagged ship in the region*. On Sunday, U.S. snipers killed three Somali pirates and freed the American ship captain they had been holding hostage for five days.
> 
> Heavily armed pirates from lawless Somalia have been increasingly striking the busy Indian Ocean shipping lanes and strategic Gulf of Aden, capturing dozens of vessels, hundreds of hostages and making off with millions of dollars in ransoms.
> 
> Earlier on Tuesday, Somali pirates hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third in attacks that showed a determination to go on striking at shipping on the region's strategic trade routes.
> 
> The attacks were a clear sign pirate gangs have not been deterred by two raids in recent days in which U.S. and French special forces killed five pirates.
> 
> (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Peter Cooney)
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090415/wl_nm/...alia_piracy_107


----------



## a_majoor

I wonder how long the Administration will be able to play "smart diplomacy" with the pirates? Will public outrage force them to take action, or will we have to wait for 2012?:

http://newledger.com/2009/04/the-new-privateers/



> by Ben Domenech
> *The New Privateers*
> 
> What the global community faces in the waters off Africa isn’t just a minor problem or distraction, but an explosion of violence that threatens the distribution of foreign aid and the growth of commerce in regions desperate for prosperity. It’s time for an 18th Century solution. It’s time for the New Privateers.
> 
> Leave it to a man whose entire ideology resides in the 18th Century, Congressman Ron Paul, to push the idea forward on Capitol Hill. This isn’t the first time Paul, whose unique ideological cocktail of anti-war libertarianism and paleoconservative beliefs made him by far the most entertaining sideshow candidate in the Republican presidential primary, has spoken publicly about the lessons of the piratical past; he made reference to Thomas Jefferson’s response to the Barbary Pirates during a 2007 debate which prompted some rather entertaining mockery on the internet.
> 
> But now, as pirates equipped with rocket launchers and speedboats instead of flintlocks and oars continue to attack American and European vessels, it may be that the lessons of the United States’ response to the lords of piracy in the early 1800s could provide some guidance for how to respond to this spiraling problem.
> 
> *By refusing to bow to the demands of the Islamic Barbary states, which required ransom payments as bribes to keep them from attacking the merchant ships along flourishing trade routes (to a point that in 1800, the federal government was paying 20% of all its revenues to Africa), President Jefferson put the fledgling American navy in a very difficult predicament. To give you some perspective on what I mean by the term “fledgling,” during the war of 1812, America only had 17 seaworthy ships, while Great Britain had 1,048 — but to make up for the disparity, the United States deployed more than 500 privateers, civilian ships equipped with letters of marque, to help even the score.
> *
> The problems Jefferson faced in these pirates in many ways resemble the challenges before President Obama today:
> 
> Jefferson’s plan for an international coalition foundered on the shoals of indifference and a belief that it was cheaper to pay the tribute than fight a war. The United States’s relations with the Barbary states continued to revolve around negotiations for ransom of American ships and sailors and the payment of annual tributes or gifts. Even though Secretary of State Jefferson declared to Thomas Barclay, American consul to Morocco, in a May 13, 1791, letter of instructions for a new treaty with Morocco that it is “lastly our determination to prefer war in all cases to tribute under any form, and to any people whatever,” the United States continued to negotiate for cash settlements. In 1795 alone the United States was forced to pay nearly a million dollars in cash, naval stores, and a frigate to ransom 115 sailors from the dey of Algiers. Annual gifts were settled by treaty on Algiers, Morocco, Tunis, and Tripoli.
> 
> When Jefferson became president in 1801 he refused to accede to Tripoli’s demands for an immediate payment of $225,000 and an annual payment of $25,000. The pasha of Tripoli then declared war on the United States. Although as secretary of state and vice president he had opposed developing an American navy capable of anything more than coastal defense, President Jefferson dispatched a squadron of naval vessels to the Mediterranean.
> 
> Congress authorized military action by Presidents Jefferson and Madison in multiple statutes, including March 1804 legislation which authorized the use of force to “protect the commerce and seamen of the United States against the Barbary powers,” acknowledging the Constitution’s War Powers Clause giving the Congress the power to “grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water.”
> 
> In the 18th Century, the incentive for privateers was the ability to take whatever plunder they wanted from the enemy ships they destroyed. This time around, they’d probably need a better financial incentive. A bounty hunter solution, as odd as it seems, shouldn’t be dismissed offhand:
> 
> “If we have 100 American wanna-be Rambos patrolling the seas, it’s probably a good way of getting the job done,” said Competitive Enterprise Institute senior fellow and security expert Eli Lehrer. “Right now we have a Navy designed mostly to fight other navies. The weapons we have are all excellent, but they may not be the best ones to fight these kinds of pirates. The only cost under letters of marque would be some sort of bounty for the pirates.”
> 
> The idea of the New Privateers method of dealing with the current surge in piracy against the United States and Europe has already attracted its share of critics. The crux of the argument from PoliGazette’s Jason Arvak is that privateers would not be viewed as security-focused mercenaries, but in the same context as Blackwater contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan — and that their actions would be tied too closely to the United States in the view of the international community (he also envisions conflicts and command issues emerging between legitimate privateers and US naval units, but considering the significant differences in armament and the lack of any real need for a command structure in this case, I have a hard time seeing it).
> 
> Yet even acknowledging that this is a problem, as it is with all calculated hirings of mercenaries, the high seas have far less of a potential for civilian collateral damage than the neighborhoods of Baghdad. At some point, doesn’t the United States and the world community have to make a decision about a coherent solution to not just escort and protect merchant ships — the convoy method is the standard method for that — but to effectively eradicate the menace of piracy that threatens all seagoers?
> 
> Deploying the New Privateers as a blunt instrument against the Somali pirates has some downsides. But I’m unconvinced that these enemies can be negotiated with or stopped without the deployment of an innovative solution — in this case, one that’s a throwback to the era these thieves come from. The cost, difficulty, and risk of a dozen more Maersk standoffs has to be weighed. We shouldn’t be satisfied with better protections for ships, hoping that the pirates will grow bored of their revenge streak, and reorienting our naval force in the region to combat this enemy will take time. Instead, President Obama and the Congress might consider encouraging those individuals who can to solve the problem in their own way — as messy as it may be — so that these seaborne brigands wake up on a morning soon to find their sands are run.
> 
> Read more and comment at Pejman Yousefzadeh’s blog.


----------



## old medic

Successful in World War II, armed convoys are weighed as a solution to Somali piracy crisis

TODD PITMAN Associated Press Writer
4:44 PM CDT, April 16, 2009 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-af-piracy-convoys,0,4437442.story


> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The U.S. employed them during World War II: armed convoys on the high seas to protect Allied shipping lanes from German subs. Could the same work with pirates?
> 
> Some maritime experts say escorting the more than 20,000 ships that transit the Horn of Africa every year would be impractical, outstripping available military resources and at a cost that would be too high. But the tactic is being revisited, and NATO is considering it.
> 
> "It's true that it's more expensive to convoy, but it's worth the money," said Peter D. Zimmerman, an American professor emeritus at King's College in London. "There is a clear and present danger, and it's extremely corrosive to the maritime system to allow these pirates to operate with impunity."
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, which links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is the shortest route from Asia to Europe. It's one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, and these days among its most dangerous.
> 
> Piracy is skyrocketing in the region and at least 79 attacks have been reported this year, compared with only 21 in all of 2003, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Pirates are now holding more than 280 foreign crewmen on 15 ships — at least 76 of those sailors captured in recent days.
> 
> The crisis has spawned fresh debate on how to stop it, but options are slim. Commercial vessels are loathe to travel with armed security aboard because they fear violence could escalate. And in many cases, they have no choice since carrying arms is illegal in many ports.
> 
> During World War II, Allied warships deployed to protect merchant vessels crossing the Atlantic after Nazi submarines began sinking them with impunity. Today, the threat is different with modern-day warships facing lightly armed, agile pirate skiffs that are not trying to destroy vessels, but seize them for ransom.
> 
> Cyrus Mody, of the International Maritime Bureau, said there are only 15 to 20 warships deployed in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia's eastern coast at any one time — a fraction of what is needed to guard tens of thousands of ships, even in convoys.
> 
> At the Pentagon, officials dismiss the use of convoys, partly because of the high number of personnel such a mission would entail. Also, the military has been adamant that ship security be the responsibility of shipping companies.
> 
> One senior defense official said privately that it would be impossible, with the number of U.S. and coalition ships available, to both escort convoys and patrol the gulf at the same time.
> 
> The U.S. Navy has destroyers in the region, but they do not run convoys, according to Lt. Stephanie Murdock, a spokeswoman for the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain. She declined to give details or say why, and the military does not traditionally discuss future operations.
> 
> Cmdr. Chris Davies, a spokesman at NATO's Northwood maritime command center outside London, said NATO has looked into the idea but has not gone further.
> 
> "It hasn't been ruled out, but it's not something we've explicitly done," Davies said. "It's a proven method, and it is something we may well do given the circumstances."
> 
> He declined to discuss specific tactics, but said NATO is recommending cargo ships take proper defensive measures such as keeping a good lookout, and if approached, run at full speed and use evasive maneuvers and fire hoses to repel anyone who tries to board.
> 
> Pirates target the most vulnerable vessels — slow-moving ships with decks low enough for them to climb onto, Davies said.
> 
> Mody said convoys could even increase risks "because that would require ships to wait in designated collection areas for long periods of time, either drifting or moving very slowly, thus exposing them to pirate attacks."
> 
> Though no figures are available, a Nairobi-based diplomat said about 10 percent of traffic in the Gulf of Aden is already using escorts for smaller convoys. Averaging four to six ships, some are protected by private maritime security companies, he said on condition of anonymity because he not authorized to speak to reporters.
> 
> Those security companies are expensive. But Zimmerman, former chief scientist for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, points out that if piracy becomes more common, costs are likely to rise regardless because marine insurance premiums will go "way up."
> 
> Most hijackings are resolved by shipping companies, which pay million-dollar ransoms to get their ships and crews back, then recoup the money from insurance companies.
> 
> Protecting larger convoys of up to 50 ships would bring other challenges, said Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, the managing director of London-based firm Dryad Maritime Intelligence Ltd.
> 
> "You need ships in the middle and a screen of ships on the outside," he said. "To do it properly, you need an awful lot of warships to protect the outer screen."
> 
> Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at London-based think-tank Chatham House, said that in the Indian Ocean the divergent routes and speeds of ships also makes convoys impractical.
> 
> "You've got at least 20,000 ships a year going through the Gulf of Aden coming from all different parts of the world," he said. "It's not practical if you're going from India to Kenya to go in a convoy with a ship going from the Middle East to South Africa."
> 
> On one sea lane in the Gulf of Aden, the U.S. Navy's Maritime Liaison Office in Bahrain has already set up a "transit corridor" that, though not considered a naval convoy, is aimed at protecting ships by providing military security and advising ships of similar speeds to depart together at specific times.
> 
> According to a memorandum issued by the office Tuesday, naval and air forces "will be strategically deployed within the area to best provide protection and support to merchant vessels."
> 
> Peter Smerdon, a Nairobi-based spokesman for the U.N. World Food Program, said there was talk of extending such corridors south along the coasts of Somalia and Kenya, but that it was "only discussion" at this time.
> 
> European warships have since 2007 escorted larger vessels carrying food aid for the U.N. World Food Program, but usually only one ship at a time and on longer journeys to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, Smerdon said. The only convoys they've escorted are smaller ships, usually traveling three at a time, which offload food directly in Somali ports.


----------



## CougarKing

So do any of the rest of you think that the measures described in the article below will be that effective?



> *Fighting off the Somali pirates*
> 
> The recent escalation in pirate attacks has highlighted the vulnerability of shipping off the coast of Somalia. Now many ships are taking their own precautions, using hi-tech equipment to keep pirates at bay.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Graphic shows anti-pirate measures that can be used on ship, plus pirates and their weapons_
> 
> A beefed-up international naval presence and United Nations resolutions giving foreign military vessels greater powers to chase the pirates have created little in the way of an effective deterrent.
> 
> But a consensus is emerging that ship-owners themselves could be doing more to prevent piracy.
> 
> So is there more in practical terms that ships' captains can do to fend off the pirates?
> 
> *Wire and sound*
> 
> Those who have witnessed attacks say the pirates tend to sneak up on one side of a ship.
> 
> They use grappling hooks and ladders to board it at the most vulnerable point - where there is least distance between the height of the deck and the water level.
> 
> Some *vessels have strung barbed wire at those points, as recommended by the International Maritime Bureau in London. In some cases, say experts, this has proved effective.
> 
> Slippery foam sprayed onto the deck can also present a further barrier to pirates taking over.
> 
> Other possible solutions include electric security fences and blasting the pirates with water from fire hoses.*
> 
> While hoses can be used to knock them off balance as they try to board a ship, they are thought to be of limited use against heavily-armed intruders.
> 
> Another weapon in a skipper's armoury are *loudspeaker systems - or long-range acoustic devices - which provide a clear warning and can, in some instances, damage the hearing of potential unwelcome boarders.*
> 
> One manufacturer describes its product as having a 'highly irritating deterrent tone for behaviour modification'.
> 
> An obvious deterrent is the *deployment of more lookouts to give ample warning of a possible attack, supplemented by beefed up camera surveillance.*
> 
> Skippers are also able *to deploy sensitive radar*, again, alerting them to imminent danger.
> 
> *Use of arms*
> 
> Controversial, though, is any proposal to arm crews.
> 
> The problem with this, says Will Geddes, managing director of International Corporate Protection group, is the risk of a protracted battle with already well-armed pirates.
> 
> John Burnett, author of "Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas", says that of the 40,000 ships at sea today, most are crewed by people from developing countries.
> 
> "They've never held a gun in their lives, so you're asking them to arm themselves," he said.
> 
> *"If you have guns for protection, you have to shoot to kill... even if you have the officers shoot, you're going to be shot back at and I think the chance of injury and death to the crew members, and damage to the ship, would be prohibitive."*
> 
> John Burnett suggests thorough training of crew so that when they enter pirate territory, they are alert and assume that they are going to be attacked.
> 
> BBC link


----------



## CougarKing

Another update: will this mean the Bundesmarine will soon have its first baptism of fire since WW2?



> (original article in German at link below)
> http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,619482,00.html
> 
> *Bundeswehr told to sink all pirate ships*
> 
> _The fight against pirates is about to intensify. The Federal Government has decided to adopt a tougher stance against pirates, a politician of the governing Union party has said. The Federal Armed Forces Association demanded resolute actions to free captured ships.
> 
> Osnabrück/Passau - The Federal Government has agreed upon a tougher stance against piracy, the coalition's leading lawmaker for domestic politics, Hans-Peter Uhl (CSU) has said. "From now on pirates will be fought will all military and police means, including the deployment of anti-terrorism units", Mr. Uhl told the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" newspaper. Pirates still have restrained the German freighter "Hansa Stavanger", with five German citizens and 19 other sailors onboard. According to word that has reached SPIEGEL, the GSG9 counter terrorism unit was scheduled to free the hostages at the very beginning of the siege - however the liberation was cancelled.
> 
> "We think when pirates strike there can be only one appropriate answer: The ships of the pirates must be sunken immediately", Mr. Uhl said. Now the German Navy would need to use their firepower, because "further diffidence just makes the German state look silly". Also resolute deployments of special forces to recapture hijacked ships and frighten off pirates were called necessary. The European Union mandate for the anti piracy operation explicitely grants the right to use force of arms._


----------



## tomahawk6

No combat in Astan but its sink on sight for pirates ? :


----------



## CougarKing

Thucydides said:
			
		

> I wonder how long the Administration will be able to play "smart diplomacy" with the pirates? Will public outrage force them to take action, or will we have to wait for 2012?:
> 
> http://newledger.com/2009/04/the-new-privateers/



Mr. Thucydides, 

Regardless of who is in power in the White House, the US and the rest of the international community seem to be slowly realizing that getting to the root of the Somali pirate problem means stabilizing Somalia. This is shown by the fact that a US Congressman met with some of the internationally-recognized Somali Transitional Federal Government's (TFG) officials in Mogadishu last week, apparently in order to gauge how the US can help that entity in stabilizing Somalia; this use of diplomacy with the TFG to secure a possible local ally, as well as the use of force earlier this week in the hostage situation, shows that the current US administration will not negotiate with pirates as you suggest they will in the above post comparing it to the how a past US government initially dealt with the Barbary Pirates, prior to Jefferson's aggressive use of the USN against them.

post about Somali insurgents targetting the plane of a US Congressman who met with some Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) officials in Mogadishu 


Therefore, with that in mind, what do you think of the Somali Transitional Federal Government (in exile in Djibouti, but which still has a militia of about 3,000 paramilitaries in Mogadishu according to the first article in the first link post below) and the 5,000 strong African Union peacekeeping force's (AMISOM) efforts there to start stabilizing the country as described in the posts below? And the US military's possible response to Somali pirates on the mainland as described in the 3rd post link below?

earlier thread post about the Somali Transitional Federal Government efforts to negotiate with Islamic insurgent forces, plus article about AU efforts to reinforce AMISOM strength

earlier thread post on the background about how the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was forced into exile 

earlier thread post about the US military considering options against the pirates, including aiding Somali TFG forces and giving them Coast Guard training/resources

These are just the first steps to helping the Somalis start helping themselves, while also simultaneously hitting at the root of the problem which has allowed the piracy problem to thrive: the virtual lawlessness in Somalia that has existed there in since the 1990s. Stabilizing Somalia is a far more proactive and effective solution than just merely sinking some pirate boats and bombing a few pirate villages only to have more pirates replace them in a few years because the environment there allows them to thrive. The international community-namely the 1st world nations- does not necessarily have to send an actual force there; the AU has already done that, though the TFG and the AU's efforts to stabilize the country will only work if we in the West support their efforts through other means such as funding and training. Perhaps there can even be some parallels to Afghanistan, since that conflict was to prevent that nation from being used as a haven for terrorism, in the same way that Somalia is currently a haven for piracy.

Furthermore, for those here who roll their eyes at the thought of intervening in Somalia for altruistic reasons, another incentive to do so would probably be preempting the possibility that the TFG might also be willing to accept help from China instead, turning them into yet another "proxy state" in the same way a number of African nations like Sudan have come under Beijing's influence.

And here are two more articles:



> http://www.newsweek.com/id/165954
> 
> Somali PM asks for more help to fight pirates
> Freed US captain reaches Kenya; Somali premier willing to share info to fight pirates
> MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED Associated Press Writer
> AP
> Somalia's prime minister says his government has identified many pirate leaders and would be willing to share that information with other countries, including the United States, to get the resources needed to go after them.
> 
> Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, speaking Thursday to The Associated Press in an exclusive interview, said the pirates have become so wealthy and powerful that they threaten his government.
> 
> "We have information on who is behind this, who is involved," Sharmarke said in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. "There is a lot of money flowing in ... we are following very closely how money is distributed here."
> 
> He was referring to the fact that Somali pirates can earn $1 million or more in ransom for each hijacked ship. Forty-two ships were hijacked by Somali pirates last year, and so far 19 have been taken this year.
> 
> U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday announced new diplomatic efforts to freeze the pirates' assets and said the Obama administration will work with shippers and insurers to improve their defenses against pirates.
> 
> "These pirates are criminals, they are armed gangs on the sea. And those plotting attacks must be stopped," Clinton said in Washington.
> 
> Clinton did not call for military force, although she mentioned "going after" pirate bases in Somalia. She urged the U.S. and others to "explore ways to track and freeze" pirate ransom money and other funds used in purchases of new boats, weapons and communications equipment.
> 
> Sharmarke said the Somali government was presenting a plan to envoys from the European Union, the United States and a regional authority to fight pirates by building up military forces and establishing intelligence-gathering posts along its coastline.
> 
> "The best way to actually deal with this is to prevent (the pirates) from going into the waters," Sharmarke said. "We are planning to establish at least ten or more observation posts on the coastline."
> 
> Still, it was not clear how this plan could cover the 1,900-mile (3,100-kilometer) Somali coastline, since his government controls only a few square blocks of the capital, Mogadishu, with the aid of African peacekeepers.
> 
> Donors have also been reluctant to fund a government with little accountability but the recent spike in piracy attacks may change that. Somali pirates are holding more than 280 foreign crewmen captive on 15 ships — at least 76 of those sailors captured in recent days.
> 
> Meanwhile, the American sea captain held hostage for five days by pirates reached port in Kenya on Thursday, hours after his crew held a joyous reunion with their families at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
> 
> Capt. Richard Phillips of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama cargo ship was brought into Mombasa harbor aboard the USS Bainbridge, which docked to the music of "Sweet Home Alabama" — the Lynyrd Skynyrd hit that includes the words "I'm coming home to you."
> 
> Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, gave himself up as a hostage to ensure the safety of his crew. He was freed Sunday by Navy SEAL sharpshooters who killed his three captors.
> 
> Phillips planned to spend Thursday night on the Bainbridge, according to Maersk shipping line spokesman Gordan van Hook. He would not say when Phillips planned to fly home but a charter plane is reportedly on standby at Mombasa airport.
> 
> There were hugs, tears and a massive sense of relief when the crew of the Maersk Alabama finally reunited with loved ones after arriving at 1 a.m. Thursday at Andrews.
> 
> One crewman, carrying a child toward the terminal, shouted, "I'm happy to see my family!" Another exclaimed, "God bless America."
> 
> Also Thursday, another U.S. cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, arrived in Mombasa, its bridge damaged by rocket-propelled grenades and its windows shattered by gunfire after a pirate attack Tuesday.
> 
> The Liberty Sun's 20 American crew members crew successfully blockaded themselves in the engine room and warded off the attack with evasive maneuvers. The ship had been carrying food aid for Africans.
> 
> The European Union said Thursday it is boosting its anti-piracy fleet off the Somali coast to 11 ships, with the addition of three Swedish frigates in May. Its main task is to escort cargo ships carrying U.N. World Food Program aid to hungry Somalis.
> 
> Nearly a dozen countries, including the United States, have anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden, which links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is the shortest route from Asia to Europe. More than 20,000 ships cross the vital sea lane every year.
> 
> — — —
> 
> Associated Press writers contributing this report include Mohamed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu, Somalia; Tom Maliti in Mombasa, Katharine Houreld, Michelle Faul, Malkhadir M. Muhumed and Todd Pitman in Nairobi, Kenya; and Slobodan Lekic in Brussels.





> *Piracy symptom of bigger problem*
> 
> By Roger Middleton
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The risks of piracy mean little to people accustomed to violence_
> 
> Searching for satellite images of the pirate village of Eyl in Somalia, you are confronted not with palaces and piles of arms but a few crumbling houses and rows of battered boats along the beach.
> 
> Even here, where pirate millions first reach Somalia, *desperate poverty is everywhere and insecurity is the norm.*
> 
> US President Barack Obama has said that Somali piracy must be brought under control. But the world's attention is for the most part fixed on the ocean, while the real challenges lie ashore.
> 
> What we are seeing in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean is just the visible tip of a complex web of challenges inside Somalia, a web that reaches across the country, the region and the world.
> 
> *Somalia is one of the poorest, most violent, least stable countries anywhere on Earth.*
> 
> It suffers from severe drought and its people face hunger and violence on a daily basis. This is not a new situation, Somalia, especially the south, has been in this state for many years.
> 
> 
> The risks associated with piracy can be seen as little worse than those faced every day
> 
> What is new is that the world is now once again concerned with the goings on of this collapsed state.
> 
> Somalis have learnt to live in circumstances under which many might be expected to give up.
> 
> In the face of overwhelming adversity they have created thriving businesses, operating entirely in the informal sector, and hospitals built and maintained with money sent home by the diaspora.
> 
> However, people who have been forgotten by the world and who hear of toxic waste being dumped on their beaches and foreigners stealing their fish have difficulty being concerned when representatives of that world are held to ransom.
> 
> And for many who have grown up surrounded by constant insecurity and bloodshed, violence and the risk of death are unexceptional hazards.
> 
> For this reason the current attempts to fight piracy from the sea are only dealing with symptoms. They do not address the reasons why young men are prepared to risk their lives chasing ships around the ocean.
> 
> *Deadly country*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Somalia's poverty leads many to flee, seeking a better or safe life abroad_
> 
> Piracy is in essence a law and order issue, and in Somalia there is virtually no authority to carry out the kind of policing that could effectively disrupt pirate operations.
> 
> What government there is in Somalia has bigger problems.
> 
> The ongoing battle with the hard line Al Shabaab militia that controls Kismaayo and the deep south threatens not just the security of the state but has made Mogadishu one of the deadliest places on earth.
> 
> President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad heads a fairly broad coalition but his opponents have men, weapons and money and are in a fierce struggle to gain control of the country.
> 
> When the internationally recognised government is fighting for control of its own capital city, combating pirates must seem a somewhat lower priority.
> 
> Even in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in the north east, from where most pirate attacks are launched, the local government is contending with massive problems.
> 
> Boats laden with desperate refugees fleeing the war in Somalia leave almost daily, heading towards Yemen.
> 
> The smugglers often dump their human cargoes in the sea to avoid capture and leave them to drown.
> 
> Even for those who make it to the other side, life as second class citizens in already poor Yemen is dire.
> 
> *No engagement*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Military solutions do not address the root causes of the piracy_
> 
> Somalia has spent almost 20 years in a state of civil war, and shifting alliances, international interventions and a steady supply of unemployed young men and cheap guns have acted against any tendencies towards stabilisation.
> 
> In a country where the average income is estimated at around $650 (£435) - Somalia is too anarchic for accurate statistics - the lure of up to $10,000 for a successful pirate raid is obvious.
> 
> The chronic instability of most of the country and the attendant daily threats to life mean that the risks associated with piracy can be seen as little worse than those faced every day.
> 
> Pirate bosses have little difficulty recruiting to fill any gaps in their crews. In this context a solution based on security systems and guns will not address the root causes of Somali piracy.
> 
> There are ways that navies from around the world can plaster over the problems of Somalia but *as long as a state with grinding poverty, hunger, no law enforcement and no effective government sits beside a rich trading route, piracy will continue.
> 
> The outside world has for too long seen Somalia only in terms of threats to their own security.*
> 
> Targeted missiles and interventions have been used to remove threatening individuals or groups but *there has been no serious engagement with the political and developmental problems that allow those threats to take root.*
> 
> If there is a silver lining to the piracy issue it may be that a deeper, broader and more imaginative engagement with Somalia develops.
> 
> Piracy is difficult for the nations of the world and disastrous for sailors - but for millions of Somalis the problems of their homeland are catastrophic.
> 
> _Roger Middleton is coordinating a new project at the think-tank Chatham House investigating the economic dimensions of conflict in the Horn of Africa. _
> 
> BBC article link


----------



## MarkOttawa

A post at _The Torch_:

Wimping out with pirates 
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2009/04/wimping-out-with-pirates.html



> I wonder what the Canadian policy is for any pirates we might capture:
> 
> "*NATO frees hostages from pirates, new ship seized*"...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

And the ROKN has been busy as well:



> *South Korean navy repels Somali pirate attack: military*
> AFP
> 
> Fri Apr 17, 1:58 pm ET
> 
> COPENHAGEN (AFP) – South Korean naval forces drove away pirates who were trying to board a Danish-registered ship in waters off Somalia, the military and the vessel's owner said Friday.
> 
> The incident occurred Friday about 110 kilometres (70 miles) off the coast of Yemen, said a Joint Chiefs of Staff official in Seoul as well as shipowner Shipcraft in Copenhagen.
> 
> The *Munmu the Great* destroyer, carrying a crew of 300, received a distress call from the ship which reported it was being chased by a pirate boat, said Army Colonel Lee Hyoung-Kook, a JCS official who oversees the deployment.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH 976) *
> 
> The 2,500-ton ship *Puma* -- carrying a generator from Singapore to Germany with a crew of three Danes, *four Filipinos* and five British security guards -- was about 55 kilometres from the South Korean destroyer.
> 
> "The crew of the Puma, upon seeing Friday six pirates in an outboard motor boat approaching at full speed, began to zig-zag to keep them from boarding, and fired a distress flare in their direction," said Shipcraft director Per Nykjaer Jensen.
> 
> That gave them just enough time for the Puma to call for help from international naval forces in the area, he told AFP.
> 
> The South Korean destroyer *dispatched its Lynx anti-submarine helicopter, which arrived at the scene in just over 20 minutes*, Lee said.
> 
> "The pirates gave up (their) attempt to board the ship and turned away when the helicopter threatened to fire," he said.
> 
> Jensen agreed that the helicopter's arrival saved the Puma from being seized, but he added: "We are really frustrated by these intolerable conditions whereby the pirates more often than not get away with impunity."
> 
> The South Korean destroyer began operating this week to help fight piracy off Somalia, where several Korean ships have been seized.
> 
> Up to 20 foreign warships now patrol the waters off the Somali coast to safeguard major shipping lanes.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090417/wl_as...Icwc0fQHIlvaA8F


----------



## a_majoor

US efforts to end piracy today should be contrasted with the efforts that the US employed against the Barberry Pirates in the early years of the Republic.

The sad fact of the matter is the so called transitional government is unable to enforce sovereignty in its proclaimed territory, and groups like the African Union are equally ineffectual (just look to Darfur or Zimbabwe for telling examples of how well their self help efforts are doing). When "we" make diplomatic overtures to these groups or the U.N. "we" can tell ourselves that "we" are doing something, even though nothing is really happening. Today, appearance is all important.

As for the act of rebuilding Somalia, look how Western efforts to do similar rebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan have been met. Do you really expect the EU, China or anyone else will pony up the tens of thousands of combat troops and billions of dollars to do the job since the Anglosphere nations are already fully engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan? For that matter, if you really want to look at root causestm, who is going to stop the Chinese fishing fleets from their huge illeagal harvest or all and sundry dumping waste off the Somali coast?

Yes Somalia is a huge problem, but unless there is a big change of heart in the West, no one is going in there to spend blood and treasure to rebuild. Destroying the pirate nests will buy some time, and when we finish the job in Mesopotamia and Afghanistan, then we can look to fixing the other problems. IF Edward is right, then India might become the "Imperial Power" that polices Africa and they will do the job to whatever extent that is compatible with their resources and national interest.


----------



## Retired AF Guy

> I wonder what the Canadian policy is for any pirates we might capture:



Here's your answer: "Nato said a Canadian warship caught the pirates before releasing them after the gang attacked the MV Front Ardenne. The alliance said the pirates had been released because they could not be prosecuted under Canadian law."

Full article here courtesy of the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8006827.stm


----------



## MarkOttawa

More from CP (usual copyright disclaimer):

Canadian warship HMCS Winnipeg chases pirates in Gulf of Aden
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jUOStOY5-rJXhQQyhEvpDCeKQ_Rg



> NATO warships - including a Canadian warship - and helicopters pursued Somali pirates for seven hours after they attacked a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> The high-speed chase only ended when warning shots were fired at the pirates' skiff, NATO spokesmen said Sunday.
> 
> Seven pirates attempted to attack the Norwegian-flagged MV Front Ardenne late Saturday but fled after crew took evasive manoeuvres and alerted warships in the area, said Portuguese Lt. Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, aboard a warship in the Gulf of Aden, and Cmdr. Chris Davies, of NATO's maritime headquarters in England.
> 
> "How the attack was thwarted is unclear, it appears to have been the actions of the tanker," Davies said. Fernandes said no shots were fired at the tanker.
> 
> Davies said the pirates sailed into the path of the Canadian warship HMCS Winnipeg, which was escorting a World Food Program delivery ship through the Gulf of Aden. The American ship USS Halyburton was also in the area and joined the chase.
> 
> "There was a lengthy pursuit, over seven hours," Davies said.
> 
> The pirates hurled weapons into the dark seas as the Canadian and U.S. warships closed in. The ships are part of NATO's anti-piracy mission.
> 
> "The skiff abandoned the scene and tried to escape to Somali territory," Fernandes said. "It was heading toward Bossaso we managed to track them ... warning shots have been made after several attempts to stop the vessel."
> 
> Both ships deployed helicopters, and naval officers hailed the pirates over loudspeakers and finally fired warning shots to stop them, Fernandes said, but not before the pirates had dumped most of their weapons overboard. NATO forces boarded the skiff, where they found a rocket-propelled grenade, and interrogated, disarmed and *released the pirates.
> 
> The pirates cannot be prosecuted under Canadian law because they did not attack Canadian citizens or interests and the crime was not committed on Canadian territory.
> 
> "When a ship is part of NATO, the detention of person is a matter for the national authorities," Fernandes said. "It stops being a NATO issue and starts being a national issue* [emphasis added]."
> 
> The pirates' release underscores the difficulties navies have in fighting rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia. Most of the time foreign navies simply disarm and release the pirates they catch due to legal complications and logistical difficulties in transporting pirates and witnesses to court.
> 
> Pirates have attacked more than 80 boats this year alone, four times the number assaulted in 2003, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau. They now hold at least 18 ships - including a Belgian tanker seized Saturday with 10 crew aboard - and over 310 crew hostage, according to an Associated Press count [more details at this CNN story].
> http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/19/pirate.attack.foiled/



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## a_majoor

More on privateers:

http://www.jerrypournelle.com/view/2009/Q2/view566.html#Wednesday



> I have inquiries asking my opinion on issuing letters of marque and reprisal as a means of suppression of piracy. In other words, create privateers.
> 
> Privateers and marque and reprisal were ended in the Declaration of Paris. The US did not participate and has not endorsed the Declaration, but we have several times said we would adhere to that provision. The result is that there is no mechanism for dealing with prizes: there haven't been Admiralty Courts that determine what goods are contraband and subject to seizure and sale for more than 100 years. While creating privateers as a means of piracy suppression might work, it wouldn't be as simple to accomplish as it first appears. What evidence is to be accepted when a privateer brings an accused pirate to court? The pirates claim to be fishermen whose boat has been seized by pirates, and the privateer ought to be arrested and made to pay compensation. What court tries this? Who pays the lawyers? (You may be sure there will be highly paid lawyers involved; that's more inevitable than piracy,)
> 
> Poul Anderson made use of the concept in The Star Fox and a whacking good story it was. It's unlikely to happen here. This is not a political environment that would encourage such actions.
> 
> Rep. Ron Paul has introduced a Marque and Reprisal bill into Congress to deal with air piracy. He has a similar effort regarding sea piracy. As I said, it's not likely; but it is one interesting path.
> 
> The means for piracy suppression exist. *The question is the will.* Clearly if there were no Somali mother ships there would be no Somali piracy. Of course that would destroy the living of the few Somali fishermen able to eke out an existence. Vigorous patrolling and inspection of mother ships for contraband (assault rifles, RPG's) and confiscation of such ships is one possibility.  If there were a reasonable chance that any given mother ship would be inspected that would change the piracy business plan.


----------



## CougarKing

> *Anti-piracy operations off Somalia are producing an unprecedented degree of international maritime cooperation, providing the American and Chinese navies a rare opportunity to work together* after a recent high-profile confrontation, the chief of U.S. Naval Operations said in Beijing. Adm. Gary Roughead said he would discuss boosting ties through base visits and joint search and rescue exercises during talks this week with his Chinese counterpart, Wu Shengli.  The U.S. admiral’s visit comes amid China’s buildup of its naval prowess and after Chinese vessels last month harassed a Navy surveillance ship in the South China Sea.
> [Washingtonpost.com, April 19, 2009]



Just a notable quote from the _Washington Post_.


----------



## MarkOttawa

_Torch_ post with Canadian Navy video and PM's reaction:

Catch and release video
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2009/04/catch-and-release.html

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

_This is a photo made available by NATO CC-MAR HQ Northwood, England, taken from the Dutch vessel, HNLMS De Zeven Provincien off the Somali coast on Saturday, April 18, 2009, which they claim shows Dutch marine commandos with 20 fishermen that they freed from the Yemeni flagged dhow which had been seized by Somali pirates earlier in the week. The Dutch frigate was responding to an earlier distress call from a Marshall Islands flagged tanker, it followed the pirates who were on a small white skiff which proceeded to the dhow it was believed to be using as a 'mother ship'. The pirates boarded the dhow and Dutch marine commandos followed soon after, freeing 20 fishermen whose nationalities were not known. There was no exchange of fire and Dutch forces seized seven Kalashnikov rifles and one rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Seven Somali pirates were detained, but were eventually released. The seven could not be arrested or held because they were seized by Dutch nationals and neither the pirates, the victims nor the ship were Dutch.
(AP Photo/NATO/OTAN)_






_Handout image made available by Belgium's Home Affairs Office crisis centre shows Belgian-registered ship Pompei sailing towards Somalia April 19, 2009. Gunmen from Somalia seized a Belgian dredging vessel and its 10 crew, including seven Europeans. The Pompei was hijacked early on Saturday about 600 km (370 miles) from the Somali coast en route to the Seychelles. It has two Belgian, four Croatian, one Dutch and three Filipino crew on board. A pirate source who said he was on board the Pompei said they would sail it to Haradheere, a stronghold of the sea gangs. REUTERS/Belgium's Home Affairs Office crisis centre/Handout_






_Canadian Navy sailors escort a ship near Somalia, 2008. NATO naval ships foiled a pirate attack on a Norwegian tanker, catching up with the would-be hijackers on Sunday after a seven-hour pursuit. (AFP/File/Simon Maina)_


----------



## CougarKing

More good news:



> *2 ships fight off attacks; Pirates free food ship*
> 04/21/2009 | 07:35 AM
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates in speedboats opened fire Monday on two cargo ships in the latest hijacking attempts in the notorious Gulf of Aden. Another band of brigands freed a food aid freighter but only after receiving a $100,000 "reward" from Somali businessmen.
> 
> The latest attack occurred at midday when pirates fired shots at a Chinese-owned, Panama-flagged cargo ship, the* MV New Legend Honor*, said Cmdr. Chris Davies, from NATO's maritime headquarters in England.
> 
> *Two NATO warships — one Canadian, the other British — scrambled helicopters in defense, Davies said. No damage was reported to the cargo ship and the pirates escaped.*
> 
> In a separate pre-dawn attack, pirates fired rockets at the Maltese-flagged* MV Atlantica* about 30 miles (50 kilometers) off Yemen's coast in the Gulf of Aden, said Lt.-Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, a spokesman for the NATO alliance.
> 
> Two boats with about six pirates each attacked the ship and one skiff attempted to board it. The ship took evasive maneuvers and escaped without damage or injury to crew, Fernandes said from a warship in the area.
> 
> NATO forces have helped fend off several attacks in recent days, but have released the culprits because they had no jurisdiction to arrest them. In some cases, neither the pirates nor their targets were nationals of NATO countries.
> 
> In Washington, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen met Monday and said they will seek authority for NATO to arrest pirates.
> 
> The U.N. announced Monday that pirates had released one ship, the Lebanese-owned *MV Sea Horse*. The Togo-flagged ship was captured April 14 with 19 crew as it headed to India to pick up more than 7,000 tons of U.N. food destined for hungry Somalis.
> 
> But the release was not just a humanitarian gesture.
> 
> Pirates let the Sea Horse go after two Dubai-based Somali businessmen intervened and paid off the pirates, said Somali clan elder Abdisalan Khalif Ahmed. The pair had been contracted by the World Food Program to pick up and deliver the food, he told The Associated Press from Harardhere, the Somali port where the freighter had been hauled to by pirates.
> 
> The businessmen "pledged to cover the expenses of the pirates who have been out to sea for ten days," Ahmed said.
> 
> A man in Harardhere who identified himself as Muhidin Abdulle Nur and claimed to be part of the gang that seized the freighter said the businessmen had paid "a reward" of $100,000 on Sunday.
> 
> The U.N. food agency denied any knowledge of a ransom being paid, but ships are usually freed only after their owners pay multimillion-dollar ransoms, sometimes dropped in cash from helicopters directly onto ship decks.
> 
> Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at London-based think-tank Chatham House, said since the Sea Horse had no cargo yet, it was probably less valuable anyway.
> 
> The U.N. food agency is feeding 3.5 million Somalis this year, about half the country's people. Most food is delivered by sea because flights are too expensive and roads are plagued by bandits.
> 
> Analysts blame Somalia's nearly 20 years of lawlessness for fueling piracy's rise.
> 
> Years ago, foreign trawlers began taking advantage of Somalia's civil war to fish its waters illegally and dump toxic waste there. Vigilante Somali fishermen tried to defend their shores, and later morphed into full-blown pirates.
> 
> Attacks have risen markedly in recent weeks, and brigands hold at least 17 other ships and around 300 crew.
> 
> In another sign of deteriorating security in Somalia, two foreign aid workers — one Belgian and one Dutch — employed by Doctors Without Borders were taken hostage Sunday by 25 masked gunmen.
> 
> There was no indication the abductions were related to the surge in piracy. The kidnapping of aid workers has long been a common problem in lawless Somalia.
> 
> Meanwhile, the European Dredging Association urged European Union governments to step up anti-piracy operations, warning that many more ships could fall prey to pirates.
> 
> Pirates captured the Belgian-flagged dredger Pompei on Saturday in the Indian Ocean north of the Seychelles islands. Belgian officials said Monday they have not been able to contact the ship's 10-man crew or their captors.
> 
> "Diplomatic relations with Somalia mean nothing because there is no state," said Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht. "You can't solve this via normal diplomatic channels." - AP
> 
> http://www.gmanews.tv/story/157861/2-ships...-free-food-ship


----------



## The Bread Guy

And, along the lines of CougarDaddy's argument, some of the main elements of  a strategy are highlighted in this article from the U.S. military media:


> Military force is only part of the solution to the recent wave of piracy in the waters off Somalia, the Pentagon’s top military and civilian officials said.
> 
> Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said *fighting piracy will require an international effort that includes a whole-of-government approach in addition to military force.*  “It’s not just a military solution here,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said in a National Public Radio interview today ....  “There are an awful lot of ships, and the number of Navy ships we have out there cannot cover the water,” Mullen said. “Nor would increasing that number dramatically cover the water.”
> 
> At the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., yesterday, Gates said shipping companies have a responsibility in helping to combat piracy off Somalia, noting that some companies are prepared to pay ransoms to pirates as part of the cost of doing business.  “Clearly, if they didn't pay the ransoms, we would be in a stronger position,” the secretary said .... *“It’s a complex problem, and I think it involves both a maritime aspect that involves enforcement and a kinetic aspect,” he said. “But I think until we can do something to provide some kind of stability on land and some prospects for these people, it's going to be a tough problem.”*
> 
> On NPR today, Mullen said *more needs to be done to punish piracy. “In the end, this is a crime, and it needs to be prosecuted in a court,”* he said. “The only country the United States has an agreement with is Kenya, where we have transferred pirates that we’ve captured. That part of the system has to be more robust than it is right now.”


----------



## The Bread Guy

From Germany's press agency DPA - highlights mine - shared for fair use:


> *NATO could curtail or scrap a planned goodwill visit of a flotilla of warships to Pakistan, Singapore and Australia in a bid to fight pirate attacks in the waters off Somalia, the alliance's spokesman said Wednesday. NATO currently has four frigates in the Gulf of Aden fighting piracy. They are set to leave the region on Thursday and visit Karachi, Singapore and Perth in a show of diplomatic goodwill, before returning to anti-piracy tasks in late June.*
> 
> But NATO ambassadors are now debating whether that schedule can go ahead as planned, or whether the Asia-Pacific tour should be cut to keep the ships in Somali waters longer or bring them back sooner, James Appathurai told journalists in Brussels.
> 
> A steep rise in pirate attacks in the waters off Somalia in recent months has put increasing pressure on the international community to commit more forces to the region.
> 
> But NATO is keen to strengthen its ties with Pakistan, Singapore and Australia, all of whom are seen as important supporters of the alliance's ongoing mission in Afghanistan.
> 
> *The ambassadors are also deliberating whether NATO should set up a longer-term anti-piracy mission to complement a task force sent by the European Union to the Gulf of Aden*, Appathurai said.
> 
> And *they are debating whether there is some way to change their ships' rules of engagement so that they can arrest pirates caught in the act of attacking passing ships.*
> 
> Currently, each ship operates under its national laws, and some NATO members have no laws on piracy on the high seas. That led to a case at the weekend in which NATO ships detained seven armed pirates but were forced to release them immediately.
> 
> *NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is "not happy with the mission they have, nor happy with the authorities they have been given," Appathurai said.*



Fact sheet on EU anti-SOM-piracy TF attached, but it appears this team's hands are tied, too, according to the UK's Telegraph as of late last year:


> A new EU naval task force will be unable to take tough action against Somali pirates because it must respect their human rights, its commander has admitted.


----------



## a_majoor

You can talk all you want, but pirates are not really in a listening mood....

http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_04_19-2009_04_25.shtml#1240406450



> [Eugene Kontorovich, guest-blogging, April 22, 2009 at 9:20am] Trackbacks
> *The Administration's Pathetic Piracy Policy, or Freezing Asses*
> 
> The attention focused on the arraignment yesterday of the surviving Alabama pirate in federal court yesterday should not divert attention from the absolute failure of Western efforts against Somali piracy. The situation is not likely to improve, given the anti-piracy measures dramatically promised by the Obama Administration.
> 
> (In my too-slowly-forthcoming but particularly timely essay, “A Guantanamo on the Sea”: The Difficulty of Prosecuting Pirates and Terrorists, 98 Calif. Law. Rev., I predict many legal difficulties with policing and prosecuting piracy, which I argue explains the lack of aggressive action in the field or in the courtrooms. The new anti-piracy proposals are in keeping with this.
> 
> In the wake of the sudden public attention generated by the seizure of the U.S. vessel, both the president and Secretary of State Clinton vowed to crack down on the international criminals. But the measures they promised are pathetic. The highlight of Clinton’s four-point anti-piracy plan is to “seize pirate assets.” I admit when I first heard this I thought it was a joke. Pirates do not have money in London or New York banks. Somalis are more likely to have asses than assets. The pirates put in their booty into mansions, cars, multiple wives and qwat. How will Clinton freeze that?
> 
> Apparently “freezing assets” has become part of a rote litany of soft power diplomacy, along with travel restrictions and the like. The problem with such measures — and with things like universal jurisdiction, which often rely on them as enforcement tools — is that they're much more effective against leaders of Western democracies than a variety of Third World thugs. Somali pirates, like the North Korean Politburo, are not signing up for the Grand Tour of Italy, or a trip around England’s maze gardens. Such sanctions will be largely ineffective against them.
> 
> One can only hope that when such measures are discussed the sanctions against Iran to prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons, it is not meant to be such an obvious commitment to do nothing.
> 
> I am not being unfair to Clinton’s plans. The asset freeze is the most aggressive of her proposals, the rest of which include holding “meetings,” a “diplomatic team to engage” Somalia’s transitional government; and tasking other officials to “work” with the shipping industry on their self defense measures.
> 
> This is not the first time an administration has boldly announced it would put an end to Somali piracy and is not the first time in such announcements would be in vain. Last fall, after the hijacking of a Ukrainian ship, the Faina, carrying dozens of battle tanks, the Bush administration and other nations declared that the pirates have finally gone too far. Secretary of State Rice devoted considerable time and her last months in office working this issue at the United Nations. Yet those pirates got a ransom too, and the piracy epidemic has only increased.
> 
> Indeed, as I've recounted elsewhere, since the beginning of the piracy epidemic last summer the United Nations has passed five Security Council resolutions on the subject– all under its binding Chapter VII authority. No other issue, not even the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (to say nothing of the bloody civil war in Sri Lanka or the ongoing genocide in Darfur) has commanded as much of the Council’s attention. Yet the piracy epidemic has only increased apace. In the days after Obama announced that the U.S. would be getting tough on pirates, as if to mock his words several more vessels were seized, including another American ship.
> 
> All Related Posts (on one page) | Some Related Posts:
> 
> 1. The Administration's Pathetic Piracy Policy, or Freezing Asses
> 2. Just an Honest Fisherman
> 3. Why Crews Don't Resist ...
> 8. The Piracy Problem.
> 9. How to Handle Pirates:
> 10. The Somali Pirates:


----------



## GAP

A more effective method would be to "Blow them out of the water if they attack".


----------



## OldSolduer

GAP said:
			
		

> A more effective method would be to "Blow them out of the water if they attack".



We're thinking along the same lines GAP.


----------



## geo

two phase format

1.  Blow the pirates out of the water when they are "caught in the act".

2.  Deny them the benefit of enjoying their illgotten wealth.  They continue to live in Somali coastal towns, building mega homes & showing off so much "bling" that it should not be all that difficult to segregate the bad guys from the poor sod who is simply trying to survive.


----------



## mariomike

geo said:
			
		

> 2.  Deny them the benefit of enjoying their illgotten wealth.  They continue to live in Somali coastal towns, building mega homes



Between the wars the RAF used to fly over the homes of troublesome warlords and drop a rock with a note wrapped around it near the front door. The note said something like if they didn't behave, next time their house would be wrecked from above. 
Just something I read in a book. Perhaps no longer relevant.


----------



## FastEddy

GAP said:
			
		

> A more effective method would be to "Blow them out of the water if they attack".





My Dear GAP, do you realize that under our Charter of Human Rights, that it would constitute Cruel and Inhumane acts, not to mention denying them of Due Process of Law and Trial.

As Canadians we must always follow and take the High Road.

As for writing this Crap, the Devil made me do it. >

Cheers.


----------



## George Wallace

FastEddy said:
			
		

> My Dear GAP, do you realize that under our Charter of Human Rights, that it would constitute Cruel and Inhumane acts, not to mention denying them of Due Process of Law and Trial.
> 
> As Canadians we must always follow and take the High Road.
> 
> As for writing this Crap, the Devil made me do it. >
> 
> Cheers.



I think that the qualifier by GAP "if they attack" would justify blowing them out of the water............'with extreme prejudice.'   ;D


----------



## GAP

Italy ship thwarts pirate attack  
Article Link

A captain of an Italian cruise ship has given the BBC a dramatic account of how his crew fended off a pirate attack near the coast of Somalia. 

Capt Ciro Pinto said six pirates in a speedboat approached his Melody ship and opened fire, but then fled after security men fired in the air. 

He said his crew also sprayed water on the gunmen when they tried to climb aboard using a ladder. 

No-one was hurt in Saturday's incident. Some 1,500 people were on the vessel. 

Somali pirates have also seized an empty Yemeni oil tanker and clashed with coast guards on Sunday, a Yemeni official said. 

Two pirates were killed in the action as the Yemeni coast guard tried to free the vessel, a Yemeni government official was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying. 

The official said three pirates and two Yemeni coast guards were also wounded in the exchange. 


Last year, pirates attacked more than 100 ships in the region, demanding huge ransom for their release. Their attacks have intensified recently. 

'Throwing chairs' 

Capt Pinto told the BBC that the pirates tried to hijack his ship late on Saturday, about 290km (180 miles) north of Victoria in the Seychelles. 

"One white small boat with six people on board approached the port side of the ship and started shooting." 

The captain said the pirates fired some 200 rounds of shots on the vessel. 

His said "our security started shooting in the air... and also we started spraying some water" to beat off the attackers. 

Capt Pinto said the pirates were forced to give up after about five minutes of shooting and a high-speed chase. 

Samantha Hendey from Durban, South Africa, told the BBC that her sister Tabitha Nicholson was on board the ship during the attack and the situation was "pretty dramatic". 

"She said that there were lots of passengers on deck watching it unfold and they even took action themselves by throwing chairs overboard, trying to hit the pirates," Samantha said. 
More on link​


----------



## OldSolduer

It makes me wonder if maybe the "leaders" of our nations have the guts to confront anything bad at all. Talk about wearing lace underwear...... ;D

Well done to the cruise ship!!


----------



## FastEddy

OldSolduer said:
			
		

> It makes me wonder if maybe the "leaders" of our nations have the guts to confront anything bad at all. Talk about wearing lace underwear...... ;D
> 
> Well done to the cruise ship!!




Boy have you got that right.

Cheers.


----------



## Yrys

Spanish capture 'Somali pirates'







Spanish forces have arrested nine Somalis suspected of being the pirates 
who attacked an Italian cruise ship.

A warship intercepted a skiff carrying the nine Somali suspects, the Spanish 
defence ministry said. The nine were captured near the Seychelles and 
handed over to authorities there, officials said.

The Italian cruise ship, the Melody, was attacked by a group of pirates in a 
speedboat in the area on Saturday. No-one was hurt in the incident. The 
ship's crew and security men repulsed the attack by firing into the air and 
spraying the gunmen with water. About 1,500 people were on the vessel.

*Search launched*

After the hijacking attempt, a search was launched for the pirates by the 
Spanish frigate Numancia, along with patrol planes from the Seychelles 
and France and an Indian navy ship.

Spanish officials said that during the search they found two small boats 
with nine suspects on board close to the scene of the attack. The suspects 
abandoned one of the boats and were later caught in the skiff.

The Numancia "intercepted a skiff with nine occupants who could be connected 
to the hijacking attempt of the Italian cruise ship which was eventually repelled 
by the boat," the defence ministry said in a statement quoted by AFP news agency.
The nine are the latest suspected pirates to be arrested by international forces 
operating off the coast of Somalia.

France has charged three people with hijacking and false imprisonment after 
a rescue operation involving a yacht in the Indian Ocean on 10 April.

A Somali teenager is also facing trial in the US after being captured during 
the rescue of a ship's captain off the coast of Somalia earlier this month.


----------



## Yrys

Somali vigilantes capture pirates






Somali vigilantes have captured 12 armed pirates in two boats, as coastal communities 
begin to fight back against the sea raiders.

Regional leaders at Alula and Bargaal in Somalia's northern Puntland region told the BBC 
they have put together a militia of fishermen to catch pirates. They decided to act as they 
were fed up with their fishing vessels being seized at gunpoint by the ocean-going bandits.

Meanwhile, the Seychelles said it had arrested nine suspected pirates. The men were 
intercepted by a Spanish frigate near the Indian Ocean archipelago on Monday. They are 
accused of firing on Saturday at the Italian cruise ship the Melody - which had more than 
1,500 passengers - in an attack repelled by Israeli security guards.

"They are now in detention in a prison cell of the Seychelles police force and are expected 
to be charged and tried in the islands," Seychellois President James Michel's office said in 
a statement on Tuesday, reported AFP news agency. 

See map of how piracy is affecting the region and countries around the world

Somali pirates have hijacked 25 vessels since the beginning of this year and are holding 
more than 260 crew around the stronghold of Eyl in Puntland, according to the International 
Maritime Bureau.

Now frustrated regional leaders have taken the law into their own hands. One of them, 
Faarah Mohammed, told the BBC: "There is a security committee set up by the communities 
who live in Bargaal and Alula. "And they decided to confront whatever was creating problems 
in their areas and particularly, the problems of the sea piracy. "And eventually their effort 
led to the capture of three boats and 12 men with their weapons. One boat got away."

The BBC's Somali Service says the militia will have to hand the pirates over to the local 
authorities. Somali pirates could face the death penalty under recent get-tough measures 
announced by the internationally recognised but unsteady Somali government.

Navies from Nato, the EU, Russia, Japan, China, India, Yemen, US Malaysia and Singapore 
have been patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden in an effort to deter the gangs.
But some regional leaders say the foreign navies are protecting foreign fishing boats and 
allowing them to continue scooping up the fish-stocks that once provided Somalis with their 
livelihoods.

The lucrative lobster trade with Dubai is said to have collapsed after the foreign boats' giant 
trawler nets damaged the fragile coral that is the crustaceans' habitat. As a result some 
fishermen decided to become pirates, but it appears that the local communities are now 
turning against these activities, says BBC Africa analyst Martin Plaut.


----------



## Yrys

Russia captures Somalia pirates





_International navies been moving 
to arrest suspected pirates_

A Russian warship has seized a pirate vessel with 29 people on board off the Somali coast, 
Russian news reports say. Guns and navigation equipment were found during a search of 
the pirate boat, officials were quoted as saying. They said the suspected pirates were 
thought to have launched two unsuccessful attacks against a tanker with a Russian crew.

Russia is one of the countries that has deployed naval ships against pirates operating in 
the area.


----------



## CougarKing

More details that add to those that Yrys posted.



> *Russian navy seizes 29 pirates off Somalia: report*
> Reuters
> 
> Tue Apr 28, 5:23 pm ET
> 
> MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian warship captured a suspected pirate vessel with 29 people on board off the coast of Somalia, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday, citing defense ministry sources.
> 
> Russia's *Admiral Panteleyev* anti-submarine ship seized the vessel 15 miles off the coast of Somalia at 1212 GMT on Tuesday, the Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies reported.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _*Admiral Panteleyev*_
> 
> *"Seven Kalashnikov rifles, various pistols and an aluminum ladder were discovered during a search of the ship,"* RIA Novosti quoted the source as saying. Satellite navigation equipment and a large amount of ammunition was also seized.
> 
> "This allows us to assume that *this group of pirates undertook two unsuccessful attempts to seize the TF Commander tanker with a Russian crew* that was traveling through this region yesterday," RIA quoted the source as saying.
> 
> Russia is among several naval powers with warships in the area to protect one of the world's busiest sea lanes from spate of hijackings by Somali pirates.
> 
> (Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Matthew Jones)
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090428/wl_nm/..._pirates_russia



Plus another update:






_In this photo released by the Spanish Defence Ministry Sunday April 26, 2009 the Italian cruise ship MSC Melody is escorted by the Spanish Frigate Marques de la Ensenada. The commander of an Italian cruise ship says his crew successfully fended off an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia, returning fire when the pirates attacked. Cmdr. Ciro Pinto tells Italian state radio that he ordered his security forces to return fire when six men in a small white boat opened fire on the MSC Melody on Saturday night April 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Spanish Defence Ministry, HO)_











_Seychelles security officers lead a suspected Somali pirate © off a Seychelles coast guard vessel in the capital Victoria, April 28, 2009. A Spanish warship has arrested nine suspected pirates believed to be behind an attack on an Italian cruise ship and handed them over to Seychelles, the head of an anti-piracy taskforce said on Tuesday.
REUTERS/George Thande (SEYCHELLES SOCIETY CONFLICT)_






_Paramedics attend to a suspected Somali pirate arrested near the Seychelles April 28, 2009. A Spanish warship has arrested nine suspected pirates believed to be behind an attack on an Italian cruise ship and handed them over to Seychelles, the head of an anti-piracy taskforce said on Tuesday.
REUTERS/George Thande (SEYCHELLES CRIME LAW POLITICS)_


----------



## CougarKing

_Forces from France`s ship Nivose intercept Somali pirates April 15, 2009, in this picture released by the French Ministry of Defence._






_The French navy frigate Nivose, carrying 11 Somalia pirates, arrives at the port of Mombasa April 22, 2009. The pirates will be handed over to the Kenyan government this afternoon. The U.S. pledge to hunt down the fortunes Somali pirates amassed from capturing ships on the high seas may score political points but is unlikely to yield much bounty, experts say. REUTERS/Antony Njuguna (KENYA CONFLICT SOCIETY)_






_The French navy warship Nivose is seen docked in front of the German replenishment ship Berlin at the port of Mombasa, 500 km (311 miles) from the capital Nairobi, April 22, 2009. The pirates were handed over to the Kenyan government. The U.S. pledge to hunt down the fortunes Somali pirates amassed from capturing ships on the high seas may score political points but is unlikely to yield much bounty, experts say. REUTERS/Joseph Okangaa (KENYA CONFLICT SOCIETY MILITARY)_






_French Commandos escorts one of the suspected pirates, 2nd left, from the ship. Nivose, a French frigate serving in the international fleet trying to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden arrived in the Port of Mombasa Kenya, Wednesday, April 22, 2009,with 11 detained suspected pirates. France has traditionally been aggressive in fighting piracy - this was its ninth military operation against pirates. Three Somali pirates were in the French city of Rennes on last Wednesday facing judicial investigation after being captured in a hostage rescue Friday. Several other pirates are also in French custody after being seized last year. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)_











_French commandos hand over to a Kenyan police officer in plain clothes, left, a suspected pirate, center, after the French naval frigate the Nivose, serving in the international fleet trying to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden arrived in the Port of Mombasa, Kenya, Wednesday, April 22, 2009, with 11 detained suspected pirates. 
(AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)_






_Kenyan police with some of the suspected pirates in a van after they were removed from the French ship. Nivose, a French frigate serving in the international fleet trying to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden arrived in the Port of Mombasa Kenya, Wednesday, April 22, 2009, with 11 detained suspected pirates.
(AP Photo/Sayyid Azim) _


----------



## Yrys

Somali pirate suspects captured





Some of the pirate suspects were taken on board a French frigate

Fourteen suspected Somali pirates have been captured in separate operations 
by a French frigate and the Seychelles coast guard. French commandos on the 
frigate Nivose caught 11 suspects some 900 kms (560 miles) off the Somali 
coast, the French Defence Ministry says. The Nivose is reported to have alerted 
the Seychelles authorities to help them capture the other three.

Somali pirates are currently holding nearly 20 ships for ransom.

On Saturday a Greek-owned ship with a Ukrainian crew was hijacked by Somali 
pirates south-west of the Seychelles, a seafarers' group says. On the same day 
a Portuguese warship thwarted an attack on a Norwegian vessel in the Gulf of Aden.

*Moving south*

According to the French navy, the commandos on the Nivose used fast outboard 
vessels and a helicopter to detain the 11 Somali suspects who were on three vessels, 
the AFP news agency reports. It is not clear what will happen to them. In earlier cases 
pirate suspects have been sent for trial in Kenya or to Somalia's semi-autonomous 
region of Puntland or to France.

The Nivose is part of the European Union's operation to protect shipping in the Gulf of 
Aden. In April it captured 11 presumed pirates off the coast of Kenya.

As foreign navies have stepped up efforts to capture pirates in the Gulf of Aden they 
have moved further south , operating more in waters of the Seychelles. The Seychelles 
government says three more pirates were captured on Sunday. "The three men identified 
themselves as Somali. They were travelling in a six-metre skiff with several barrels of fuel 
and water onboard," a Seychelles presidential statement said, AFP reports.

Somalia has been without a stable government since 1991, allowing piracy to flourish. 
The problem worsened in the first months of 2009. 





A helicopter from the Nivose hovers 
above pirate suspects


----------



## The Bread Guy

*Government of Canada extends Navy’s counter-piracy mission*
NR–09.031 - May 3, 2009

OTTAWA – The Government of Canada is extending the counter-piracy mission of HMCS Winnipeg, as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group One off the Horn of Africa, to the beginning of June.  This extension allows HMCS Winnipeg to continue conducting operations with NATO allies off the coast of Somalia by maintaining a high-profile multi-lateral presence to defend against and deter acts of piracy.

“The Government of Canada is proud of its contribution and the extension of this vital maritime security mission,” said the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway. “The hard work of the men and women serving on HMCS Winnipeg is a shining example of Canada’s commitment to global security.”

NATO announced the continuation of counter-piracy operations on April 24, 2009, in light of increased pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.  The maritime group consists of vessels from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

HMCS Winnipeg’s deployment, conducted under Operation SEXTANT, gives Canada the opportunity to be part of a flexible, responsive international force.  The purpose of her counter-piracy operations is to deter and disrupt piracy through patrolling, presence, escort of vessels as required, and boarding and approach of suspected vessels.

“The extension of HMCS Winnipeg’s deployment demonstrates Canada’s continued endeavour, along with our coalition partners, to contribute to maritime security,” said General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff.  “HMCS Winnipeg and her crew are truly making a difference, as seen just a few weeks ago when weapons were seized from a skiff.”

Commanded by Commander Craig Baines with a crew of approximately 240 officers and non-commissioned members, HMCS Winnipeg and her CH-124 Sea King detachment form a highly ready and technologically advanced warship.  She is expected to return to her home port of Esquimalt, B.C., in August 2009.

-30-

Note to editors:

For more information on Operation SEXTANT, visit: http://www.cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/sextant/index-eng.asp

Photos of HMCS Winnipeg's mission can be viewed at www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca
B-roll available at http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/common/combatcamera/news/


----------



## MarkOttawa

Byers the enforcer--letter of mine in the _Globe and Mail_, May 2; for some reason the paper's online letters section is blank 
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinions/letters/
so I typed this up (their title):

Piracy policy polemic



> So, the University of British Columbia's Michael Byers thinks the Conservative government is soft on pirates (Ottawa's Piracy Policy Flouts Law, Experts Say - May 1):
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090430.wpirate30/BNStory/International/
> "It's ludicrous for the Harper government to claim that it can't arrest and prosecute pirates." Prof. Byers, an unsuccessful candidate for the NDP in the last federal election, is being rather disingenuous.
> 
> A strong human-rights advocate, he'd be one of the first to raise hell at the slightest hint of any possible "abuse" of a captured pirate by Canadian sailors, or, if Canada turned the pirates over to Kenya for trial (as some countries do), at the slightest hint that the Kenyan justice system is less than perfect. I rather imagine that concern over such hell being raised by our "progressive" experts is one reason the government is dealing with pirates so gingerly.
> 
> _Mark Collins, Ottawa_



More from the scourge of the high seas here;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090421.LETTERS21ART2023-11/TPStory/?query=byers
here's a sample of his usual way of thinking:
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2007/02/afstan-poop-from-professor-bilge-from.html

Meanwhile, the government is working on a somewhat more robust policy than catch and release:

Canada steps up pirate battle
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2009/05/04/9337361-sun.html



> The federal government is extending Canada's anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia and looking to close legal loopholes that result in the "catch-and-release" of perpetrators...
> 
> MacKay said because Canadians are in a "flux zone" outside territorial limits, sailors can't arrest and charge suspects unless they are directly attacking a Canadian-flagged ship. The U.S., France and Britain have reached agreements with African countries to prosecute there, and Canada's foreign affairs department is "very aggressively" seeking ways for Canada to hold suspects to account...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## MarkOttawa

German hostage-rescue mission scuppered:

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
Geman Elite Troop Abandons Plan to Free Pirate
Hostages 
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,622766,00.html#ref=nlint



> In a massive secret operation, Berlin sent members of its elite GSG-9 police force to Somalia to free hostages and a German freighter captured by pirates there, but the commandos were called off before the rescue effort could begin. The scuppered operation reveals deficits in Germany's security forces.
> 
> The situation room at the German Defense Ministry, on the 5th floor of Berlin's Bendler Block building complex, was built as a place where secret, life-and-death decisions are made. The room is so secure that German Chancellor Angela Merkel once complained that she couldn't even send a text message from it.
> 
> Last Wednesday, at approximately 7 p.m., the government's key state secretaries were sitting around the birch conference tables in the situation room, where they had met almost daily for the past three weeks to address a crisis brewing off the coast of Somalia. The officials were there to manage one of the biggest secret operations in postwar German history. Elite members of the GSG-9 police force were on the verge of boarding a German freighter, the Hansa Stavanger, which had been kidnapped by Somali pirates.
> 
> The Americans had lent the Germans one of their ships, the USS Boxer, to use as their flagship in the planned attack -- and a fleet of German Navy vessels flanked the enormous helicopter carrier. The ships had been patrolling near the Hansa Stavanger for days, waiting just beyond the horizon to evade detection on the pirates' radar screens.
> 
> Speaking in the situation room in Berlin, Interior Ministry State Secretary August Hanning came directly to the point. US National Security Advisor James Jones, he told the group, had called the Chancellery to cancel the operation. The US government, worried that the operation could turn into a suicide mission, was sending the USS Boxer back to the Kenyan port of Mombasa, where the German forces were to disembark. Officials at the German Federal Police headquarters in Potsdam, outside Berlin, concerned about the potential for a bloodbath, had also spoken out against the operation.
> 
> "The operation cannot take place," Hanning told the group, noting that the pirates were vigilant and prepared for an attack, and that "the risk is too high."
> 
> As a result, the operation ended before it actually began. It has been almost 32 years since the GSG-9 stormed a Lufthansa airliner, the "Landshut," in the Somali capital Mogadishu, freeing hostages from the control of four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who had hijacked the aircraft. The case of the Hansa Stavanger, this time off the Somali coast, seemed sufficiently symbolic to justify another potentially successful rescue operation, though on a much larger scale. More than 200 members of the elite police force, equipped with helicopters, speedboats and advanced weapons, had been secretly brought, via Kenya, to a location 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the German freighter.
> 
> Although the dramatic narrative of the cancelled rescue operation is an example of great resolve on the part of German and American authorities, it also points to deficits. It shows that, in such extreme situations, the German government is essentially incapable of deploying its law enforcement authorities in a purposeful way...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

Thats some odd looking frigate _Marques de la Ensenada_last time we sailed with her, she hgave us a lot of go juice. MSM kudos to you :


----------



## CougarKing

How ironic. Looks like this pirate menace is somewhat contributing to good relations between North and South Korea.



> *SKorean warship rescues NKorean vessel off Somalia*
> AP
> 
> 1 hr 17 mins ago
> 
> SEOUL, South Korea – A South Korean navy warship has rescued a North Korean freighter by driving away a pirate ship chasing it off Somalia.
> 
> South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday the 4,500-ton-class South Korean warship *sent a Lynx helicopter to assist the North Korean vessel after receiving a distress call earlier Monday that it was being chased by the pirate ship.*
> 
> The statement said the pirate ship gave up chasing the North Korean ship and sped away shortly after snipers aboard the helicopter prepared to fire warning shots at it.
> 
> It said *the North Korean ship later sent a thank you message to the South Korean ship.*
> 
> Relations between the two Koreas have badly frayed since a conservative government in Seoul took power last year.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090504/ap_on_...s_somali_piracy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _In this photo released by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, a pirate ship is seen from South Korea's Lynx helicopter in 37 kilometers (23 miles) south of Aden port in Yemen, Monday, May 4, 2009. A South Korean navy warship has rescued a North Korean freighter by driving away the pirate ship chasing it off Somalia. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday the 4,500-ton-class South Korean warship sent a Lynx helicopter to assist the North Korean vessel after receiving a distress call earlier Monday that it was being chased by the pirate ship.
> (AP Photo/South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, HO)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _South Korean sniper on Lynx helicopter, aims at a pirate ship in 37 kilometers (23 miles) south of Aden port in Yemen, Monday, May 4, 2009.
> (AP Photo/South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, HO)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Sailors of North Korean vessel *Dabaksol* wave their hands to South Korea's Lynx helicopter in 37 kilometers (23 miles) south of Aden port, in Yemen, Monday, May 4, 2009.
> (AP Photo/South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, HO)_


----------



## CougarKing

And the Russians have been busy this week as well.



> *Russian ship frees Iranians seized with pirates*
> AP
> 
> MOSCOW – Iran's embassy in Moscow says a Russian warship has freed eight Iranians who were seized along with suspected Somali pirates last week.
> 
> The embassy says *the Iranians had been held captive by the pirates for almost three months*, and has praised the Russian Navy for the rescue.
> 
> The Russian destroyer Admiral Panteleyev captured a vessel with 29 suspected Somali pirates last week. Russian media had reported *that Iranian and Pakistani fishermen were detained along with the suspected pirates.*
> 
> A Russian Navy spokesman on Monday confirmed that the Iranians were released but would not elaborate. He said the fate of the suspected pirates was still under consideration.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090504/ap_on_...m4qtbB03GdvaA8F


----------



## CougarKing

_A picture released by the NATO on May 2, 2009 shows military personnel aboard the Portuguese Frigate Corte Real frigate sailing off Somalia looking at weapons seized on a pirates "mother ship", on May 1, 2009. The Corte Real captured 19 Somali pirates after foiling an attack on an oil tanker but released them all, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation officials said on May 1, 2009. Commander Chris Davies, from the control centre for the NATO mission protecting merchant ships off Somalia, said the frigate Corte Real launched a helicopter on April 30, 2009 after being informed of an attack on the tanker, the Bahamas-flagged *Kition*. The helicopter pursued the pirates back to their mother ship, a fishing boat which was later boarded and weapons including grenade-launchers and explosives were seized. However a Portuguese officer with the NATO force in the Gulf of Aden, Santos Ferreira, told TSF radio that the 19 pirates captured had been released "after contact was made with Somali national authorities."_






_A picture released by the NATO on May 2, 2009 shows weapons seized on a pirates "mother ship", on May 1, 2009. _







_A picture released by the NATO on May 2, 2009 shows detained pirates aboard the Portuguese Frigate Corte Real frigate sailing off Somalia on May 1, 2009. _











*F332 Corte Real.*


----------



## CougarKing

A step in the right direction?



> *More than $200M pledged to beat Somali pirates*
> 
> (CNN) -- *Countries have pledged $213 million* at an international conference to boost security in Somalia and halt the country's growing piracy problem.
> 
> Somalia's prime minister says the international naval patrols are having little effect on the piracy problem.
> 
> "We have a unique opportunity to support leaders who have shown a commitment to building peace and rebuilding the Somali state," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "By opening the space for security, we open the door to a better life for Somalia's people."
> 
> *"The risks of not supporting the new government are too high and the costs of failure too enormous,"* Ban added.
> 
> Organized by the European Union, the conference included leaders from the United Nations and African Union.
> 
> As the pledges rolled in, Somalia's prime minister said international naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden were not solving the problem of piracy in the region.
> 
> *Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke pointed to the recent increase in pirate attacks as evidence, and called for the U.N. arms embargo on Somalia to be lifted so the government can fight back against the pirates and militant Islamist groups.
> 
> "One of our biggest problems is that al-Shabaab has AK-47s, and the pirates have AK-47s, and the government has AK-47s," the prime minister said in Nairobi, Kenya. Al-Shabaab, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization, is an Islamic militant group that controls much of southern Somalia.*
> 
> "You can't expect the government to win against such a problem. The only way is to have sufficient capability, and it starts with lifting the arms embargo. You know, we have been handicapped by those sanctions."
> 
> The arms embargo on Somalia has been in effect for more than 16 years. Most serviceable weapons and almost all ammunition currently available in the country have been delivered since 1992, in violation of the embargo, according to the U.N. Security Council.
> 
> Pirate attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia's coast accounted for 61 of the 102 attacks during the first quarter. That compares with six incidents for the same period in 2008, said the International Maritime Bureau, which issues regular reports on piracy worldwide.
> 
> The European Union and several nations, including the United States, have naval forces in the region to protect vessels against pirate attacks. The head of EU naval forces in the waters off Somalia said he thinks navies can defeat pirates on the high seas, but ultimately restoring long-term stability to Somalia will be what stops the attacks.
> 
> Still, Rear Adm. Philip Jones said: *"It'll be a long period of time before that's successful, and we must be ready to secure the seas until that's in place."
> 
> "Assisting Somalia's new government to establish increased security and stability across the country is critical for tackling the root causes of piracy," *the EU said in a statement about the international conference in Brussels, Belgium. "Recent events show that piracy is increasingly putting in jeopardy the security of ships in the Gulf of Aden and in the wider maritime region."
> 
> A dramatic increase in activity by Somali pirates led to a near-doubling in the number of pirate attacks globally in the first quarter of 2009, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> Ahead of the conference, Ban indicated that he was not ready to send U.N. troops to Somalia. The idea of a U.N. peacekeeping force is divisive, he said, and "could exacerbate the conflict if pursued too soon."
> 
> Instead, Ban *recommended supporting the existing African Union force in Somalia, helping build Somalia's security institutions and supporting political reconciliation in the country. If that works, the United Nations would open a political office in Somalia to support the country's political process*, Ban said.
> 
> Then, *if the U.N. presence succeeds, the Security Council could decide on a U.N. peacekeeping operation to take over from the African Union force,* he said.
> 
> http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/0...html#cnnSTCText


----------



## The Bread Guy

MarkOttawa said:
			
		

> German hostage-rescue mission scuppered:
> 
> MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
> Geman Elite Troop Abandons Plan to Free Pirate
> Hostages
> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,622766,00.html#ref=nlint



A bit of commentary on this from the US's Naval Institute's blog....


> .... If these reports are confirmed, the German attempt to free its hostages with the help of U.S. military assets, including the USS Boxer, demonstrates the high level of international cooperation required to control the spread of global piracy at both the tactical and strategic levels.  Though this particular operation seems to have been called off for good reason, the high level of international and interagency collaboration should, nonetheless, be applauded and must continue. No nation has a monopoly on the military, economic or political tools that are required to end the piracy problem. It will only be though international teamwork that the world can hope to find a real solution ....


----------



## Pat_Y

Well if this has already been brought up I am sorry but I was not going to read through 47 pages of information.

I just wanted to bring this up. But I do believe that the long term solution here has to be something that addresses the issues on the main land of Somalia... ok now just calm down and take a breath, we all know what has happened there in the past but I don’t see many other option here. Sending more and more ships will help to slow the attacks but it will not fix the route of the problem in the long run. The people who are launching these attacks are doing this for a reason. And that reason is money... with money you can have food. I think it is time we take a good hard look here and see if we are just trying to take the easy way out by sending ships and just applying a temporary fix to an extremely large and difficult problem. Another question I guess must be asked is ... do we care enough to send another international force to try to help? 


I am aware that in the most realistic sense that a military force will not be sent back in. I am just pondering ideas and that is all. If I have offended anyone here I am sorry but these are just my personal views.

As for my second idea, (and I do believe this is considered an act of war) just lay a 2 mile wide strip of mines across the Somali coast.


----------



## CougarKing

Pat_Y said:
			
		

> Well if this has already been brought up I am sorry but I was not going to read through 47 pages of information.



Yes it has been brought up at least once before. It really pays to read the more recent posts if you don't want to read the whole thread. The ff. posts may help you get started:

http://forums.navy.ca/forums/threads/67625/post-835035.html#msg835035

http://forums.navy.ca/forums/threads/67625/post-839289.html#msg839289


----------



## Pat_Y

Thank you for that. I  did read the last dozen pages but I might have skipped over it. Thank you again and I will keep that in mind.

By the way good topic!


----------



## CougarKing

Bravo to the Italian Navy/La Regia Marina.



> *Italian navy scares off tanker-attack pirates*
> AFP
> Tue May 5, 10:20 am ET
> 
> ROME (AFP) – Pirates attacked a tanker in the Gulf of Aden but were forced to flee when the Italian navy came to the carrier's rescue, ANSA news agency reported Tuesday.
> 
> The *Neverland*, owned by Italian shipping company Finaval and carrying liquified natural gas, was attacked by a pirate vessel, but the nearby* Maestrale* frigate sent ahead a helicopter before joining the pursuit, the agency added.
> 
> No shots were fired, ANSA underlined.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _*MAESTRALE (F 570)*_
> 
> Italian ships have evaded pirate attacks on several occasions over recent weeks.
> 
> The pirates are working the last days of favourable weather conditions, in between monsoon seasons that make approaching and boarding large high-sided ships more difficult.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090505/wl_af..._20090505142058


----------



## CougarKing

Here we go again. This has been the 2nd time the USNS _Lewis and Clark_ has been attacked, IIRC.



> *Somali pirates seize Dutch ship, try for one USN ship*
> AP
> By MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED,Associated Press Writer - 56 minutes ago
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates captured a Dutch ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday and a *U.S. military supply ship* evaded an armed attack by pirates in the same region, one of the world's busiest and most dangerous waterways.
> 
> The *Netherlands Antilles-flagged MV Marathon* was seized 115 miles (185 kilometers) southeast of the Yemeni port of Mukalla, according to Lt. Cmdr. Virginia Newman, spokeswoman for the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces, which is made of 23 countries trying to fight high-seas piracy.
> 
> "The cargo was coke, a type of fuel-like coal," Newman said.
> 
> She said the ship listed 19 crew members but it was not clear how many were actually onboard when it was seized or what their nationalities were.
> 
> Meanwhile, an American supply ship that recently served as a prison for captured pirates evaded an attack in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast by *two boats that pursued it for over an hour and fired light weapons.*
> 
> Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the Navy's 5th Fleet, says the pirates closed within a mile of the *USNS Lewis and Clark* on Wednesday before it increased speed and used evasive maneuvers to escape.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _*USNS Lewis and Clark* _
> 
> 
> In Romania on Thursday, the wife and mother of two Romanian sailors on another ship hijacked in the Gulf of Aden this week made an emotional plea for their safety.
> 
> Elena Sarchizian told Associated Press Television News that she would give "my heart and soul" to have her husband and daughter safely returned and added she has been praying ever since she heard about the kidnapping.
> 
> The *MV Victoria, a German cargo ship with 11 Romanian crew*, was captured by Somali pirates on Tuesday. Sarchizian's husband Hartin is the ship's chief mechanic and her 30-year-old daughter Ruxandra is a naval officer on the ship.
> 
> The Kru Martime recruiting company said eight of the 11 sailors are from Romania's Black Sea port of Constanta, including the Sarchizians.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's most important shipping lanes, connecting Europe and Asia via the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is used by 20,000 ships a year and has become the world's hot spot for pirate attacks.
> 
> At least 19 ships and over 250 sailors now being held hostage by Somali pirates. Last year, 42 ships were seized and pirates earned an estimated $1 million or more in ransom each time they freed a ship.
> 
> The pirates operate freely because Somalia has had no effective central government in nearly 20 years. Nearly every public institution has crumbled and the U.N.-backed government controls only limited territory and is fighting an Islamic insurgency.
> 
> http://asia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20090507/twl...cy-1be00ca.html
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Marines patrol Gulf of Aden skies for pirates
> An AH-1 helicopter escorts a UH-1Y helicopter while U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Bryan E. Campbell prepares an M2.50 caliber machine gun in support of counter-piracy surveillance operations over the Gulf of Aden, April 6, 2009. Hijacked Maersk-Alabama cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued by U.S. Navy forces, killing three pirates, on April 12, 2009. (UPI Photo/Robert C. Medina/U.S. Marines)_


----------



## CougarKing

So will we be seeing armed merchantmen soon?



> *Shipping company head wants to arm vessels against pirates*
> 
> May 5, 2009 -- Updated 2258 GMT (0658 HKT)
> 
> WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The head of a shipping company recently victimized by pirates off the Somali coast told lawmakers Tuesday that U.S. cargo crews should be allowed to arm themselves in response to the rising hijacking threat.
> 
> In April, pirates attacked The Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, but were unable to board.
> 
> Philip Shapiro, head of Liberty Maritime Corp., told a U.S. Senate Commerce subcommittee that the owners of U.S.-flagged "have done all they can within the law to protect our crews."
> 
> Unfortunately, he said, U.S. vessels are still largely at the mercy of pirates in shipping lanes around the heavily trafficked Gulf of Aden.
> 
> "In light of the recent threats to U.S. merchant mariners, we respectfully request that Congress consider clearing the obstacles that currently block ship owners from arming our vessels," Shapiro said.
> 
> Pirates unsuccessfully attempted to board the Liberty Sun, a cargo vessel owned by Shapiro's company, near the Somali coast on April 14. The ship was on a humanitarian relief mission at the time, carrying 47,000 tons of food to Mombassa, Kenya.
> 
> Pirate leaders later said the attempted hijacking was carried out as revenge after the U.S. Navy killed three pirates involved in a failed attack on the cargo ship Maersk Alabama. The slain pirates were holding Capt. Richard Phillips, who was in charge of the Alabama when it was boarded April 8.
> 
> "We've heard some suggestions that U.S.-flagged ship owners have not done enough to protect their vessels," Shapiro said. "That view ... is flat wrong. Our company adopted every measure recommended by the international maritime organizations and required by the Coast Guard's approved security plan for making the vessel a difficult piracy target -- and more."
> 
> Merchant vessels don't usually carry firearms, he said, but the "Maersk Alabama incident constitutes a game changer. ... *Self-proclaimed pirate leaders have now issued direct threats of violence against American merchant mariners."*
> 
> Shapiro said that U.S. crews have a right to self-defense under U.S. laws dating back to 1819, but "recently enacted State Department arms export regulations effectively prohibit the arming of vessels."
> 
> He also said that ship owners are at risk of "being second-guessed in U.S. and foreign courts for self-defensive measures that were common in 1819."
> 
> Shapiro urged congressional leaders to help "bring U.S. law up to date and give us the legal framework we need to be able to protect ourselves."
> 
> Until then, he said, *U.S. naval escorts or government security teams will be required for U.S. vessels on high-risk transits.*
> 
> Shapiro was joined at the committee hearing by Phillips, who said the most desirable response would be the establishment of U.S. military escorts as well as military detachments.
> 
> Phillips repeated an assertion he made before a separate Senate committee last week that arming vessels' crews could provide an effective deterrent -- but only under certain limited circumstances.
> 
> "Unless the root causes of piracy are addressed [on land], piracy will continue to expand and evolve into an even greater threat for American and foreign seamen," Phillips said.
> 
> A Transportation Department official testifying at the hearing noted that the ships most vulnerable to attack are those built low to the water with insufficient top speeds.
> 
> Ships need to be able to accelerate to "a high rate of speed [for] aggressive maneuvering" and should have high walls that are tough for pirates to scale, said Undersecretary of Transportation Roy Kienitz.
> 
> He recommended that ship owners mandate a range of "best practices," including having fire hoses to spray water over the side of a ship and extra manning for watches during dawn and dusk, when attacks are tougher to detect.
> 
> Shapiro said that the crew of the Liberty Sun was able to fend off the pirate attack in part by rigging fire hoses to cover the stern of the vessel and "create a virtual flood wall of water coming off the ship."
> 
> Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-New Jersey, applauded the efforts of the crews on both the Alabama and the Liberty Sun.
> 
> "These bandits have to be stopped," he said at the opening of the hearing.
> 
> "Violence and lawlessness will not be tolerated whether on land, in the sky or at sea. We have a duty to protect the ships that proudly fly America's flag."
> 
> http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/05...ring/index.html


----------



## CougarKing

Good.



> *Spanish navy detains suspected pirates off Somalia*
> 
> 14 hours ago
> 
> MADRID (AFP) — A Spanish navy warship on Thursday captured seven suspected pirates who they said tried to attack a merchant ship off the Somali coast, the Spanish government said.
> 
> They intervened in response to a call for help from the *Maltese-flagged Anny Petrakis*, the defence ministry said.
> 
> They sent their helicopter to the scene, at which point the pirates to aborted their attempt to board the merchant ship, said the ministry statement.
> 
> The suspects tried to flee but surrendered after the helicopter fired several warning shorts. Spanish marines also confiscated two guns and a grenade launcher.
> 
> A Spanish judge on Thursday ordered the defence ministry to bring another seven men detained the previous day to Spain for questioning.
> 
> The same navy ship, the *Marques de la Ensenada*, captured the seven in the Indian Ocean Wednesday after the suspects' boat capsized as they tried to board the Panamanian-flagged vessel the Nepheli.
> 
> The warship is part in European Union anti-pirate patrols in the region.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Marques de la Ensenada*
> 
> Last month the Spanish detained nine suspected Somalian pirates believed to have launched a failed attack on an Italian cruise ship. It handed the nine suspects over to the authorities in the Seychelles.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...uWAU4Vg2UTZLLTA


----------



## Yrys

Russia captures Somalia pirates, BBC News Tuesday, 28 April 2009

A Russian warship has seized a pirate vessel with 29 people on board off the Somali coast, 
Russian news reports say. Guns and navigation equipment were found during a search of 
the pirate boat, officials were quoted as saying.

They said the suspected pirates were thought to have launched two unsuccessful attacks 
against a tanker with a Russian crew. Russia is one of the countries that has deployed naval 
ships against pirates operating in the area. 


Pirates free UK ship for ransom, BBC News , Saturday, 9 May 2009 21:31 UK

Somali pirates have released a British-owned cargo ship, the Malaspina Castle, 
after more than a month following the payment of an undisclosed ransom.The 
32,000-tonne vessel, which has a mainly Bulgarian crew, was seized on 6 April 
in the Gulf of Aden while carrying a cargo of iron.

A Bulgarian government official confirmed the ship's release, saying the pirates' 
demands had been met. He said that all members of the 24-strong crew were 
in good health. Apart from 16 Bulgarians, they include several Russians, 
Ukrainians and Filipinos.

"The demands of the hijackers were met and the ship has been freed," said 
Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Milen Keremedchiev.

Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers Assistance 
Programme, based in Mombasa, Kenya, confirmed the release of the vessel. 
"It was freed today," he said on Saturday. "Ransom was paid a week ago."

Heavily armed Somali pirates continue to attack shipping in the Indian Ocean 
and Gulf of Aden despite the presence of international warships and a string 
of recent operations against them in recent months, some of which resulted 
in bloodshed.


----------



## old medic

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/11/somali-pirates-london-intelligence
Somali pirates guided by London intelligence team, report says
Document obtained by Spanish radio station says 'well-placed informers' in constant contact by satellite telephone.

Giles Tremlett in Madrid
Monday 11 May 2009 12.59 BST


> The Somali pirates attacking shipping in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are directed to their targets by a "consultant" team in London, according to a European military intelligence document obtained by a Spanish radio station.
> 
> The document, obtained by Cadena SER radio, says the team and the pirates remain in contact by satellite telephone.
> 
> It says that pirate groups have "well-placed informers" in London who are in regular contact with control centres in Somalia where decisions on which vessels to attack are made. These London-based "consultants" help the pirates select targets, providing information on the ships' cargoes and courses.
> 
> In at least one case the pirates have remained in contact with their London informants from the hijacked ship, according to one targeted shipping company.
> 
> The pirates' information network extends to Yemen, Dubai and the Suez canal.
> 
> The intelligence report is understood to have been issued to European navies.
> 
> "The information that merchant ships sailing through the area volunteer to various international organisations is ending up in the pirates' hands," Cadena SER reported the report as saying.
> 
> This enables the more organised pirate groups to study their targets in advance, even spending several days training teams for specific hijacks. Senior pirates then join the vessel once it has been sailed close to Somalia.
> 
> Captains of attacked ships have found that pirates know everything from the layout of the vessel to its ports of call. Vessels targeted as a result of this kind of intelligence included the Greek cargo ship Titan, the Turkish merchant ship Karagol and the Spanish trawler Felipe Ruano.
> 
> In each case, says the document, the pirates had full knowledge of the cargo, nationality and course of the vessel.
> 
> The national flag of a ship is also taken into account when choosing a target, with British vessels being increasingly avoided, according to the report. It was not clear whether this was because pirates did not want to draw the attention of British police to their information sources in London.
> 
> European countries have set up Operation Atalanta to co-ordinate their military efforts in the area.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/11/piracy-somalia-london-mole


Somali pirates can locate ships without need for London mole

Subscription to Lloyd's List, a contact in Suez or snoops at refuelling depots in UAE all help pinpoint vessel's position


> You would hardly need to be the most devious criminal mind to work out where a tanker laden with valuable cargo may be positioned at any given moment.
> 
> If reports from Spain are true and Somali pirates had a London shipping contact supplying them with precise information to target which tankers to hijack, they may have cultivated an insider at a London shipbrokers. That is because, every Monday, London brokers compile a list detailing the exact positions of all tankers sailing in the world. The time-consuming task involves phoning every ship owner and is carried out so that brokers can work out when ships become free.
> 
> Some, however, dispute the claim that brokers are in league with pirates. One shipping source suggested London brokers were "too busy and too well paid" to get involved with Somali pirates.
> 
> A simple subscription to Lloyd's List, the leading shipping transport newspaper and website, would supply a welter of information as to a tanker's location.
> 
> There are also easier ways to assess which ship to capture. If you wanted a valuable cargo the easiest thing to do would be to have a contact in Fujairah, one of the seven emirates in the UAE on the Persian Gulf, where oil-laden ships refuel, according to shipping contacts.
> 
> Alternatively, a mole in a Suez canal shipping office would have access to which ships pass through the canal. Ships book their passage through the canal ahead of time to ensure they are not delayed. A Suez insider would be able to gain information about where tankers are heading.
> 
> London is a world centre for shipping. Many international shipping groups have their headquarters there, including the International Maritime Organisation.
> 
> The Baltic Exchange, the established and self-regulated global marketplace for shipbrokers, provides an online exchange for ships and cargo, real-time freight derivative trading and freight market data.
> 
> The Lloyd's Marine Intelligence Unit provides instant data to the shipping market from any location in the world.


----------



## 40below

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> So will we be seeing armed merchantmen soon?



Or something. I'm surprised ships aren't armed. When my dad worked in the Gulf in the 80s as a petrochemical engineer, the tankers would defend themselves with shotgun slugs that had a hole drilled into the top and a .45 round inserted backwards. Hardly a standard load, but apparently it was capable of leaving quite a large hole at the waterline of the pirate's boats.


----------



## CougarKing

Seems Russian merchant shipping had a brush with the pirates last week as well.



> *Russian tanker escapes pirate attack off Somalia*
> 19:01 	10/ 05/ 2009
> 
> MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian oil tanker was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday but managed to escape with no casualties or damage, a Russian shipping company said.
> 
> The Liberia-flagged tanker, the *NS Spirit, with the 22-member Russian crew*, was sailing from South-East Asia to a Persian Gulf port with 36,000 tons of gasoline on its board. It was attacked at 1:00 p.m. Moscow time (9:00 GMT) on Sunday while passing through the Gulf of Aden, the Novorossiysk Shipping Company said.
> 
> The Novorossiysk Shipping Company and the tanker owner, Novoship, are integrated into Sovcomflot, Russia's largest shipping company.
> 
> *"The crew timely detected a boat with armed people, which was moving towards the vessel and made two preventive salvoes with onboard fireworks. The NS Spirit crew immediately got in touch with the Admiral Panteleyev missile destroyer staying 15 nautical miles away from the tanker,"* the Novorossiysk Shipping Company said.
> 
> A helicopter then took off the Admiral Panteleyev destroyer to help the tanker.
> 
> "Thanks to competent and decisive actions by Novoship sailors, and also swift interaction between the tanker and the Russian Navy ship, the pirates ceased their chase. All the crew members are fine and are ready to continue their voyage," the shipping company said.
> 
> Since the start of this year, almost a hundred vessels have been attacked by Somali pirates. A number of countries, including Russia, have deployed warships to protect the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> As of May 5, Somali pirates were reported to be holding 17 ships and some 300 crew.
> 
> http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090510/121532652.html


----------



## CougarKing

Another update:



> *Iran to Send 2 Warships to Somalia Coast Waters against Pirates*
> 
> TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations in a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon informed him of Tehran's will to send 2 warships to Somalia's coastal waters and Gulf of Aden to confront pirates and safeguard Iranian commercial and oil cargo ships.
> 
> Mohammad Khaza'ie in the letter refers to the international efforts aimed at combating piracy in Gulf of Aden and the coastal waters of Somalia.
> 
> According to the Islamic republic news agency, Khaza'ie in his letter added that the Iranian Navy ships would take position at operation region within the next two days and remain there for a period of at least five months.
> 
> The Iranian warships would in addition to safeguarding the Iranians ships and ships that are in a way related to Iran assist any other foreign ship that would seek assistance against the pirates, and help Somalia government in its combat against piracy.
> 
> According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali Government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of that country's sea pirates.
> 
> So far a noticeable number of world countries have send their warships to that region to safeguard their ships and confront the pirates.
> 
> http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8802240337


----------



## CougarKing

Bravo Zulu to the task force for a job well done.



> *Task force seizes pirate ‘mother ship’ *
> 
> Two ships assigned to the multinational counter-piracy mission off Somalia and in the Middle East seized an alleged pirate "mother ship" on Wednesday and detained more than a dozen suspected pirates, Navy officials said Thursday.
> 
> The Republic of Korea destroyer ROKS Munmu the Great and the American guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg responded to a distress call about 3:30 p.m. local time Wednesday from the Egyptian-flagged Motor Vessel Amira. The Amira reported being attacked some 86 miles south of Al Mukalla, Yemen, said Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet.
> 
> Read full article here ...
> 
> The Stars and Stripes
> 
> http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62685
> *17 pirates nabbed off Somalia*
> 
> By Africa correspondent Andrew Geoghegan
> 
> Posted 7 hours 10 minutes ago
> 
> Seventeen pirates have been captured in the Gulf of Aden after they tried to hijack an Egyptian ship.
> 
> With help from a *South Korean destroyer, crew members from a United States Navy cruiser* boarded a ship believed to have been involved in an attack on an Egyptian cargo carrier.
> 
> The Americans captured 17 suspected pirates who are being questioned on board the *USS Gettysburg.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _*USS Gettysburg*_
> 
> They also found rifles and rocket-propelled grenades on the ship.
> 
> Cooperation between foreign navies to stop piracy now includes Iran.
> 
> It has sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden to protect its commercial shipping, including oil tankers.
> 
> Pirates have attacked more than 100 ships off the coast of Somalia since the beginning of the year.
> 
> http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/05...m?section=world
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _090513-N-0743B-057 GULF OF ADEN (May 13, 2009) Members of a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team from the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) and U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South Detachment 409 approach a suspected pirate mothership after responding to a merchant vessel distress signal while operating in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) area of responsibility as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. CTF 151 is a multinational task force established to conduct counter-piracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the CMF area of responsibility to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric L. Beauregard/Released) _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _090513-N-0743B-084 GULF OF ADEN (May 13, 2009) Members of a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team from the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) and U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South Detachment 409 capture suspected pirates after responding to a merchant vessel distress signal while operating in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) area of responsibility as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. CTF 151 is a multinational task force established to conduct counter-piracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the CMF area of responsibility to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric L. Beauregard/Released) _
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _090513-N-0743B-144 GULF OF ADEN (May 13, 2009) Members of a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team from the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) and U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South Detachment 409 capture suspected pirates after responding to a merchant vessel distress signal while operating in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) area of responsibility as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. CTF 151 is a multinational task force established to conduct counter-piracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the CMF area of responsibility to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric L. Beauregard/Released) _


----------



## Yrys

Somali anti-pirate coastguard bid,Monday, 18 May 2009 12:39 UK

Somalia has asked the international community to help it set up a national coastguard 
to help tackle piracy. 

Nur Mohamed Mohamoud, of Somalia's National Security Agency, told an anti-piracy 
summit in Malaysia the government was eager to tackle pirates. He said an effective 
coastguard was also needed to protect fishermen from illegal foreign fishing boats and 
to prevent dumping of toxic materials.

Somalia wants equipment and training, not a foreign anti-piracy force. Somalia's interna-
tionally recognised government only controls small parts of the country, while Islamist 
insurgents hold much of the south.

Meanwhile, Tanzania and Kenya have pledged to start joint navy operations off the East 
African coast to tame raising cases of piracy in the area. This was agreed as Kenyan 
Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka met Zanzibar President Aman Abeid Karume met in 
Zanzibar City on Sunday. In Holland, a court is deciding whether to proceed with the 
trial of five suspected pirates caught allegedly trying to attack a Dutch-flagged freighter 
in January.

One of the accused's lawyers said he was a modern-day "Robin Hood" who attacks 
"ships of rich countries to give the ransom to poor families".

In Kuala Lumpur, Mr Mohamoud told the conference : "We need an effective coastguard 
to protect our fishermen from illegal fishing, to prevent dumping of toxic materials in our 
waters and fight shipping piracy. "We ask the international community... to supply us with 
equipment and training."

Abdullahi Said Samatar, security minister in the pirate-ridden Puntland region of Somalia, 
told the BBC at the Malaysian meeting his government would not let foreign forces target 
land bases used by the pirates, saying that would be like "an invasion". "No, you are not 
welcome to attack our area. But we will make a collaboration," he said. "We have to 
develop a collaboration on the ground."

The UN has authorised foreign military to use force against land bases, but this has yet 
to happen.  The Malaysia conference is also expected to discuss what to do with pirates 
who are caught, as different countries have different policies.

Some alleged pirates have been put on trial in France and Kenya, while another has been 
flown to the US. Some suspects have, however, been set free, with some arguing that 
international law is unclear on the matter.

A number of foreign navies have been patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden to deter 
pirates but the number of attacks has continued to rise. As of 15 May, pirates have hijacked 
29 ships and taken 472 crew hostage this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau 
watchdog.

International donors at a recent UN-sponsored conference pledged more than $250m (£165m) 
in military and development aid to Somalia. UN bodies will oversee funding earmarked for the 
government, which wants to build a police force of 10,000 and a separate security force of 6,000.

Somalia has been without a stable government since 1991 and the chaos has allowed piracy 
to flourish.


----------



## CougarKing

And the RAN gets a piece of the action as well.



> Monday, May 18, 2009
> *Somali Pirates Meet the Aussies*
> 
> What follows is not really a headline that creates the proper image, is it? "Aussie ships assist in pirate attack" - though it means the Aussies engaged some pirates off Somalia:
> 
> Two Australian warships have rushed to the aid of a freighter under attack in the Gulf of Aden from pirates firing rocket propelled grenades and attempting to board the vessel by force.
> 
> *HMAS Sydney and HMAS Ballarat* responded to a distress call from the merchant vessel, *MV Dubai Princess*, at about 6pm Australian time on Sunday.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *HMAS Sydney*
> 
> Upon receiving the distress call, the Sydney closed in on the merchant vessel and launched a helicopter to assess the situation, while the Ballarat went to action stations.
> 
> As the situation developed, another merchant vessel, *MV MSC Stella*, was also harassed by small vessels in the same area.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *HMAS Ballarat*
> 
> The head of the Australian Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said the measured response by the two Australian ships provided security to the merchant vessels and stabilised the situation.
> 
> "Sydney closed in on the merchant vessel and launched her embarked Sea Hawk helicopter to gain an appraisal of the situation," Air Chief Marshal Houston said in a statement.
> 
> "About the same time, Ballarat went to action stations and joined the response. She was instrumental in supporting MV MSC Stella."
> 
> The pirates fled the area after the two frigates and the helicopter appeared. The action is believed to have taken place about 170km south of Yemen.
> 
> "It appears *the situation de-escalated once Sydney and Ballarat asserted their presence at the scene* and from the reports we have, no injuries were suffered by merchant sailors."
> 
> Posted by Eagle1 at 5/18/2009 08:47:00 AM
> 
> http://www.eaglespeak.us/2009/05/somali-pi...et-aussies.html


----------



## CougarKing

Typical.



> *Somali Pirates Wants Capture!
> 
> Somali pirates might be allowing themselves to be deliberately captured in order to take advantage of European asylum laws, Dutch legal experts have warned.*
> 
> By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels
> Last Updated: 12:11AM BST 20 May 2009
> 
> Pirates in Somalia
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Peter Swift, managing director of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, said stronger naval action - including aerial and aviation support - is necessary to battle rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden
> 
> Pirates captured after attacking a Dutch vessel have gone on trial in the liberal Netherlands and at least two of them *have declared their intention to stay on as residents.*
> 
> Geert-Jan Knoops, an international criminal law attorney and professor at the Royal University of Utrecht, has suggested that the Dutch trial *might encourage pirates to surrender just in order to seek a better life in Western countries.*
> 
> "These trials may trigger other pirates to let themselves be arrested on purpose," he told the Volkskrant newspaper.
> 
> "The Dutch Justice department must be cautious. I cannot imagine the five alleged pirates would voluntarily return to Somalia after their conviction."
> 
> The five Somali pirates were arrested off the coast of Africa in January by Danish marines after attacking the Samanyulo, a Dutch-flagged cargo ship.
> 
> But since Somalia has a record of international human rights violations it will be almost impossible to deport the men after their conviction in the Netherlands.
> 
> *"Life is good here,"* said one of the defendants, named Sayid, about his experience in a Dutch jail.
> 
> "I appeal to the government not to send me back to Somalia. The people who live here respect human rights. I wish to settle here."
> 
> Willem-Jan Ausma, a Dutch defence attorney who is representing another pirate, described his client's relief to be in a Western prison.
> 
> *"My client feels safe here. His own village is dominated by poverty and sharia [Islamic law] but here he has good food and can play football and watch television. He thinks the lavatory in his cell is fantastic,"* he said.
> 
> Mr Ausma has told the Somali that he will be considered for a residence permit after serving his sentence, expected to be a maximum of four years in prison.
> 
> "He intends to send for his wife and children as soon as he is released from prison. *He knows he cannot easily be sent back to Somalia*. He loves it here in the Netherlands," Mr Ausma told the NRC Handelsblad newspaper.
> 
> Mr Ausma has also warned that ongoing piracy trials in the Netherlands, France and the United States will encourage pirates to commit crimes, for the purpose of being captured, rather than deterring attacks on Western flagged vessels.
> 
> "Anything is better than Somalia," he said.
> 
> Prof Knoops has called for an international tribunal to deal with Somali pirates. "This would immediately solve a large number of problems, because *there are good reasons why many countries do not wish to burn their fingers on the pirates*," he said.
> 
> http://www.talkdelaware.com/f55/somali-pir...rope-10982.html


----------



## GAP

Canada looking to change policy on pirate prosecution: MacKay
Last Updated: Thursday, May 21, 2009 | 8:30 AM ET CBC News 
Article Link

Canada, looking to make a shift from current policy, is in negotiations to have Kenyan authorities prosecute pirates apprehended by the Canadian navy, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Thursday.

The Canadian government has maintained it cannot prosecute pirates captured by Canadian forces, as it lacks jurisdiction under international law.

Pirates intercepted by Canadian forces off the coast of Somalia until now have been disarmed and then released, a policy that has sparked criticism from legal experts.

But MacKay, speaking aboard the HMCS Winnipeg off the coast of Oman, stressed the importance of countering piracy.

"Let's be clear — this is financial terrorism," MacKay told CBC News on Thursday.

"This is not unlike acts of terrorism that we see in other parts of the world, whether it be kidnappings, whether it be issues related to fanaticism and extremism in places like Afghanistan," he said after presenting medals to navy personnel.

Diplomats are now working with the Kenyan government in Nairobi to have the new agreement put into action quickly, said the CBC's David Common, reporting from the warship.

Kenya has similar agreements with other countries.

The HMCS Winnipeg, on two separate occasions this month, has apprehended pirates, but released them on both occasions.
More on link


----------



## Yrys

Somali 'pirate' pleads not guilty, Thursday, 21 May 2009 23:53 UK





_Abde Wale Abdul Kahhir Muse 
appeared briefly in court_

A Somali man arrested after a US captain was kidnapped has pleaded not guilty 
to 10 charges in a New York court, including piracy.

Abde Wale Abdul Kadhir Muse was also charged with holding a hostage for ransom 
and armed hijacking. He spoke through a translator during the brief appearance. 
His next hearing was set for 17 September.

His lawyers said they had difficulty communicating with him, and that he was 
"confused" about the situation. Defence lawyer Phil Weinstein also said "they are 
giving him medications that he doesn't understand", AFP news agency reported.
It was unclear what the medication was for.

*'Pirate ringleader'*

Mr Muse's mother has said he is only 16 years old but prosecutors argue he is 
over 18 and a judge last month ruled he should be tried as an adult. He is 
believed to be the first person to face piracy charges in the US in over a 
century. He faces life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors have accused Mr Muse of being the ringleader of a pirate gang 
which boarded a container ship, the Maersk Alabama, on 8 April and took 
Capt Richard Phillips hostage in a lifeboat. After a five-day stand-off, US 
Navy marksmen killed three of the pirates and captured Mr Muse, who had 
gone aboard a US warship, allegedly to demand a ransom.

Mr Muse's mother has previously told the BBC's Somali service her son is c
ompletely innocent.

Heavily-armed pirates operating off the coast of Somalia carry out regular 
attacks on shipping in recent weeks in one of the world's busiest sea lanes, 
despite patrols by the US and other navies. Shipping companies last year 
handed over about $80m (£54m) in ransom payments to the gangs.


----------



## Yrys

Chasing the Somali piracy money trail, 24 May 2009






_Hands up if you want ransom money - but the spoils spread further 
than pirates_

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has made many people very rich.

A new economy has developed both within Somalia and further afield, as security companies, 
lawyers and negotiators reap huge profits from their involvement. But finding out what happens 
to the money delivered as ransom payments is doubly difficult, first because piracy is a 
transnational crime, and second because Somalia is a country without rules, regulations 
or a functioning government.

There have been various reports that piracy in Somalia is attracting big-time criminals from 
all over the world; that it is being orchestrated from London; that the ship owners themselves 
are involved. But little evidence has been provided to back up these claims.

It has also been reported that much of the estimated $80m (£50m) paid out in ransoms so far 
this year has been laundered by organised syndicates in Dubai and other Gulf states. But this 
has been strenuously denied by officials in the Gulf, and people working in maritime intelligence 
say they have no real proof that the money laundering or any other large scale international 
crime is happening.

"There's been a lot of inventive reporting on very slim evidence," says Christopher Ledger, 
chairman of the maritime security company Idarat. "What happens to the money is exceedingly 
opaque, partly because of the way Somalis communicate with each other, and also because of 
the impenetrable way their finance system works."

Established security experts have also suggested that some of those cashing in on the new growth 
industry of Somali piracy are exaggerating its international criminal dimensions in order to drum 
up business for themselves. The experts say that with a decreasing demand for private security and 
intelligence in places like Iraq, some companies and newly-formed "piracy consultants" are trying to 
sell Somalia as the new frontier for their operations, basing much of their information on speculation 
rather than fact.

In a sense, Somalis do not need to launder the money they make from piracy because their unique 
financial system operates on trust and honour, bypassing banks and other financial institutions.

*Verbal transactions*

As the system - known as "hawala" - often does not involve documentation, with most transactions 
done verbally, there is no paper trail. This makes it almost impossible to find out what happens to 
money made from ransom payments or any other transaction in Somalia. The fact that most ransoms 
are paid in cash means they simply disappear into the Somali community, rather than ending up in 
banks or other financial bodies. Although hawala companies in the West and the Arab world have 
become more regulated in recent years, it is very difficult to track the money once it gets to Somalia.

It has been possible to find out something about how the ransom money is distributed.

One thing is clear: the small groups of pirates who take to sea in speedboats to hijack huge ships 
do not get all the money. "They are the foot soldiers," says Andrew Mwangura, who heads the East 
African Seafarers' Assistance Programme and negotiates frequently with pirates. "They are young 
men, often teenagers, and they certainly don't end up with all the money."

*'Compensation' scheme*

Pirates interviewed by the BBC have been reluctant to say exactly how much money they make from 
a successful hijacking, but reports indicate they make tens of thousands of dollars rather than millions.

This is because piracy has developed into a mini-economy, employing hundreds of people in north-eastern 
and central Somalia, all of whom need their share of the ransom. Although there is no universal set of rules, 
a UN report based on information gathered from pirates based in the north-eastern village of Eyl, reveals 
some interesting information about how the ransom spoils are divided:

• Maritime militia, pirates involved in actual hijacking - *30%*

• Ground militia (armed groups who control the territory where the pirates are based) - *10%*

• Local community (elders and local officials) - *10%*

• Financier - *20%*

• Sponsor - *30%*


The UN report found the payments are shared virtually equally between the maritime militia, although the 
first pirate to board the ship gets a double share or a vehicle. And compensation is paid to the family of 
any pirate killed during the operation. The breakdown shows how ransom money trickles down to many 
sections of Somali society. Government officials and the armed groups that control different parts of the 
country all get their share too.

*Yemen link*

Some analysts - such as the Kenyan-based security consultant Bruno Schiemsky - say pirates have given 
as much as 50% of their revenue to the Islamist al-Shabab militia in the areas it controls. However, 
al-Shabab has stated that it opposes piracy.

There have been consistent reports that officials in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland - the heartland 
of Somali piracy - have been getting cuts. Several officials, including a deputy chief of police, have been 
sacked for involvement in piracy.

With so many people receiving a share of the ransom payments - which average between $1m to $3m 
(£1.9m) - Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, of Dryad Maritime Intelligence, says Somali piracy is unlikely to attract 
the involvement of major international crime syndicates. "When you look at the way ransoms are distributed, 
there's simply not enough money for big time gangs to be interested," he says. However, if piracy continues 
to grow, there's a possibility that it will start to attract major criminal elements.

Maritime security expert Christopher Ledger says: "It's similar to the South American drugs trade in the 
1970s, which started off as a relatively small-time operation, and grew into a huge global crime."

One country that does seem to be involved in Somali piracy is Yemen. Maritime security experts say the 
'mother ships' from which pirate attacks are launched are often refuelled, resupplied and even armed in 
Yemen. A UN report said: "Members of the Harardhere pirate group have been linked to the trafficking of 
arms from Yemen to (the Somali towns of) Harardhere and Hobyo, which have long been two of the main 
points of entry for arms shipments destined for armed opposition groups in Somalia and Ethiopia."

It's likely that the truth about all the money made from piracy will never be uncovered. What is clear is that 
several elements in Somali society are benefiting, and that piracy will remain an attractive career option as 
long as the country remains without central authority.

But it is wrong to transfer theories about money laundering and international crime onto Somali piracy. The 
problem is unique, the country is unique, and speculation will lead to misguided policies which are likely to 
prolong the dangers facing any ship that sails along the long unruly coast of Somalia.


----------



## CougarKing

And JMSDF has been busy as well.



> *Japan navy aids Singapore ship off Somalia:govt*
> 
> A Japanese destroyer, on an anti-piracy mission off Somalia has given emergency protection to a Singapore-registered ship by chasing four suspicious boats, the defence ministry said Saturday.
> 
> The 4,650-tonne *Sazanami*, deployed to protect Japanese-registered vessels in and around the Gulf of Aden Noun 1. Gulf of Aden - arm of the Indian Ocean at the entrance to the Red Sea, received a radio call for help from the Singaporean ship at around 1740 GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) See UTC. GMT - Universal Time 1  on Friday, the ministry said.
> 
> The warship warship, issued a verbal warning through loudspeakers and beamed a searchlight at the four suspicious boats, which had been pursuing the Singaporean ship, a defence ministry spokeswoman said.
> 
> The four boats -- one "sizable" vessel and three small boats -- then left the area, the spokeswoman said, adding that neither side used weapons and that the four suspicious vessel were not identified.
> 
> The incident was *Japan's first action against suspected pirates off Somalia* since the Sazanami and the 4,550-tonne Samidare were dispatched to join an anti-piracy mission there last month.
> 
> The nation's armed forces could face combat abroad for the first time since World War II in the rare mission.
> 
> Japan's major past overseas missions -- including in Iraq, near Afghanistan, and as UN peacekeepers -- have been largely for logistical and support purposes such as refuelling
> 
> Under the pacifist constitution Japan adopted after World War II, the mission will allow its soldiers to use force only for self-defence and to protect Japanese interests, defined as its nationals, ships and cargo.
> 
> The ministry spokeswoman said the Japanese navy's action fell under the law of the sea which calls on any ships to assist vessels in distress.
> 
> http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Japan+navy+a...vt-a01611835912


----------



## Yrys

Warship stops pirate boat in Gulf





_One of the seized boats was destroyed 
by HMS Portland_

Devonport-based warship HMS Portland has intercepted two suspected pirate boats 
in the Gulf of Aden. The two boats were equipped with extra fuel, grappling hooks, 
rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and ammunition.

Ten people on board them were released "due to insufficient evidence to directly 
link the group to a specific attack", the Ministry of Defence said.

HMS Portland is part of a multi-national anti-piracy operation in the Gulf off the 
east coast of Africa. Cmdr Tim Lowe, Deputy Commander, Combined Maritime 
Forces (CMF), said: "This is an excellent example of international co-ordination.
"This international collaboration cannot be understated and as more countries 
join the fight, we will continue to work together to help deter, disrupt and 
thwart criminal acts of piracy in the maritime environment."

Portland's boarding team of Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel, were 
supported by a Lynx helicopter, equipped with a machine gun and snipers 
in the operation off the coast of Somalia. HMS Portland destroyed one of 
the boats and confiscated all their weapons.

The CMF said that since August 2008, its forces had intercepted 27 pirate 
vessels, seized 190 small arms and 39 rocket-propelled grenades.


----------



## Yrys

Inside story of Somali pirate attack

As he looked at the radar screen Captain Andrey Nozhkin immediately feared the worst. 
A small vessel was closing fast from the stern.

"It was like a firecracker had gone off inside my head," he recalled. The Danish-owned 
merchant ship, the CEC Future, had been on high alert since it entered the Gulf of Aden, 
the narrow strip of water between Somalia and Yemen. Fire hoses had been made ready 
to help repel a possible attack by pirates who infest the area. The crew were maintaining 
constant contact with coalition naval forces.

Then within minutes the suspicious vessel was visible: a speedboat, crammed with armed 
men trailing a wake of white foam. "We knew it was pirates. They were coming towards us 
at an angle so we accelerated, and changed direction to make it harder for them to catch up," 
said Capt Nozhkin. But then a rocket-propelled grenade zipped across the CEC Future's bows. 
Capt Nozhkin looked down and saw the pirates re-loading.

"They were now aiming directly at us in the bridge."He knew further resistance was pointless.
This was 7 November last year. It was the start of a two-month ordeal for the 13 crew 
members. The full details of what happened to the ship and the story of the pirate gang that 
hijacked it are now emerging.

*Crew threatened*

Once the pirates were on board, they directed the captain to head to Eyl, the now notorious 
Somali pirate port. The ship's owners could do nothing but sit and wait.

"Sure enough, Monday morning the ship drops anchor at Eyl and we had our first contact from 
pirates. He called one of my colleagues, and introduced himself as 'Mr Ali', and would we please 
pay $7m (£4.27m)," said Per Gullestrup, CEO of Clipper Projects, the ship's owners. "Mr Ali" was 
recruited by the pirates as a translator and negotiator because of his fluent English, the result of 
living for 29 years in America, before returning to Somalia.

I managed to contact him and he agreed to meet me in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. He 
told me his real name is Ali Mohamed Ali. "For 36 hours we did not get any feedback from the 
company so we sent them a fax. The pirates were saying if we don't get an answer from you 
within a few hours we will be forced to capsize the ship," he said.

The company responded with an offer of $300,000 (£183,000). The pirates countered with $5m 
(£3.05m), but refused to come any lower. "We decided it wasn't going anywhere. We told the 
pirates we didn't see any point continuing discussing. They could call us back when they decided 
to go below $2m (£1.22m)," said Mr Gullestrup.

*'Jokes are finished'*

The pirates then began to threaten the crew. Clipper Projects have given the BBC access to the 
recordings of the conversations they held with the pirates and the crew during the hijack. At one 
point all 13 crew members are crammed together on the bridge in a space a few metres wide, 
and held there for 24 hours. Then the Russian captain is forced to call the company. He says: 
"Very soon the pirates plan to remove us to the shore... that means the jokes are finished, please, 
please I ask you please, let's do something."

The strain in the captain's voice is clear, and close by another voice can be heard, prompting him 
what to say. "The crew are foremost for us, so when we heard the captain's distress it was difficult," 
said Mr Gullestrup. But the private security company retained by Clipper advised the company this 
was a standard part of the pirates' operating procedure, and the crew were unlikely to be harmed.

Then finally, after two months, with the crew close to breaking point, an unexpected development 
occurred. "I was having a cup of tea at home with my wife when my mobile phone goes, and it was 
Ali introducing himself," said Mr Gullestrup. Up to this point, Clipper's CEO had been advised not to 
become directly involved in the negotiations.

*Most dangerous phase*

"I said to him: 'Nothing's happening, I want you and me to do the deal,'" said Mr Ali, remembering 
the call. The pirates were ready to reduce their demands and within days a deal was reached. The 
company will say only that the figure was somewhere between $1m (£610,000) to $2m (£1.22m).

With the help of the private security company, the money was parachuted to the ship from a light 
aircraft, sealed in a watertight container. For the crew, there was relief at finally seeing the ransom 
float towards them. They did not realise the most dangerous phase of the hijack was about to begin.







"It was very hot, 10 in morning. All of the pirates came into the captain's cabin. Everybody with a 
gun," said Ali Mohamed. Dozens more people from the port of Eyl had also crowded onto the ship, 
shopkeepers, businessmen and creditors.

*Knife fights*

They had been supplying the ship for the past two months and now wanted to be paid. But in return 
for providing everything on credit they were charging inflated prices and bitter arguments broke out. 
"There was total chaos," said Capt Nozhkin. "Those accused of trying to take too much had their hands 
slammed in doors as a punishment. Then some of the pirates started shooting, some were fighting 
with knives.

"Then other boats started arriving trying to get on board and people on the boat began shooting at 
them." Sixteen hours later, the shopkeepers and money lenders left, between them several hundred 
thousand dollars richer. Then the pirates divided the rest of the ransom and after 68 days finally 
disembarked from the ship.

Mr Ali, the pirates' negotiator and translator, is now back in his home town of Hargeisa. Over hot, 
sweet Somali tea in his favourite cafe, he told me more about how the pirates are organized.

*'Wannabes need not apply'*

It is "investors" who play a crucial role, he said.

In the case of the CEC Future, two men put up the initial seed money."It costs up to $6,000 (£3,600) 
to send a team," he said. "It goes on buying food, ammunition, fuel. Then RPGs and speedboats 
can be rented. Mother boats are also very important." Investors have to be prepared to fund several 
failed attempts and to wait weeks until the team succeeds. But Mr Ali says they can expect to take 
about 30% of the ransom money. "That's a return which does not happen anywhere."

But good investors also have to know who to recruit. "A seasoned veteran is much better than a 
'wannabe'." 'Good for the CV'. The most skilled pirates, the ones who prove themselves by being 
the first to board a hijacked ship, are paid more, and are more in demand.

"That guy doing the jumping, he gets $5,000 (£3,050) extra because he's taken the risk of getting 
hit by anything coming from the crew. And it's something good for his CV, to show to other 
investors."

Mr Ali maintains that he only agreed to work for the pirates because he wanted to learn more about 
how they operate and then explain it to the world. It is difficult for me to believe that this was his 
only motivation. As we finish talking he tells me something else. The two leaders of the pirates that 
hijacked the CEC Future have since been killed. One of them was shot dead by his own men as soon 
as he reached the shore in a battle over the ransom money.

But with such huge rewards on offer, others will already have taken their place.


----------



## CougarKing

More details on the pirate attack intercepted by HMS PORTLAND, as described two posts above and posted by Yrys:



> *We surrender!
> The moment Royal Navy captured Somali pirate gang - and then blew up their boat*
> 
> By Matthew Hickley
> 
> Last updated at 12:29 AM on 04th June 2009
> 
> This was the moment a group of heavily-armed pirates learned it isn't wise to tangle with the Royal Navy.
> 
> The gang - carrying machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades - were found prowling for victims in the seas off the Somali coast.
> 
> But as these dramatic pictures show they won't be doing much terrorising for a while.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Hands up: Royal Navy sailors board one of the skiffs and take the crew into custody after pursuing the boat through the Gulf of Aden_
> 
> After their arrest, the pirates found the crew of frigate HMS Portland blasting one of their boats to pieces.
> 
> The drama began when a Spanish patrol aircraft spotted two suspicious skiffs in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> The area is plagued by highly-organised pirates operating out of Somalia who seize merchant ships and hold them to ransom.
> 
> HMS Portland gave chase and used its Lynx helicopter - equipped with machine guns and snipers - and inflatable launches to corner the vessels.
> 
> Faced with superior firepower and a boarding party of sailors and Royal Marines, the pirates quickly surrendered.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Dramatic: Once the crew were removed, one of the boats was destroyed with gunfire to prevent it being used again (above and below)_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The British crew found the pirates were equipped with barrels of fuel, grappling hooks, ladders and a cache of weapons that included rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and ammunition.
> 
> The men were arrested and taken aboard the frigate, while the sailors enjoyed a brief period of target practice, quickly sending one of the skiffs to the bottom of the sea.
> 
> However, in a sign of the legal difficulties which hamper the battle against piracy, the Royal Navy had to release the men.
> 
> Because the pirates were not caught red-handed attacking a ship, the crew had to let them go in their remaining boat, minus their weapons.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HMS Portland is serving as part of a multinational task force against piracy.
> 
> Commander Tim Henry said: 'HMS Portland has once again demonstrated the coalition and Royal Navy's commitment to keeping the sea lanes open and making this key waterway safe for international trade.'
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Air support: The Somali suspects are guarded by sailors after being seized_
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _HMS Portland (below) has been in the Gulf of Aden to disrupt the gangs of pirates: In an earlier raid, officers used a Lynx helicopter to tackle a suspect dhow (above)_
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/...-blew-boat.html


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

From Janes Navy International:

It was bound to happen sooner or later, I am just surprised it took this long.



> Date Posted: 03-Jun-2009
> 
> 
> Jane's Navy International
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Malaysia co-opts container ship for anti-piracy role
> Dzirhan Mahadzir
> 
> The container ship Bunga Mas Lima was operationalised as a Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) auxiliary vessel on 1 June following modification for counter-piracy escort duties off Somalia.
> 
> Owned by Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC), the 699 TEU container ship has been fitted with a helicopter deck, small-boat facilities, light weapon mounts, military-standard communication systems and a medical centre.
> 
> The work - which also included a repaint in RMN colours - was carried out by MISC's heavy engineering arm, Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering, in Pasir Gudang.
> 
> Although the navy has escorted MISC shipping in the Gulf of Aden since two of the company's vessels were hijacked there in 2008, senior naval officers have been pushing for MISC to provide a ship for this task.
> 
> The RMN was concerned about the financial cost of the escort missions, which totalled MYR48.5 million (USD13.91 million), and wear and tear on warships that rotated between Malaysia and the Gulf for deployments lasting a month at a time.
> 
> Navy chief Admiral Dato' Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar told Jane's that the Bunga Mas Lima would leave for the Gulf on 3 June and is expected to operate in the area for three months.
> 
> The ship's company consists of 21 MISC employees and 36 RMN personnel. The former have undergone naval training and are now part of the RMN Volunteer Reserve, while the latter consist of naval special operations personnel and an aviation detachment, which will operate the embarked Super Lynx helicopter. A Malaysian armed forces medical team is also embarked.


----------



## CougarKing

_090602-N-0743B-062 GULF OF ADEN (June 2, 2009) Members of a visit, board, search and seizure team and members of U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team 91112, embarked aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), respond to a suspect vessel while operating in the Combined Maritime Forces area of responsibility as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. Gettysburg is serving as the flagship for CTF 151, a Turkish-led task force commanded by Turkish Navy Rear Adm. Caner Bener. The task force was established to conduct counter-piracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the Combined Maritime Forces area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric L. Beauregard/Released) _






_090602-N-0743B-031 GULF OF ADEN (June 2, 2009) Members of the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team and members of U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and security Team 91112 conduct maritime security operations. The team inspected a dhow that was later deemed not suspect. Gettysburg is serving as the flagship for Combined Task Force (CTF)151, a Turkish-led task force commanded by Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric L. Beauregard/Released) _


----------



## Xiang

> *Somali Pirates Selecting Targets With Help of British Informants*
> 
> Somali pirates attacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are reportedly selecting their targets with the help of a team of "consultants" based in London.
> 
> According to a European military intelligence document cited by a Spanish radio station, "well-placed informers" are in constant contact with control centers in Somalia. The control centers give the pirates information about ships in the area including their routes and cargoes, the Guardian reported.
> 
> Cadena SER radio said that in some cases, hijackers even had details on the layout of ships, their ports of call and the nationalities of those on board, the Guardian reported.
> 
> The document said pirates seem to be avoiding British ships and those from a few other nations, the paper reported.
> 
> The network of informants allegedly extends to Yemen, Dubai and the Suez Canal
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519850,00.html
Click to expand...


----------



## CougarKing

Seems the Indian Navy hasn't let up on their antipiracy efforts since we last heard from them.



> *Indian navy staves off attack by Somali pirates*
> 
> 3 days ago
> 
> LJUBLJANA (AFP) — The Indian navy on Thursday stopped Somali pirates from attacking a cargo ship registered in Slovenia, the Slovenian STA news agency reported, quoting state Radio Slovenija.
> 
> The pirates on board three fast motorboats targetted the freighter *Postojna, but fled after warning shots were fired from the Indian naval vessel escorting a convoy*. Nobody was hurt in the incident, Radio Slovenija said.
> 
> The Postojna, en route from South Korea, was headed for Saudi Arabia.
> 
> Since the beginning of the year, pirates have attacked or tried to attack more than 100 ships off the coast of lawless Somalia on the Horn of Africa and vessels from several navies are in the region to protect shipping.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...BXvh8tfo6e4gPNg


----------



## CougarKing

More updates:



> *NATO warship picks 14 Indian sailors released by Somali pirates*
> 
> Fourteen Indian sailors, taken hostage by Somali pirates, were rescued by a NATO warship after their dhow was released. The dhow was carrying a shipment of charcoal from Brava, south of Mogadishu, to Sharjah in the UAE, when it was attacked by pirates on June 3.
> 
> Ismail Abdurehman, the captain of Vishvakalyan said six pirates, armed with AK-47 rifles and a rocket propelled grenade launcher, forced the vessel to stop. Two more skiffs with a dozen more pirates joined in. Once on board, the pirates beat up the sailors, and forced them to steer to somewhere near Hobyo, north of Mogadishu, where they were kept as prisoners for 10 days.
> 
> *The pirates stole all food on the dhow and robbed them of all their belongings.*
> 
> On Friday night though, they released the dhow, which was picked up on radar by NATO’s Portuguese warship *'NRP Corte-Real'* early on Saturday morning, some 20 nautical miles south-east of Hobyo. The crew could not call for help as the pirates had damaged the VHF radio.
> 
> Sonia Pereira, the doctor on board the warship, said the men were suffering from bruises, dehydration, diarrhoea and respiratory illnesses. One even had a dental abscess.
> 
> *“They hit the crew all over, on the head, everywhere,”* said Alison Bevege, an Australian journalist on board the warship, quoting Abdurehman.
> 
> http://www.indianexpress.com/news/NATO-war...-pirates/476456





> *Somali pirates also preying on African refugees*
> 2009-06-14 11:22
> 
> ADEN (AFP) - Somali pirates scouting for prey in the Gulf of Aden are *using African refugees as human shields* in a bid to fool patrolling international warships, according to humanitarian agencies.
> 
> The phenomenon first surfaced at the beginning of the year, when the international community boosted its naval presence in the vital maritime shipping lane in response to increasing pirate attacks on commercial vessels.
> 
> "What is new is the use of refugee boats as human shields," said Francisco Otero Villar, who heads the Spanish section of Doctors without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, MSF).
> 
> Some pirates now resort to tying up their skiffs alongside boats ferrying refugees from Somalia to Yemen, and then hiding themselves among the helpless and hapless would-be migrants.
> 
> *The people traffickers, who are also Somali and reportedly in cahoots with the pirates, then keep a keen lookout for isolated ships vulnerable to attack instead of heading with their human cargo directly towards refuge in Yemen.*
> 
> Once they locate a likely victim, the pirates board their fast and manoeuvrable skiffs and press home their attack.
> 
> *"It's a deal between the smugglers and the pirates,"* Otero Villar said, adding that four such cases have been reported since the start of 2009.
> 
> In such situations, the boats carrying refugees act like a "mother ship" for the pirates.
> 
> As a result, the refugees' voyage to Yemen from the port of Bosasso -- the economic capital of the Somali breakaway region of Puntland -- which on average takes two days, stretches for much longer, exposing them to even greater risk.
> 
> Refugees have reported these incidents to the Spanish section of MSF and other aid agencies, as well as to UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) workers who take care of them after they make landfall in southern Yemen.
> 
> "It is difficult to fathom the links between the pirates and the smugglers" who transport desperate refugees in old and ill-equipped boats, said Claire Bourgeois, the UNHCR representative in Yemen.
> 
> *"One day they're smugglers, the next they're pirates,"* she told AFP.
> 
> The pirates also take advantage of the lack of a clearly defined code of conduct for the warships on dealing with refugee boats.
> 
> *"There is a vacuum regarding what a warship should do when it comes across refugees," Bourgeois said.
> 
> "What is a warship supposed to do with refugees when she intercepts pirates" among refugees. "Can she approach the Yemeni coast to help refugees reach Yemen?"*
> 
> The situation is legally very delicate since foreign warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden are not allowed to enter Yemeni territorial waters.
> 
> However one rare case of this was reported in March, and involved a French warship from the European Union's Atalante operation.
> 
> According to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to AFP, an exception was made and the naval vessel was allowed to tow a boat carrying about 80 refugees, mostly Ethiopians, to the Yemeni port of Aden.
> 
> But, they said, the operation ended in tragedy when the boat capsized in the harbour as the Ethiopian refugees, who were seated at one side of the boat, all stood up at once when told to disembark. Eight refugees drowned in the incident.
> 
> The pirates' new human shield tactics are merely the latest risk facing migrants on an already dangerous journey across the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> For many refugees seeking to escape continuing unrest and the threat of death in lawless Somalia, their flight can end in a watery grave long before they reach their destination.
> 
> On April 22, 35 Ethiopian and Somali refugees drowned after their boat capsized as it neared Yemen's shores, according to the Spanish section of MSF.
> 
> Some survivors reported that Somali pirates had stopped their boat with the intention of robbing them and throwing them overboard in the middle of the ocean, before changing their minds after negotiating with the smugglers.
> 
> As of May 27, 142 refugees had died and 66 others were reported missing since the beginning of the year, according to UNHCR figures released in early June.
> 
> Somali pirates have carried out 126 attacks so far this year, including 44 successful sea-jackings, according to environmentalist group Ecoterra International, which monitors illegal marine activity in the region.
> 
> During the whole of 2008, 49 ships fell victim to pirates in the region.
> 
> http://www.mysinchew.com/node/25913


----------



## CougarKing

Kenyan police officers stand guard as the USS Gettysburg (CG 64) guided missile cruiser carrying suspected Somali pirates sails into the coastal city of Mombasa, June 10, 2009. REUTERS/Joseph Okanga






The American naval warship Frigate MV Gettysburg as it docks at the Kilindini port of Mombasa, Wednesday June 10, 2009 with seventeen suspected Somali pirates on board who were arrested by the American naval officers. The suspected Somali pirates were arrested on May 13, 2009 as they attempted to hijack a merchant cargo ship which was headed to Alexandria port in Egypt. The pirates were armed with six AK47s, one pistol, one Somali sword and one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher at the time of arrest. They will be charged in a court in Malindi town, 120km north of Mombasa.
(AP Photo)






Escorted by US officers one of the seventeen suspected Somali pirate is disembarked from the American naval warship MV Frigate Gettysburg soon after the ship docked at the port of Mombasa, Wednesday June 10, 2009 following their apprehension by American naval officers in the dangerous waters off Yemen. The suspected Somali pirates were arrested on May 13, 2009 as they attempted to hijack a merchant cargo ship which was headed to Alexandria port in Egypt. The pirates were armed with six AK47s, one pistol, one Somali sword and one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher at the time of arrest. They will be charged in a court in Malindi town, 120km north of Mombasa. (AP Photo)






(AP Photo)






Some of the seventeen suspected Somali pirates outside the Port police station in Mombasa, Kenya, after they had been disembarked from an American naval warship the MV Frigate Gettysburg Wednesday June 10, 2009, following their apprehension by American naval officers in the dangerous waters off Yemen. The suspected Somali pirates were arrested on May 13, 2009 as they attempted to hijack a merchant cargo ship which was headed to Alexandria port in Egypt. The pirates were armed with six AK47s, one pistol, one Somali sword and one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher at the time of arrest. They will be charged in a court in Malindi town, 120km north of Mombasa. (AP Photo)






The seventeen suspected Somali pirates charged with piracy are seen in a magistrate's court Thursday, June 11, 2009 in Mombasa, Kenya. All the seventeen suspects who were handed over to the Kenyan authorities by American marine officers who arrested them along the Gulf of Eden in the act of hijacking a cargo ship, which was headed to the port of Alexandria in Egypt, denied the piracy charges against them and were remanded at the Shimo la Tewa GK Prison. The hearing of their case will start on June 24 and 25 2009. (AP Photo)


----------



## The Bread Guy

The shifting tide and focus - shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act_ - link to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre here for the latest.

"A maritime watchdog June 18 warned seafarers that Somali pirates were targeting ships at the southern end of the Red Sea and off Oman due to bad weather and the absence of naval warships.

"The two new areas are at Bab al Mandab, southern Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea, off Oman," said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.

Choong said the IMB had recorded eight attacks in the past two weeks in the two areas, adding that pirates were staging raids under the cover of darkness.

"Pirates are expanding their attacks from the Gulf of Aden. Bad weather conditions in the east coast of Somalia due to the southwest monsoon are pushing them to launch attacks in the two new areas," he said.

Choong also said the international flotilla of warships was concentrated in the Gulf of Aden, forcing pirates to expand their attack areas to ensure successful hijackings.

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 by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, together with more than 200 seamen, almost a quarter of them Filipinos."


----------



## CougarKing

Another update:



> *Japan 'can fire' on Somali pirates*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Japan joined an international operation in March against pirates in the Gulf of Aden [GALLO/GETTY]
> 
> Japan's parliament has passed a law allowing the nation's forces to open fire on pirates operating off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> The new law *will allow Japan's maritime forces to attack pirate ships that approach other vessels in the Gulf of Aden*, a key shipping route.
> 
> Yasukazu Hamada, Japan's defence minister, issued an order on Friday to prepare for *"an immediate and appropriate implementation" of the navy's new mission after the law takes effect in late July*, the AFP news agency reported.
> 
> The law will also allow Japanese forces to protect any commercial ships threatened by pirates, and not just those sailing under Japan's flag or carrying Japanese cargo.
> 
> Piracy 'threat'
> 
> "Japan can take action more effectively against piracy, in co-operation with other countries," Taro Aso, Japan's prime minister, said in a statement.
> 
> *"Piracy is a threat not only to Japan, but to the international community and a challenge Japan should proactively deal with,"* he said.
> 
> The constitutionally pacifist nation joined the US, China and more than 20 other countries in March in an international operation against pirates who have attacked ships in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> As part of its assistance, Japanese officials deployed two destroyers and two maritime surveillance aircraft to the region.
> 
> But the destroyers had no mandate to use force except in self-defence.
> 
> The military mission is unprecedented for Japan, which imposed constitutional limits to prohibit the use of force to resolve international disputes after the second world war.
> 
> But the country's more powerful lower house of parliament voted the bill into law on Friday after the upper house rejected it.
> 
> Opposing parliament members said the move could erode the nation's pacifist constitution.
> 
> Despite international piracy efforts, the International Maritime Bureau has said that more ships have been attacked off Somalia in the first six months of 2009 than in all of last year.
> 
> http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pac...4944697820.html


----------



## Yrys

Somalia's text message insurgency
Somali justice - Islamist-style
Somali rage at grave desecration
Somali journalist: 'I saw my boss shot dead'

Somali appeal for foreign troops





_Militants have been battling pro-
government forces for three years_

The speaker of Somalia's parliament has called for neighbouring states to send troops 
to the country within 24 hours.

Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur made the appeal as fierce fighting that has spread to the 
north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, continued for a second day. Islamist forces 
battling the country's transitional government briefly took over a police station and 
other key buildings in Karan district. Thousands are fleeing the area, previously a 
refuge for the displaced.

"The government is weakened by the rebel forces," AFP news agency quoted Sheikh 
Aden Mohamed Nur as saying. "We ask neighbouring countries - including Kenya, 
Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen - to send troops to Somalia within 24 hours."

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991. Its UN-backed, 
transitional government controls only parts of Mogadishu, and little of the rest 
of the country.


*High-profile killings*

Several thousand Ethiopian troops left Somalia in January after a two-year 
intervention in support of the transitional government. There are some 4,300 
African Union troops deployed in Mogadishu, but they lack any mandate to 
pursue the insurgents. Reuters news agency quoted a spokesman for militant 
Islamist group al-Shabab as warning Kenya not to intervene.

"If it tries to, we will attack Kenya and destroy the tall buildings of Nairobi," 
Sheik Hasan Yacqub told reporters in southern Somalia. Kenya had said it 
would not stand by and let the situation in Somalia deteriorate further because 
it would destabilise the region, Reuters reported.

Pro-government forces have been fighting radical Islamist guerrillas in the capital 
since 7 May. On Friday, gunmen killed Mohamed Hussein Addow, a politician who 
represented Karan. It was the third killing of a high-profile public figure in as many 
days.

Somalia's security minister - an outspoken critic of the militant Islamist group al-
Shabab - was killed in a suicide attack in the northern town of Beledweyne, and 
Mogadishu's police commander was also killed this week.

Militant groups including al-Shabab, which is accused of links to al-Qaeda, have 
been trying to topple Somalia's government for three years. A moderate Islamist 
president took office in Somalia in January but even his introduction of Sharia law 
to the strongly Muslim country has not appeased the guerrillas.

Some four million people in Somalia - or about one-third of the population - need 
food aid, according to aid agencies.


----------



## Yrys

Japan expands anti-piracy mission





_Two Japanese destroyers are patrolling in the Gulf of Aden_

Japan's parliament has passed a law allowing its navy wider powers 
to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia. The new law allows Japanese 
warships to protect all commercial vessels in the area and to fire at 
pirate vessels, but not at pirates themselves.

Japan has sent two destroyers and two surveillance planes to join the 
navies of more than 20 countries fighting piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
Japan's post-WWII pacifist constitution tightly restricts its military.

The bill was approved by the lower house of parliament in April. On 
Friday,  the opposition-controlled upper house rejected it over concerns 
about expanding the role of Japan's military. Just hours later, the lower 
house used its capacity to overrule the upper house and voted the bill 
into law with more than a two-thirds majority.

Previously, the Japanese force was only allowed to escort Japanese vessels,
or those with Japanese cargoes or crews, and use weapons only for self-
defence. They will now be able to escort any ship and have more leeway to 
fire, such as at suspected pirate vessels which fail to heed warnings not to 
approach commercial vessels.

Pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean near Somalia have attacked 
shipping in what is one of the world's busiest sea lanes, capturing vessels and 
crews to hold for ransom.


----------



## CougarKing

Good job to the Portuguese and the Turks:



> *Portuguese warship foils Somalia pirate attack*
> 
> 15 hours ago
> 
> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *F-490 TCG Gaziantep*
> 
> 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.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...5-jLoJuLhxAeTZA


----------



## Shec

> 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


.

Perhaps the time has come to re-surrect the Q-Ship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_ship) to counter pirates although there is probably some bleeding heart legislation against such using such a devious entrapment against poor disadvantaged fellow human beings who are obviously crying for help.


----------



## CougarKing

And the pirates scuttle one of the captured ships.



> *Somali pirates destroy abandoned Seychelles ship*
> 
> 19 hours ago
> 
> 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.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Indian Ocean Explorer*
> 
> 
> 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.
> 
> According to Ecoterra International, an environmentalist NGO monitoring illegal marine activities in the region, Somali pirates have carried out 140 attacks so far this year, including 46 successful sea-jackings.
> 
> Last year, another 49 ships were captured by the pirates but the marauding sea-bandits, who have turned Somalia's waters into the world's most dangerous, had not been in the habit off destroying their bounty.
> 
> *The release of the ship and the crew is generally negotiated as a whole.*
> 
> The Indian Ocean Explorer's destruction means that at least 13 ships are still in pirate hands, as well as more than 200 crew members.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...M_dr1TU5KLtvClw


----------



## CougarKing

Some good news.



> *Somali pirates release Belgian ship's crew*
> AP
> 
> 
> By AOIFE WHITE, Associated Press Writer Aoife White, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jun 28, 7:58 am ET
> 
> BRUSSELS – Somali pirates have released the entire crew of a Belgian ship seized 10 weeks ago after a ransom was paid, the Belgian government said Sunday.
> 
> The 10-member crew of the *Pompei* dredger was in good health and sailing the ship to an unidentified harbor where it will arrive in a few days, the government said. The crew members will then fly home to their families.
> 
> Defense Minister Pieter De Crem told a news conference that the ship's owners paid a ransom to release the ship and crew. He declined to say how much, but said pirates had demanded $8 million.
> 
> A plane dropped the money into the sea near the Belgian vessel Saturday, De Crem said. About 10 pirates on board abandoned the ship early Sunday.
> 
> The ship, its Dutch captain and crew of two Belgians, three Filipinos and four Croatians were seized April 18 a few hundred miles north of the Seychelles islands as they were sailing from Dubai to South Africa.
> 
> The pirates took the ship to the Somali coast where they and the crew stayed on board.
> 
> Belgian officials said the ship's owners negotiated the release with a middleman who sometimes passed on messages from the captain.
> 
> The pirates even contacted the crew's family members once to prove that they were still alive.
> 
> De Crem said the government had considered military intervention to seize the ship, but decided that it was "not desirable" because it could endanger the crew.
> 
> Despite international navy patrols, piracy has exploded in the Gulf of Aden and around Somalia's 1,900-mile (3,060-kilometer) coastline. Pirates are able to operate freely because Somalia has had no effective central government in nearly 20 years.
> 
> Seasonal monsoons have hampered pirate activity recently and the relative lull is expected to continue until at least the end of August, when the rough weather subsides, according to the London-based International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> Belgian prosecutors said an attack on a Belgian ship in international waters was a crime that they would investigate. Belgian police will interview the crew and check the ship for forensic and DNA evidence when it reaches harbor, they said.
> 
> "We think there is a chance" that some of the pirates might be caught and brought to justice, federal prosecutor Johan Delmulle told reporters. They could face up to 30 years in jail.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090628/ap_on_re_af/piracy


----------



## GAP

NATO flotilla takes over anti-piracy patrols off Somalia
By: Slobodan Lekic, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 29/06/2009
Article Link

CORFU, Greece - NATO has replaced the flotilla conducting anti-piracy patrols off Somalia for the past three months with a new force that will continue the operation "indefinitely," a spokesman said Monday.

Last month, NATO defence ministers met in Brussels to consider ways of tackling the problem of combatting piracy in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. They ordered the long-term deployment of a naval squadron - known as Standing Naval Maritime Group 2 - to the region.

The new force will continue to operate in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, where international patrols involving warships from NATO, the European Union and other nations have been working to reduce attacks on merchant ships by Somali pirates.

"The transition was seamless and clearly demonstrates NATO's resolve to combat the evils of 21st-century piracy," said Chris Davis, spokesman for NATO's anti-piracy effort.

The new task force will consist of five warships from Britain, the United States, Greece, Italy and Turkey. It will be commanded by a British officer, Commodore Steve Chick, from his flagship, HMS Cornwall.

"By rotating the (naval forces) through the region, a powerful NATO presence can be maintained in the Gulf of Aden and around the Horn of Africa indefinitely," Davis said in a telephone interview from NATO's anti-piracy headquarters in Northwood, near London.
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Another update:



> *S.Korea Conducts Anti-piracy Drill Ahead Of Somali Deployment*
> 
> SEOUL, July 3 (Bernama) -- The next batch of 300 South Korean troops to be deployed to Somali waters conducted an anti-piracy drill Friday, using a mock pirate boat off the southern coast of South Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.
> 
> "The troops practiced chasing pirate ships away and rescuing hostages from them, using a mock high-speed pirate craft," Lt. Cdr. Oh Se-seong said by phone.
> 
> The unit, which will depart for the Gulf of Aden on July 16, also practiced maneuvering a helicopter out of danger in case pirates obtained and fired portable surface-to-air missiles, Oh said.
> 
> According to the South Korean news agency, the South Korean destroyer, *Munmu the Great*, has been operating with a 300-strong crew as part of a U.S.-led anti-piracy campaign in the gulf, mainly convoying South Korean commercial vessels.
> 
> Its replacement, the *Dae Jo Yeong* destroyer, is expected to join the Combined Task Force in the region on Aug. 22, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
> 
> The destroyer *will carry a Lynx anti-submarine helicopter and a UDT/SEAL special operation team of about 30*, the Navy said in its release.
> 
> The drill took place at a naval port in the city of Jinhae, 410 kilometers south of Seoul, it said.
> 
> The Cheonghae unit, named after an ancient Korean naval base, has escorted about 30 South Korean ships and conducted six rescue operations since its deployment in April, the ministry said.
> 
> The 4,500-tonne Dae Jo Yeong belongs to the same class as the Munmu the Great. It was commissioned in 2003 and can travel at a maximum speed of 29 knots.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The South Korean Navy destroyer 'Dae Jo Yeong' takes part in an anti-piracy drill off the coast of Geoje, about 470 km (292 miles) southeast of Seoul, July 3, 2009, ahead of its planned dispatch next month of the second batch of 300 troops to a mission off Somalia to protect ships from pirates. The destroyer will replace the 'Munmu' destroyer which has operated in the Gulf of Aden to protect the country's commercial vessels from Somali pirates, South Korean Navy said on Friday._
> 
> South Korean officials believe Somali pirates have yet to acquire Stinger missiles, which could be fired from boats at aircraft.
> 
> Approximately 500 South Korean ships ply the Gulf of Aden each year. About 150 of them are vulnerable to pirate attacks because of their low speed, according to the ministry.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functional government since its dictator was overthrown by warlords in 1991. Poverty has driven a large number of locals to piracy, and black market sales of weapons run rampant.
> 
> -- BERNAMA
> 
> http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=422760


----------



## CougarKing

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> From Janes Navy International:
> 
> It was bound to happen sooner or later, I am just surprised it took this long.



An update on the above post on the Royal Malaysian Navy's use of a container vessel as an antipiracy auxiliary vessel:



> Bunga Mas Lima - RMN Naval Auxiliary Vessel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pirates who attack a Malaysian containership may find they have made a fatal mistake.
> 
> Malaysia's MISC Berhad, in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and the National Security Council (NSC), has successfully modified its containership Bunga Mas Lima into a RMN Auxiliary Vessel for the purpose of escorting and protecting MISC's ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> The project was undertaken following last year's hijacking of MISC's ships Bunga Melati Dua and Bunga Melati 5. Since the incident, RMN launched OP FAJAR, a rescue, escort and protection mission, with the aim of ensuring the safe passage of all MISC vessels in the Gulf of Aden and has since sent five ships, namely, KD LEKIU, KD SRI INDERAPURA, KD MAHAWANGSA, KD SRI INDERA SAKTI and KD HANG TUAH in support of that mission.
> 
> With the deployment of the Bunga Mas Lima  as a RMN Naval Auxiliary Vessel, RMN's KD Sri Inderapura, stationed in the Gulf of Aden will return to Malaysia this month.
> 
> The Bunga Mas Lima, a 699 TEU containership, is the first Malaysian merchant ship to be modified as an Auxiliary Vessel for TLDM. The modification work was carried out by Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Sdn Bhd (MMHE), the heavy engineering arm of MISC, at MMHE's yard in Pasir Gudang, Johor.
> 
> MISC notes that according to international law, an auxiliary ship is a ship other than a warship which is owned or under the ruling control of the military. It is operated by the government and thus, the ship is accorded sovereign immunity.
> 
> The fact that MISC makes the point about sovereign immunity could just indicate that the ship will serve as a decoy vessel, or Q ship, to tempt pirates into making an attack and then meet more of a response than they were expecting
> 
> As an RMN Auxiliary Vessel, Bunga Mas Lima, will be manned by MISC personnel who have completed a training program with RMN. The MISC crew, now with the roles as Navy Reservists, will be responsible for the navigation and maintenance of the vessel. Regular officers and men of RMN will also be onboard the vessel to carry out all security related operations.
> 
> MISC says that putting Bunga Mas Lima into operation as a Naval Auxiliary Vessel is a testimony of its long-term commitment to the safety of its employees and vessels, particularly amidst the concerns over the rising global piracy threats that could jeopardise its operations in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> For the Royal Malaysian Navy, the concept is "an important step in realizing the dream of the nation, in particular the Malaysian Armed Forces which practices the concept of Pertahanan Menyeluruh or Total Defense (HANRUH), as stated in the National Defense Policy."
> 
> ---


----------



## CougarKing

More Japanese warships on the way.



> Japanese destroyer *Harusame* sails off Yokosuka, southwest of Tokyo, leaving for Somalia Monday, July 6, 2009. Two Japanese navy destroyers, Harusame and Amagiri, left Japan to join an international anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast to provide a greater role under a new law taking effect in time for arrival in the waters to replace their fellow crewmembers. They are expected to reach Somali waters in late July.
> (AP Photo/Kyodo News)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> (AP Photo/Kyodo News)
> 
> 
> *Japanese navy ships leave for anti-piracy mission*
> AP
> 
> 
> By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 44 mins ago
> 
> TOKYO – Two more Japanese navy destroyers left Monday to join an international mission to curb piracy off the coast of Somalia, and for the first time will be authorized to escort both foreign and Japanese vessels.
> 
> *Harusame and Amagiri* will replace two other destroyers that Japan deployed to the mission in the Gulf of Aden in March in its military's first postwar overseas policing action.
> 
> Japan's military is limited to defensive missions under the country's post-World War II charter and its forays overseas have been largely restricted to refueling, airlifting and humanitarian activities.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Amagiri DD-154*
> 
> 
> The two Japanese destroyers, *each carrying two patrol helicopters and a pair of speedboats*, are expected to reach Somali waters in late July, a Defense Ministry spokesman said on condition of anonymity, citing department policy. Together the two warships *carry about 420 sailors, including trained commandos, as well as eight Coast Guard officers who were authorized to arrest pirates*, he said.
> 
> Japan *also dispatched two P-3C surveillance planes* to join the anti-piracy mission in May.
> 
> Harusame and Amagiri are scheduled to meet up with their predecessors off the African coast before taking over the mission in late July. They will be allowed a greater role in the mission under a law taking effect July 24 that allows Japanese navy ships to escort foreign vessels. Until then, they can only escort other Japanese vessels.
> 
> Opposition lawmakers say the mission violates Japan's pacifist constitution and the new law could increase the risk of drawing Japanese ships into combat. Japan's ruling party argued the mission was aimed at high-seas criminals, making it a policing, not military, effort.
> 
> The Defense Ministry says destroyers Sazanami and Samidare have escorted 105 Japanese vessels carrying Japanese crew members since joining the mission late March.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991. Authorities say marauding criminals in speedboats attacked more than 100 ships off Somalia's coast last year, including high-profile hijackings with multimillion-dollar ransom demands.
> 
> Japan has conducted a naval refueling mission in the Indian Ocean since 2001 to support U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. The mission is now limited to refueling vessels making anti-terrorism patrols, following opposition protests.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy


----------



## CougarKing

Perhaps the US/West should take a more active role in fighting the Shabab/Al Qaeda elements there on the ground in Somalia?



> *Pirates 'smuggling al-Qaeda fighters' into Somalia
> 
> 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.
> 
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/...to-Somalia.html


----------



## CougarKing

Further updates:



> July 12, 2009
> 
> *Somali pirates hold Turkish woman mariner hostage
> 
> Aysun Akbay, the 24 year old fourth officer* of the Turkish-flag *Horizon 1*, has become *the first woman professional mariner to be held hostage* by Somali pirates.
> 
> Ms. Akbay was making what her parents say was her *first voyage* in distant waters when the Horizon-1 was seized July 8.
> 
> She is one of five women to graduate in 2008 from the deck department of Karadeniz Technical University's maritime training program.
> 
> Her parents have asked the Turkish authorities to intervene to secure her release. Their attempts to contact her on board via telephone have been unsuccessful. Turkish reports say they were able only to speak with pirates and got no information because of language difficulties.
> 
> http://www.marinelog.com/DOCS/NEWSMMIX/2009jul00121.html





> *Somali pirates seize Indian ship, attack tanker*
> 
> 2 hours ago
> 
> NAIROBI (AFP) — Somali pirates have captured *a dhow with an Indian crew of 11* and used it to launch a failed attack on a super-tanker in the Gulf of Aden, a Kenya-based watchdog said Monday.
> 
> The small Indian cargo vessel was hijacked on 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 *VLCC tanker Elephant* this morning," said Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme.
> 
> A VLCC is a "very large crude carrier" such as the Saudi-owned Sirius Star, which Somali pirates held for two months after capturing it in November 2008 with two million barrels of crude oil.
> 
> 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 NGO monitoring illegal maritime activities in the region, a total of 145 pirate attacks, including 49 successful sea-jackings, have been reported in 2009.
> 
> Pirates armed with rifles, rocket-launchers and grappling hooks attack their prey by launching small and nimble skiffs from larger ships, generally small cargos or fishing vessels they have previously hijacked.
> 
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...gAFZUIpyNwiKTXA


----------



## CougarKing

Good job to both the Indian and French navies!



> *Indo-French navies force Somali pirates to release Indian dhow*
> Ani
> July 16th, 2009
> 
> NEW DELHI - Mounting pressure from Indian and French navies forced Somali pirates to release an Indian dhow hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> Seeing the movement of the Indian and French warships and anticipating a combined operation, the pirates forced the dhow to close the Somali coast and released the dhow at on July 15, escaping in their skiffs, after robbing the crew of all their cash and valuables.
> 
> The crew of the dhow thereafter contacted the Indian warship on VHF and sought assistance. Accordingly, the Indian warship closed the dhow and in coordination with the French warship, boarded the dhow to provide relief.
> 
> All 14 Indian crew of the vessel were confirmed safe and the Indian warship provided them with food, water and medicines. The dhow is now heading towards Al Mukkalla in Yemen.
> 
> *These proactive actions taken by the Indian and French naval ships demonstrate the value of combined exercises and operations and reflect the excellent coordination during this operation. This mutual understanding and operational interoperability resulted in the safe release of the Indian dhow and its crew without payment of any ransom.*
> 
> A European Union anti-piracy force said pirates who hijacked the Indian dhow, MV Nafeya, earlier this week abandoned the ship and left its 14-crew members unharmed. Naval officials said the pirates left the ship about 24 kilometers off the Somali coast.
> 
> The Indian dhow was hijacked off Boosaaso, Somalia July 10 by seven pirates armed with RPGs and AK47s. The vessel was hijacked when it was about 10 nautical miles off Boosaaso in Puntland (the semi-autonomous north-eastern region of Somalia) after it had discharged its cargo at the Somali harbour and was proceeding to Dubai.
> 
> After the hijacking, the pirates forced the dhow towards Bab el Mandeb and, on July 13, attempted to hijack MV A Elephant, a Liberian oil tanker.
> 
> However, a French warship belonging to the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), which was in the vicinity, thwarted the attack.
> 
> *The French warship shadowed the pirated dhow and, putting the well-practiced standard operating procedures with the Indian Navy into effect, continuously exchanged information with the Indian naval ship on anti-piracy patrol.*
> 
> Attempts to board the dhow for investigation by the French ship were abandoned when the pirates threatened to kill the 14 crew held hostage on the dhow. By Praful Kumar Singh (ANI)
> 
> http://blog.taragana.com/n/indo-french-nav...an-dhow-111195/


----------



## CougarKing

Not that really surprising considering the number of pirate attacks lately and last year?



> *Over 5,000 pirates operate off Somali coast: Russian Navy*
> 
> At least five large groups of pirates totalling over 5,000 people are operating in the Gulf of Aden, the first deputy chief of the Russian Navy General Staff has said.
> 
> ‘Pirates have become more daring and aggressive recently - there were instances when they seized vessels right in front of the ships that were responsible for the security of commercial shipping,’ Vice Admiral Oleg Burtsev said in an interview on Ekho Moskvy radio station Saturday.
> 
> According to the United Nations, Somali pirates collected $150 million in ransom payments from ship owners last year, while overall losses from piracy were estimated at $13-16 billion, including the soaring cost of insurance and protection for vessels, as well as sending ships on longer routes to avoid high-risk areas.
> 
> Somali pirates said Saturday they had released a German ship after receiving a ransom of *$1.8 million*. The German foreign ministry also confirmed that a German-owned ship had been released.
> 
> Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are currently deployed off Somalia’s coast to counter frequent pirate attacks on vital commercial lanes.
> 
> The Russian Navy joined international anti-piracy efforts off Somali coast in October 2008. Three warships have so far participated in the mission - *he Baltic Fleet’s Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate, and the Pacific Fleet’s Admiral Vinogradov and Admiral Panteleyev destroyers.*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Admiral Panteleyev 548, a UDALOY Class DDG from the Pacific Fleet*
> 
> A new task force from Russia’s Pacific Fleet, comprising the *Admiral Tributs *destroyer with two helicopters, a salvage tug, a tanker, and a naval infantry unit, will arrive in late July in the Gulf of Aden to join the operations.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Admiral Tributs *
> 
> Russia is also setting up a permanent investigation mission in the Gulf of Aden to participate in international efforts to fight piracy at sea off Somalia.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Admiral Vinogradov 572*
> 
> The head of the Investigation Committee at the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Alexander Bastrykin, told reporters July 3 that the investigators ‘will open criminal cases and conduct probes into crimes committed by pirates in order to arrest them and put them on trial under Russian law’.
> 
> http://www.gedoonline.com/?p=5246


----------



## CougarKing

Good job to the Turks again.



> *Turkish frigate captures Somali pirates*
> News - Travel
> Friday, 24 July 2009 16:05
> 
> The Turkish navy frigate *TCG Gediz* has launched an operation against Somali pirates, who were feared to be preparing to seize another ship off the coast of Somalia, capturing five of the pirates.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In a weekly press conference yesterday, Metin Gürak, chief of the communications department of the General Staff, stated that the Gediz rendered the band of Somali pirates ineffective as a result of the operation.* “Five pirates were captured after our frigate was informed about their preparations to seize another ship off the Somali coast*. Our frigate was assisted by a helicopter from the *TCG Gaziantep,*” stated Gürak.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *TCG Gediz (F 495)*
> 
> 
> A Turkish ship was seized last week by Somali pirates with 23 crew members aboard. Pirates are still in negotiations with the ship owners over ransom. Aysun Akbay, a female captain, was also among crew members.
> 
> Akbay, 24, has been working for the company that owns the *Horizon I* for two months and had been assigned as the fourth officer on the hijacked ship.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *TCG Gaziantep*
> 
> The TCG Gediz last month set sail from Turkey to Somalia as part of a UN-led force to prevent pirates from hijacking foreign ships off the Somali coast and was the second Turkish ship sent to the region. The Gediz is in the region for a one-year mission and has been part of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, a multinational counter-piracy task force established in January with a specific mandate to counter piracy operations in and around the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Another Turkish frigate, the Giresun, was sent to the region in February on a four-month mission. As of May, Turkey has taken over the command of CTF-151, which is one of four international naval forces operating in the region.
> 
> http://insidesomalia.org/200907241650/News...li-pirates.html


----------



## CougarKing

I find it puzzling to see that a country which has such a large number of merchant sailors who crew many of the ships targetted by pirates, is unwilling to send at least one warship to protect its citizens in pirate-infested waters when many other countries have already done so. Unlike Liberia which has no navy to speak of to protect all those ships that fly its flag, the Philippines does have a navy, although a small, developing one at that. But its government has obviously opted to do the next best thing to sending a warship:

    





> *US to train RP seafarers under new pact forged in Washington*
> By GENALYN KABILING
> August 1, 2009, 11:24pm
> 
> http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/213896/us-train-rp-seafarers-under-new-pact-forged-washington
> 
> WASHINGTON, DC – The United States will soon train Filipino maritime personnel as well as seafarers on how to combat piracy in the high seas.
> 
> The governments of the Philippines and the US forged a pact to promote cooperation in the field of education and training of maritime personnel to counter piracy off the Somali coast and other dangerous seawaters.
> 
> On the last day of President Arroyo’s working tour here, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the memorandum of cooperation on maritime counter-piracy training and education sought to promote efficient and safe transport policies and practices. The accord also cited the importance of promoting a healthy maritime transport sector and its contribution in strengthening trade relations.
> 
> “The problem of international piracy has been a serious cause of concern.  The signing of the agreement between the Philippines and the United States hopes to send the message to the international pirates that the US is solidly backing the Philippines and its seafarers in this case,” Remonde said in a press briefing here.
> 
> “The salient provision of the agreement is involving training for self-defense of Filipino seamen, training of some Navy Seal-type operation for certain elements of the Philippine Navy to enable our Armed Forces deal better with piracy in our part of the world,” he added.
> 
> During their meeting at the White House, Mrs. Arroyo and US President Barack Obama agreed to forge closer cooperation in fighting terrorism and other security threats.
> 
> Under the agreement on counter-piracy, the areas of cooperation include exchanges of information on best practices with respect to the enhancement of vessel security against threats of pirate attacks; piracy and armed attacks as elements of current security threats and patterns; international conventions, legislation, and regulations concerned with piracy; execution of response plans for pirate attacks; drills and exercises to better respond to piracy; and exploring other avenues of exchange of maritime students and faculty on mutually accepted terms.
> 
> The cooperation accord will tap the resources and facilities of the United States Merchant Marine Academy as well as the maritime personnel training institutions of the Philippines.


----------



## CougarKing

Another interesting repost:



> Yesterday the Norwegian frigate KNM Fridtjof Nansen  left Haakonsvern naval basen (in Bergen) for the Gulf of Aden to join Operation Atalanta. She is carrying a detachment of naval rangers with fast partol craft capable of reaching 70 knots.
> 
> http://www.mil.no/start/article.jhtml?articleID=187690 (Norwegian only)


----------



## CougarKing

Another update:



> *Somali pirates release Malaysian ship: NGO*
> AFP
> 
> 30 mins ago
> 
> NAIROBI (AFP) – Somali pirates have freed a Malaysian tugboat and its *11 Indonesian sailors* after a ransom was paid to end *the second longest hostage saga off the coast of Somalia*, a maritime watchdog said on Monday.
> 
> The tugboat *TB Masindra 7 and its attached Indonesian barge ADM1* had been operating under a contract from French oil giant Total when it was seized eight months ago on December 16, said Kenya-based Ecoterra International.
> 
> "The Malaysian tugboat TB Masindra 7 with its attached Indonesian barge ADM1 is free," the non-governmental organisation said in a statement.
> 
> The crew of 11 was "all right, given the circumstances", said the statement, adding that *"a ransom was paid".*
> 
> The tugboat and barge had been on their way back to Malaysia from Mukallah in Yemen when the pirates hijacked them.
> 
> Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, said the crew were "safe and sound" after their ordeal and their ship was "now steaming out to safe waters."
> 
> Ecoterra said a lack of cooperation between the Malaysian and Indonesian ship owners meant the case dragged on for months.
> 
> "Over long stretches the crew felt completely abandoned. One engine of the tugboat was damaged during the first night of the sea-jacking and provisionally repaired. Vessel, barge and crew therefore are approaching the nearest harbour for repairs and bunker," it said.
> 
> The eight-month hostage saga is the second-longest ship seizure by the Somali criminal gangs. In the longest, a Nigerian tugboat and its 11 crew were held for 10 months before their release in June.
> 
> Some 200 sailors and at least 12 ships are still being held in the region.
> 
> Somali pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships last year, a rise of more than 200 percent over 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
> 
> Rough seas and international navy patrols have curbed pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent weeks but experts have warned that the end of the monsoon season could see a fresh flurry of hijackings next month.
> 
> On July 12, pirates seized a dhow with an Indian crew of 11 and used it to launch a failed attack on a super-tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> The pirates have previously captured the Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star and held it and its cargo of two million barrels of crude oil for two months from November 2008.
> 
> Pirates armed with rifles, rocket-launchers and grappling hooks attack their prey by launching small and nimble skiffs from larger ships, generally small cargos or fishing vessels they have previously hijacked.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090803/wl_as...laysiaindonesia


----------



## CougarKing

File photos






In this photo released by the Indian Navy, an Indian Navy ship, top, approaches the Indian dhow MV Nafeya, bottom, in the Gulf of Aden waters, Wednesday, July 15, 2009. The Indian dhow with 14 Indians on board that was hijacked off Boosaaso, Somalia on July 10 by pirates and released after being robbed was escorted to safety by an Indian warship, according to a press release. All 14 crew members were confirmed as safe.
(AP Photo/Indian Navy)






In this photo released by the Indian Navy, an Indian Navy ship, top, and its boarding team's small speed boat approach the Indian dhow MV Nafeya, bottom, in the Gulf of Aden waters, Wednesday, July 15, 2009. The Indian dhow with 14 Indians on board that was hijacked off Boosaaso, Somalia on July 10 by pirates and released after being robbed was escorted to safety by an Indian warship, according to a press release. All 14 crew members were confirmed as safe.
(AP Photo/Indian Navy)






In this photo released by the Indian Navy, a small speed boat of the boarding team of an Indian Navy ship approaches the Indian dhow MV Nafeya in the Gulf of Aden waters, Wednesday, July 15, 2009.  (AP Photo/Indian Navy)


----------



## CougarKing

Another update:



> *Somali pirates release German freighter*
> Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:10:21 GMT
> 
> Somali pirates have released a German-flagged container vessel, the *Hansa Stavanger*, after receiving a *USD 2.7 million* ransom.
> 
> The bandits released the German freighter on Monday, while they had earlier demanded a ransom of up to USD 4.5 million.
> 
> The 20,000-ton Hansa Stavanger with five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos on board had been seized in April about 400 miles (646 km) off the southern Somali port city of Kismayu.
> 
> NATO ships began anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia at the end of 2008. More than 30 ships from 16 nations are patrolling waters off the Somali coast in an attempt to ensure safe passage for ships heading to and from the Suez Canal.
> 
> Despite the efforts, however, the warships have not been successful in stopping pirate attacks off Somalia.
> 
> According to the International Maritime Bureau, Somali pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships last year.
> 
> http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=10244...ionid=351020501


----------



## CougarKing

Another update:



> *German Politicians Criticize Ransom Payment to Somali Pirates*
> 
> Politicians from Germany's governing parties have criticized the payment of a *$2.75 million ransom* to Somali pirates for the release of the container ship Hansa Stavanger. *The ransom makes further hijackings more likely and puts German ships at greater risk*, they say.
> 
> German politicians from the ruling conservative and Social Democrat parties have criticized the payment this week of a $2.75 million ransom to free the German container ship Hansa Stavanger, which had been seized by Somali pirates in April.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The Hansa Stavanger is currently being escorted by German navy frigates to Mombassa, Kenya, where the freed crew will be flown back to Germany.
> AP Photo/Bundeswehr, Fregatte Rheinland-Pfalz_
> 
> The Hansa Stavanger is currently being escorted by German navy frigates to Mombassa, Kenya, where the freed crew will be flown back to Germany.
> 
> They say giving in to the pirates has made the Indian Ocean even more dangerous for European ships.
> 
> Hans-Peter Uhl, the security policy spokesman for the conservative Christian Social Union, called for *an end to "checkbook diplomacy with Somali pirates."*
> 
> "Despite the relief at the release of the crew no one should be pleased that a $2.7 million ransom has been passed to dangerous criminals." The money would increase the temptation to seize more ships, he told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper, adding: "The danger to German cargo ships has become greater rather than smaller."
> 
> Uhl called for much tougher action against pirates including military action to free hijacked vessels.
> 
> Is the West Funding a Pirate Industry?
> 
> Thomas Oppermann, a member of parliament for the center-left Social Democrats, said the West was effectively funding a hijacking industry in Somalia.
> 
> The Hansa Stavanger with its 24 crew including five Germans is now sailing to the the Kenyan port of Mombasa under the escort of a German warship. The ship had been held in Harardhere, a notorious pirate stronghold on Somalia's coast.
> 
> *Two attempts to free the ship by force were abandoned because the rescue was deemed too risky.
> 
> NEWSLETTER*
> 
> Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box everyday.
> 
> Frank Leonhardt, the manager of the shipping line Leonhardt und Blumberg which finally agreed to pay the ransom, defended the protracted negotiations which put the crew through a four-month ordeal in the hands of the pirates.
> 
> He said there were no reliable negotiating partners among the "unscrupulous criminals."
> 
> "Things agreed with them were worth nothing just a few hours later," Leonhardt said.
> 
> The crew has been examined by a doctor and is as healthy as can be expected after four months living in unhygienic conditions with a shortage of adequate food and water. The men will fly home once they have reached Mombasa, Kenya at the end of the week.
> 
> http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/...,640543,00.html


----------



## Larkvall

Russian ship boarded by pirates in Artic Sea!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OIf06uu1vw


----------



## The Bread Guy

"Russia has sent two nuclear powered submarines to search for “Arctic Sea”, a cargo vessel that is thought to have been hijacked by pirates or gangsters...."

"...."Under the orders of President Dmitry Medvedev all Russian navy ships in the Atlantic have been sent to join the search for the Arctic Sea," news agency Itar Tass quoted navy commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky as saying...."


.... "It doesn't look like bog standard piracy. If it's standard piracy, where's the ransom?" said David Osler, industrial editor at maritime newspaper Lloyds List, who raised the Russian mafia possibility.

He suggested it may have been part of a "drugs deal gone wrong", noting the hijackers' claim to be anti-drugs police and their search of the ship.

"Another possibility is a hijack to order. You steal the ship, respray it and sell it on," he told AFP. "But the ship was built in 1991 -- who would go to the trouble of hijacking that to order?"

Maritime intelligence expert Nick Davis, chief executive of Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre, raised the prospect of a commercial dispute.

"It's not carrying a valuable cargo, so I strongly suspect this is a commercial dispute with its owner and a third party and they have decided to take matters into their own hands," he told the BBC.

He added that the Arctic Sea was unlikely to have sunk, saying: "You can't lose the vessel with all that cargo without telltale signs being washed out."....


----------



## Larkvall

Video from CNN about the Russian pirated ship....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSsyQiKe64E


Another video from Russia Today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqBtFKd-oys

I wonder if piracy is going to become more frequent?


----------



## The Bread Guy

"The combined task force of international navies that counter piracy off the coast of Somalia and throughout the Gulf of Aden was returned to U.S. command at a ceremony here today.

Navy Rear Adm. Scott E. Sanders _(link to bio)_ assumed command of Combined Task Force 151 in a ceremony aboard the coalition counter-piracy flagship USS Anzio while pier-side in Bahrain. Sanders became the first selective reserve admiral to command a combined task force at sea.

Sanders relieved Turkish navy Rear Adm. Caner Bener and heralded the Turkish navy's first command of a combined task force as a success ...."

More from the American Forces Press Service here.


----------



## GAP

Egyptian crews overpower Somali pirates, kill 2
Updated Fri. Aug. 14 2009 6:14 AM ET The Associated Press
Article Link

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- The crew of two Egyptian fishing vessels wielding machetes and tools attacked Somali pirates who had held them hostage for four months, killing at least two of them, according to a pirate and businessman Friday. 

The Egyptian crew overpowered the pirates, seizing some of their guns before sailing away from Somalia's coast, said Miraa, who was one of the pirates on board the fishing vessels. 

Miraa, who gave only his nom de guerre, said the fight took place near the northern Somalia coastal town of Las Qorey. The town is off the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest waterways where Somali pirates carry out most of their attacks. 

Said Jama Hussein, a businessman in the small town of Las Qorey, said fishermen told him the Egyptian ships left Thursday. He said the crew, who number up to 24, apparently took some of the pirates hostage. 

Miraa said "they attacked us with machetes and other tools, seized some of our guns and then fought with us. 

"I could see two dead bodies of my colleagues lying on the ship," Miraa told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I do not know the fate of the nine others." 
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Marines from NATO's Turkish frigate Gaziantep arrest suspected pirates on their skiff in the Gulf of Aden August 11, 2009. REUTERS/Turkish Chief of Staff/Handout






In this photo released by the Turkish military, Turkish commandos are seen with five pirates in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, Tuesday, Aug. 11,, 2009. The Turkish military said Tuesday navy commandos aboard the Turkish frigate TCG Gaziantep, part of a NATO force patrolling the seas, have captured five pirates after commandos raided the skiff Tuesday . (AP Photo/Turkish Military HO )






The tugboat MV Buccaneer is seen in an undated photo released by it's owners, Micoperi Marine Contractors of Ravenna, Italy on April 11, 2009. The Italian tugboat and its crew of 16, seized by pirates off the Gulf of Aden in April, were released on August 9. The pirates hijacked the Italian-flagged Buccaneer on April 11 with a crew of 10 Italians, 5 Romanians and one Croatian and took it to a point close to Las Qoray, a fishing village in a disputed area of northern Somalia. REUTERS/Micoperi Marine Contractors/handout






Freed sailors arrive after their release by Somali pirates, at Ciampino airport in Rome August 14, 2009. An Italian tugboat and its crew of 16, seized by pirates off the Gulf of Aden in April, were released on August 9. The pirates hijacked the Italian-flagged Buccaneer on April 11 with a crew of 10 Italians, 5 Romanians and one Croatian and took it to a point close to Las Qoray, a fishing village in a disputed area of northern Somalia. REUTERS/Remo Casilli (ITALY CRIME LAW CONFLICT POLITICS)


----------



## The Bread Guy

Reuters:


> The merchant ship Arctic Sea, missing for more than a week, is in international waters in the Atlantic about 400 miles north of the Cape Verde islands, Portugal's Lusa news agency reported on Friday.
> 
> Quoting the director-general of defence of Cape Verde, Pedro Reis, Lusa said the ship was north of the islands.
> 
> "The ship is located at a distance of 400 nautical miles north of Sao Vicente, outside Cape Verde's exclusive economic zone," Reis was quoted as saying. Lusa gave no further details.



More from Voice of America, the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse if you're interested.


----------



## CougarKing

And Finland says that someone has demanded a ransom for the missing ship:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090815/ap_on_re_eu/eu_missing_ship



> By JIM HEINTZ, Associated Press Writer Jim Heintz, Associated Press Writer – 50 mins ago
> MOSCOW – A ransom demand has been received for the return of a Russian-manned freighter that went missing last month in the Atlantic, Finnish investigators said Saturday.
> 
> It was not immediately clear if the ransom demand was legitimate, and the whereabouts of the Arctic Sea, its 15 crew members and its euro1.3 million ($1.8 million) cargo of timber remain a mystery.
> 
> The crew had said they were attacked in Swedish waters four days before the ship disappeared on July 28, but there has been no confirmation that the ship was actually seized.
> 
> "A ransom demand has been made ... let's say it's a largish amount of money," Markku Ranta-Aho, of Finland's National Bureau of Investigation, told national YLE radio. He said the demand was addressed to the Finland-based company that owns the Arctic Sea, but he would not give details or say where the ship might be located for fear of endangering the crew.


----------



## a_majoor

And a threat you probably didn't think about....


----------



## Larkvall

They are still looking for that ship!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb-b_vN9oR8


----------



## Larkvall

They found the ship!!!  ;D

The cargo vessel the 'Arctic Sea', which had been missing for almost three weeks, has been found off the west coast of Africa. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSdq6sfqv6w


----------



## The Bread Guy

Catching Pirates While Helping Others Nab 'Em Too - from NATO's Maritime Component Command (highlights re:  extra focus mine):


> 17 Aug 09
> 
> NATO begins Operation Ocean Shield
> 
> Operation Ocean Shield, NATO’s contribution to international efforts to combat piracy off the Horn of Africa, commenced today after the North Atlantic Council (NAC) approved the mission. Operation Ocean Shield builds on the experience gained during Operation Allied Protector, NATOs’ previous counter-piracy mission, and develops a distinctive NATO role based on the broad strength of the Alliance by adopting a more comprehensive approach to counter-piracy efforts.
> 
> While at-sea counter-piracy operations will continue to be the focus, a new element of regional-state counter-piracy capacity building has been developed for Operation Ocean Shield.* NATO’s capacity building effort will aim to assist regional states, upon their request, in developing their own ability to combat piracy activities. This element of the operation is designed to complement existing international efforts and will contribute to a lasting maritime security solution off the Horn of Africa. *



A bit more from Agence France-Presse.


----------



## Yrys

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> "Russia has sent two nuclear powered submarines to search for “Arctic Sea”, a cargo vessel that is thought to have been hijacked by pirates or gangsters...."
> 
> "...."Under the orders of President Dmitry Medvedev all Russian navy ships in the Atlantic have been sent to join the search for the Arctic Sea," news agency Itar Tass quoted navy commander Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky as saying...."
> 
> 
> .... "It doesn't look like bog standard piracy. If it's standard piracy, where's the ransom?" said David Osler, industrial editor at maritime newspaper Lloyds List, who raised the Russian mafia possibility.
> 
> He suggested it may have been part of a "drugs deal gone wrong", noting the hijackers' claim
> to be anti-drugs police and their search of the ship. "Another possibility is a hijack to order. You
> steal the ship, respray it and sell it on," he told AFP. "But the ship was built in 1991 -- who would
> go to the trouble of hijacking that to order?"
> 
> Maritime intelligence expert Nick Davis, chief executive of Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre,
> raised the prospect of a commercial dispute. "It's not carrying a valuable cargo, so I strongly
> suspect this is a commercial dispute with its owner and a third party and they have decided
> to take matters into their own hands," he told the BBC. He added that the Arctic Sea was
> unlikely to have sunk, saying: "You can't lose the vessel with all that cargo without telltale
> signs being washed out."....



Follow-up :

Russia finds missing cargo ship

Russia says it has found a missing cargo vessel near the Cape Verde islands and 
retrieved its Russian crew. Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said that the 
15-member crew had been taken on board a Russian navy vessel. They were in 
good condition, he said.

The Finnish-owned Arctic Sea went off radar after passing through the English 
Channel with its cargo of timber. Speculation over the cause of its disappearance 
had ranged from pirates to a mafia dispute to a commercial row.

The Arctic Sea was found at 0100 Monday (2100 GMT Sunday) 300 miles (480 km) off 
Cape Verde in the Atlantic Ocean, Tass news agency quoted Mr Serdyukov as telling 
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

"The crew have been transferred to another ship. They are being interrogated now 
in order to find out what happened," Mr Serdyukov said. The sailors were "alive, 
healthy and are not under armed guard", the agency quoted him as saying.

Malta's Maritime Security Committee confirmed that the vessel was in the hands 
of the Russian military. Further clarification in the case was being sought, it said 
in a statement.

Carrying timber reportedly worth $1.8m (£1.1m), the 4,000-tonne Maltese-flagged 
vessel sailed from Finland and had been scheduled to dock in the Algerian port of 
Bejaia on 4 August. The crew reported having been boarded by up to 10 armed men 
as the ship sailed through the Baltic Sea on 24 July, but the intruders were reported 
to have left the vessel on an inflatable boat after 12 hours.

The last known contact with the crew was when the Arctic Sea reported to British 
maritime authorities in Dover as it passed through the English Channel. It was then 
sighted in the Bay of Biscay on 30 July. On Saturday, police in Finland said a ransom 
demand had been made, but emphasised that they could not confirm its authenticity. 

Map charting reported sightings of the Arctic Sea


----------



## X-mo-1979

Kudo's to the different navy's around the world for aiding in the anti piracy.However  I wonder why shipping companies are not hiring PMC's to guard their ships.Wouldn't it be a good idea?A small price to pay compared to the millions needed to retrieve another ship?

I think it would act as a deterrent more than anything.


----------



## CougarKing

X-mo-1979 said:
			
		

> Kudo's to the different navy's around the world for aiding in the anti piracy.*However  I wonder why shipping companies are not hiring PMC's to guard their ships.*Wouldn't it be a good idea?A small price to pay compared to the millions needed to retrieve another ship?
> 
> I think it would act as a deterrent more than anything.



Some have. Some of the older posts reflect that, although they were using non-lethal weapons such as sonic blasters(link) in those past cases, IIRC.


----------



## GAP

Russia arrests 8 suspects in Arctic Sea hijacking
The Associated Press Tue. Aug. 18 2009 6:19 AM ET
Article Link

MOSCOW — Russia's navy arrested eight men accused of hijacking the Arctic Sea freighter near Sweden and forcing the crew to sail to West Africa, the defense minister said Tuesday.

Anatoly Serdyukov said the suspected hijackers were detained by the naval vessel that found the Russian-crewed freighter Monday off Cape Verde, thousands of miles (kilometers) from the Algerian port where it was supposed to dock two weeks ago.

Serdyukov spoke to reporters at an air show outside Moscow.

He told President Dmitry Medvedev earlier Tuesday that the suspected hijackers -- citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Russia -- were arrested without a shot being fired, state news agencies said.

There was still no information on why they allegedly seized the Arctic Sea, an 18-year-old ship with a cargo of timber worth only US$1.8 million.

The 15 crew members were safe and had been taken aboard the Russian naval vessel for questioning, Serdyukov said. 
More on link


----------



## The Bread Guy

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act._

*Russia Navy detains 8 hijackers of Arctic Sea vessel*
RIA-Novosti, 18 Aug 09
Article link

MOSCOW, August 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian frigate Ladny <see attached photo of frigate> has freed the Arctic Sea cargo ship in the Atlantic without firing a single shot and eight suspected hijackers have been detained, Russia's defense minister said on Tuesday.

The Arctic Sea vessel was located 480 kms (300 miles) off Cape Verde on Monday after being missing in the Atlantic for over two weeks. In addition to the 15-person crew, there were eight unidentified people on board.

Anatoly Serdyukov said a speed boat carrying four Estonians, two Latvians and two Russians approached the Arctic Sea in the Swedish territorial waters on July 24.

"The hijackers boarded the Arctic Sea, threatened the crew with weapons and demanded that their orders be followed. The Arctic Sea was following en route to Africa continent with all of its communications and navigation equipment shut down, as ordered by the hijackers," the minister reported to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The eight hijackers were arrested by Russian Navy personnel. None of the crew was injured in the operation, the Russian minister said.

"The investigation into the hijacking is continuing on board the Ladny frigate. We are taking measures to send the crew (of the Arctic Sea) back home," Serdyukov said.

Russia's Investigation Commission later said it had launched a criminal probe in connection with the hijacking.

The Maltese-flagged cargo ship left Finland with a cargo of timber on July 22 en route for Algeria. The ship last made radio contact with British coastguards on July 28. Finnish police confirmed that a $1.5 million ransom demand had been issued.

Last week, President Medvedev instructed the country's Navy to launch a search for the missing ship.


----------



## Yrys

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> *Russia Navy detains 8 hijackers of Arctic Sea vessel*
> RIA-Novosti, 18 Aug 09
> Article link
> The Arctic Sea was following en route to Africa continent with all of its communications and navigation equipment shut down, as ordered by the hijackers,"



Well, I was puzzled by their destination. The only reason I can think of,
it's they have links with some African pirats and/or organisation...

What do you think ?


----------



## a_majoor

Interesting speculation. Now we can add piracy to the list of "cover stories" out there:

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/08/19/world/international-us-ship-russia.html?_r=1



> *Hijackers Threatened to Blow Up Mystery Ship: Reports*
> Sign In to E-Mail Print By REUTERS
> Published: August 19, 2009
> Filed at 5:47 p.m. ET
> 
> Skip to next paragraph  MOSCOW (Reuters) - The hijackers of a cargo ship that disappeared off the coast of France threatened to blow it up if their ransom demands were not met, Russian news agencies said on Wednesday.
> 
> Russia on Tuesday arrested eight people on suspicion of hijacking the Arctic Sea off the Swedish coast and sailing it to the Atlantic Ocean, ending weeks of silence about the fate of a ship which has intrigued European maritime authorities.
> 
> Limited information from Russian officials has failed to satisfy skeptics who voiced doubts about whether the piracy actually took place or was a convenient cover story to conceal a possible secret cargo of arms or nuclear material.
> 
> "The crew members have already confirmed that the captors demanded a ransom and threatened to blow up the vessel if their orders were not obeyed," Interfax quoted a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman as saying.
> 
> "The crew members also claim that the people who seized the Arctic Sea were armed and got rid of their weapons when the ship (Russian navy ship) Ladny ordered the dry cargo carrier's crew to stop the vessel," he said.
> 
> Climbing gear, flares and a high-speed inflatable boat supposedly used in the hijack were found aboard the Arctic Sea, RIA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying at a briefing for Russian media.
> 
> The agencies did not say what ransom was demanded. Nobody answered the phone when Reuters called the ministry's press service to attempt to verify the reports.
> 
> The Maltese-registered, Russian-crewed vessel and its $1.3 million cargo of timber disappeared from radar screens three weeks ago, prompting speculation ranging from an attack by an organized crime gang to a top-secret spy mission.
> 
> The Malta Maritime Authority said on Tuesday, without elaborating, that the Arctic Sea had "never really disappeared," a comment which increased speculation that security services might have been involved in the affair.
> 
> Russia has said the eight detainees were citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Russia who on July 24 boarded the ship, forced the crew to change route and turned off its navigation equipment.
> 
> After heading through the Channel between England and France in late July, radio contact was lost and the 4,000-tonne ship did not deliver its cargo to the Algerian port of Bejaia on August 4. The Russian navy found the missing ship on Monday in the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Verde.
> 
> Russian military personnel were arranging on Wednesday to fly the eight suspected hijackers and 11 crew members to Russia from the Cape Verde island off the west coast of Africa near where the vessel was intercepted, according to Cape Verde authorities.
> 
> Russian media reports earlier this month had said there were 15 crew on board the Arctic Sea and marine news site www.odin.tc reported the ship had a crew of 13.
> 
> The Arctic Sea was also on its way back to Russia, sailing with a replacement crew, the authorities said.
> 
> The official version of events was questioned by Yulia Latynina, a leading Russian opposition journalist and commentator.
> 
> "The Arctic Sea was carrying something, not timber and not from Finland, that necessitated some major work on the ship," she wrote in the Moscow Times newspaper on Wednesday.
> 
> During two weeks of repair works in the Russian port of Kaliningrad just before the voyage, the ship's bulkhead was dismantled so something very large could be loaded, she wrote.
> 
> "To put it plainly: The Arctic Sea was carrying some sort of anti-aircraft or nuclear contraption intended for a nice, peaceful country like Syria, and they were caught with it," she said.
> 
> (Additional reporting by Alvaro Andrade in Cape Verde)
> 
> More Articles in World »


----------



## Larkvall

"The eight suspected hijackers of the 'Arctic Sea' cargo ship are being questioned by investigators in a high-security prison in Moscow." 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBZB0hs011g


----------



## The Bread Guy

Larkvall said:
			
		

> "The eight suspected hijackers of the 'Arctic Sea' cargo ship are being _*<vigourously?>*_ questioned by investigators in a high-security prison in Moscow."
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBZB0hs011g



Hmmm.... Shades of a 2006 novel by Frederick Forsyth perhaps?


----------



## MarkOttawa

Meanwhile, back at the Gulf of Aden and an LA street gang, from Peter Worthington at _NewMajority. com_:

Canada Goes Pirate Hunting
http://www.newmajority.com/canada-goes-pirate-hunting



> When the Canadian frigate, HMCS Winnipeg, intercepted Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden last April, some were puzzled that instead of blasting the pirate boat out of the water, the Winnipeg’s helicopter displayed a “stop” sign to dissuade the hijacking.
> 
> “The stop sign was mounted beside a machine gun, and the pirates got the message – stop or else,” recalls the skipper of the Winnipeg at the time, Commander Craig Baines, now ashore and due to take a French course before assuming staff duties in Ottawa.
> 
> Cdr. Baines feels the term “pirate” is a bit misleading. “They’re more like a Los Angeles street gang,” he says. “Young, hopped up on khat, armed and dangerous, but not thugs – kids mostly, in a high-risk business.”
> 
> He was asked if sinking their boats and stringing them up wouldn’t be a more persuasive deterrent than stop signs?
> 
> “If we were to catch pirates in the process of attacking or boarding a ship, we’d take such action as necessary,” says Cdr. Baines. “Remember, we are the good guys. We follow rules. Rather than pirates in the popular sense, these people are criminals.”
> 
> Each country with ships in NATO’s anti-pirate mission to keep the sea lanes open around Somalia, has its own rules about piracy. The French have been aggressive, and on occasion hostages have been killed [see 2) here]...
> 
> When the 134 meter-long, 5,000 ton Canadian warship comes along side a 25 to 40-foot pirate boat, powered by 40 to 60 horsepower engines, the pirates try to dump their weapons and incriminating evidence overboard.
> 
> “Instantly they are no longer combatants,” quips Cdr. Baines. “They are seven guys just sitting in a boat, sometimes fishing and all proclaiming innocence.”
> 
> Even though it can be frustrating to capture pirates and then have to release them, there is satisfaction in the mission. Cdr. Baines, whose 22 years in the navy have been spent mostly at sea on nine different ships, figures the Winnipeg stopped six pirate attacks on his watch, and other NATO ships thwarted 15 piracies.
> 
> Still, one gets the feeling that keeping the sea lanes open in the Gulf of Aden with limited NATO ships, is a losing cause. Catching pirates doesn’t deter the ones financing the piracy...
> 
> Just as Canada’s army is a good fit with U.S. and NATO forces, so our navy integrates well with the U.S. and allied navies. As Cdr. Baines puts it: “We’re a small navy, but we’re world class, and we integrate well.”..
> 
> Canadian morale in pirate waters is high. During six months chasing pirates, there were no complaints among the Winnipeg’s crew of 250 – even though none of the pirates they encountered wore eye patches, had peg legs, or wore the skull and crossbones...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## The Bread Guy

....into detecting tiny craft.
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/88208/post-868802.html#msg868802


----------



## CougarKing

Another update:

http://www.norwaypost.no/content/view/22412/1/



> Pirates apprehended by Norwegian frigate
> Boarding crews from the Norwegian frigate "Fridtjof Nansen" on patrol in the Bay of Aden, on Saturday stopped and boarded a suspicious vessel, and found weapons, ladders and boarding equipment.
> Seven men, suspected of being pirates were questioned, but were later set free.
> 
> - We have to operate according to international law. We could not prove that they had done anything wrong, and we could therefore not arrest them, says spokesman for the Norwegian Defence Operative Center, Lieutenant Colonel John Espen Lien.
> 
> The arms and equipment found on board the alleged pirate vessel were confiscated.
> 
> (NRK)
> 
> Rolleiv Solholm


----------



## The Bread Guy

From U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs:


> MANAMA, Bahrain – Yesterday, at approximately 8:00 a.m. local time, Somali Pirates aboard Motor Vessel (M/V) Win Far, fired what appeared to be a large caliber weapon at a U.S. Navy SH-60B Helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 49, embarked aboard USS Chancellorsville (CG 62).
> 
> No rounds of ammunition struck the SH-60B. The SH-60 crew did not return fire. No personnel injuries resulted from the incident.
> 
> Win Far is a Taiwanese-flagged vessel that was pirated April 6, 2009, and over the past 135 days it has been used as a “mother ship” to conduct other known pirate attacks, most notably the U.S. flagged Maersk-Alabama in April 2009.
> 
> The helicopter was conducting a routine surveillance flight of M/V Win Far currently held at anchorage by Somali pirates south of Garacad, Somalia when the incident occurred.
> 
> During the flight, aircrew observed activity, but could not ascertain they were fired upon until their return to Chancellorsville and review of Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) video, which recorded the incident. The helicopter was approximately 3,000 yards from Win Far when it was fired upon.
> 
> More than 30 crewmembers remain as hostages aboard the pirated vessel M/V Win Far ....
> 
> Somali pirates aboard the Motor Vessel (M/V) Win Far fired on a U.S. Navy SH-60B Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Scorpions of Helicopter anti-Submarine Squadron light (HSL 49). The helicopter, embarked aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), was conducting a surveillance mission near the anchored M/V Win Far south of Garacad, Somalia. No rounds struck the helicopter and no one was injured. Click here to view  <21 second .wmv video>



More from Agence France-Presse and Bloomberg wire services.


----------



## CougarKing

I would have thought that a North Korean ship would be better armed than this- as in having armed soldiers aboard- in stead of their merchant sailors just resorting to molotov cocktails as described below:



> *North Korean ship fights off Somali pirates
> AP*
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Somali pirates tried but failed to hijack a North Korean cargo ship when crew members fought back with improvised fire bombs and sped away, a maritime official said Tuesday.
> 
> Separately, other Somali pirates released a Greek-managed ship with 22 Filipino crewmen after five months in captivity, officials in the Philippines said.
> 
> The North Korean ship was adrift off the Somali coast near Mogadishu on Sept. 5 for engine work when the crew saw *10 pirates approaching in two speedboats*, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.
> 
> The North Korean ship immediately started its engine and moved away, and the captain called the bureau for help when *the pirates — dressed in military clothing — began firing rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns,* Choong said.
> 
> *The crew fought back with improvised molotov cocktails — bottles filled with kerosene or similar fluid and set alight by a wick or rag. The crew also fired distress rocket flares at the pirates, and the ship escaped "after the captain increased speed,"* Choong said.
> 
> The captain later told the IMB a U.S. warship arrived at the scene, but the pirates had fled, Choong added. He could not confirm it was a U.S. ship.
> 
> One of the 30 North Korean crew members was injured, and the ship was damaged, Choong said. The ship was heading to the Middle East when it was attacked. It was not clear where the ship went.
> 
> The incident raised the number of attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden this year to 156. So far, 32 ships have been hijacked and five remain held by pirates along with 102 crew members, Choong said.
> 
> It was not immediately clear if the five ships still in custody are in addition to the Greek-managed ship that was reported by the Philippine government to have been released.
> 
> The Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Tuesday the information came from Bright Maritime Corp., the local manning company of the St.-Vincent and Grenadines-flagged bulk carrier. It was not immediately known when the ship and crew were released.
> 
> The ship was headed to India from Jordan when it was seized April 14.
> 
> The Philippines supplies about 30 percent of the world's 1.2 million merchant sailors.
> 
> Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 — a power vacuum that has allowed the pirates to operate freely around Somalia's 1,900-mile (3,060-kilometer) east African coastline, along one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
> 
> The U.S. government last week warned of an increase in piracy off Africa's east coast because the monsoon has ended and Somali pirates will have easier access to passing ships.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090915/ap_on_re_as/piracy


----------



## GAP

Pirates hijack Spanish fishing trawler  
October 02, 2009 Daniel Woolls THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Article Link

MADRID, Spain – Pirates hijacked a Spanish tuna trawler with a 36-member crew Friday in the Indian Ocean, officials said.

The ship Alakrana sent out distress signals advising of a pirate attack and since then its owner has not been able to communicate with it, said Echebastar Fleet, the firm that owns the ship.

Two planes from Luxembourg, taking part in an EU anti-piracy flotilla, flew over the ship and saw armed people aboard, said Pilar Unzalu, the Basque region's fisheries and agriculture minister.

Unzalu said she had no indication that anyone among the crew was hurt in the hijacking.

The Alakrana is based in the Basque port of Bermeo.

The ship was 415 miles (670 kilometres) from the Seychelles islands, Unzalu said. Company executives were headed for the Spanish Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, Echebastar Fleet said.

A company official speaking on condition of anonymity said she did not know if a ransom demand has been made.

The Spanish government has begun to contact families of crew members and formed a crisis committee made up of members of the foreign affairs, defence, environment and other ministries.
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

Reading this headline might make one think that they were getting bolder, but reading it more closely reveals that they might be getting dumber. This is at least the 2nd time that pirates have mistook a warship for a merchant ship and attacked first.  :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091007/ap_on_re_af/piracy



> Somali pirates attack French military vessel
> By ELAINE GANLEY, Associated Press Writer Elaine Ganley, Associated Press Writer
> 22 mins ago
> 
> PARIS – Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said. The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates.
> 
> No one was wounded by the volleys from the Kalashnikov rifles directed at La Somme, a 3,800-ton refueling ship, said Rear Admiral Christophe Prazuck, a military spokesman.
> 
> La Somme "was probably taken for a commercial ship by the two small skiffs" some 250 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, said Prazuck.
> 
> "They understood their mistake too late," Prazuck said.
> 
> One skiff fled, and La Somme pursued the second one in an hour-long chase.
> 
> "There were five suspected pirates on board. No arms, no water, no food," Prazuck said.
> 
> France is a key member of the European Union's naval mission, Operation Atalanta, fighting Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. It has aggressively tracked and caught suspected pirates and handed over at least 22 to Kenya. An additional 15 suspects were brought to France for prosecution after allegedly seizing French nationals' boats.
> 
> President Nicolas Sarkozy called for tougher action against piracy last year after dozens of attacks.


----------



## The Bread Guy

...from the U.S. Congressional Research Service (PDF) - here's the summary:


> Pirate attacks in the waters off the Horn of Africa, including those on U.S.-flagged vessels, have brought new U.S. and international attention to the long-standing problem of piracy in the region. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recorded 111 attacks in the waters off the Horn of Africa in 2008, almost double the number in 2007. As of September 14, 2009, the U.S. State Department reported 156 attacks had occurred in those waters since January 2009, with 33 successful hijackings. Attacks remain concentrated in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and the northern coast of Somalia and along Somalia's eastern coastline. However, in July 2009, the United Nations Secretary General warned that "as a result of the military presence in the region, pirates have employed more daring operational tactics, operating further seawards, towards the Seychelles, and using more sophisticated weaponry." Pirate attacks continue to threaten commercial shipping and relief shipments bound for East Africa and the Horn, amid a regional humanitarian crisis that experts are calling the worst since 1984. The increase in pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa is directly linked to continuing insecurity and the absence of the rule of law in war-torn Somalia. The absence of a functioning government in Somalia remains the single greatest challenge to regional security and provides freedom of action for those engaged in piracy along the Somali coast. Some observers also have alleged that the absence of coastal security authorities in Somalia has allowed illegal international fishing and maritime dumping to occur in Somali waters, which in turn has undermined the economic prospects of some Somalis and may be providing economic or political motivation to some groups engaged in piracy. The apparent motive of many active Somali pirate groups is profit, and piracy has proven to be a lucrative activity for many thus far. Ransoms paid to Somali pirates and their supporters, estimated at over $30 million in 2008, may exacerbate ongoing fighting and further undermine security in the region. The U.N. Security Council issued four resolutions (1816, 1838, 1846, and 1851) in 2008 to facilitate an international response to piracy off the Horn of Africa. At present, Resolution 1851 has authorized international naval forces to carry out anti-piracy operations in Somali territorial waters and ashore, with the consent of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG). Resolution 1872, adopted May 26, 2009, authorizes member states to participate in the training and equipping of the TFG security forces in accordance with Resolution 1772 (2007). In January 2009, a multilateral Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) was established to coordinate anti-piracy efforts. U.S., NATO, European Union, regional, and other naval forces are currently patrolling near Somalia in coordination with a U.S.-led Task Force. Some members of the 111th Congress have expressed concern about the threat posed by piracy, and President Obama has stated that his Administration is resolved to halt the growth of piracy in the Horn of Africa region. The Obama Administration has outlined its policy response to the threat of piracy and pledged to continue working through interagency and multilateral coordination and enforcement mechanisms established during the Bush Administration. Most experts believe that the reestablishment of government authority in Somalia is the only guarantee that piracy will not persist or reemerge as a threat. The 111th Congress has explored a range of options to address both the threat posed by piracy as well as its underlying causes, and has sought to influence U.S. policy through oversight of U.S. military operations and diplomatic efforts and through defense and foreign assistance appropriations and authorizations. See CRS Report RL33911, Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace, by Ted Dagne and CRS Report R40081, Ocean Piracy and Its Impact on Insurance, by Rawle O. King.


----------



## CougarKing

Seems the "all-powerful" _Jie Fang Hai Jun _ (PLA-N) isn't there when you need them:



> NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates seized a Chinese cargo ship Monday with 25 people onboard, a naval spokesman for the European Union's anti-piracy force said, in the first successful attack on a Chinese vessel since the country deployed three naval warships to the region.
> Cmdr. John Harbour said that coalition forces had observed at least two pirates onboard the deck of the De Xin Hai and the cargo ship also was towing two light skiffs used by the pirates behind it. All 25 crew onboard are Chinese, he said.
> 
> The attack occurred early Monday in the Indian Ocean about 700 miles (1,100 kilometers) east of the lawless Somali coastline. Harbour said he believed it was the farthest afield the pirates had ever struck.
> 
> "We're pushing them further and further afield to get targets," he said, referring to a coalition of navies dedicated to fighting piracy in the region.
> 
> Analyst Roger Middleton from British thinktank Chatham House said it was unlikely that the Chinese would want to endanger the lives of their crew through direct intervention. French and American navies have both engaged pirates holding hostages, he said, but only when the navies believed the hostages' lives were in imminent danger.
> 
> The Chinese "probably would use a more cautious approach," Middleton said. But, he added: "We've never seen so many Chinese citizens captured at a time when Chinese ships were in the region."
> 
> A previous attack on a Chinese vessel last year was repelled when the crew used homemade Molotov cocktails to fight off their attackers.
> 
> Somali pirates have recently ramped up attacks after a period of quiet during poor weather. They use sophisticated equipment and so-called larger "mother ships" to enable them to strike hundreds of miles offshore. The multimillion-dollar ransoms they share are a fortune in their impoverished and war-ravaged country.
> 
> A total of 146 people, including the crew of the De Xin Hai, are currently being held hostage by pirates.




http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD9BE7IGG1


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> Seems the "all-powerful" Jie Fang Hai Jun  (PLA-N) isn't there when you need them:


Ever consider they were escorting other ships and keeping them safe? Or the crew was in port on shore leave? How about maintenance? :


----------



## CougarKing

Yet another pirate attack:



> *Somali pirates seize ship off East African coast*
> AP
> 
> 46 mins ago
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates with automatic weapons seized a cargo ship off Africa's east coast and are holding its 26 crew members hostage, anti-piracy officials said Thursday.
> 
> The pirates captured *the Panamanian-flagged MV Al Khaliq *some 200 miles (320 kilometers) west of the Seychelles islands early Thursday, a statement from the European Union's anti-piracy task force said.
> 
> Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said the pirates attacked the Indian-managed ship with automatic weapons.
> 
> Choong said the hijacking demonstrated a new trend for Somali pirates: actively targeting vessels very far off the coast during clear weather. He said it was the third such hijacking in a week. Pirates hijacked a Singapore-flagged bulk container last Thursday and a Chinese cargo ship on Monday.
> 
> Choong said the latest attacks brought the number of attacks off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden to 178 this year, with 36 ships hijacked. He said pirates are holding seven ships and 165 crew members.
> 
> The EU task force, Operation Atalanta, said pirates also unsuccessfully attempted to hijack *the Italian-flagged MV Jolly Rosso* off the Kenyan coast on Thursday.
> 
> The Gulf of Aden is one of the busiest and most dangerous waterways in the world. Somalia has been ravaged by violence and anarchy since 1991 and piracy has flourished off its coast.
> 
> Somali pirates seized more than 40 vessels in 2008, pocketing an estimated $30 million in ransom.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_...29tYWxpcGlyYXRl


----------



## CougarKing

Meanwhile, back on the Somali mainland...the struggle between the Transitional Federal Somali Government forces, backed by African Union peacekeepers, continues against the anti-Western Al-Shabab Islamic militants.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia



> MOGADISHU, Somalia – Mortars fired by Islamic militants slammed into Somalia's airport as the president was boarding a plane Thursday, sparking battles that killed at least 24 people when return fire hit residential areas and a market, officials said.
> 
> A militant leader vowed to avenge the civilian deaths and threatened retaliatory attacks in two African countries that supply troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission stationed in Mogadishu.
> 
> The president was unhurt and his plane took off safely, police said, but the deaths of civilians is fueling a growing anger toward African Union peacekeeping forces that are stationed in Mogadishu to help protect the U.N.-backed government.
> 
> *Somalia's capital sees near-daily bloodshed as a powerful insurgent group with links to al-Qaida tries to overthrow the fragile government and push out some 5,000 AU peacekeepers. Both sides have been accused of indiscriminate shelling.
> 
> At least 20 bodies, most of them civilians, lay in the streets after Thursday's fighting, said Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu's ambulance service. Four people later died at the hospital. Muse said about 60 people were wounded as mortar rounds slammed into residential areas.*
> "Soldiers from Uganda and Burundi soldiers are our enemy. They often massacre our people. We will not let them go unpunished, but will target them in Kampala and Bujumbura," the capitals of the two countries, *said Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein, a leader of al-Shabab, the militant group linked to al-Qaida that controls much of southern Somalia.*
> *The shelling started soon after insurgents fired toward President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed's plane, said police spokesman Abdullahi Hassan Barise.*
> 
> Thursday's violence — deadlier than many recent clashes in this once-beautiful seaside city — follow a pattern that witnesses say is becoming all too common. First, insurgents fire at government or AU targets. Then those forces respond by shelling insurgent bases, most of which lie in residential areas.
> 
> The result is that most of those killed in Somalia's war are civilians.
> 
> The same situation exists in Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO forces are battling Taliban militants. The militants fire on international troops from residential areas in hopes of drawing return fire that kills civilians — a propaganda victory for the militants. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan has sought to reduce such return fire, which turns Afghans against U.S. and NATO forces.
> 
> *But in Somalia, the AU denies firing into residential areas. AU peacekeeping force spokesman Barigye Bahoku said insurgents are actually shelling the residential areas they control to make it appear the AU is responsible. But many Somalis doubt such assertions.*
> 
> "What cannot be denied is that most of the fire comes from the bases of the African Union, and they hit and kill civilians in the rebel-controlled areas," said Ahmed Abdulahi, a businessman in Mogadishu. "People have eyes and ears, they know what is going on."
> 
> Sheik Ali Mohamud Siyad, the trader's chairman of Bakara Market which was hit with mortar shells Thursday, said: "It is ruthless and inhumane to target innocent civilians, but it happens every day here and nobody bothers to mention it."
> 
> *Anger is growing toward a peacekeeping force that has long lamented that it is undermanned. The force is meant to have 8,000 troops, but reinforcements have not arrived. The troops, from Uganda and Burundi, come under regular attack and mostly are confined to bases in Mogadishu for safety.*


----------



## CougarKing

The role of the MQ9 Reapers in helping combat piracy is highlighted below in this report:



> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_on_bi_ge/piracy
> 
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – For the first time, sophisticated U.S. military surveillance drones capable of carrying missiles have begun patrolling waters off Somalia in hopes of stemming rising piracy.
> 
> Three ships have been seized in a week off Africa's lawless eastern coast and Vice Adm. Robert Moeller, the deputy commander for the U.S. Africa Command, said pirates continue to pose a significant challenge.
> 
> With the monsoon season now ended, there have been a rash of attacks as pirates return to the open seas. More than 130 crew members from seven ships are currently being held, including about 70 from the latest attacks.
> 
> In an effort to stem the surge, unmanned U.S. military surveillance planes called MQ-9 Reapers stationed on the island nation of Seychelles are being deployed to patrol the Indian Ocean in search of pirates, Moeller told The Associated Press in an interview at command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The patrols began this week, military officials said.
> 
> The 36-foot-long Reapers are the size of a jet fighter, can fly about 16 hours and are capable of carrying a dozen guided bombs and missiles. They are outfitted with infrared, laser and radar targeting.
> 
> Military officials said Friday the drones would not immediately be fitted with weaponry, but they did not rule out doing so in the future.
> *Analysts said they expected the Reapers would also be used to hunt al-Qaida and other Islamist militants in Somalia. While Moeller said the aircraft would "primarily" be used against pirates, he acknowledged they could also be used for other missions.
> 
> Even the drones and the presence of an international naval armada are unlikely to deter pirates, Moeller said. Pirates are "prepared to take their chances against the warships that are patrolling the area, simply because the potential for big financial gain is significant," he said.*
> 
> Cyrus Mody, an expert on piracy at the London branch of the International Maritime Bureau, said he expects the drones will help ward off attacks by acting as an early-warning system for tankers and other commercial vessels traversing waters off the Somali coast.
> 
> "What we hope will happen is that they will get much earlier warning of suspicious vessels or suspected (pirate) mother ships that can then be targeted by the naval vessels. Or alerts and broadcasts can be sent out indicating the positions of these ships (and) indicating they should keep as clear a distance as possible," Mody said.
> 
> U.S. Navy vessels have used 3-foot-long drones off the East Africa coast before. But the Reapers — which have a 66-foot wingspan — represent a significant investment by the U.S. military to gather intelligence in the region.
> 
> Last spring, U.S. Navy sharpshooters killed three of the four pirates who were holding Richard Phillips, captain of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship the Maersk Alabama, hostage in a lifeboat.
> 
> The drone deployment comes as piracy is on the rise in the area. While the bandits targeted 35 vessels in 2007 and 111 in 2008, they have launched some 178 attacks so far in 2009, according to International Maritime Bureau figures.
> 
> The high-seas hijackings have persisted despite an international armada of warships deployed by the United States, the European Union, NATO, Japan, South Korea and China to patrol the region.
> 
> In a sign that nations are being forced to step up security, Seychelles announced this week that it would send troops to its outer islands. A Seychelles minister, Joel Morgan, said the coast guard is working closely with international naval forces and that both the U.S. and Europe have maritime patrol aircraft stationed in the island nation.
> 
> The Somali-based pirates operate freely in a country with no effective government and can earn millions of dollars by hijacking a ship that might contain oil, coal or other goods — a windfall for young, unemployed men.
> 
> Moeller, the U.S. commander, said good governance, rule of law and economic development are all needed in Somalia so that pirates "have an alternative lifestyle to pursue. And unfortunately, that's not the case today."
> 
> "The long-term solution to the piracy issue is basically getting the conditions right in Somalia," he said.
> 
> Peter Chalk, an expert on piracy at the Washington-based RAND Corp., said he believed the new drones would be "largely irrelevant" in bringing an end to the lawlessness because problems with Somalia's government need to be addressed first. Otherwise, piracy will persist, he said.
> 
> "The risks of being caught are very low (and even lower in terms of being successfully prosecuted) while the potential rewards are enormous — at least in a Somali context," Chalk wrote in an e-mail.
> 
> Pirates raked in up to $80 million in ransoms in 2008, Roger Middletown, a piracy expert at the London-based think-tank Chatham House, says. Tracing the cash has been difficult in part because of Somalia's chaotic civil war and partly because many Somalis use an informal clan-based money transfer system instead of normal banking channels.
> 
> Analysts say the pirate attacks are criminal in nature and not part of Somalia's Islamic militancy or al-Qaida. The pirates try to keep their distance from such groups so the ransom payments don't get seized by terrorists.
> 
> Surveillance gathered by the drones will augment other international investigations into pirate activity. Experts have been keen to trace the cash from ransoms, usually packed in a waterproof container and dropped by parachute into the sea, where it is picked up by pirates. Many worry about putting huge sums of cash in the hands of pirates who live in a country where al-Qaida operates.
> 
> The U.S. military is stepping up efforts in the region to ensure that shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden remain open, said Mark Schroeder, an Africa analyst at the global intelligence firm Stratfor. He said he believed the Reapers would also be used to track al-Qaida figures in Somalia.
> 
> "They need to ensure nothing gets disrupted (at sea)," Schroeder said. "There is the ordinary commercial traffic that is significant (and) the U.S. and the other navies there don't want to see that blocked by Somali pirates."


----------



## CougarKing

From the AFP via Yahoo News:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/091029/world/somalia_shipping_piracy_britain



> (...)
> 
> "The MoD can confirm that during counter-piracy operations overnight a Royal Navy ship encountered the yacht owned by Paul and Rachel Chandler. It was found in international waters," the ministry said in a statement.
> 
> 
> *"Paul and Rachel Chandler were not on board the yacht and we do not have any reason to believe they have been harmed.
> 
> 
> "Royal naval vessels operating with our international partners under European Union, NATO and combined maritime forces will continue to play a full role in efforts to secure Paul and Rachel's release."
> 
> 
> The Chandlers were sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania but there has been no trace of them since their yacht sent a distress signal at 2200 GMT Friday.*
> 
> 
> Somali pirates said they had taken the couple to the pirate lair of Harardhere, some 300 kilometres north of the capital Mogadishu.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This, from the _Christian Science Monitor_:


> (....)
> 
> Militant Somali Islamist groups such as Hizbul Islam and Al Shabab – who control most of southern Somalia and most of the capital city of Mogadishu – may share a hard-core Islamist ideology with the Al Qaeda militants loyal to Osama bin Laden. But the larger portion of Somali society – and certainly those who make up Somalia's business sector and even its many armed militias – make their crucial decisions based on clan rather than on religion. In a society where nearly everyone is a Muslim, blood relationships are a firmer basis than ideology for deciding whom to trust, whom to hate, whom to do business with, and whom to fight.
> 
> "While it is true that Al Qaeda has penetrated into parts of Somalia, it is another thing altogether to prove a link between piracy and Al Qaeda," says (Paula Roque, a researcher on the Horn of Africa at the Institute for Security Studies in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa). "For the pirates, it is in their interests to have money and it is in their interests to have prisoners captured by the French to be released. This is an economic decision."
> 
> (....)


----------



## CougarKing

An update for a hijacked Greek ship:

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/091107/world/greece_tanzania_piracy_shipping



> *A Greek cargo ship hijacked this week was being taken toward the Somali coast, but its crew members were unharmed, the ship's operating company said on Saturday. *
> 
> "The master of the vessel has reported that the crew are unharmed and the vessel is sailing towards the Somali coast," Athens-based Meadway Shipping and Trading Inc said in a statement.
> 
> 
> "The company is currently doing everything in its power to ensure the situation is resolved quickly."
> 
> 
> Meadway Inc said the cargo ship, Delvina, was hijacked early on Thursday northeast of the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean. It had been sailing from Ukraine to Mombasa in Kenya.
> 
> 
> Greek port police on Friday said the Delvina was captured 280 nautical miles east of the Tanzanian coast.
> 
> 
> The company gave no details on the crew, but the European Union's naval mission to the region said it numbers 14 Filipinos and seven Ukrainians.
> 
> 
> Another Panamanian-flagged Greek ship, Theophoros I, was attacked early Thursday in the Gulf of Aden but the pirates were driven off.
> 
> 
> The Theophoros I continued its route to Hong Kong escorted by two warships of the anti-piracy international force in the area.
> 
> 
> Greek authorities said the crew used high-pressure hoses against the pirates, but a Turkish military official said later the Turkish warship Gediz averted the attack.
> 
> 
> A military statement said five pirates were trying to attack the Theophoros, which belongs to Greek company Good Faith. The Turks seized weapons including a rocket launcher, it added.
> 
> 
> The incident happened 125 kilometres (about 80 miles) off the coast.


----------



## CougarKing

As if the capture of that ship last year carrying tanks wasn't bad enough.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/091109/world/international_us_somalia_piracy



> MOGADISHU (Reuters) - *Somali pirates have seized a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo ship loaded with weapons bound for the anarchic Horn of Africa nation in contravention of a U.N. arms embargo, maritime experts said Monday.
> 
> 
> Also Monday, the gunmen launched their longest range hijack attempt yet -- opening fire on a giant Hong Kong-flagged crude oil tanker 1,000 nautical miles east of Mogadishu.
> 
> 
> Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program told Reuters he believed the weapons ship was using a fake name. He said it had been hijacked Sunday and was now held near the northern Somali town of Garacad.*
> 
> "She is one of the regular weapons carriers circumventing the U.N. arms embargo on Somalia," Mwangura said. Maritime sources say the craft is believed to be carrying light arms and ammunition, as well as rockets and rocket-propelled grenades.
> 
> 
> "We understand the weapons belong to the Somali government," Farah, a pirate, told Reuters by satellite telephone.
> 
> 
> Another gang member, Hassan, said the weapons ship was well known to them: "It has been circling in our ocean for a long time, bringing illegal weapons to massacre Somalis," he said.
> 
> 
> Somalia has been torn by 18 years of civil war and hardline Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda are fighting to topple President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed's fragile U.N.-backed government.
> 
> 
> Some 19,000 civilians have died since the start of 2007 and more than 1.5 million have been driven from their homes, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.
> 
> 
> Somalia's pirates have no overt links to the country's hardline rebels but some southern pirate ports are in insurgent-held areas, and experts say there may be cooperation between some sea gangs and some rebels.
> 
> 
> In the latest pirate attack, the European Union naval force EU Navfor said gunmen opened fire on a Hong Kong-flagged, 330 meter (1,080 ft), 160,000 ton crude oil tanker, the BW Lion.
> 
> 
> The attempted hijacking took place about 400 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles and 1,000 nautical miles east of the Somali capital Mogadishu, EU Navfor said.
> 
> 
> "This was the longest range of a pirate attack off the Somali coast ever," it said in a statement.
> 
> 
> Mwangura said the tanker had caught fire after being hit by automatic bullets and a rocket-propelled grenade, but there were no casualties and the captain had steered his ship to safety.
> 
> 
> "There have been 12 pirate events in this area in the last 30 days. There is a high probability of attacks in this area for at least the next 24-48 hours. Weather conditions are expected to remain favorable for piracy...through this period," he said.
> 
> 
> DEAL TO FREE SPANIARDS?
> 
> 
> Seasonal monsoon rains brought a lull in hijackings but the pirates have stepped up their attacks in recent weeks and now hold at least 11 vessels and more than 200 crew.
> 
> 
> A deal to free the 36 crew members of Spanish fishing vessel Alkrana held hostage since October 2 could be on the cards, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Monday.
> 
> "The government thinks that the (hostage) situation could be on the road to a solution," he told reporters in Poland.
> 
> Earlier Monday, the first mate of the Basque tuna boat, speaking from on board the Alakrana, said that he understood Spain's government had agreed to send two accused pirates back to Somalia in exchange for the crew's release.
> 
> "It seems almost certain that they are going to send the (captured) pirates here," Ricardo Blach told Spanish state radio. "We want to believe it, good news, even if it's clutching at straws, because of the tension we have here."
> 
> The Spanish navy captured the two Somalis soon after pirates overran the Alakrana on October 2 and took its crew hostage. They are set to face trial in Spain for kidnapping.
> 
> The pirates holding the crew have said they will not negotiate a ransom for their release until Spanish authorities free their two colleagues.
> 
> "In the morning (on Sunday), they were telling us in signs that they were going to cut our throats. Now the head of the pirates is smiling," Blach said in the Spanish daily El Mundo.
> 
> Environment Minister Elena Espinosa told state TV the Spanish government was exploring various options. Judge Baltasar Garzon, who ordered the two suspects be brought to Spain, told Europa Press agency that Madrid should not cave into pressure.
> 
> "I believe there are legal ways to find a solution to this conflict and without a doubt that is going to happen," he said.
> 
> The pirates said last week they had taken three men from the Alakrana ashore. But Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said he believed the whole crew remained on board.
> 
> (Additional reporting by Sarah Morris and Teresa Larranz in Madrid and Michael Holden in London; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Giles Elgood)


----------



## CougarKing

Could la Armada de España could do it on its own if Madrid wanted?



> MADRID — *Spain wants EU naval forces to blockade three Somali ports used to launch pirate attacks against ships in the Indian Ocean, Defence Minister Carme Chacon said Wednesday.
> 
> She said Spain will call on European Union foreign and defence ministers to concentrate military efforts on blockading the ports at a meeting next Monday and Tuesday.*
> 
> "We know that it is from these three ports that most, if not all, 'mother ships' used by pirates reach up to one thousand miles away from the coast -- as they did yesterday -- and carry out kidnappings far from the coast," she told RNE public radio.
> 
> Chacon also said the pirate gangs "have ties to sophisticated law firms in London," and she called for the international community to do more to track ransoms given to pirates to release hostages.
> 
> Several law firms in London, business capital of the world's maritime industry, have handled piracy kidnap and ransom cases in recent years.
> 
> They help ship owners deal with the legal aspects of paying a ransom and engage private security contractors to negotiate with pirates and carry out the ransom drop.
> 
> Pirates on Monday launched their longest range hijack attempt to date by opening fire on the Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker BW Lion 1,000 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, the EU naval force in the region said.
> 
> The next day pirates attacked the Danish-flagged container ship Nelle Maersk, also some 1,000 nautical miles east of the Somali capital.
> 
> Both ships escaped their attackers but the incidents demonstrated how beefed-up security off the Somalia coast appears to be leading pirates to move deeper into the Indian Ocean and its shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe.
> 
> Chacon said the attacks so far from the Somalia coast were a "giant step" for the pirates who she said were becoming bolder.
> 
> The pirates usually use "mother ships" to sail hundreds of miles out to sea and then attack in small skiffs, sometimes using high-grade weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades.
> 
> "These are not romantic pirates which some may be led to imagine, they are authentic criminal organisations which are focused on kidnappings of all types merchant ships, fishing trawlers, ships belonging to the World Food Programme," said Chacon.
> 
> The minister said Somali pirates were currently holding 12 boats and their crews hostage, including the Spanish trawler Alakrana which was seized with its 36 crew on October 2, as well as vessles from Britain, China and Malta.
> 
> The pirates are demanding four million dollars (2.6 million euros) ransom as well as the release of two suspected pirates who were detained a few days after the trawler was seized and brought to Spain to face trial.
> 
> The Spanish government has ruled out freeing the two suspects but Chacon said they could serve their sentence back in Somalia if found guilty of any crime.
> 
> A lawyer for one of the two detained suspected pirates, Javier Diaz Aparicio, told Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo he was trying to reach a plea bargain agreement with Spanish prosecutors.
> 
> In an interview with news radio Cadena Ser on Tuesday he suggested that his salary was being paid for by the interior ministry.


----------



## The Bread Guy

*French navy storms pirate ship, arrests 12*
Agence France-Presse, 13 Nov 09
Article link

PARIS - French commandos stormed aboard a Somali pirate “mothership” and arrested 12 gunmen, the military announced Friday, adding that the gangs are increasingly operating in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.

Tipped off by spotters on a Luxembourg maritime reconnaissance plane, the French frigate Floreal intercepted a dhow towing two motorised skiffs 500 nautical miles northwest of the Seychelles on Thursday.

A helicopter from the warship fired a warning shot across the vessel’s bows as its crew began to throw incriminating material over the side. French troops boarded the ship and arrested the pirates without violence.

On board they found grappling hooks, GPS navigation devices and assault rifles, French military spokesman Admiral Christophe Prazuck told AFP in Paris.

“Last year or at the start of this one the centre of gravity was in the Gulf of Aden,” Prazuck said, referring to the straits between Arabia and the Horn of Africa that have become notorious for pirate attacks ....


----------



## CougarKing

The pirates strike again, while other hostages were freed:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091117/ap_on_re_af/piracy



> MOGADISHU, Somalia – A self-proclaimed pirate and a village elder in Somalia say that pirates holding a Spanish trawler and 36 hostages have been paid $3.3 million, and are freeing the ship and crew.
> A Somali villager named Ali Ahmed Salad says 12 armed pirates who have been holding the ship the last six weeks left it shortly after noon Tuesday and joined colleagues near the town of Haradhere.
> 
> Ali Gab, a self-proclaimed pirate, says a boat delivered $3.3 million in ransom. Gab says pirates began leaving the ship and he believes it is free.
> 
> Gab says a Spanish warship nearby watched the proceedings.
> 
> Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU's anti-piracy force, says a Spanish warship has been in the region but he could not confirm that crew had been freed.
> 
> THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — *Pirates off the coast of Somalia have attacked two vessels, and at least one of those has been captured.
> 
> The European Union's anti-piracy force says pirates hijacked a chemical tanker on Monday named the MV Theresa with 28 North Koreans on board.
> 
> In a second incident, pirates attacked a Ukrainian cargo ship. Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU force, says that private security guards on board fired on the pirates, wounding two. Harbour says the Ukrainian ship was not hijacked.*
> 
> A Somali man who claims to be a spokesman for the pirates, Gedi Ali, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that pirates had captured the Ukrainian ship. Ali also says two pirates were wounded in the attack.


----------



## CougarKing

This should show those pirate SCUM!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091118/ap_on_re_af/piracy



> NAIROBI, Kenya – *Somali pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama on Wednesday for the second time in seven months and were thwarted by private guards on board the U.S.-flagged ship who fired off guns and a high-decibel noise device.*
> 
> A U.S. surveillance plane was monitoring the ship as it continued to its destination on the Kenyan coast, while a pirate said that the captain of a ship hijacked Monday with 28 North Korean crew members on board had died of wounds.
> 
> *Pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama last April and took ship captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding him at gunpoint in a lifeboat for five days. Navy SEAL sharpshooters freed Phillips while killing three pirates in a daring nighttime attack.*
> Four suspected pirates in a skiff attacked the ship again on Wednesday around 6:30 a.m. local time, firing on the ship with automatic weapons from about 300 yards (meters) away, a statement from the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain said.
> 
> An on-board security team repelled the attack by using evasive maneuvers, small-arms fire and a Long Range Acoustic Device, which can beam earsplitting alarm tones, the fleet said.
> 
> Vice Adm. Bill Gortney of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the Maersk Alabama had followed the maritime industry's "best practices" in having a security team on board.
> 
> "This is a great example of how merchant mariners can take proactive action to prevent being attacked and why we recommend that ships follow industry best practices if they're in high-risk areas," Gortney said in a statement.
> 
> However, Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said the international maritime community was still "solidly against" armed guards aboard vessels at sea, but that American ships have taken a different line than the rest of the international community.
> 
> "Shipping companies are still pretty much overwhelmingly opposed to the idea of armed guards," Middleton said. "Lots of private security companies employee people who don't have maritime experience. Also, there's the idea that it's the responsibility of states and navies to provide security. I would think it's a step backward if we start privatizing security of the shipping trade."
> 
> A Massachusetts Maritime Academy professor, who is also the father of a sailor who was on the Maersk Alabama during the first pirate attack in April, said about 20 percent of the ships off East Africa are armed.
> 
> The owners of the Maersk Alabama have spent a considerable amount of money since the April hijacking to make the vessel pirate-proof, Murphy said, including structural features and safety equipment. The most dramatic change is what he called a security force of "highly trained ex-military personnel."
> "Somali pirates understand one thing and only one thing, and that's force," said Capt. Joseph Murphy, who teaches maritime security at the school. "They analyze risk very carefully, and when the risk is too high they are going to step back. They are not going to jeopardize themselves."
> (...)


----------



## CougarKing

Darn pirate scum have seized another oil tanker.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091130/ap_on_bi_ge/piracy




> NAIROBI, Kenya – *Somali pirates seized a tanker carrying more than $20 million of crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States in the increasingly dangerous waters off East Africa, an official said Monday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat.*
> The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus was hijacked Sunday about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. Harbour said it originated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and was destined for the United States. The ship has 28 crew members on board, he said.
> 
> The shipping intelligence company Lloyd's List said the Maran Centaurus is a "very large crude carrier, with a capacity of over 300,000 tons."
> 
> Stavros Hadzigrigoris from the ship's owners, Maran Tankers Management, said the tanker was carrying around 275,000 metric tons of crude. At an average price of around $75 a barrel, the cargo is worth more than $20 million. Hadzigrigoris declined to say who owned the oil.
> 
> Pirates have increased attacks on vessels off East Africa for the millions in ransom that can be had. Though pirates have successfully hijacked dozens of vessels the last several years, Sunday's attack appears to be only the second ever on an oil tanker.
> 
> The hijacking of a tanker increases worries that the vessel could crash, be run aground or be involved in a firefight, said Roger Middleton, a piracy expert at London-based think tank Chatham House.
> 
> Pirates typically use guns and rocket-propelled grenades in their attacks, and some vessels now carry private security guards, but Middleton said oil tankers do not.
> 
> "You're sitting on a huge ship filled with flammable liquid. You don't want somebody with a gun on top of that," Middleton said. "Financially it's a very costly exercise because the value of oil is so volatile. If it is held for a long time and the price of oil drops, they could lost millions of dollars."
> 
> In November 2008, pirates hijacked the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, which held 2 million barrels of oil valued at about $100 million. The tanker was released last January for a reported $3 million ransom after a two-month drama that helped galvanize international efforts to fight piracy off Africa's coast.
> 
> *Somali pirates are a separate group of criminals from the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic militants who control large areas of southern Somalia, but anytime pirates hold such valuable and explosive cargo it raises international concerns.*
> 
> In late 2007, pirates hijacked a chemical tanker carrying up to 10,000 tons of highly explosive benzene. Initially, American intelligence agents worried terrorists from Somalia's Islamic extremist insurgency could be involved, and might try to crash the boat into an offshore oil platform or use it as a gigantic bomb.
> 
> When the Japanese vessel was towed back into Somali waters and ransom demanded, the coalition was relieved to realize it was just another pirate attack.
> 
> Somalia's lawless 1,880-mile (3,000-kilometer) coastline provides a perfect haven for pirates to prey on ships heading for the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. The impoverished Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning government for a generation and the weak U.N.-backed administration is too busy fighting the Islamist insurgency to arrest pirates.
> 
> *Pirates now hold about a dozen vessels hostage and more than 200 crew members. The Maran Centaurus had 28 crew aboard — 16 Filipinos, nine Greeks, two Ukrainians and one Romanian, Harbour said.*
> 
> Middleton said pirate demands and negotiations are becoming more complex.
> 
> "They still want the money but they have also asked for the release of imprisoned comrades," he said. "That demand is an extra bargaining tool they can use to add extra layers to their negotiating position."
> 
> Piracy has increased despite an increased presence by international navies patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. The U.S. this fall began flying sophisticated drones over East African waters as part of the fight against piracy.
> 
> ___
> 
> Associated Press Writers Katharine Houreld and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece contributed to this report.


----------



## mariomike

"Pirate stock exchange helps fund hijackings: HARADHEERE, Somalia -- In Somalia's main pirate lair of Haradheere, the sea gangs have set up a cooperative to fund their hijackings offshore, a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate.
Heavily armed pirates from the lawless Horn of Africa nation have terrorized shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and strategic Gulf of Aden, which links Europe to Asia through the Red Sea.":
http://www.financialpost.com/news-sectors/story.html?id=2289558


----------



## dapaterson

And indeed, in the old days many privateers did raise funds by offering a share of future bounty.

"There is nothing new under the sun..."


----------



## CougarKing

More details on the last pirate attack on that tanker:



> *EU: Hijacked oil tanker was outside corridor*
> AP
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Greek-flagged Maran Centaurus oil tanker is pictured in this undated handout photo. Somali pirates have seized the Maran Centaurus near the Seychelles, more than 700 miles off the coast of Somalia, Greece's coastguard said on November 30, 2009. REUTERS/Maran Tankers Management/Handout_
> 
> By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer Jason Straziuso, Associated Press Writer – 13 mins ago
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – An oil tanker bound for the United States that was hijacked by Somali pirates was traveling outside a recommended maritime corridor, the commander of the EU Naval Force said Tuesday.
> 
> The Greek-flagged tanker Maran Centaurus was carrying more than $20 million of crude oil when pirates captured it Sunday.
> 
> Rear Adm. Peter Hudson said Tuesday he does not advise vessels to have armed guards on board, and that flammable cargo and firearms don't mix.
> 
> Hudson also said the fact that pirates are now attacking ships 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) off the Somali coast presents a large challenge and that the EU force will never fully secure such a large area of ocean.
> 
> Twenty percent of global shipping — including 8 percent of global oil shipments — is funneled into the narrow, pirate-infested Gulf of Aden that leads through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. The route is bordered on one side by the failed state of Somalia and on the other by the increasingly unstable country of Yemen.
> 
> Somalia's lawless 1,880-mile coastline has become a pirate haven. The impoverished Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning government for a generation and the weak U.N.-backed administration is too busy fighting an Islamist insurgency to go after pirates. Pirates now hold about a dozen vessels hostage and more than 200 crew members.
> 
> The Maran Centaurus is carrying around 275,000 metric tons of crude, said Stavros Hadzigrigoris, from the ship's owners Maran Tankers Management. At current market rates the oil would be worth just over $20 million.
> 
> The ship has 9 Greeks, 16 Filipinos, 2 Ukrainians, and a Romanian aboard. Granberg said the ship's owner reported the crew was not injured in the attack.
> 
> The vessel is only the second oil tanker captured by Somali pirates. The Saudi-owned Sirius Star was hijacked a year ago, leading to heightened international efforts to fight piracy off the Horn of Africa. That hijacking ended with a $3 million ransom payment. The ship held 2 million barrels of oil valued at about $100 million and was released last January.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy


----------



## CougarKing

Not surprising considering the sheer number of pirate attacks and the number of merchant ships that need protecting in such a vast area.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34224712/ns/world_news-africa/



> NAIROBI, Kenya - *International naval forces will never be able to completely secure the vast area of ocean where Somali pirates are hijacking ships off East Africa, the commander of the EU Naval Force's counter-piracy efforts said Tuesday*.
> 
> In the latest attack, pirates captured the Greek-flagged tanker Maran Centaurus on Sunday while it was carrying 275,000 metric tons of crude oil, the ship's owners said. That is equivalent to about 2 million barrels of oil worth roughly $150 million, said Ben Cahill, head of the Petroleum Risk Manager service at PFC Energy.
> 
> The naval commander said the Maran Centaurus was traveling east of an area that the EU Naval Force advises tankers to steer clear of, so that it wouldn't necessarily have expected to have been attacked. The Associated Press earlier incorrectly quoted Rear Adm. Peter Hudson's comments to mean that the ship was traveling outside a recommended maritime corridor.
> 
> "The news of a few days ago of a 300,000-ton tanker being seized is illustrative of the problems in protecting and policing an area of the world's oceans that amounts to an area of about 1 million square miles," said Hudson, the commander of the EU Naval Force's counter-piracy operations.
> 
> Hudson also said the fact that pirates are now attacking ships as far as 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) off the Somali coast presents a large challenge and that the EU force will never fully secure such a large area. The EU Naval Force's strategy in the smaller Gulf of Aden is to lengthen the amount of time it takes pirates to get on board so that a warship or helicopter can be dispatched to the scene.
> 
> "The difficulties in an area as large as it is in the Indian Ocean with the short number of assets that we have is that ... the pirate can keep going and keep going and keep going until it's successful in getting on board, because there's nothing there to stop it," he said.
> 
> Tempting targets
> Hudson said oil tankers like the Maran Centaurus can be tempting targets.
> 
> "She's a big ol' girl, almost a quarter million tons. They're not speedy, they sit low in the water ... so a determined pirate like this one can be successful," Hudson said in Kenya during an extended trip to East Africa.
> 
> As pirate activity has increased off East Africa, some ships have begun carrying armed guards. The EU Naval Force said Tuesday that a Spanish fishing vessel with a private security team on board fired warning shots at pirates during an attack Sunday, fending off the hijack attempt.
> 
> However, fuel tankers like the Maran Centaurus do not have armed security because of how flammable the cargo is, a determination Hudson said he agrees with.
> 
> "At the moment the consensus is, and I think quite rightly, let's be very wary before we bring military groups, armed guards, civilian guards onto fuel tankers full of fuel and gas," he said.
> 
> Bigger tankers like the Maran Centaurus are too large to use the Suez Canal and must sail south around Africa to Europe or the U.S., said Samuel Ciszuk, an analyst for IHS Global Insight. But if attacks increase, those tankers will have to steer clear of a large part of the northwest Indian Ocean and southwest Arabian Sea, adding days to the trip.
> 
> The operating costs will then rise, not only for fuel and wages for the crew but insurance premiums, Ciszuk said.
> 
> Pirate haven
> Somalia's lawless 1,880-mile coastline has become a pirate haven. The impoverished Horn of Africa nation has not had a functioning government for a generation and the weak U.N.-backed administration is too busy fighting an Islamist insurgency to go after pirates. Pirates now hold about a dozen vessels hostage and more than 200 crew members.


----------



## CougarKing

The Portuguese doing their part against piracy:



> Portuguese navy thwarts Somali pirate attack
> AFP
> Fri, Nov 20, 2009
> 
> LISBON, PORTUGAL - *The Portuguese navy thwarted an attack on a local fishing boat by pirates off the coast of Somalia, officials said on Thursday. *
> 
> Fishermen raised the alarm when five pirates tried to hijack their boat some 100 nautical miles (220 kilometres) to the north of Port Bassasso, Portuguese navy officials said in a statement.
> A group of Portuguese officers from the Alvares Cabral vessel arrived on the scene by helicopter accompanied by a Spanish navy plane and arrested the five would-be hijackers, the statement said.
> This operation "shows pirates that NATO and its partners are coordinated and ready to prevent pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden," it added.
> The UN's International Maritime Organization's (IMO) says that from January to September of this year, 160 acts of piracy were reported off the coast of Somalia, including 34 hijacked vessels and more than 450 people taken hostage.
> 
> LINK to VIDEO
> 
> -------------------
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Pirates seized by NRP Alvares Cabral (SNMG1 flagship)
> 
> Nov 30th - AP
> 
> Monday Nov. 30, 2009, Portuguese Naval Marines from the frigate 'Alvares Cabral', guard a group of Somali pirates, during a joint operation with Seychelles and EU forces in the Somali Basin, off the Seychelles, Sunday Nov. 29, 2009, against a pirate group that had attacked the-Spanish flagged fishing vessel 'Ortube Berria'. Involved on the operation, besides the NATO flagship, were the Seychelles Patrol Boat 'Andromache' and two Maritime Patrol Aircraft's from the EU Task-Force also operating in the area on counter-piracy mission. The aircrafts detected and tracked the pirate attacking group composed by a mother-ship and two smaller attack skiffs.(AP Photo/Carlos Dias, NATO)
> 
> LINK to VIDEO


----------



## The Bread Guy

Shared under Copyright Act for fair use, research and information purposes.

*Somali pirates freed for lack of prosecution*
PressTV (IRN), 18 Dec 09 15:12:32 GMT
Article link

A group of Somali pirates arrested for attacking two cargo ships were released due to a lack of prosecution by any country.

The 13 suspects were captured in the Indian Ocean two weeks ago.

The EU naval forces seized nine automatic weapons, grenades, and other ammunition on board their skiff.

"The European Union has tried in vain since their arrest to find a country which would agree to prosecute them,” the defense ministry statement said.

“The defense ministry regrets that the European Union has not found a suitable solution."

The Republic of Seychelles and Kenya, which have signed a contract with the EU to assist in the capture and prosecution of suspected pirates, did not want to prosecute the 13 members in custody.

Legal legislation regarding the pirates' arrest has obstructed efforts in the prosecution and the control over piracy in the Gulf of Aden, also known as Pirate Alley.

There have only been a few pirate prosecutions outside Africa.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from Bloomberg:


> NATO may deploy an Awacs radar plane to hunt pirates in the seas off Somalia as attacks on merchant ships spread further into the Indian Ocean, the head of the alliance’s military committee said.
> 
> Commanders are seeking to back up a five-ship counterpiracy task force with one of the airborne warning and control system surveillance planes, possibly sharing it with the allied International Security Assistance Force fighting in Afghanistan.
> 
> “It would not be inconceivable, for example, having a dual use of Awacs maybe located somewhere in the region and being able to perform missions for ISAF and missions for counterpiracy,” Italian Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, the committee chairman, said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Brussels today ....


----------



## The Bread Guy

This, from the Canadian Press:


> The military says a Canadian warship rendered help to a vessel held captive by Somali pirates for nearly two months.
> 
> Crew aboard the HMCS Fredericton say they moved in Monday afternoon after learning a ransom had been paid to pirates on board the MV Kota Wajar, and the ship was being released from their control. The Fredericton responded as it was the closest NATO or coalition warship to the vessel.
> 
> Officials say a naval boarding party conducted a security sweep to verify all the pirates had left.
> 
> A medical specialist then assessed all 21 crew members onboard and found them to be in good health.
> 
> After determining the ship was fit to sail, the boarding team left fresh food and water for the crew before departing ....



More news background on the Kota Wajar here (Google News search).


----------



## Journeyman

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> The military says a Canadian warship rendered help to a vessel held captive by Somali pirates for nearly two months.


So, (cynically), is this Canada's return to a belovedly mythical "Canadian peacekeeper" role? 


I'm surprised the article didn't read:


> *Badguys depart; Canadian military steps in to offer bandaids*
> Jack Layton applauds the absence of force used by Canadian Forces.
> Subsequent commentary by Steven Staples found to be irrelevant; Sunil Ram now claims to have been a key advisor to the Gulf of Aden TF Comd; Scott Taylor comments that the entire mission was done wrong; and Al Gore miffed at not getting credit for having invented anti-piracy operations.
> Pictures at 11.


----------



## CougarKing

More bad news involving pirates.



> *Somali pirates seize 2 ships*
> AP
> 
> By EILEEN NG, Associated Press Writer Eileen Ng, Associated Press Writer – Tue Dec 29, 6:15 am ET
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Pirates seized a *British-flagged chemical tanker and a Panamanian-flagged carrier off Somalia's coast and were holding 45 crew members Tuesday*, a maritime official said.
> 
> The two hijackings late Monday showed that pirates are relentless in their pursuit of quick money from ransom and that ship owners need to take extra precaution when sailing in the Horn of Africa, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
> 
> The waters off Somalia are teeming with pirates who have hijacked dozens of ships for multimillion-dollar ransoms in the past two years. An international naval force now patrols the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
> 
> Choong said the *U.K.-flagged tanker, St James Park*, was the first merchant vessel to have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden in nearly six months.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The St James Park, a UK-flagged chemical tanker. On December 29, 2009, Somali pirates hijacked the UK-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Aden on the same day they released a Singapore-flagged container ship, pirates and maritime officials said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Derek Lilley/Handout_
> 
> He said the ship issued a distress message Monday, seeking help after it was attacked.
> 
> The distress call was picked up by the Greek rescue and coordination center in Piraeus, which in turn relayed the message to the International Maritime Bureau and other agencies, he said.
> 
> The maritime bureau could not establish communication with the vessel but was informed by the ship's owner early Tuesday that the tanker has been hijacked, Choong said.
> 
> The spokesman for the European Union's anti-piracy force, Cmdr. John Harbour, said the St James Park was seized while in the Internationally Recognized Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden that is patrolled by the international naval coalition.
> 
> The St James Park set sail from Tarragona, Spain, and was headed for Tha Phut, Thailand, he said. The tanker has 26 crew members from the *Philippines, Russia, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland, India and Turkey*, Harbour said.
> 
> The ship was last reported to be heading toward the northern coast of Somalia, and the E.U. Naval Force was monitoring the situation, he added.
> 
> Choong said pirates last hijacked a Yemeni fishing boat in the Gulf of Aden on Dec. 18, but the St James Park was the first merchant vessel to have been taken in the busy waterway since July 8.
> 
> He said *three hours after the St James Park was hijacked that a Panamanian-flagged carrier with 19 crew members was also seized by pirates off the southern coast of Somalia on Monday.* The ship is managed in Greece, he said.
> 
> The International Maritime Bureau is still waiting for the official reports from both ship owners and couldn't give further details, Choong said.
> 
> In another development, pirates released the Singapore-flagged container ship Kota Wajar on Monday, the E.U. Naval Force said. The vessel was hijacked in mid-October in the Indian Ocean north of the Seychelles islands with a crew of 21 on board.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A French navy helicopter escorts a Singaporean tanker in the Gulf of Aden on January 4.  (AFP/File/Stephane de Sakutin)_
> 
> Choong said the latest incidents brought the number of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia to 214 this year, with 47 vessels hijacked and 12 still in the hands of pirates with 263 crew, he added.
> 
> Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991 as regional warlords vie for power, and impoverished young men have increasingly taken to piracy in recent years in hopes of a big ransom payoff.
> 
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091229/ap_on_re_as/piracy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _In this image made available by NATO Friday Dec. 18, 2009, Marines from the Standing NATO Maritime Group one (SNMG1) flagship, the Portuguese navy frigate NRP (AP Photo/ CPO Carlos Dias, NATO, Ho) _


----------



## The Bread Guy

This, from the Internet Haganah blog:


> _Jihadi OSINT effort directed towards US Navy_
> 
> The J-boys are itching for a fight and using the al-Faloja forum to collect open source intelligence about the activities of the US Navy, particularly it seems in the Gulf region. See:
> 
> http://www.alflojaweb.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97753
> 
> Note among other things the discussion of navigation aides (e.g. MaxSea software) on page 2. All this raises a few questions:
> 
> * What can you do with a dhow packed with jihadis in the Gulf of Aden at 3 o'clock in the morning?
> 
> And on a related note...
> 
> * Can GPS signals be forged in order to send inexperienced mariners east and out into the Indian Ocean when they mean to be heading north towards Yemen?
> 
> HT: a reader
> Posted on 04 January 2010 @ 02:29


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from RIA/Novosti (a Russian news agency):


> A new task force from Russia's Baltic Fleet will join international efforts to fight piracy off the Horn of Africa, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Tuesday.
> 
> The task force led by the Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate will replace the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer from Russia's Northern Fleet, the spokesman said, adding that Russian warships would continue regular patrols near the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden in 2010.
> 
> "This is due to continued pirate attacks on peaceful civilian vessels, and also a real threat for sailors who are Russian nationals," the spokesman said.
> 
> The Neustrashimy completed an anti-piracy mission in February 2009. The upcoming deployment will be the Neustrashimy's second tour. The frigate's armament includes SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAM, a 100-mm gun, torpedoes and depth charges. The frigate also carries a Ka-27 ASW helicopter.
> 
> The Russian task force comprising the Admiral Chabanenko and a support ship arrived in the Gulf of Aden in late November for Russia's anti-piracy mission ....


----------



## a_majoor

The USN brings high tech pirate catchers into the fight.  As a historical note, after the defeat of Napoleaon the Royal Navy mothballed many of the huge "Line of Battle ships" in favor of Frigates to deal with pirates and slavers. Perhaps history repeats itself yet again...

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-pirate-catcher-uss-independence.html



> *A New Pirate Catcher: The U.S.S. Independence *
> by Dymphna
> 
> 
> Update: Welcome, Instapundit readers!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Meet the USS Independence.
> 
> 
> 
> Form and function combine to produce this beauty, a “littoral combat ship” (LCS). Andrea Shea King calls it “the pirate catcher”; that name will do quite nicely. Notice that amazingly tight turn! This is an amphibious race car, surely?
> 
> And just as surely John Paul Jones and Alfred Thayer Mahan are smiling down on this sight even now. Ms. King's reader, SG, the person who sent her the photos and captions, echoed my own feeling when he said:
> 
> 
> Ironic that with all that high tech built in, the ship reminds us of the Merrimac ironclad from Civil War days.
> 
> In addition to a number of profesional images of the ship, SG supplied plenty of information about her. Here's one caption from Ms. King's post:
> 
> 
> Littoral means close to shore, and that’s where these very ships will operate. They’re tailor-made for launching helicopters and armored vehicles, sweeping mines and firing all manner of torpedoes, missiles and machine guns.
> 
> These ships are also relatively inexpensive. This one’s a bargain at $208 million, and the Navy plans to build 55 of them.
> 
> This tri-maran is the first of a new fire breathing breed, ready to scoot out of dry dock at a rumored 60 knots. It’s like a speedy and heavily armed aircraft carrier for helicopters.
> 
> Wouldn’t our early government have loved to possess even one of these tri-marans? Imagine the fear the LCS would have engendered in the hearts of Barbary pirate governments, Muslims who were parasites on other countries, demanding tribute and enslaving anyone they managed to capture on the Mediterranean.
> 
> These purpose-built “pirate-catchers” will be an excellent deterrent to the chronic pestilence of Somali parasites who have captured so many ships and made the cost of doing business both dangerous and expensive. Following in the steps of their forebears, they contribute nothing, they create nothing (unless you count fear and mayhem), and they refuse to abide by any system of law.
> 
> What is puzzling — and I hope knowledgeable readers will give us some information on this issue — is why there hasn’t been a concerted effort by various governments, working in cooperation with one another to bring these pirates to justice. I realize that some of them, like the suicidal British, have rules in place that prevent them from effectively addressing the problem, i.e., captured pirates are returned to their home countries rather than made to walk the plank — or whatever is the modern equivalent of deep-sixing these thieving murderers.
> 
> But what about China? They pay the ransom for their ship, its cargo and crew. How Chinese is that?
> 
> For Christmas, the future Baron gave me a most readable account of America’s early experience with the Barbary pirates. Unlike Europe, whose countries cynically paid the heavy tribute to these thieves, the United States chafed under the injustice. Now freed from England, our new nation no longer had the protection of her estranged mother country. In addition, when Napoleon successfully overthrew the monarchy, he broke France's diplomatic ties with America. We’d sided with the royals, after all, so we were another enemy.
> 
> Tripoli: The United States’ First War on Terrorism is a good rendition of our early experience with the Barbary pirates…
> - - - - - - - - -
> In a way, our conflict with these jackals served us well since it permitted the early building of our Navy (and those soldiers of the seas, the Marine Corps). Had necessity not intervened via the depredations visited on our merchant shipping off the coast of North Africa, we might have twiddled our thumbs for a generation or so while the State Department attempted to call all the shots.
> 
> Parallels abound between our first encounter with the Barbary pirates and this one. For example, there doesn't appear to be any concerted cooperation among the many countries who suffer financial loss and endangerment to their citizens due to the interference of the pirates. Why is that? After all this time, why do the pirates continue to succeed? Why is there no military offensive against them?
> 
> In the introduction to Tripoli author David Smethurst says:
> 
> 
> Because the United States lacks a strong army and navy, President Adams appoints four consuls [to North Africa’s pirate governments -D] to maintain the fragile peace. One of them is William Eaton, a thirty-four-year-old soldier-diplomat and the personification of the young country — independent-minded and aggressive. This is his story.
> 
> Notice his use of the present tense here, a good indication his acccount will be a story, not just another history book. Smethurst decision to focus on Eaton's experiences works admirably to give both one person's view while also permitting the author to step back and pan his camera over the larger events that by turns propel Eaton into action or complicate his efforts to bring an end to the criminal activities of the Barbary states and to foster America’s position. He faces off against the perfidious French and the lying, wily Dey of Tunis.
> 
> Eaton was sent by President Adams with a specific mission: to buy the peace in order to maintain the flow of American commerce. Eaton understood this pragmatism, but he didn’t like it. When Thomas Jefferson was George Washington’s Secretary of State he’d pushed Congress to “repel force with force”, but instead they bought the peace by paying ever-increasing tribute and lavishing “presents” (ordered by each Dey) on the pirate governments. In turn, the Barbary states competed with one another for the ‘best’ gifts, often making outlandish, unattainable demands on a cash-strapped America.
> 
> If you want to see history come full circle, or to glimpse how Muslim countries view “diplomacy”, then you’re going to enjoy Tripoli. It’s well-researched and the bibliographic sources give you many opportunities to delve further. Smelthurst also went the extra step, following the fortunes of the main players after they returned to America.


----------



## Rifleman62

This will continue to go on and on as long as the stupid UN catch and release policy is in effect.


----------



## CougarKing

Pirates fighting amongst themselves:

Associated Press link



> NAIROBI, Kenya – *A shootout between rival Somali pirate gangs over their biggest ransom ever threatened to turn an oil supertanker and the 28 hostages aboard into a massive fireball until bandits begged the anti-piracy force for help, a negotiator said Monday.
> 
> A group of pirates showed up in two speedboats just before a $5.5 million ransom was to be dropped by parachute onto the Maran Centaurus, according to a Somali businessman responsible for the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisals.
> 
> The crude oil onboard, estimated to be worth some $150 million at the time it was hijacked, is so flammable that smoking is forbidden on deck. Two helicopters chased away the attackers seeking a cut of the ransom after the pirates onboard called frantically for help.*
> "It's really remarkable: You have the criminals calling on the police to come and help them," said pirate expert Roger Middleton from London-based think tank Chatham House, who said it was the first time he could recall such a situation.
> 
> The stand off began Sunday, nearly two months after the supertanker was seized on Nov. 29 about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) off the Somali coast. After weeks of wrangling, the pirates had finally settled on a $5.5 million ransom for the tanker, the Somali businessman said.
> 
> Cmdr. John Harbour, the spokesman for the European Union Naval Force, said the arrival of the rival pirate gang prompted the pirates onboard the tanker to call for assistance from the anti-piracy force.* He could not say whether assistance was provided or confirm the amount of the ransom, but said the Greek warship FS Salamis had been nearby monitoring the situation.*
> 
> (...)


----------



## CougarKing

On the heels of the recent release of another ship, the pirates at it again:

From AFP




> BRUSSELS (AFP) - *A North Korean-flagged and Libyan-owned cargo ship was hijacked Wednesday south of the Yemeni coast, the EU's anti-piracy naval force said.
> The pirate attack happened in the Gulf of Aden north of the internationally recommended transit corridor, the European Union Naval Force (NAVFOR) said.*
> 
> "There are no reports of the composition or nationalities of the *M/V RIM *  (general cargo vessel) that has now altered course and is heading towards the Somali Basin," the NAVFOR statement said.
> 
> 
> Somali pirates operate in the area and normally hold ships and crew for ransom.
> 
> 
> The 4,800-tonne cargo ship, North Korean flagged and owned by White Sea Shipping of Libya, was not registered with the Horn of Africa Maritime Security Centre, NAVFOR said.
> 
> 
> *A NATO US ship, the USS Porter, which works closely with the EU naval force, and a helicopter from USS Farragut confirmed that the Libyan vessel had been hijacked.*
> 
> Coalition forces were monitoring the situation.
> 
> *
> Greek police said Tuesday that Somali pirates had released a Greek-owned cargo ship after a ransom was air-dropped onto the ship.*
> 
> 
> Before Wednesday's attack at sea, around a dozen ships and some 250 seamen were still being held by Somali pirates, who raked in an estimated 60 million dollars last year.


----------



## old medic

Danish troops storm ship held by Somali pirates
EU piracy task force rescues 25 crew members in its first armed intervention during a hijacking

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/danish-troops-storm-ship-held-by-somali-pirates/article1457393/



> Danish special forces stormed a ship captured by armed Somali pirates Friday and freed the 25 crew on board, an EU naval spokesman said, marking the first time a warship has intervened during a hijacking.
> 
> After the vessel Ariella sent out a distress signal early Friday, the Danish warship Absalon sent a helicopter to confirm the presence of pirates, and communicated with the crew to ensure they were in a safe location, said Cmdr. John Harbour, spokesman for the European Union Naval Force.
> 
> Then Danish special forces aboard the Absalon approached the Ariella in inflatable dinghies. The forces scaled the side of the ship and freed the 25 crew, who had locked themselves in a secure room, Harbour said. The forces continued to search the vessel for the pirates.
> 
> Cmdr. Harbour praised the NATO forces for their fast reaction and co-ordination with other forces in the area.
> 
> “There's been many instances where there's been excellent co-operation and three, four or even five nations have helped deter a pirate attack,” he said. But, he added: “This is the first where a warship has been able to send forces to stop a hijacking while it was in progress.”
> 
> Warships typically do not intervene in hijackings because of the danger that crews may be hit by crossfire. Forces were able to intervene in this case because the ship had registered with naval authorities, was travelling along a recommended transit corridor and was part of a group transit, ensuring the ships had a helicopter within 30 minutes' reaction time, Cmdr. Harbour said.
> 
> Denmark rarely releases information on operations carried out by its elite forces, but the storming of the ship may have been carried out by the country's elite Frogman Corps, which were part of a NATO deployment.
> 
> “There is an operation going on down there and we're involved. It is still going on right now,” Pernielle Kroer, spokeswoman for the Danish Navy told The Associated Press.
> 
> The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Ariella sent out a distress signal early Friday that was picked up by the Indian warship Tbar in the Gulf of Aden. The Indians relayed the signal to a French plane overhead, which spotted a group of armed pirates on the deck. Then the Danish troops were notified.
> 
> Other EU and American forces have intervened in pirate hostage situations, but not during the hijacking itself.
> 
> French commandos stormed a yacht last April with five hostages on board but one, skipper Florent Lemacon, was killed during the operation. American snipers also shot dead three pirates in April 2009 holding an American captain hostage on board a lifeboat after the crew of the Maersk Alabama had persuaded the pirates to leave the main ship.
> 
> Details on the nationalities of the crew on board the Arielle and its cargo were not immediately released.
> 
> Somali pirates have seized three ships this year and hold a total of nine vessels and more than 180 crew.
> 
> Piracy is one of the few ways to make money in Somalia, an arid, impoverished land torn apart by civil war. The government does not hold its own capital and can't send forces to counter the flourishing pirate bases that dot its 3,100-kilometre-long coastline.


----------



## OldSolduer

old medic said:
			
		

> Danish troops storm ship held by Somali pirates
> EU piracy task force rescues 25 crew members in its first armed intervention during a hijacking
> 
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/danish-troops-storm-ship-held-by-somali-pirates/article1457393/



Good for them, its about time.


----------



## Lex Parsimoniae

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> This will continue to go on and on as long as the stupid UN catch and release policy is in effect.


It's not the UN's fault.  Most western governments are just too skittish to enforce the law.

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - Article 105

Seizure of a pirate ship or aircraft

"On the high seas, or in any other place outside the jurisdiction of any State, every State may seize a pirate ship or aircraft, or a ship or aircraft taken by piracy and under the control of pirates, and arrest the persons and seize the property on board. The courts of the State which carried out the seizure may decide upon the penalties to be imposed, and may also determine the action to be taken with regard to the ships, aircraft or property, subject to the rights of third parties acting in good faith."

Perhaps more significant, the UN Security Council took historic action against piracy in 2008. Resolution 1816, which was decided under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and therefore legally binding on all states, called on them to cooperate in counter-piracy actions off the coast of Somalia. The resolution authorizes operations inside Somalia's territorial waters to deny that area as a safe haven for pirates who operate outside the 12-mile limit.  It also provides for disposition and logistics of persons-under-control detained as a result of counter-piracy operations.

Participating states have three options: either seek to try the pirates in front of their national courts, hand them over to Somali authorities, or hand them over to a third party state.  No option is legally simple:

1.  Successfully trying pirates in western courts will be difficult, as courts would likely decline jurisdiction.  Add that to the risk that the pirates could then seek asylum in western nations under international humanitarian law. 

2.  On the other hand, handing the pirates over to Somali authorities raises the issue of Somalia’s record of human rights violations. In light of this dilemma, many detained pirates could end up being set free.  Sort of a Afghan detainee saga redux.

3.  No third party state is keen to have them although Kenya has signed MOUs with some nations.  Human Rights uncertainty surrounds the whole Kenyan legal system too.

The solution to the piracy problem in Somalia is not at sea.  Maritime operations can, in the best case, achieve a temporary reduction in piracy activity, but not its eradication.  The eradication of piracy requires the re-establishment of a functioning Somali state, reasserting control over its territory, including its coastal areas.


----------



## The Bread Guy

From ITAR-TASS news agency:


> The Russian Navy's Neustrashimy frigate participated in the operation to free a Slovenian cargo vessel from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> The Neustrashimy intercepted a boat with seven pirates when those attempted to get aboard the Ariella vessel belonging to a Slovenian company. The incident took place 160 kilometres off Somalia's northern coasts.
> 
> The high-speed boat was on the way to help other pirates who a few hours earlier seized a vessel flying the flag of Barbados. The Ariella crew managed to send a distress signal, and it was decided that marines from the Danish ship Absalon that was 10 miles from the site would get aboard the Ariella. The operation was successful. The Danish marines returned control of the cargo vessel to the crew. Pirates who were aboard escaped ....



More from RIA-Novosti.


----------



## MARS

Lex Parsimoniae said:
			
		

> Most western governments are just too skittish to enforce the law.



That is not entirely the case.  More practical considerations that we are dealing with over here are twofold:

1.  the throughput capacity of willing nations (those who have agreed to prosecute pirates) to handle the pirates we handover to them.  These are not necessarily first-world nations with a robust capacity to handle lots of cases at once; and

2.  the fact that the amount of evidence you are required to provide is a lot.  We (Combined Maritime Forces; the NATO Force and the EU Force) don't know until we actually present the evidence to the willing nation if it is sufficient.  If it is not, then you have all of these pirates in custody and no where to have them prosecuted.

Those two issues combine to make it a precarious decision for a nation (through a particular ship's CO) to take pirates into custody when the outcome (and the time off station) is unclear.

Cheers,

MARS


----------



## Lex Parsimoniae

MARS said:
			
		

> That is not entirely the case.


I believe that it is.  UNCLOS allows for us to prosecute pirates in Canada ("The courts of the State which carried out the seizure may decide upon the penalties to be imposed, and may also determine the action to be taken with regard to the ships, aircraft or property, subject to the rights of third parties acting in good faith") yet we choose not to.  Purely a political choice although it could be debated whether it would be possible to gain a conviction in a Canadian court.  Other nations (US, India, and France for example) have prosecuted pirates and/or used lethal force to deal with them.  

The US have used two approaches (see points 1 and 3 in my original post) to dealing with captured pirates.  The pirates seized by USS _Winston S. Churchill_ in 2006 were transferred to Mombasa and later convicted in a Kenyan court and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.  However, here is a recent quote from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, who is prosecuting the surviving pirate from the _Maersk Alabama _ case: "Piracy on the high seas is a threat against the community of nations. Today's indictment alleges criminal conduct that extends beyond the attack against the captain and crew of the American-flagged _Maersk Alabama_. Modern-day pirates who wreak havoc off faraway coasts will be met with modern-day justice in the United States." 

As I stated in my original post, this isn't a simple situation and the solution isn't at sea.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Courtesy of NATO (full release attached):


> On Sunday 28 February 2010 the NATO flagship HDMS ABSALON undertook direct action to disrupt the piracy in the Somali Basin by scuttling a pirate mother skiff, one of the large, open boats that pirates use to transport and support their attack teams to offshore hunting areas. The ABSALON is the flagship of NATO’s current counter-piracy operation Ocean Shield off the Horn of Africa.
> 
> The mother skiff was scuttled by use of specialist teams from ABSALON after it was intercepted by ABSALON’s boarding team. It had been located earlier in the day having just left a well known pirate camp located on the eastern Somali coastline, fully loaded with pirate equipment and supplies ....


----------



## CougarKing

Pirates vs. Western naval personnel in at least 4 shootouts. Plus "a new offensive mindset".

Associated Press link



> NAIROBI, Kenya – *Signaling a new offensive mindset, international military officials vowed Friday to fight the pirates  as swarms of Somalis moved into the waters off East Africa. Four shootouts with pirates showed that high-seas attacks are intensifying with the end of the monsoon season.*
> 
> Nearly half the 47 ships hijacked off Somalia last year were taken in March and April — the most dangerous months of the year for ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
> 
> *In the most serious skirmish Friday, six pirates attacked a vessel before breaking off and chasing the French fishing boat Torre Giulia, said Cmdr. John Harbour, spokesman for the EU Naval Force.
> 
> A French military detachment onboard a nearby ship fired warning shots at the pirates.  The ship then approached the skiff and collided with it, sinking the skiff and throwing the pirates into the water. Four were rescued, but two others were missing, Harbour said.*
> A spike in attacks is likely in the coming weeks, said Harbour. This season, though, ship owners and sailors are more prepared to evade pirates, fight back, or they have armed security onboard, raising the likelihood of violence.
> 
> 
> 
> (...)


----------



## Yrys

France seizes 35 Somali 'pirates'  

The French navy has captured 35 piracy suspects off Somalia's coast - hailing it as 
the most successful mission since EU operations began in 2008. French officials said 
four mother ships and six smaller boats had been seized in four operations since last Friday. 

EU forces used helicopters and fired warning shots to capture the pirates, France's 
defence ministry said. The EU launched its anti-piracy mission in December 2008, but
the pirates have since attacked ships in a wider area. The EU's mission has focused 
on the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which was being 
ravaged by pirates.  But recently, the attackers have struck hundreds of miles further 
south - near the Seychelles and even as far afield as Madagascar. 

Legal problems

The defence ministry said the frigate Nivose was backed by an Italian vessel and 
Spanish aircraft during its three-day mission.  The ministry did not specify where the 
action took place, but said 22 suspected pirates were held on Friday, two on Saturday 
and 11 more on Sunday. It is not yet clear what France intends to do with the suspects. 

More than 100 Somalis accused of piracy have been sent to Kenya, but very few have 
been convicted and most are languishing in jail awaiting trial in the country's 
overburdened legal system.  A handful have been sent for trial in France, the 
Netherlands and the US. But jurisdiction over suspected pirates seized on the high 
seas remains unclear and calls for an international tribunal to be set up have so far 
come to nothing. 

Lawlessness in Somalia allows the pirates to function with relative impunity in their 
own country - and many pirate leaders have reportedly amassed fortunes through 
ransoms paid by shipping firms.  War-ravaged Somalia has had no functioning central 
government since 1991.


----------



## MARS

Some more developments on the anti-piracy front:
Article Link



> *Sweden continues engagement in anti-piracy mission off Somalia*
> 
> STOCKHOLM, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Sweden's government said on Thursday it would continue to support the European Union's anti-piracy mission off Somalia this year.
> 
> Sweden would send a warship and a helicopter, 175 officers and soldiers in total, to take part in the EU's mission, code-named Operation Atalanta, the government said in a statement.
> 
> Sweden's participation in the mission would begin in mid April and last for a maximum of six months, the statement said.
> 
> During the first four months from April to August, Sweden would have command responsibility for Atalanta, especially for Carlskona, it said.
> 
> Sweden contributed three naval vessels to the mission from May 15 to September 15 last year.
> 
> The EU formally launched its anti-piracy mission off the Somalia coast at the end of 2008, the first expeditionary naval operation of the 27-nation bloc.



 Article Link



> *Fleet nears Somalia*
> (China Daily)
> Updated: 2010-03-08 09:55
> 
> The Chinese naval fleet sailed into the Strait of Malacca on Sunday, three days after its departure from China's island province of Hainan on an escort mission against piracy off Somalia.
> 
> The fleet deployed its first anti-pirate operation on Saturday night and arrived at the Strait of Malacca the next morning. It is expected to reach the Indian Ocean on Tuesday.
> 
> This is the fifth flotilla of Chinese ships sent on an overseas peacekeeping mission.
> 
> It contains naval ships, helicopters and about 800 navy personnel.
> 
> The naval forces will be on escort duties in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia. They will be stationed there for four months.
> 
> Besides peacekeeping duties, the Chinese navy will also conduct humanitarian rescue operations and exchanges with foreign navies.



These are both good developments, regardless of the challenges of integration that lie ahead.


----------



## MARS

Article Link



> *NATO extends anti-piracy operation off Somalia until end 2012*
> 
> NATO has extended the mandate of its anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia until the end of 2012, the alliance's spokesman James Appathurai has said.
> Appathurai told reporters on Wednesday the decision was based on "the assessment that this mission is making demonstrable contribution to increased safety for shipping and reduced success rates for pirates."
> Somali pirates carried out a record number of attacks and hijackings in 2009. According to the Piracy Reporting Center of the International Maritime Bureau, a total of 217 vessels were attacked and 47 of them hijacked last year.
> In 2008, pirates staged 111 attacks off the Somali coast, seizing 42 ships.
> About 20 countries, including leading NATO member states, India, China and several Arab states, have sent warships to the Gulf of Aden.
> Russian warships joined the fight against Somali pirates in the fall of 2008, when the Neustrashimy frigate was sent to the Somali coast from the Baltic Sea.
> In late February, Russia's Pacific Fleet dispatched a group of vessels led by the large anti-submarine warship Marshal Shaposhnikov to replace the Neustrashimy frigate off the Somali coast



More good news - HDMS ABSALON, noted in a few posts above, is part of the NATO Task Force


----------



## MARS

> *Kenya imprisons seven Somalis for piracy*
> By Celestine Achieng
> Reuters
> Wednesday, March 10, 2010; 2:38 PM
> MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - A Kenyan court sentenced seven Somalis to 20 years in prison for piracy on Wednesday after they tried to attack a Danish cargo vessel.
> 
> British Royal Navy forces arrested the men in 2008 after they attempted to seize MV Powerful off the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. Two pirates died in an ensuing fight.
> 
> They were then handed over to Kenyan authorities and charged with piracy.
> 
> "Having considered the seriousness ... of the offence, and circumstances under which the suspects were arrested, only stiff penalties can deter such activities," Senior Principal Magistrate Lilian Mutende said, delivering her judgment.
> 
> Pirates have caused havoc in the Gulf of Aden, raking in millions of dollars in ransoms, hiking insurance premiums on shipping and threatening humanitarian supplies.
> 
> 
> 
> Kenya is holding over 100 suspected pirates, and police say this is clogging jails and courts. Local Muslim leaders say Kenya should not be used as a dumping ground and foreign navies should take charge of the people they arrest.
> 
> International navies trying to counter piracy off Somalia are often reluctant to take suspects to their own countries because they either lack the jurisdiction to put them on trial there, or they fear the pirates may seek asylum.
> 
> The European Union, United States and some other countries have instead struck agreements with Kenya to hand over suspects to face trial there. Some pirates are being prosecuted in France and the Netherlands.



This is exceptionally good news given that the last sentence handed out by Kenya was only for 7 years


----------



## MARS

Article Link

Emphasis added



> *Piracy costs shipping firms over $100m annually, says report*
> Posted by SeafarerMarch 8, 2010
> 
> pircay
> Piracy off the coast of Somalia is costing the international shipping industry at least $100 million a year, a new report states. Aside from payments in ransom - estimated at about $110 million over the past two years - there have also been increased transportation and insurance costs, as well as costs related to protecting ships.
> The report from the World Peace Foundation noted that piracy was now “big business” with an estimated 1,500 buccaneers off the coast of Somalia involved in seven syndicates.
> The business is co-ordinated by a few bosses operating mainly from Kenya, Dubai and Lebanon.
> The report predicts that acts of piracy will escalate unless urgent action is taken. It proposes, for instance, providing pirates with economic incentives.
> 
> Shipping union officials in the West have also urged ship owners to ensure their vessels travel in convoys under naval protection - particularly in the Gulf of Aden - where the vast majority of attacks occur on solitary vessels.
> A senior Nautilus official said merchant ships that abided by the naval task force recommendations to travel as group transits, remained safe.
> *“The problem is, some ship owners aren’t prepared to wait for the task force. They are running behind schedule and are prepared to take the risk,” he said*.



Arranging a convoy for multiple, disparate shipping companies is a lot harder than it may appear initially.  From a tactical point of view, it is quite sensible.  However, $100M is not a whole lot of money when spread over several companies - rather, their insurance companies.  And we cannot force companies to convoy.


----------



## MARS

more at Link



> *Africom commander says U.S. supports Somali government to retake Mogadishu*
> 
> WASHINGTON, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior U.S. military commander said on Tuesday the United States would support the Somali transitional government to retake the national capital Mogadishu.
> 
> William Ward, who runs the U.S. Africa Command, told a Senate hearing the Somali government's effort in retaking Mogadishu is " something that we would look to do in support."
> 
> He said the military would do this "to the degree the transitional federal government can in fact re-exert control over Mogadishu, with the help of AMISOM and others." AMISOM stands for the African Union Mission in Somalia.
> 
> Mogadishu witnesses near daily attacks on Somali government forces and African Union peacekeepers based there. The internationally recognized government of Somalia is struggling to fight off an Islamist insurgency poised to run over parts of the city with protection from a few thousand African Union peacekeepers.
> 
> Clashes have intensified recently in Mogadishu, with the office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) saying last week nearly 26,000 people have been forced to escape violence in the capital since Feb. 1.
> 
> The New York Times reported on Friday the United States is helping the Horn of Africa nation's government put together a major offensive to take back the capital, providing training and support. The broadsheet also cited unnamed U.S. officials as saying Pentagon may send special forces to help, as well as striking militants from the sky.



More at Link



> *Somali gov't to wage Mogadishu offensive "with U.S. help in weeks": officer*
> 
> MOGADISHU, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The Somali government will begin within weeks the much anticipated major onslaught to retake the Somali capital Mogadishu from Islamist groups with help from the U. S. military, a Somali military officer said Wednesday.
> 
> Although Somali government officials have either been evading the whole question of whether the United States will get involved in the much speculated offensive or been noncommittal in their answers, some within the government military seeking anonymity, said the plan is in the final stages.
> 
> "It could be in weeks because we have been planning for this (offensive) for sometime and we have been coordinating with the United States because without their help this may not be a success, " a senior Somali military commander told Xinhua in Mogadishu,
> 
> The commander in the Somali capital Mogadishu added that Somali government forces would, as he put it, take the lion's share in its drive to reclaim the restive capital once the offensive gets underway.
> 
> The U.S. military and the 5,000 African Union peacekeepers will back the thousands of newly trained soldiers of the Somali government to wrestle the important and largest city which has remained the seat of government for the Somali State for 50 years.
> 
> Many analysts here believed that any side which manages to control the whole of Mogadishu is in essence in control of the whole country as the city has been and still is the area which generates most of the political and economic activities in the whole of war-ravaged country.
> 
> "It is make or break for both the Somali government which controls only part of this important city and for rebels who claim to control most of the south and centre of Somalia for control of Mogadishu ," said Ali Mohamed, an analyst in Mogadishu .
> 
> A senior U.S. military commander said on Tuesday the United States would support the Somali transitional government to retake the national capital Mogadishu .




Article Link




> *Thirty die in renewed Mogadishu fighting*
> 
> MOGADISHU, March 11 (Xinhua) -- At least 30 people were killed and almost 83 others were wounded Thursday as the fierce fighting continues between Somali government forces backed by African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops and Islamist insurgent fighters in Mogadishu, medical sources said.
> 
> The fighting which erupted on Wednesday resumed in the early hours of Thursday morning after it briefly stopped overnight with both sides claiming successes.
> 
> "As many as 30 people were killed, 12 of them in one area in the north of Mogadishu while we have picked almost 83 wounded people including 35 children mainly in the northern districts of Mogadishu," Ali Muse, head of local ambulance service told Xinhua.
> 
> Heavy artillery and intense gunfire was heard around the battle areas in the north of Mogadishu where witnesses said several shells landed in residential neighborhoods.
> 
> Families in residential pockets in the north began fleeing their homes to join hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians on the outskirts of coastal Indian Ocean city of Mogadishu.
> 
> Somali government military commanders as well as insurgent fighters have claimed to have achieved ground from the other side but that cannot be independently verified as the battle still rages in north Mogadishu.
> 
> The latest upsurge in fighting comes as speculation intensifies of a major government offensive to retake the capital from rebels who control more than half of the restive coastal city.
> 
> Somali government controls only parts of the capital Mogadishu while Islamist groups rein over large swathes of territory in the south and centre of war-ravaged horn of African nation.
> 
> The U.S. pledged to support Somali government plans to wrestle control of Mogadishu from Islamists who are poised to oust the weak but internationally recognized government of Somalia



I obviously agree with earlier posters that piracy will not be eradicated at sea alone.  Perhaps this is a first step in actually solving the issue, although it will take years (generations?) to rebuild any semblance of an economy - or something to dissuade the those who would otherwise engage in piracy.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This, from an EU NAVFOR Somalia news release:


> theresa viiiThe MV Theresa VIII, a Virgin Islands owned, Kiribati Flagged, chemical tanker with a crew of 28 and deadweight of 22, 294 tonnes,  has been released by pirates on 16 March 2010. Hijacked in the Somali Basin, 180 MILES North West of the Seychelles, on 17 November 2009, she has been held in the pirate stronghold of Haradera, on the Somali coast.
> 
> An unknown ransom was exchanged on the morning of 16 March and the ship is now underway and heading out to sea. No immediate assistance has been requested but EU NAVFOR will continue to monitor the situation.
> 
> EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EUNAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.



More from the BBC, Associated Press, AFP and DPA (German wire service)


----------



## CougarKing

These pirates never learn. This has got to be the third or fourth time they've attacked a European warship, mistaking it for a merchant ship.

Associated Press link



> NAIROBI, Kenya – *These Somali pirates picked the wrong ship to hijack.
> 
> Troops aboard the Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp fired warning shots Wednesday off the coast of East Africa as suspected Somali pirates in two small skiffs raced toward their warship, the EU Naval Force said.
> 
> After the pirates realized they had made what spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour called a "rather silly mistake," they turned around and fled. EU Naval Force personnel tracked down the two skiffs and a third suspected mothership, finding ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades on board, said Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.
> The two skiffs were destroyed and the pirates were set free on the mothership after it had been cleared of weapons.*
> (...)
> 
> The EU Naval Force has disrupted 11 pirate attack groups off the coast of East Africa over the last two weeks as part of a more offensive mindset to stop pirate attacks, Harbour said.
> 
> (...)


----------



## MARS

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> These pirates never learn. This has got to be the third or fourth time they've attacked a European warship, mistaking it for a merchant ship.




There is some imagery of this, including video, apprently, at the NL Ministry of Defence website


----------



## CountDC

maybe they should have left them with one skiff and sank the mother ship.  Wouldn't that have more of an impact?


----------



## The Bread Guy

This, from Reuters wire service:


> The U.S. government has warned ships sailing off Yemen's coast of the risk of al Qaeda attacks similar to a suicide bombing of the U.S. warship Cole in 2000 that killed 17 U.S. sailors.
> 
> The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence said on its website that ships in the Red Sea, the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait between Yemen and Djibouti, and the Gulf of Aden along Yemen's coast were at the greatest risk.
> 
> "Information suggests that al Qaeda remains interested in maritime attacks in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden along the coast of Yemen," the office said in a statement, citing an advisory by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
> 
> "Although it is unclear how they would proceed, it may be similar in nature to the attacks against the USS Cole in October 2000 and the M/V Limburg in October 2002 where a small to mid-size boat laden with explosives was detonated," it added.
> 
> Yemen, at the forefront of Western security concerns since a failed December attack on a U.S.-bound plane, boosted security on its coast earlier this year to prevent militants reaching its shores from nearby Somalia to reinforce al Qaeda in Yemen ....



Advisory mentioned in story attached - more at the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence web page here.


----------



## MARS

CountDC said:
			
		

> maybe they should have left them with one skiff and sank the mother ship.  Wouldn't that have more of an impact?



It would, for sure.  The only problem is that CMF all of the Task Forces (CMF/NATO/EU) have to ensure that the pirates have at aleast half a chance of making it safely back to shore.  Depending on the number of pirates involved and the distance from shore, often a skiff is too small and too overcrowded to make it back.

Edited for clarity - to include NATO and EU-led CTFs


----------



## GAP

MARS said:
			
		

> It would, for sure.  The only problem is that CMF all of the Task Forces (CMF/NATO/EU) have to ensure that the pirates have at aleast half a chance of making it safely back to shore.  Depending on the number of pirates involved and the distance from shore, often a skiff is too small and too overcrowded to make it back.



Couldn't you chum the waters?  ;D


----------



## CountDC

MARS said:
			
		

> It would, for sure.  The only problem is that CMF all of the Task Forces (CMF/NATO/EU) have to ensure that the pirates have at aleast half a chance of making it safely back to shore.  Depending on the number of pirates involved and the distance from shore, *often a skiff is too small and too overcrowded to make it back*.
> 
> Edited for clarity - to include NATO and EU-led CTFs



Sounds good to me - let them fight it out amongst themselves who gets to go and who trys to swim.  Those left can run it for shore until the gas runs out then start rowing with their hands.  if they don't make it oh well.  A few less pirates to deal with.


----------



## MARS

;D

You will get no arguement form me or any of the other operators over here.  Unfortunately, POLAD/LEGAD and PAO are strangely adverse to that idea.

It is too bad we can't do this kind of thing anymore, you know, _pour encourager les autres_


----------



## The Bread Guy

1)  Hired Guns 1, Pirates 0 - this, from the Associated Press:


> Private security guards shot and killed a Somali pirate during an attack on a merchant ship off the coast of East Africa in what is believed to be the first such killing by armed contractors, the EU Naval Force spokesman said Wednesday.
> 
> The death comes amid fears that increasingly aggressive pirates and the growing use of armed private security contractors onboard vessels could fuel increased violence on the high seas. The handling of the case may have legal implications beyond the individuals involved in Tuesday's shooting.
> 
> "This will be scrutinized very closely," said Arvinder Sambei, a legal consultant for the U.N.'s anti-piracy program. "There's always been concern about these (private security) companies. Who are they responsible to?"
> 
> The guards were onboard the MV Almezaan when a pirate group approached it twice, said EU Naval Force spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour. During the second approach on the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, which is United Arab Emirates owned, there was an exchange of fire between the guards and the pirates.
> 
> An EU Naval Force frigate was dispatched to the scene and launched a helicopter that located the pirates. Seven pirates were found, including one who had died from small caliber gunshot wounds, indicating he had been shot by the contractors, said Harbour.
> 
> A statement by the Spanish Ministry of Defense said the warship Navarra had intercepted two skiffs and a larger vessel believed to be a pirate mothership. Spanish forces arrested the six remaining pirates, took custody of the pirate's body and sunk the larger boat, it said ....



2)  Happy First Birthday Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2)! (.pdf statement attached)


> Today marks the first anniversary of NATO ships in the Gulf of Aden to fight piracy. Five NATO ships arrived in the Gulf of Aden on 24th March 2009 as part of NATO’s counter piracy mission, Operation Allied Protector. Their aim was to disrupt and deter the piracy that was rife in the Gulf of Aden at that time. A year later our ships are still there but with an enhanced operational aim and with notable successes achieved.
> Rear Admiral Hank Ort, (NLD N) Chief of Staff at Northwood said;
> “This last year has been a busy one for NATO ships in the region. We have, together with our maritime partners, actively disrupted and prevented pirate attacks on innocent vessels.. Since the NATO mission began, there has been a significant drop in successful piracy incidents in the Gulf of Aden. Whilst I am pleased with what we have achieved, we cannot be complacent and must remain vigilant.”
> 90% of global trade by volume is carried by sea with 50% of the world’s containers passing through the Indian Ocean. The Gulf of Aden sees over 22 000 ships per year transiting through on their way to countries all over the globe making it an important route for trade.
> In March 2009, NATO’s Standing Maritime Group arrived in the Gulf of Aden to conduct a counter piracy mission, Operation Allied Protector. Earlier this month, NATO nations agreed to extend Operation Ocean Shield until the end of 2012 .... The NATO Task Force 508 conducting Operation Ocean Shield is one out of three coalition task forces operating in the fight against piracy. TF 508 consists presently of five ships:
> HMS CHATHAM (Flagship - Royal Navy)
> USS COLE (US Navy)
> TCG GELIBOLU (Turkish Navy)
> HS LIMNOS (Greek Navy)
> ITS SCIROCCO (Italian Navy) ....


----------



## The Bread Guy

...excerpted from a recent UN report from the Monitoring Group and the Panel of Experts of Somalia:


> A basic piracy operation requires a minimum eight to twelve militia prepared to stay at sea for extended periods of time, in the hopes of hijacking a passing vessel. Each team requires a minimum of two attack skiffs, weapons, equipment, provisions, fuel and preferably a supply boat. The costs of the operation are usually borne by investors, some of whom may also be pirates.
> 
> To be eligible for employment as a pirate, a volunteer should already possess a firearm for use in the operation. For this ‘contribution’, he receives a ‘class A’ share of any profit. Pirates who provide a skiff or a heavier firearm, like an RPG or a general purpose machine gun, may be entitled to an additional A-share. The first pirate to board a vessel may also be entitled to an extra A-share.
> 
> At least 12 other volunteers are recruited as militiamen to provide protection on land of a ship is hijacked, In addition, each member of the pirate team may bring a partner or relative to be part of this land-based force. Militiamen must possess their own weapon, and receive a ‘class B’ share — usually a fixed amount equivalent to approximately US$15,000 ....



More in the attached annex from the report (PM me if you're interested in the entire -110 page - report).

(Hat tip to the Lawyers Guns & Money blog for spotting this first.)


----------



## MARS

From  France 24



> 30 March 2010 - 11H21
> 
> Seychelles coastguard destroys two pirate boats
> 
> AFP - A Seychelles coastguard vessel on Tuesday repelled an attack by Somali pirates, destroying two of their boats, hours after rescuing 27 fishermen in the Indian Ocean, it said in a statement.
> 
> The Topaz, one of the Indian Ocean state's two coastguard vessels, came under attack from three Somali pirate skiffs overnight, said a statement by the coastguard's commanding officer.
> 
> "Topaz returned fire, one attack skiff was sunk and the mother ship exploded and caught fire. The third skiff managed to escape," the statement said.
> 
> "The fate of the pirates on all three vessels is unknown," it added.
> 
> The Topaz on Monday launched a rare and brazen operation to free six Seychellois fishermen who had been captured by Somali pirates over the weekend southeast of the archipelago's main island of Mahe.
> 
> When the Topaz caught up with the pirates, it found the ransom-hunting bandits heading back towards their base in Somalia with 21 Iranian fishermen also held hostage.
> 
> Despite seeing the 27 hostages being held at gunpoint on the deck of the hijacked Iranian dhow, the Seychelles authorities took the decision to attack the pirates after warning shots proved unsuccessful.
> 
> The Topaz unleashed a deluge of bullets into the Iranian boat's engine compartment, setting it on fire and forcing all on board to jump into the ocean.



More at the  link


----------



## MARS

Unfortunate, but understandable

From  Capital News

Kenya declines to accept pirates
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 26 - Kenya has declined to receive three suspected Somali pirates and one corpse held by an Italian warship at the port of Mombasa, arguing that its prison and court systems were overwhelmed.

Police on Friday said a decision had been reached within government ranks to ensure “no more piracy suspects will be tried in the country because it is already overwhelmed with ongoing cases.”

Coast Provincial Police Chief Leo Nyongesa told journalists that “the government has imposed a temporary ban on pirates being brought into the country.”

"Our hands are tied since we have many pirates on trial in Kenya and we cannot accept more at the moment,” Mr Nyongesa told a press conference in his office.

It was is the first time that Kenya - which is one of only two States to have an agreement with Western naval powers for the transfer of suspected pirates - declined to accept the buccaneers.

The three suspected pirates and the dead man arrived in the country late on Thursday aboard an Italian Naval Warship MV Scirocco which docked at the Port of Mombasa.

The Italian frigate Scirocco had interdicted the suspected pirates in high seas and proceeded to sail to Mombasa.

The warship has not been allowed to offload and has been kept waiting since Thursday as authorities engaged in high-level consultations.

"This is a government directive and there is no way we shall bend it to allow the suspected pirates on our soil as for now," the Coast Police chief said.

But even as he spoke, reports indicated that talks were underway in Nairobi and there was a possibility of the pirates being allowed into the country.


More at the  link

As I previously mentioned  here, these countries simply don't have capacity to handle the throughput.  And of course, the ship cannot enter any port until someone takes their pirates.


----------



## MARS

Silly pirates...Trix are for kids

From the Globe and Mail


> Nairobi — The Associated Press
> Published on Thursday, Apr. 01, 2010 10:50AM EDT
> U.S. naval forces say they've captured five pirates after exchanging fire with them, sinking their skiff and confiscating a mother ship.
> 
> The USS Nicholas came under fire early Thursday from pirates in an area west of the Seychelles.
> 
> The U.S. Africa Command said the five pirates seized would remain in U.S. custody on board the frigate for time being. The Nicholas is home-ported in Norfolk, Va.
> 
> International naval forces have stepped up their enforcement of the waters off East Africa in an effort to thwart a growing pirate trade.
> 
> Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established on Somalia's lawless shores. The country has not had a functioning government for 19 years.



Things are heating up in the Southern Somali Basin.  NICHOLAS is a 6th Fleet asset - she isn't even _in_ the CMF AOR.   This is the 3rd time in as many weeks that a coalition warship in the SB has been approached by pirates.  Guaranteed these particular pirates are never, ever going to forget the sight and sound of a .50 cal night firing.


----------



## CougarKing

This US Navy warship was attacked by a pirate vessel:









> *U.S. Navy Captures 5 Pirates After Gun Battle in Indian Ocean*
> AP
> 
> The *USS Nicholas *  reported taking fire from a suspected pirate skiff and returned fire before pursuing it and eventually disabling it.
> 
> 
> 
> The USS Nicholas returned fire on the pirate skiff, sinking it and confiscating a nearby mothership. The Navy took five pirates into custody, said Navy Lt. Patrick Foughty, a spokesman.
> 
> <more>
> 
> Fox News link


----------



## The Bread Guy

*USS Nicholas (link to ship's page) Captures Suspected Pirates*
Navy Chief Petty Officer Michael Lewis, U.S. 6th Fleet, 
American Forces Press Service, 1 Apr 10
Article link


> The crew of the USS Nicholas captured suspected pirates today after exchanging fire, sinking a skiff and confiscating a suspected mother ship. Video
> 
> While operating west of the Seychelles in international waters, the Nicholas crew reported taking fire at 12:27 a.m. local time from a suspected pirate skiff and returned fire, pursuing the vessel until the disabled skiff stopped.
> 
> At about 2 a.m., personnel from Nicholas boarded the disabled skiff and detained three people. The boarding team found ammunition and multiple cans of fuel on board.
> 
> After taking the suspected pirates on board, the Nicholas crew sank the disabled skiff at about 3 a.m.
> 
> Two more suspected pirates were captured on the confiscated mother ship.
> 
> The suspects will remain in U.S. custody on board Nicholas until a determination is made regarding their disposition, officials said....


----------



## CougarKing

Quite an update: an ROKN warship catches up to the recently captured tanker_ Samho Dream_.

Associated Press link






> SEOUL, South Korea – *A South Korean navy destroyer caught up with a hijacked supertanker carrying about $160 million of crude oil and was maneuvering nearby in the Indian Ocean, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
> 
> The supertanker, on its way from Iraq to the United States, is believed to have been hijacked by Somali pirates*, the latest high-value bargaining chip for the sea bandits. Similar seizures of oil supertankers in the waters off the coast of lawless Somalia have yielded ransoms as high as $5.5 million.
> 
> South Korea's navy received a call Sunday from the South Korean-operated 300,000-ton Samho Dream saying three pirates had boarded it and then lost contact.
> 
> At the time, the tanker was about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) southeast of the Gulf of Aden. It has 24 crew — five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos. South Korea quickly diverted a navy destroyer from anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden to pursue the hijacked tanker.
> 
> *The destroyer caught up and began operating near the hijacked supertanker as of early Tuesday South Korean time, which was late Monday where the ships were operating, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.*
> 
> The tanker was sailing toward Somalia's coast, the ministry said. It declined to offer further details, including the exact location of the tanker and destroyer, citing operational security and safety concerns.
> 
> South Korea's navy said that the destroyer is armed with a Lynx helicopter, 40 ship-to-ship and ship-to-air missiles and artillery. About 300 sailors and marines, including a 30-member search and inspection team, are aboard the warship, according to the navy.
> 
> 
> (...)


----------



## CougarKing

This handout released by the US Navy on March 31 shows the _USS Farragut _  after it destroyed a suspected pirate ship. The US warship intercepted suspected Somali pirates and sunk their "mother ship" after they attacked an oil tanker off the Seychelles, the US navy's Fifth Fleet said. (AFP/US Navy/Cassandra Thompson)






This picture released by the EU's Navfor naval force shows the_ Spanish warship Navarra _  assisting an Iranian dhow on March 20. Private security guards on board a UAE-owned cargo ship have repelled a hijacking attempt at sea in skirmishes off Somalia that left one pirate dead, the EU's naval force in the area said Wednesday.
(AFP/EU Navfor)






In this file photo issued by EU NAVFOR on Friday March 5, 2010 shows the EU Naval Force _French warship FS Nivose _  with Somali pirate skiffs off the Somali coast on Friday March 5, 2010. The EU Naval Force has disrupted and detained ten pirate groups — each consisting of a mothership and several skiffs — since the new strategy came into place since the start of calmer weather at the beginning of March.
(AP Photo/EU NAVFOR) 






A picture released by the EU Navfor shows the boarding party of the EU Navfor Warship  _HNLMS TROMP _  intercepting the 10-metre-long (30-foot) whaler off the Somali coast. Armed crews are a good deterrent against Somali pirates, but the problem off the Horn of Africa will only be solved when Somalia itself is at peace, a top US official said Friday. (AFP/EU NAVFOR-HO)

-------------------------



> *Somali pirates warn SKorean destroyer to stay away*
> AP
> 
> By HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press Writer Hyung-jin Kim, Associated Press Writer – 34 mins ago
> 
> SEOUL, South Korea – *Somali pirates warned a South Korean destroyer chasing a hijacked supertanker with 24 sailors on board not to get any closer or else risk endangering the crew, Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
> 
> All crew members of the South Korean-operated, Marshall Island-flagged Samho Dream are safe, the pirates said by phone Wednesday through the tanker's captain in the first contact since the hijacking Sunday in the Indian Ocean.
> 
> However, "the safety of the sailors will be in jeopardy" if the destroyer sails any closer, the pirates warned, a ministry official said.*
> Pirates have been on a streak of ship hijackings in recent weeks, with at least 16 ships and some 240 crew members believed held captive off Somalia's lawless coast.
> 
> Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, and multimillion-dollar ransoms have become a way to make money in the impoverished nation.
> 
> On Wednesday, pirates hijacked a Turkish vessel with a crew of 25 off the Kenyan coast, according to the EU Naval Force. Separately, a hostage on board the hijacked Indian cargo dhow Faize Osamani drowned Tuesday when the ship was used to attack another vessel and navies intervened.
> 
> *The Samho Dream, loaded with about $160 million in crude oil, was hijacked on Sunday. A South Korean naval destroyer on anti-piracy patrol in the area took off in pursuit of the 300,000-ton tanker and caught up with it the next day, officials in Seoul said.
> 
> The captain said the pirates are "heavily armed" and warned that they should not be provoked since the tanker is carrying a large amount of crude oil, a ministry statement said. The hijackers had demanded direct contact with the ship's owner, it said.
> 
> Formal negotiations over the crew's release have not begun, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun said.*
> The tanker remained anchored about 4.5 miles (7 kilometers) off the Somali coast, with the South Korean destroyer monitoring nearby, the ministry said. The crew includes five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos.



Associated Press link






_*Chungmugong Yisunshin*_,  a South Korean navy destroyer equipped with weapons that can hit targets as far as 32 km (20 miles) away, and a Lynx combat helicopter on board, is seen in this undated file picture released by local Yonhap news agency in Seoul April 6, 2010. _The Chungmugong Yisunshin _ has caught up with a supertanker hijacked by pirates that is cruising towards the Somali coast with a cargo of crude oil worth as much as $170 million, an official said on Tuesday. The South Korean-operated, Singapore-owned Samho Dream, which can carry more than 2 million barrels of crude, was seized on Sunday en route from Iraq to the United States, in the latest sign the sea gangs are targeting bigger quarry. REUTERS/Yonhap


----------



## GAP

US Navy holds 6 suspected pirates
Last Updated: April 10, 2010
Article Link

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The U.S. Navy is holding six suspected pirates after a sea battle off the Horn of Africa.

It's the third U.S. Navy encounter with pirates in the past 10 days in the violence-plagued waters off Somalia and nearby regions. At least 21 suspected pirates have been captured.

The U.S. Navy says suspected pirates began shooting at the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland Saturday, about 380 miles off Djibouti, a small nation facing Yemen across the mouth of the Red Sea.

The Navy says the Ashland returned fire and the suspected pirate skiff was destroyed. All six people on board were rescued and taken aboard the Ashland.

The Ashland suffered no injuries or damage. 
end


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from the Associated Press:


> A group of 10 suspected Somali pirates facing trial in Germany arrived in the Netherlands on a military transport plane Wednesday and were shuttled off to prison pending their extradition.
> 
> An Associated Press photographer saw the KDC-10 transport plane carrying the men land at a military base in the southern city of Eindhoven. He could see the suspects' faces in the windows of a covered stairwell before they were loaded into police vans with blackened windows and driven away.
> 
> The 10 were captured April 5 by Dutch special forces marines who slid down ropes from a helicopter to recapture the seized German container ship MV Taipan.
> 
> Germany has issued an arrest warrant for the men and plans to prosecute them, a rare instance of a European country choosing to put suspected pirates on trial.
> 
> Most suspects arrested by the European Union's anti-piracy naval task force are disarmed and released, and put back in their boat with enough food, water and fuel to get them back to the Somali coast.
> 
> A handful have been turned over to Kenya or the Seychelles for prosecution. But Kenya has been reluctant to accept piracy suspects in recent weeks, arguing its criminal justice system is already overloaded.....



From some media coverage of the original rescue:


----------



## CougarKing

Good job to the USS _Farragut_:

AFP link



> *US Navy thwarts Somali pirate seizure of ship *
> 
> 
> 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
> 
> 
> MANAMA (AFP) - A US naval destroyer thwarted an attempt by suspected Somali pirates to seize a Thai-flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden on Friday, the multinational anti-piracy task force said.
> 
> 
> The bulk carrier MV Thor Traveler came under attack in the early hours by a skiff with seven suspected pirates who fired on it for 10 minutes with rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, a statement said.
> 
> 
> *A distress call was answered by the USS Farragut, whose helicopter "located the suspected pirate skiff as it was attempting to escape. The helicopter used spotlights and smoke floats to warn the skiff to stop and witnessed the skiff throw items overboard."*
> 
> 
> It said a boarding team confiscated further "pirate paraphernalia," and that the skiff was instructed to head back to the Somali coast.
> 
> 
> The Farragut is the flagship of the task force, which was established in January 2009 to counter piracy and which patrols more than 2.5 million square miles (6.5 million square kilometres) in the Gulf of Aden and off the east coast of Somalia.


----------



## CougarKing

More pirate attacks:



> *Somali pirates seize 3 Thai ships with 77 crew*
> AP
> 
> By KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Writer Katharine Houreld, Associated Press Writer – 30 mins ago
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – Somali pirates hijacked three Thai fishing vessels with 77 crew aboard more than 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) from the Somali coast, the farthest-off-shore attack to date, the EU Naval Force said Tuesday.
> 
> Pirates have expanded their range south and east in response to an increase in patrols by European and American warships off the Somali shore.
> 
> The hijacking of the three Thai vessels happened Sunday, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. The attack took place well outside the area that the EU force operates in, he said.
> 
> The three vessels — the MV Prantalay 11, 12, and 14 — have 77 crew onboard in total. All the crew are Thai, Harbour said. The owner of the vessels is PT Interfishery Ltd.
> 
> Pirates have increased attacks against shipping vessels over the last year in hopes of netting the multi-million dollar ransoms they can earn. Because of increased naval patrols and increased defenses on board commercial vessels, the pirates' success rate has gone down, though the number of successful attacks has stayed about the same year over year.



link




> *Somali pirates seize ship with 21 Filipinos aboard*
> AP
> 
> 
> By KATHARINE HOURELD, Associated Press Writer Katharine Houreld, Associated Press Writer – 27 mins ago
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya – Four suspected Somali pirates carrying AK-47s and a rocket-propelled grenade seized a bulk carrier with 21 crew on board Wednesday, the fourth ship pirates have seized in less than a week, officials said.
> 
> The Panamanian-flagged, Liberian-owned Voc Daisy was taken about 200 miles (300 kilometers) outside the corridor where international warships guard convoys of merchant vessels, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.
> 
> The hijacking of the Voc Daisy follows an attack on three Thai fishing vessels Sunday. Pirates now hold 15 vessels and 326 crew, according to an Associated Press count.
> 
> The Voc Daisy, which had been heading from the United Arab Emirates toward the Suez Canal, was registered with security officials and raised an alarm before the four armed pirates stormed aboard. It was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden about 200 miles southeast of Oman.
> 
> The hijacking of the three Thai vessels Sunday was almost 600 miles (965 kilometers) outside the normal operation area for the EU Naval Force. Pirates have expanded their range south and east in response to an increase in patrols by European and American warships off the Somali shore.
> 
> Pirates have increased attacks against shipping vessels over the last year in hopes of netting the multi-million dollar ransoms they can earn. Because of increased naval patrols and increased defenses on board commercial vessels, the pirates' success rate has gone down, though the number of successful attacks has stayed about the same year over year.



Associated Press link


----------



## The Bread Guy

Amercan wheels o' justice in U.S. grinding...



> *US indicts 11 suspected pirates in Norfolk, Va.*
> Steve Szkotak/AP via Salon.com
> 
> Eleven suspected pirates were indicted Friday on U.S charges of piracy and other counts related to attacks on two U.S. naval vessels off the coast of Africa.
> 
> The indictment was unsealed an hour after the suspects were led into the federal courthouse in Norfolk under heavy security.
> 
> One of the accused pirates had a bandaged head, while another was carried into the court building. The 11 were scheduled for a court appearance Friday afternoon.
> 
> In addition to the piracy count, the charges include attacks to plunder a vessel, assault with a dangerous weapon, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.
> 
> Five of the men were captured March 31, after the frigate USS Nicholas exchanged fire with a suspected pirate vessel west of the Seychelles, sinking a skiff and confiscating its mother ship.
> 
> The other six were captured after they allegedly began shooting at the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland on April 10 about 380 miles off Djibouti, a small nation facing Yemen across the mouth of the Red Sea.
> 
> The 11 had been held on U.S. ships for weeks off Somalia's pirate-infested coast and nearby regions as officials worked to determine whether and where they could be prosecuted and prepare legal charges against them.
> 
> The suspects were taken from the USS Nassau amphibious assault ship Thursday and flown to Virginia on a government plane in the custody of the Justice Department ....


link


----------



## CougarKing

Interesting. In the current civil war between the Western-backed Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabab, it seems one menace (Al Shabab) is trying to eliminate another menace (the pirates).

It's better if the pirates and Al Shabab just destroy each other so the TFG (along with the African Union Peacekeeping force there called AMISOM) can go back to rebuilding the country. 

As reported by the _Associated Press_:



> MOGADISHU, Somalia – Fighters from Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group moved into the northern region where Somali pirates operate early Monday, residents said, forcing pirates to flee and raising the specter of an insurgent attempt to close down the piracy trade.
> 
> (...)
> 
> *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.*
> 
> "Al-Shabab militants are chasing us," Yare told The Associated Press by phone.
> 
> A spokesman from the militant group could not be reached for comment Monday.
> 
> But a witness, businessman Ahmed Salad, said an advance team of al-Shabab militants entered the pirate lair in two vehicles around midnight Sunday after they had routed moderate Islamists from villages nearby. He said the militants withdrew a short while later for points unknown.
> 
> (...)


----------



## The Bread Guy

Like everything else that works so smoothly at the UN?  This from Bloomberg:


> The United Nations Security Council pressed today for tougher prosecution of pirates operating off the coast of Somalia, adopting a Russian proposal to consider creation of a new court for that purpose.
> 
> The council voted 15-0 to ask UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon to report within three months on options for “a regional tribunal or an international tribunal and corresponding imprisonment arrangements.”
> 
> Russia circulated the text following Kenya’s decision to stop prosecuting suspected Somali pirates and cancel agreements with several naval powers. Kenya has accords with the European Union, U.S., Britain, Canada, China and Denmark to prosecute brigands captured by them.
> 
> Piracy and armed robbery at sea reached a six-year peak in 2009 with Somalia accounting for more than half of the 406 attacks, according to the UN International Maritime Bureau. Somali pirates mounted 217 attacks last year, hijacking 47 ships and taking 867 crew members hostage, the London-based bureau said in January ....


----------



## GAP

Somali pirates board oil tanker; Russian warship en route
Article Link
EU Naval Force says pirates have boarded Liberian-flagged ship with 23 Russian crew onboard

Nairobi, Kenya — The Associated Press Published on Wednesday, May. 05, 2010 5:03AM EDT Last updated on Wednesday, May. 05, 2010 7:15AM EDT

Somali pirates armed with automatic weapons boarded an oil tanker with 23 Russian crew onboard Wednesday, and a Russian warship was rushing to intervene, a European Union Naval spokesman said.

Cmdr. John Harbour said pirates launched an attack on the Liberian-flagged ship, which is named the Moscow University, at dawn. He said the crew managed to evade the pirates for several hours while sending out distress calls. At one point the pirates, who attacked in a small speedboat, returned to their larger mothership before returning to attack again, he said.

The pirates are now onboard the 106,000 ton ship but it is unclear if they are in control of the ship or the 23 Russian crew. The ship is carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil.

A Russian warship is heading to the ship at full speed, said Cmdr. Harbour. He declined to say how long the warship would take to arrive or what action it might take, citing security.

The attack occurred about 800 kilometres east of the Somali coast. The ship was not registered with the Maritime Security Center, said Cmdr. 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. 
More on link


----------



## The Bread Guy

From the UN News Centre:


> The remoteness of the Indian Ocean nation of Seychelles has made it a prime target for pirates, and the country is fighting back by setting up a United Nations-supported centre to prosecute piracy.
> 
> With naval activity around the Horn of Africa – including Somalia – becoming increasingly secure, pirates are moving south towards Seychelles, attacking ships based in or operating around the archipelago.
> 
> The Seychelles’ regional centre will be the second of its kind, the first having been established in Kenya, and it will try piracy suspects apprehended by the European Union Naval Force Somalia – Operation (EU NAVFOR).
> 
> The country’s Government has been working with the new joint Counter-Piracy Programme of the EU and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to ensure that its criminal justice system is ready for such trials.
> 
> The scheme aims to assist the police, coastguard, prosecutors, courts and prisons in dealing with the challenges posed by piracy cases.
> 
> In March, the trial of 11 pirates arrested by Seychelles’ coastguard, with the aid of EU NAVFOR, began, held under a recently-amended provision in the country’s criminal code allowing for piracy prosecution under universal jurisdiction. Professional Somali interpreters, provided by the EU and UNODC, are ensuring that the accused can properly take part in their trial.
> 
> Also in March, 11 additional alleged pirates were transferred to Seychelles authorities’ custody after having been captured by the French Navy off the Somali coast.
> 
> The EU and UNODC have established a mentorship programme at the only prison in the country where suspected and convicted pirates are being held ....



More from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime here.


----------



## GAP

Russian warship opens fire, takes oil tanker back from pirates
The 23 crewmen are rescued, and Russian media say one pirates is dead and 10 are arrested. The tanker's cargo is worth more than $50 million.
By Jeffrey Fleishman Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 6, 2010
Article Link

The fortunes of a band of Somali pirates quickly changed Thursday when a Russian warship opened fire on a hijacked oil tanker, freeing the crew and arresting the bandits, who a day earlier had raced across the Indian Ocean to seize a cargo valued at more than $50 million.

The high-seas battle unfolded after 23 crewmen on the tanker Moscow University sent a distress call and hid from the pirates in a sealed rudder compartment. A Russian destroyer closed in and special forces stormed the vessel at dawn, after marauders shot at a surveillance helicopter, according to the anti-piracy European Union Naval Force.

"The Russian warship, knowing the crew was locked down and safe, returned fire on the pirates," said a statement released by the EU force. "Eventually the pirates surrendered and a boarding team from the Marshal Shaposhnikov [warship] arrived onboard the tanker, captured all the pirates and freed the crew. All the crew are safe and well."

» Don't miss a thing. Get breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox.

Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news services reported that one pirate was killed and 10 were arrested.

The rescue operation was stunning, ending an ordeal less than 24 hours after pirates seized the 106,474-ton tanker about 350 miles off the Yemeni Island of Socotra. The vessel, owned by Novorossiysk Shipping Co. and carrying 86,000 tons of crude oil, had left Sudan and was bound for China, catching the attention of pirates who have expanded their hunting territory hundreds of miles from the Yemeni and Somali coasts.

The Marshal Shaposhnikov, an anti-submarine destroyer, was part of a fleet of international warships to protect oil tankers and cargo ships in the vital shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The anti-piracy effort has prevented a number of attacks. In February, Danish special forces foiled a hijacking of a merchant ship, and earlier this week a Greek warship fired at and arrested seven bandits in a speedboat off Yemen.

The Novorossiysk Shipping Co. credited the tanker's captain and the quick response by the Russian navy:

"Thanks to the skillful and timely action of Captain Yury Tulchinsky, the pirates were unable to take a single hostage or command the ship," said the company. "The personnel of the Marshal Shaposhnikov performed their duties in the best traditions of Russian sailors."

The response by the Marshal Shaposhnikov was reminiscent of the 2009 operation in which U.S. Navy snipers shot and killed three pirates, freeing the captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama.

Pirate attacks have jeopardized stability at the crossroads of the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Sea bandits have become increasingly brazen, especially since the U.S.-backed Somalia government has been unable to control a country wracked by crime, ethnic conflicts and Islamic insurgencies.
More on link


----------



## MARS

A bit of old news, but some video footage of the dutch assault from 5 April.

video link here

regards,

MARS


----------



## The Bread Guy

Links to statements from the owners and EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from the German DPA wire service:


> Russia on Friday released 10 pirates arrested earlier in the week during the rescue of a Russian ship hijacked off the coast of Somalia.
> 
> The Defence Ministry in Moscow said there were no international legal guidelines for prosecuting the men, reported the news agency Interfax. Furthermore, the nationalities of the pirates, suspected to be Somali, could not be definitively established.
> 
> The men were sent off, without their weapons or any navigation equipment, in one of the boats used in the attack ....  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has repeated his call for an international court to try pirates.



More from RIA/Novosti, Reuters and the Associated Press.


----------



## CougarKing

Japan opens up a naval base...in Djibouti???

link



> Tags : None
> *Japanese authorities have confirmed their intention to develop a Japanese naval base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, already home to large American and French military installations. The base will be Japan’s first overseas since Japan’s defeat in 1945 and the major political and military reforms that followed. The $40 million base is expected to be ready early in 2011 and will provide a permanent port for ships of Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF).*
> 
> The plans for a Japanese base in Djibouti were first announced last July, *when Tokyo outlined its intention to build housing facilities and an airstrip for JMSDF Lockheed P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft. *  The decision followed a request by U.S. authorities for Japan to build facilities that would allow it to take a larger role in security operations in the Gulf of Aden (Kyodo News, July 31, 2009).
> Japanese navy commander Keizo Kitagawa of the JMSDF’s Plans and Policy section told reporters "We are deploying here to fight piracy and for our self-defense. Japan is a maritime nation and the increase in piracy in the Gulf of Aden through which 20,000 vessels sail every year is worrying" (AFP, April 23). According to Japanese authorities, 99% of Japanese exports rely on use of the shipping lanes off Somalia (Somaliland Press, April 29; Alshahid, April 29).
> Japan sent teams of military experts to Yemen, Oman, Kenya and Djibouti to explore the possibilities of opening a naval base in one of these nations. Djibouti was chosen in April, 2009. Japanese personnel and material supporting the JMSDF deployment off Somalia are currently housed in rented space at the American base at Djibouti’s Camp Lemonnier, a former French Foreign Legion base. French troops in Djibouti are engaged in anti-piracy operations, training French troops for action in Afghanistan and keeping an eye on the volatile Horn of Africa region (Radio France Internationale, April 18).
> The largest warships in the JMSDF are Guided Missile Destroyers, Destroyers and Helicopter Destroyers.* Japan has been deploying a pair of destroyers on a rotational basis in the Gulf of Aden since last year. The naval deployment includes members of the Special Boarding Unit (SBU), a Hiroshima-based Special Forces unit patterned after the U.K.’s Special Boat Service (SBS).*
> The creation of a Japanese military base in Africa would have been implausible only a few years ago, as such deployments are in clear violation of Japan’s 1947 “Peace Constitution,” which forbids the maintenance of a Japanese military, the deployment of Japanese military forces overseas and participation in collective military operations, regardless of their purpose. With American encouragement during the Cold War, Japan began a conscious evasion of the Peace Constitution by creating “Self-Defense” Forces rather than a Japanese military. Japanese troops began overseas deployments in the early 1990s with non-combatant peacekeeping operations in Cambodia and Mozambique. After 9/11, new anti-terrorism and anti-piracy laws eased the transition to offshore operations. The JMSDF provided support to American forces in Afghanistan from 2001 to January 2010 and Japanese Ground Forces joined Coalition operations in Iraq in a humanitarian capacity in 2004. Technically, all members of Japan’s Self Defense Forces are classified as civilian civil servants and the naval deployment to the Horn of Africa is being characterized by the government as anti-crime operations rather than military operations.


----------



## GAP

JAPAN OPENS NAVAL BASE IN DJIBOUTI IN DEFIANCE OF PEACE CONSTITUTION 
Article Link

apanese authorities have confirmed their intention to develop a Japanese naval base in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti, already home to large American and French military installations. The base will be Japan’s first overseas since Japan’s defeat in 1945 and the major political and military reforms that followed. The $40 million base is expected to be ready early in 2011 and will provide a permanent port for ships of Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF).

The plans for a Japanese base in Djibouti were first announced last July, when Tokyo outlined its intention to build housing facilities and an airstrip for JMSDF Lockheed P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft. The decision followed a request by U.S. authorities for Japan to build facilities that would allow it to take a larger role in security operations in the Gulf of Aden (Kyodo News, July 31, 2009).

Japanese navy commander Keizo Kitagawa of the JMSDF’s Plans and Policy section told reporters "We are deploying here to fight piracy and for our self-defense. Japan is a maritime nation and the increase in piracy in the Gulf of Aden through which 20,000 vessels sail every year is worrying" (AFP, April 23). According to Japanese authorities, 99% of Japanese exports rely on use of the shipping lanes off Somalia (Somaliland Press, April 29; Alshahid, April 29).

Japan sent teams of military experts to Yemen, Oman, Kenya and Djibouti to explore the possibilities of opening a naval base in one of these nations. Djibouti was chosen in April, 2009. Japanese personnel and material supporting the JMSDF deployment off Somalia are currently housed in rented space at the American base at Djibouti’s Camp Lemonnier, a former French Foreign Legion base. French troops in Djibouti are engaged in anti-piracy operations, training French troops for action in Afghanistan and keeping an eye on the volatile Horn of Africa region (Radio France Internationale, April 18).

The largest warships in the JMSDF are Guided Missile Destroyers, Destroyers and Helicopter Destroyers. Japan has been deploying a pair of destroyers on a rotational basis in the Gulf of Aden since last year. The naval deployment includes members of the Special Boarding Unit (SBU), a Hiroshima-based Special Forces unit patterned after the U.K.’s Special Boat Service (SBS).

The creation of a Japanese military base in Africa would have been implausible only a few years ago, as such deployments are in clear violation of Japan’s 1947 “Peace Constitution,” which forbids the maintenance of a Japanese military, the deployment of Japanese military forces overseas and participation in collective military operations, regardless of their purpose. With American encouragement during the Cold War, Japan began a conscious evasion of the Peace Constitution by creating “Self-Defense” Forces rather than a Japanese military. Japanese troops began overseas deployments in the early 1990s with non-combatant peacekeeping operations in Cambodia and Mozambique. After 9/11, new anti-terrorism and anti-piracy laws eased the transition to offshore operations. The JMSDF provided support to American forces in Afghanistan from 2001 to January 2010 and Japanese Ground Forces joined Coalition operations in Iraq in a humanitarian capacity in 2004. Technically, all members of Japan’s Self Defense Forces are classified as civilian civil servants and the naval deployment to the Horn of Africa is being characterized by the government as anti-crime operations rather than military operations.
end


----------



## The Bread Guy

Remember this with the Russians rescuing a ship last week?
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/67625/post-931628.html#msg931628

Well, the pirates' health and safety committee needs to work on better water safety training - this, from the Wall Street Journal:


> Ten pirates released from a Russian warship 300 miles out to sea may have drowned, according to Russian officials and colleagues of the pirates, raising fears of retaliation against other vessels plying East African waters.
> 
> The pirates were captured last week after they hijacked the Moscow University, a Liberian-flagged, Russian-operated oil tanker sailing off the Somali coast. A Russian warship came to the ship's rescue and apprehended the pirates. But after determining it would be too difficult to obtain a conviction, Russian officials said that they dropped plans to take the pirates to Moscow for trial.
> 
> Instead, like many other warships that have intercepted pirate skiffs, the Russian marines released the pirates — but not before removing weapons and navigation equipment from the boat several hundred miles from shore. Russian officials gave no explanation for removing the navigation equipment.
> 
> A Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson said radio signals from the boat disappeared about an hour after the release. "That could mean that they are dead," the spokesperson said ....



That said, I believe it's a bit of a leap to go from "we don't know where the boat ended up" to "they could be dead", but they could also be ashore, too.  And if they're not, well, Pirate Health/Safety team, UP!


----------



## old medic

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=040_1273842916


----------



## GAP

excellent!!


----------



## Yrys

Trial of alleged Somali pirates opens in Netherlands, BBC News







The first European trial of alleged Somali pirates has opened in the Netherlands.
Five men have denied seeking to hijack a cargo ship registered in the Netherlands
Antilles, saying they were on a simple fishing trip. They were arrested in the Gulf 
of Aden last year when their high-speed boat was intercepted by a Danish frigate. 
They face up to 12 years in jail.

Pirates attempted more than 200 attacks off the Somali coast in 2009. Worldwide,
there were an estimated 400 pirate attacks.

*'Just fishing'*

The five men are being tried in Rotterdam district court. They were arrested in January
last year after allegedly preparing to board the cargo ship Samanyolu, which was 
registered in the Caribbean. One of the suspects, Farah Ahmed Yusuf, 25, told the 
court: "The intention was to fish." During the trip their engine broke down and they 
tried to get the attention of a passing ship, he said.  As we came closer, we put our 
hands in the air. While we had our hands in the air, they shot at us. They attacked us,"
 he said, denying that he or his friends had fired any shots.

The Turkish crew on board the ship testified that the men sped towards the ship, firing 
with rifles, and that they also fired a rocket at the ship's bridge, but it missed. The crew 
say they fired flares at the small boat to keep it at bay until a Danish patrol vessel arrived.

One suspect, Sayid Ali Garaar, 39, pleaded with the court: "I am the victim here. They 
destroyed my boat and put my life in danger." Speaking about life in lawless Somalia, 
he added: "You sleep in your house while I have no country, no family. I have nothing."

The men's lawyers say they will challenge the jurisdiction of Dutch courts to try the case 
because the cargo vessel was under the flag of the Netherlands Antilles, which has its 
own justice system. This trial is expected to last five days, and the judgement is expected 
to be handed down in the middle of next month.

*Death sentence*

The trial is being watched closely in other countries seeking a judicial solution to the 
growing problem of piracy. Many of the suspects arrested in military operations in the 
Gulf of Aden in recent years have had to be set free for lack of evidence, while nearby 
African countries have been reluctant to take on the burden of trials.

Last Tuesday, a Yemeni court sentenced six Somali pirates to death and jailed six others 
for 10 years each for hijacking a Yemeni oil tanker and killing two cabin crew in April last 
year. Also last Tuesday, another Somali, Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, pleaded guilty in a New 
York court to seizing a US ship and kidnapping its captain last year. He faces a minimum of 
27 years in prison, and is expected to be sentenced in October.

Muse is the only surviving attacker of the Maersk Alabama merchant ship off Somalia's coast 
in April 2009.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from the _Washington Post_, shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the _Copyright Act._


> The Navy on Friday released 10 accused Somali pirates who had spent more than six weeks in custody aboard a U.S. warship in the Indian Ocean, Navy officials said.
> 
> U.S. officials said they tried to find a country willing to prosecute the alleged pirates, who were captured April 5 in the Arabian Sea by the McFaul, a U.S. guided missile destroyer. The McFaul apprehended the pirates after they had hijacked an Indian cargo ship and taken nine crew members hostage, Navy officials said.
> 
> The prisoners were removed from the McFaul on Friday and were being transported back to Somalia, Navy officials said.
> 
> U.S., European and other foreign navies that patrol the Indian Ocean have been reluctant to return captured pirates to Somalia -- a practice known as "catch-and-release" -- because the weak government there has little power to do anything about the problem.


----------



## sean m

The sad thing is that these poor Somalis have nothing to look forward to. Their country has been destroyed by civil war. They have not had a proper government since Abdirashid Ali Shermarke. There was Siad Barre but he was more of a dictator than anything else who seized power in a military junta. Then of course there was Mohamed Farrah Aidid who was just another warlord. Then of course there was the government standoff recently. This country also faces threats of being controlled by a radical islamist group, Al Shabab. There are also groups who are on the side of the government but completely operate on their own and doing what they wish.  Maybe a better idea would be to help improve the country; economically and socially ( Please dont take this for arrogance like I know everything, I am simple stating an idea  ) instead of arresting these poor people who are just trying to make a living.


----------



## Eye In The Sky

sean m said:
			
		

> instead of arresting these poor people who are just trying to make a living.



You'll have to pardon me for not sharing any sympathy for the ones who are using piracy as a "way to make a living".  Personally I think they should all be shark food once caught.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

sean m said:
			
		

> The sad thing is that these poor Somalis have nothing to look forward to. Their country has been destroyed by civil war. They have not had a proper government since Abdirashid Ali Shermarke. There was Siad Barre but he was more of a dictator than anything else who seized power in a military junta. Then of course there was Mohamed Farrah Aidid who was just another warlord. Then of course there was the government standoff recently. This country also faces threats of being controlled by a radical islamist group, Al Shabab. There are also groups who are on the side of the government but completely operate on their own and doing what they wish.  Maybe a better idea would be to help improve the country; economically and socially ( Please dont take this for arrogance like I know everything, I am simple stating an idea  ) instead of arresting these poor people who are just trying to make a living.



1. Take the eggs out of the fridge to let them warm a little, making the insides less viscous and more manageable. 

2. Use a pin to make the hole and then widen it with the point of a knife. 

3. Don’t make too small a hole otherwise the pressure of the exiting egg will cause more damage, collapsing your egg.  

4. Then suck the egg out.


----------



## sean m

I am very sorry, I did not mean to say that I know everything, I did not intend that at all. I stated that in the post. I am really not trying to act like I know everything I am sorry if it came out like that. I just wanted to add that it is very poor there and that these people do no have much and that it was my opinon that there should maybe be more dialogue than anything else. Again I am very sorry if I came out as arrogant, it is hard to have a discussion on the internet since all of the verbal ques such as tone are not available.


----------



## Honey_Coombs

Eye In The Sky said:
			
		

> You'll have to pardon me for not sharing any sympathy for the ones who are using piracy as a "way to make a living".  Personally I think they should all be shark food once caught.



 Not everyone is simply engaging in piracy to "make a living." In Somalia, anyways, the pirates are the Coast Guard - not an official, or pure one, but a homeland defense system anyways. They're defending against both illegal fishing trawlers (which are coming in from other countries and destroying the fishing industry in Somalia) and ships sailing down from Europe and dumping toxic waste in the waters. If unable to stop these happenings, many ships simply levy a tax upon the target offenders, using their weapons as a means of coercion. In the eyes of a desperate fisherman (former fishermen make up the majority of Somali pirates) trying to survive in a broken state embroiled in violence... it kind of makes sense, in a twisted way.

 However, in the case of pirates attacking and subsequently boarding innocent merchant or cruise ships, I agree completely with you; there is simply no excuse.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

sean m said:
			
		

> I am very sorry, I did not mean to say that I know everything, I did not intend that at all. I stated that in the post. I am really not trying to act like I know everything I am sorry if it came out like that. I just wanted to add that it is very poor there and that these people do no have much and that it was my opinon that there should maybe be more dialogue than anything else. Again I am very sorry if I came out as arrogant, it is hard to have a discussion on the internet since all of the verbal ques such as tone are not available.



Apologising everytime you step out of bounds can no longer be taken as genuine. You've done it too many times and haven't changed a thing. 

Start following the instructions you've been getting, by PM, from the Staff.


Milnet.ca Staff


----------



## MARS

Honey_Coombs said:
			
		

> In Somalia, anyways, the pirates are the Coast Guard - not an official, or pure one, but a homeland defense system anyways. They're defending against both illegal fishing trawlers (which are coming in from other countries and destroying the fishing industry in Somalia) and ships sailing down from Europe and dumping toxic waste in the waters. If unable to stop these happenings, many ships simply levy a tax upon the target offenders, using their weapons as a means of coercion.


 :rofl:

Care to substantiate your information?

Oh, I have read the pirates' press releases too.  Laughable.   Trust me, there is no 'homeland defense' action by the pirates and they are certainly not targeting the ships dumping waste - why would they? Some kind of environmental activism?  Those types of ships don't fit with the pirate TTPs.  These guys are simply criminals out to make money - lots of it.

_Edited for spelling_


----------



## Honey_Coombs

Sorry, I should have put in some links.

 http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/261147

 http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/3-toxic-waste-behind-somali-pirates/

 http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article22428.htm

 It's not so much environmental acvtivism as it is the fact that the toxic waste is washing up on shore. It's harming the people. A little while ago there was a tsunami (the third link down) along the coastline of Somalia in which barrels of toxic waste washed up into the middle of a fishing village. They have been suffereng the effects of this waste ever since. 

 As for the idea that piracy as a means of self-defense (homeland security) - it's an idea that's supported by 70% of the population (the second link down).

 I'm not naive enough to suggest that piracy in Somalia is simply a matter of necessity and the perpitrators are sadly doing what they have to do, but I am saying that their are other reasons. As for the money; they need it to live, right? There's a reason that most Somali pirates are former fishermen, I think, and that is because it is very difficult to survive by selling a product that is disappearing. Don't forget the illegal fishing trawlers. No, this isn't a Disney movie, but there are people out there who have turned to piracy as a means of survival.


----------



## Old Sweat

H_C

Check your sources. The first and third stories talk about the same vessel, but are dated several months apart. The second story is rather breathless, and it is difficult to determine its validity. Frankly I would find a report in something like The Economist much more believable than any of these sources.

To take it a bit farther, some of the claims are suspect. I was going to go a bit farther, but suspect will do for now. Specifically the sources try to paint the pirates as environmental Robin Hoods, robbing from the rich to clean up the pollution. Until proven otherwise, I am going to continue to put greed, not green, as the motivator.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

There was a legitimate coast guard being set up by the EU about 9 months ago but I figured the project failed as there has been little news about it since.


----------



## Eye In The Sky

Honey_Coombs said:
			
		

> Not everyone is simply engaging in piracy to "make a living." In Somalia, anyways, the pirates are the Coast Guard - not an official, or pure one, but a homeland defense system anyways. They're defending against both illegal fishing trawlers (which are coming in from other countries and destroying the fishing industry in Somalia) and ships sailing down from Europe and dumping toxic waste in the waters. If unable to stop these happenings, many ships simply levy a tax upon the target offenders, using their weapons as a means of coercion. In the eyes of a desperate fisherman (former fishermen make up the majority of Somali pirates) trying to survive in a broken state embroiled in violence... it kind of makes sense, in a twisted way.
> 
> However, in the case of pirates attacking and subsequently boarding innocent merchant or cruise ships, I agree completely with you; there is simply no excuse.



I paint a big, long log of shit yellow and call it a banana, it is STILL shit.


----------



## Honey_Coombs

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2010/ga10940.doc.htm

 Unfortunately, without a subscription, I cannot access the Economist's articles, so I couldn't look there for information. I had to resort to  :google:

 I'm not saying that the reasons behind piracy in Somalia are necessarily "green" related. I mean, they are, but no one really cares if the environment is being harmed. It's the damage being done to many fishermen's livelihoods. Their way of making money has been taken from them. Is it that hard to believe that there are desperate people resorting to piracy? 
 I just find it difficult to accept that every pirate in Somalia is doing what they do out of pure greed and ulterior motives. It's quite easy to judge from an armchair, but I believe that there are those engaging in piracy who really believe they have no other choice. It's not like every pirate is reaping in millions of dollars. Yes, the profit from ransoms is enormous, but that money goes to the leaders of the pirate gangs. I've already pointed it out, but I'll ask again; why are the majority of Somali pirates former fishermen? It's not like they're applying former knowledge to a new skill - they're using motor boats, hardly something they would have used for fishing. I can only believe that these actions are driven by some sort of desperation. 

Just to clarify, I'm not even attempting to imply that every pirate is doing what they've been forced to do. There are plenty of thugs on the water. I just don't believe it's as black and white an issue as Old Sweat and Mars are suggesting.


----------



## Old Sweat

I am sure you understand that just because something pops up on Google, does not make it authorative. Whenever I see obscure sources, usually without citations or any corresponding stories from major news organizations with a reputation of (sometimes at least) fact checking, I get very suspicious.

Where is the evidence ships are coming down from Europe to dump toxic waste in Somali waters? There are a number of reasons to take the claim with a grain of salt, including cost/distance, the legal definition of Somali waters and the depth of the ocean. Could someone more knowledgeable than I comment on the movement of the water column during a tsunami, specifically the 2004 one, and the depths and shape of the sea bed in the area in question? Also what was the extent of tsunami damage in the region during that event?

I suspect the local fishing community suffered after the collapse of the government. Probably a number of fishermen took up piracy out of necessity, but, just as in the age of piracy, goverments/individuals put up most of the money and took most of the profits. (See Elizabeth I, Drake, Hawkins, et al for an example) Many of the claims seem to be self-serving justification.


----------



## Edward Campbell

I've had it explained to me, face to face, small words, by the senior Canadian in Bahrain; I believe it is black and white and that the "green" and "economic" arguments are self serving excuses from those who apologize for piracy.


----------



## Honey_Coombs

It's difficult to find sources that everyone would consider valid (if such a thing exists) with little more at my disposal then Google. 

 Your points are valid, and importantly, make sense, but they lack the inclusion of humanity. I don't accept that these press releases are complete fabrications, drawn out of some wacky parallel universe. Toxic waste washing up on the shores of Somalia? Weirder things have happened, I think. 

 However, I am unlikely to change my mind and I do have a history essay to complete, so I'd like to respectfully withdraw myself. Besides, your positions are rock solid, anyways, and I'm pretty sure I'm losing this, so I think it's my time to go now. ;D
 Thank you for the conversation, gentlemen.


----------



## GAP

Honey_Coombs said:
			
		

> Just to clarify, I'm not even attempting to imply that every pirate is doing what they've been forced to do. There are plenty of thugs on the water. I just don't believe it's as black and white an issue as Old Sweat and Mars are suggesting.



Considering MARS just came back from the area, I would take his word over your obscure postings....


----------



## Lex Parsimoniae

Honey_Coombs said:
			
		

> Sorry, I should have put in some links.
> 
> http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/261147
> 
> http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/3-toxic-waste-behind-somali-pirates/
> 
> http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article22428.htm
> 
> It's not so much environmental acvtivism as it is the fact that the toxic waste is washing up on shore. It's harming the people. A little while ago there was a tsunami (the third link down) along the coastline of Somalia in which barrels of toxic waste washed up into the middle of a fishing village. They have been suffereng the effects of this waste ever since.
> 
> As for the idea that piracy as a means of self-defense (homeland security) - it's an idea that's supported by 70% of the population (the second link down).
> 
> I'm not naive enough to suggest that piracy in Somalia is simply a matter of necessity and the perpitrators are sadly doing what they have to do, but I am saying that their are other reasons. As for the money; they need it to live, right? There's a reason that most Somali pirates are former fishermen, I think, and that is because it is very difficult to survive by selling a product that is disappearing. Don't forget the illegal fishing trawlers. No, this isn't a Disney movie, but there are people out there who have turned to piracy as a means of survival.


It should be noted that at least one international organization, the World Peace Foundation, questions whether any toxic dumping actually took place.1

1 Robert I. Rotberg, Combating Maritime Piracy: A Policy Brief with Recommendations for Action (Cambridge, MA: World Peace Foundation, 2010), 11.


----------



## MARS

H_C,

No one is disputing what you write about the desperation faced by ordinary Somalis.  I was simply reacting to your initial post about piracy being related to the supposed dumping of toxic waste and the protection of the fishing industry from foreign overfishing.

We - the coalition here in the Gulf of Aden - _know_ that some of the pirates used to be fishermen.  But the fishing industry hasn't completely collapsed.  The pirates do, from time to time, attack fishing vessels.  See here  for a reasonably current list of ships being held. There are plenty of legitimate fisherman still earning a living today.  However, piracy is relatively easy.  And it is even easier money. Quite right, the average pirate isn't raking in loads of cash - like any organised crime - and that is exactly and all that piracy is - a crime - only the guys at the top are getting rich - really, really rich.  More of the pirates we catch are life-long criminals - gangsters, thugs and the like.  Some used to work for Aidid . Some are simply poor folks with few, if any other options.  Most come from the Hawiye and Darod Clans .  Not nice guys, fighting against the TFG and all.   ALL are attracted to the easy money.  If they have even a shred of decency and altruism, why then must the EU run escorts to protect the World Food Program ships?  Surely there can be nothing wrong with trying to feed the hungry, impoverished Somalis?  So why attack a food shipment?  Cash money.

Again, I was simply calling you out on your initial posting, which was simply incorrect.  There are no easy answers in this particular game, not until we can restore peace, order and some semblance of government ashore.

Good luck on your history essay 

_Edited for clarity_


----------



## MARS

GAP said:
			
		

> Considering MARS just came back from the area, I would take his word over your obscure postings....


 ;D
That was mission leave.  I still have 2 months left here.

But it should get a little less frustrating.  With the SW Monsoon season starting, seas are too rough for pirates in the Somali Basin.  They must now consolidate their operations in the Gulf of Aden.  Which we then flood with coalition assets.  Kinda like shooting fish in a barrel.

It is only 100 F here today.  At least I rotate home before Ramadan when we all have to wear long sleeves and long pants everywhere, and incidentally, the winds die off.


----------



## Honey_Coombs

Okay. I just got destroyed. Well, I surrender my position.  :whiteflag:

 I didn't know that - about the aid ships being attacked. It just all seems random, y'know? Why use _toxic waste_ as an excuse, of all things? Aye, what MARS said makes a lot of sense, though. *head explodes*   

 Good luck with the remainder of your tour!

 Goodbye forum, hello British Imperialism of the 1900's  :blotto:


----------



## GAP

Two suspected pirate attacks thwarted off Somalia
By the CNN Wire Staff May 30, 2010 
Article Link

The Seychelles Coast Guard and the Australian navy separately disrupted two potential pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden, officials said Sunday.

In the first incident, the Seychelles Coast Guard were led to the suspected pirates Saturday by a Swedish plane that is part of the European Union Naval Force.

The alleged pirate group consisted of a whaler, used as a mother ship, and two attack skiffs. The boats were first spotted about 500 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, the naval force said.

"After confirming that they had pirate paraphernalia on board, nine suspected pirates were disarmed and their two attack skiffs were destroyed," EU NAVFOR said in a statement.

"The suspected pirates were then embarked in their mother ship (whaler) and released," it added.

Authorities take suspected pirates into custody if they are caught during an attack.

In the second incident announced Sunday, the Australian navy spotted a suspicious skiff about one nautical mile from a merchant vessel.

When the navy ship Parramatta approached the skiff, it took off, the Combined Maritime Forces said in a statement.

The warship crew noticed the people in the skiff throwing items in the water, the statement said.

"When Parramatta closed in on the skiff, the suspected pirates raised their hands in surrender and a boarding team was dispatched to the vessel. Fifteen drums of fuel were found on board," the statement said.

The skiff was marked with indelible paint to allow coalition and other forces to track and identify of the skiff in the future. The suspected pirates were released. 
Article Link

More on link


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> Goodbye forum, hello British Imperialism of the 1900's



Having been in that area of the world several times and no doubt going back several times in the future, this comment is inexcusable to the job our sailors and those of other nations are doing there. Keep it up and it will be goodbye forum for you!

Milnet.Ca Staff


----------



## Honey_Coombs

Honey_Coombs said:
			
		

> However, I am unlikely to change my mind and I do have a history essay to complete, so I'd like to respectfully withdraw myself



 Wowa, hey, I meant the essay I'm doing. I'm doing an essay on British Imperialism in 1900's. Good bye forum (y'know, cause I'm leaving now), hello essay (because I'm about to continue working on it). 

 C'mon. There was no insult there. I even mentioned it a post earlier (see above quotation).


----------



## CougarKing

Piracy from another corner of the world:



> *Mexican pirates attack Texas fishermen on Falcon Lake, which straddles border*
> 
> Sunday, May 30, 2010
> 
> ZAPATA, TEX. -- Falcon Lake is famous for its monster bass and for the maniacal obsession of the fishermen who come from all over Texas -- and the world -- to stalk them. Now this remote reservoir that straddles the international boundary is known for something else: pirates.
> 
> *In the past month, crews of outlaws in a small armada of banged-up skiffs and high-powered bass boats launched from the Mexican shore have ambushed bass anglers from the Texas side innocently casting their plastic worms over favorite spots. The buccaneers have struck in Mexican waters but within sight of the Texas shore.
> 
> Dressed in black, the pirates brandish automatic weapons, carry radio cellphones and board the anglers' boats. They demand weapons or drugs from their captives, but finding neither, seem satisfied with taking $400 or $500 as booty, according to law enforcement officials and victims' accounts.
> 
> There is a saying about not messing with Texas, and the idea that criminals are preying on American anglers is raising already-high temperatures along the southwest border. Answering calls for help, President Obama last week ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to the region.
> 
> The pirates claim to be "federales," or police, but instead are brigands -- with the letter "Z" tattooed on their necks and arms -- from the notorious drug cartel Los Zetas. The Zetas are on a rampage of killing and extortion along the Mexican border as they fight gun and grenade battles against the military and the rival Gulf Cartel*.
> 
> "Within the last month, with all the feuding going on over there, the dope smuggling has dropped off and it is starving them. This water is Zeta central. They controlled the whole lake. They distributed everything. Now they're desperate and diversifying," said Jose E. Gonzalez, the second in command of the Border Patrol's Zapata station, which operates an around-the-clock maritime patrol.
> 
> Last week, Border Patrol agents tried to follow a Mexican boat filled with men wearing ski masks, but it was too fast for the agents and entered Mexican waters, where U.S. law enforcement is forbidden.
> 
> Olga Juliana Elizondo, the mayor of Nueva Guerrero, Mexico, said ranchers are harassed on their land, motorboats have disappeared, vehicles have been stolen and tourists have fled. "We hope this ends soon," she said.
> 
> "We've all heard about the pirates, and we're all sticking to the American side of the lake, because those are some bad boys out there," said Dwayne Deets, a fisherman from Houston who was sliding $50,000 worth of cream-colored bass boat, bristling with sonar and GPS electronics, down a ramp in Zapata.
> 
> _Read full article in The Washington Post_


----------



## GAP

Somali security forces free ship, captain killed
Article Link

The Associated Press

Date: Thursday Jun. 3, 2010 6:03 AM ET

NAIROBI, Kenya — Security forces from Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region stormed a hijacked cargo vessel early Thursday and outgunned the pirates holding it after they fatally shot the ship's Pakistani captain, authorities said.

Authorities decided to try and free the Panama-flagged ship by force after pirates refused pleas to surrender and instead killed the captain, said Said Mohamed Raage, who is the minister of marine transport and ports in the region.

"We can't afford letting pirates capture Somali-charted ships. If we don't act so decisively they will continue hijacking all Somali-bound cargo ships," Raage told The Associated Press.

Two officers were wounded during a brief shootout with the pirates and ultimately all seven pirates were detained, he said.

While rescue operations by Somali ragtag security forces are rare, it's not the first time they have tried to free a ship. In 2008, they stormed a hijacked ship carrying food to the war-ravaged, poor country, rescuing the hostages and arresting seven pirates.

The QSM Dubai had been hijacked early Wednesday in the Gulf of Aden while headed for a port in the breakaway northern region of Somaliland. The crew aboard the ship hailed from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ghana. It had sailed from Brazil and carried goods for both Somaliland and Puntland regions.

Puntland, which declared itself an autonomous state within Somalia in 1998, has generally been spared the violence that has wracked much of Somalia's southern and central regions. But pirates use the region as a base of operations.

Thursday's incident comes barely a day after the crew of a Libyan-owned cargo ship pounced on their sleeping Somali captors, disarming the pirates and killing five of them. The crew was able to regain control of their vessel, which had been hijacked Feb. 3 in the Gulf of Aden. 
More on link


----------



## MARS

Booyah!

Good work by the crew members.  Not so good work by the pirates.

 Article link



> Crew of hijacked vessel retake control from pirates
> 
> NAIROBI, June 2 (Xinhua)-- European Union anti-piracy mission confirmed on Wednesday that the crew on the hijacked Libyan-owned merchant ship had retaken control of the vessel from Somali pirates.
> 
> EU Naval Force spokesman John Harbour said one of the crew members was seriously injured during the incident. "Today at 10:10 hrs local time, the hijacked Libyan owned merchant vessel RIM reported that the crew had successfully retaken control of the ship," Harbour said.
> 
> The incident took place south east of Garacad, off Somalia's northern coastline.
> 
> He said the closest EU Naval Force warship, the SPS Victoria, was immediately tasked by the Force Commander Jan Thornqvist, to meet up with MV RIM in order give medical assistance. SPS VICTORIA launched her helicopter immediately. "Confusing reports that the ship had been pirated again came prior to the helicopter reaching the scene of the incident. It was quickly established that the crew were in control of the vessel," he said.
> 
> According to Harbour, there were however, pirates in the vicinity who were attempting to impede the EU Naval Force operation by utilizing another hijacked vessel the MV Voc Daisy. "When SPS Victoria's helicopter approached the MV Voc Daisy she changed her course. No warning shots were fired. It is believed that some of the pirates were killed during the incident. The ship is now under the control of the crew," he said.
> 
> He said EU anti piracy mission is monitoring the situation and more information will be released as it becomes available.
> 
> The Horn of Africa nation's coastline is considered one of the world's most dangerous stretches of water because of piracy.
> 
> Somalia is at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, which leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping channels.
> 
> The country has been plagued by factional fighting between warlords and hasn't had a functioning central administration since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohammed Siad Barre.
> 
> Editor: Liu


----------



## GAP

Mauritius says ready to try, imprison pirates
By JEAN PAUL AROUFF, Reuters
Article Link 

PORT LOUIS - Mauritius is ready to try and jail suspected pirates, Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam said on Saturday, joining three other countries in the region that have shown interest in doing the same.

Rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia has made it the world's most dangerous shipping lane and earned Somali sea bandits tens of millions of dollars in ransoms and raised insurance premiums for ships.

International navies trying to counter piracy off Somalia are often reluctant to take suspects to their own countries because they either lack the jurisdiction to put them on trial there, or they fear the pirates may seek asylum.

Often pirates arrested on the high seas are returned to Somalia's lawless shores.

"During a meeting with Baroness Catherine Ashton, European Union representative for foreign affairs and security policy, I have expressed our wish to try and judge suspected pirates," Ramgoolam told reporters.

Mauritius joins Kenya, Seychelles and Tanzania in saying they are ready to prosecute pirates.

Kenya has borne the brunt of taking in and prosecuting sea bandits seized by foreign navies patrolling the Gulf of Aden's busy shipping lanes that link Europe with Africa and Asia.

Ramgoolam said Mauritius needed to play a more active role in fighting piracy in the region, given its impact on security, fishing and tourism.

However, he said Mauritius needed financial assistance and training.

"We need the help of EU as we must set up a special prison to detain pirates captured on the Indian Ocean as I don't want them to get mixed up with our local detainees," Ramgoolam said.

Pirates continue to outwit an international patrol of warships, forcing some shipping companies to re-route around southern Africa while others employ private armed guards.

Somali pirates are holding at least 11 ships. On Friday, they released British-flagged vehicle carrier Asian Glory after a ransom was paid.
More on link


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from the BBC:


> A Dutch court has sentenced five Somali men to five years in prison for attacking a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden last year, in the first such case to come to trial in Europe.
> 
> The men were convicted in Rotterdam of attacking a Dutch Antilles-flagged ship, the Samanyolu.
> 
> They were arrested last year when their high-speed boat was intercepted by a Danish frigate.
> 
> Pirates attempted more than 200 attacks off the Somali coast in 2009.
> 
> The trial is seen a landmark case in the fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean, which has prompted navies from many countries to join an international task force to protect sea lanes ....


----------



## jollyjacktar

Good start.  Not  a long enough sentence, but a start.  Hopefully the rest of countries involved in anti-piracy ops will start to grow some balls and take these dirtbags to trial and jail instead of catch and release fishing.


----------



## CougarKing

Singapore's RSS _Endurance_ heads for Somalia to join other CTF151 warships.

Singapore Ministry of Defence link



> 18 Jun 2010 - For the second time, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has dispatched a task group in support of international efforts to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden. *Participating in the three-month deployment is the Republic of Singapore Navy Landing Ship Tank (LST), RSS Endurance, with two Republic of Singapore Air Force Super Puma helicopters on board.* Led by Colonel Tan Kai Cheong, Commanding Officer 191 Squadron, the SAF task group consists of 221 personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force. The SAF task group will operate under the ambit of the multinational Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to undertake operations to deter and disrupt piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden....





> Below, members of the then Singapore-led CTF 151 command team (standing) working with their international counterpart on board the then CTF 151 flagship USS Farragut.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> From January to April 2010, Rear Adm. Bernard Miranda, Republic of Singapore Navy, served as commander of CTF-151. This deployment of the RSS Endurance is part of Singapore's commitment to CTF-151, which is currently under the command of  Rear Adm. Beom Rim Lee of the Republic of Korea Navy (to whom Rear Adm. Bernard Miranda handed over command at the end of April).
> 
> In May 2010, Rear Adm. Beom Rim Lee, Commander, CTF 151, also met with Russian Navy Captain First Rank Ildar F. Ahmerov, onboard the Russian warship RFN Marshal Shaposhnikov (BPK 543), to discuss mutual cooperation between the two. CTF 151 and the Russian Navy are conducting counter-piracy operations in the Somali Basin and Gulf of Aden.


----------



## CougarKing

> BBC link
> 
> *The Dutch ministry of defence said the submarine will join the Nato-led international flotilla off East Africa.
> It will be used for reconnaissance in the vast area from the Gulf of Aden deep into the Indian Ocean where Somali pirates have been hijacking commercial vessels for ransom. *
> The Gulf of Aden is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world.
> "The Netherlands will deploy a submarine from the end of September to the end of November," the Dutch ministry of defence said.
> In March, Nato extended its Ocean Shield anti-piracy mission until the end of 2012.


----------



## GAP

The Good Little Pirate Versus The Organ Thieves
June 28, 2010
Article Link

 For the first time, a Somali pirate turned against his fellow brigands, to help a captured crew kill its guards and get away. For the crew of the cargo ship Rim, this was a lifesaver. In this case, one of the pirates (a 13 year old boy named Ahmed), who served as a cook, grew friendly with the crew. He brought them a SIM card for a cell phone the crew had hidden from the pirates, as well as extra food. The problems was that no one wanted to ransom the ship. The pirates originally asked for $3 million in ransom, and kept reducing that until it reached $300,000. No one would pay.

The reason, it transpired, was because the Libyan owner had recently sold the ship for scrap, and after its current cargo of ceramics clay was delivered to Yemen, the ship would move on to India, where it would be broken up. The small (4,800 ton) transport, MV Rim, was taken by pirates last February. The ship was owned, until shortly before its last voyage, by Libyans, and registered in North Korea. When captured, the ship was uninsured.

When the pirates realized there would be no ransom, they sought to arrange for someone to buy the organs of the crew. The crew were told by Ahmed  about this plan to kill them. They convinced Ahmed to get them three AK-47s. Then, on June 2nd, the Rim crew killed the six pirates guarding them, and got the ship underway. With other pirates in pursuit in another hijacked ship, the Rim crew called the anti-piracy patrol. Shortly thereafter, the 37 year old engine of the Rim died. Just in time, an armed helicopter showed up, and forced the pursuing pirate ship to back off. Then a warship showed up and took the crew, and Ahmed, off the Rim. The crew were sent home, the Rim was simply cut loose, and may later be sunk (the anti-piracy patrol is keeping track of it, and perhaps inspecting it, because of the North Korean connection). Ahmed was taken aboard a Dutch warship, and has disappeared. It's believed that the Dutch quietly gave the boy asylum. Somali custom makes Ahmed responsible for the death of the six Somali guards, and Ahmed will have to disappear into some form of witness protection status to survive. 
end


----------



## GAP

Attorneys: Accused pirates blindfolded, handcuffed
Article Link
 Jul 19, 5:03 PM EDT By STEVE SZKOTAK Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Three Somali men being prosecuted on U.S. piracy charges say they were held naked, blindfolded and handcuffed for days without an interpreter, while another says an interpreter threatened to toss him overboard, attorneys argued in court papers Monday.

Attorneys representing the Somalis also claim charges against one of the defendants should be dismissed because he is a juvenile.

In the case of two defendants, attorneys said statements the men made shouldn't be allowed in court because they weren't advised of their Miranda rights to remain silent and have an attorney.

The motions filed electronically Monday were among several submitted in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, where five Somalis are being prosecuted for the alleged April 1 attack on the USS Nicholas off the coast of Africa.

The Nicholas defendants and six Somali men accused in the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland are scheduled to be arraigned July 28 on a new indictment that adds more charges. All face mandatory life terms if convicted of the piracy charges. Each has pleaded not guilty.

The government declined to respond Monday to the motions filed in the cases, saying it will respond in court.

The new filings expand on the defendants' version of what occurred when their small skiff encountered the Nicholas in the pirate-infested waters off north Africa.

In the case of Gabul Abdullahi Ali, he and two other defendants were held for more than three days handcuffed and blindfolded before an interpreter was made available, according to Ali's attorney, William J. Holmes.

Ali does not recall ever being advised of his right to remain silent or to request counsel, Holmes wrote.

If the government argues that point, Holmes wrote, Ali would not be expected to understand "the terminology used in our legal system, which is completely foreign to him because of his lack of education."

At hearings in Norfolk, none of the defendants spoke English or claimed any formal education.

An attorney for Mohammed Modin Hasan said an interpreter told him the Navy would toss him overboard if he did not admit he was a pirate. Hasan told investigators he was captured while fishing and forced to participate in the attack on the Nicholas, attorney James R. Theuer wrote.

Theuer also wrote that the alleged crimes happened before Hasan's 18th birthday.
More on link


----------



## CougarKing

> *Somali pirates hijack sugar cargo ship with 24 crew: EU*
> AFP
> 
> Thu Aug 5, 10:51 pm ET
> 
> BRUSSELS (AFP) – Somali pirates seized a freighter with 24 Syrian and Egyptian crew members in the lawless waters of the Gulf of Aden, the EU's anti-piracy force said, reporting the second pirate capture this week.
> *
> The Syria Star, flagged in Saint Vincent and Grenadines*, radioed for help on Thursday and "reported that she was under attack from pirates who had climbed onboard and fired shots at the crew", said the European Union NAVFOR Somalia mission.
> 
> Helicopters were dispatched and tried to establish contact with the ship, which was carrying a cargo of sugar, but they found only an abandoned skiff nearby containing fuel and ammunition, the force said in a statement.
> 
> "When warships arrived on the scene shortly after, the Syria Star had reversed course and was heading South East back towards the Horn of Africa under the control of the pirates, who refused to respond to radio contact."
> 
> The vessel's crew was predominantly Syrian and there were only two Egyptians.
> 
> It was the second pirate seizure this week.
> 
> On Monday, the sea bandits captured a Panamanian freighter with 23 crew from Egypt, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Aden.
> 
> A day later, a Spanish warship foiled an attack on a Norwegian chemical tanker off the Horn of Africa. The vessel was holding seven suspected Somali pirates pending possible prosecution.
> 
> This week, a Saudi insurance company said it would pay a 20-million-dollar ransom to free a hijacked ship and its 14-member crew held hostage for five months.
> 
> "The owner of the Al-Nisr Al-Saudi ship, which was hijacked by Somali pirates, said the insurance company has agreed to pay a ransom of 20 million dollars to win the release of the ship and its 14-member crew," Arab News said on Monday.
> 
> The pirates had been torturing the crew of 13 Sri Lankans and one Greek as well as threatening to kill them unless the ransom was paid, the daily quoted the ship's owner, Kamal Arri, as saying.
> 
> The tanker, he said, was not carrying any oil when the pirates captured it in the Gulf of Aden in March as it sailed back from Japan to the Saudi port of Jeddah.
> 
> Arri said his company had so far lost about eight million dollars as a result of the hijacking.
> 
> Foreign naval powers have deployed dozens of warships since 2008 in a bid to secure the Gulf, a crucial maritime route leading to the Suez Canal through which tens of thousands of merchant vessels transit each year.
> 
> But pirates have gradually extended their area of operations, seizing ships as far east as the Maldives' territorial waters and as far south as the Canal of Mozambique.
> 
> Naval missions, including the European Union's Atalanta deployment, have boasted success in curbing attacks but the number of hijacked ships and detained seafarers remains at one of its highest levels since Somali piracy surged in 2007.
> 
> Unofficial figures show 2009 was the most prolific year yet for Somali pirates, with more than 200 attacks -- including 68 successful hijackings -- and ransoms believed to exceed 50 million dollars in total.
> 
> link


----------



## George Wallace

One may begin to wonder how far into ones youth one becomes a criminal and corrupt.  Here, is an example of a young Somali refugee to Canada, who faces serious consequences for his way of life, and is branded a danger to Canadian society.

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.

*
Ex-child refugee faces deportation to native Somalia after life of crime in Canada
*
By Andrew Duffy, The Ottawa Citizen
August 9, 2010


LINK 

OTTAWA — An Ottawa man, who came to Canada from Somalia as a child refugee and went on to a life of crime, faces deportation to a strife-torn homeland that he hasn’t seen since the age of eight.

Abadir Ali, 26, has been declared a danger to the Canadian public by federal immigration officials. 

That designation was upheld as lawful in a recent Federal Court decision. 

In that ruling, Judge Leonard Mandamin said immigration officials arrived at a reasonable conclusion in finding that Ali’s risk to the Canadian public outweighed the personal risk he faces in Somalia. 

Ali, now held at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, has been fighting his deportation for more than two years. 

His lawyer, Felix Weekes, said Ali can’t speak the native language in Somalia, has no relatives in the country and no familiarity with its culture.

“They’re getting ready to send this kid back to a country he doesn’t know anything about,” Weekes said in an interview Monday.

Ottawa’s Somali community has expressed concern about the case through a petition presented to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. More than 200 people signed the petition, which said that sending Ali back to Somalia amounted to a death sentence.

The petition asks the government to suspend Ali’s deportation until conditions in Somalia have improved. 

Born in southern Somalia, Abadir Ali came to Canada in 1991 with his stepmother. They were granted refugee status one year later, and he became a permanent resident in May 1993.

Ali suffered a troubled youth, court documents show, and began to accumulate a criminal record at the age of 19. He was convicted of assault causing bodily harm and obstructing a police officer in 2002. Another obstruction conviction followed in 2004. 

Court documents show immigration officials warned Ali in November, 2006 that he could be deported unless he stopped his criminal activity and began to lead a more productive life.

Ali, however, was arrested less than a year later by Ottawa police for aggravated assault. He had severely beaten a young woman who was left with permanent injuries. He was sentenced for the crime in January 2008. 

Federal immigration officials then began the process of deporting him. 

Ottawa’s Abdiwahid Osman Haji, a Somali-trained lawyer who has lobbied on behalf of Ali, said the young man deserves a chance to rehabilitate himself in Canada since none of his crimes were so serious as to draw a federal prison term. What’s more, he said, Ali has expressed remorse for the offences, which were committed under the influence of drugs and alcohol. 

Haji said it would be cruel and unusual punishment to return Ali to a part of Somalia where he’s sure to be persecuted for his tribal affiliations — he is the product of an inter-clan marriage — and his western sensibilities.

In Somalia, Islamic extremist groups, al Shabbab and Hizbul Islam, are fighting federal government forces centred in Mogadishu. 

“They will notice right away that he’s a foreigner,” Haji argued. “They’ll consider him a spy, the terrorists, or they’ll recruit him because he speaks English.”

It’s hard to imagine, he added, how Ali could survive with little money and no contacts in Somalia. “The only country he knows is Canada,” Haji said. 

A recent United Nations report on Somalia describes the country as a failed state, which “remains one of the most insecure places in the world, with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.” But the same report notes that two regions in the country, Somaliland and Puntland, “appear to be relatively calm” and are host to refugees and asylum-seekers. 

Federal officials initially planned to return Ali to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, but the Canada Border Services Agency later proposed a different set of travel arrangements that would take him on a charter flight from Nairobi, Kenya to Bosaso, a port city in the Puntland region. Canadian officials planned to take Ali as far as Nairobi, and then turn him over to private security personnel for the flight to Somalia.

In his recent ruling, Judge Mandamin ordered the government to re-assess the risk of returning Ali to Somalia using the revised travel arrangements. But the judge stressed that “this relates to risk arriving from travel and it does not include a new risk assessment concerning refoulment to Somalia.”

It means Ali’s deportation will likely be delayed for several months as the new, relatively narrow risk assessment is completed and reviewed.


© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen


----------



## GAP

Enough already....just punt the loser....see how he likes being a minnow among the other bottom feeders....


----------



## MarkOttawa

A post at _Unambiguously Ambidextrous_:

Piracy: “Their Lordships are almost tempted to say that a little common sense is a valuable quality in the interpretation of international law.”
http://unambig.com/piracy-their-lordships-are-almost-tempted-to-say-that-a-little-common-sense-is-a-valuable-quality-in-the-interpretation-of-international-law/

Mark
Ottawa


----------



## CougarKing

Now we have Persian Gulf pirates?



> Associated Press link
> 
> 
> *US Navy says 4 ships robbed off Iraqi coast  *
> 
> 41 minutes ago
> 
> By Kim Gamel, The Associated Press
> 
> BAGHDAD - Gunmen robbed four commercial ships anchored near the southern oil hub of Basra in a rare attack off the Iraqi coast, the U.S. Navy said Sunday.
> 
> 
> Two men armed with AK-47 rifles boarded the American ship Sagamore  in the vicinity of an Iraqi oil terminal in the northern Persian Gulf at 4 a.m. on Aug. 8, taking computers, cellphones and money from crew members before fleeing the vessel after about 40 minutes on board, according to Lt. John Fage, a spokesman for the Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
> 
> 
> He said three other ships — the Antigua-flagged Armenia, the North Korean Crystal Wave and the Syrian Sana Star  — were also robbed under similar circumstances during a two-hour period starting about 2 a.m. the same day. Other information about the attackers, including their nationalities, was not known, Fage said.
> 
> 
> The seaborne robbery occurred about 20 miles (32 kilometres) off the port of Umm Qasr in an area that is patrolled jointly by the U.S. Navy and Iraqi sailors. American vessels in the area for routine security operations, including a guided missile destroyer, responded to the attacks, Fage said.
> 
> 
> *The attack at sea reflects concerns about an increase in crime in Iraq even as political violence ebbs, but Fage played down concerns it signalled a new threat to commercial traffic in the Gulf.*
> 
> "We do maintain a constant presence. We do maintain a high state of vigilance in conducting security operations with our Iraqi partners," he said in a telephone interview.
> 
> 
> Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, which is located near Umm Qasr, has been relatively quiet since a 2008 military crackdown that ended three years of Shiite militia rule, rampant crime and turmoil. The area and the surrounding province contain about 70 per cent of Iraq's proven oil reserves of 115 billion barrels.
> 
> (...)


----------



## GAP

Judge throws out piracy charges against 6 Somalis
Article Link
 Aug 17, 4:44 PM EDT By STEVE SZKOTAK Associated Press Writer

 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- A judge on Tuesday dismissed piracy charges against six Somali men accused of attacking a Navy ship off the coast of Africa, concluding the U.S. government failed to make the case their alleged actions amounted to piracy.

The dismissal of the piracy count by U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson tosses the most serious charge against the men, but leaves intact seven other charges related to the alleged April 10 attack on the USS Ashland in the Gulf of Aden. A piracy conviction carries a mandatory life term.

Defense attorneys argued last month that the Ashland defendants did not meet the U.S. legal definition of piracy because they did not take command of and rob the amphibious dock landing ship.

Jackson agreed in his ruling, finding that the government "failed to establish that any unauthorized acts of violence or aggression committed on the high seas constitutes piracy as defined by the law of nations."

Jackson, who issued the ruling from Norfolk, wrote that the government was attempting to use "an enormously broad standard under a novel construction of the statute" that would contradict a nearly 200-year-old Supreme Court decision, United States v. Smith.

The six are accused of attacking the Ashland in a skiff, though they claim they were ferrying refugees. The Ashland is 610 feet long and designed to carry hovercraft and other vehicles for amphibious assaults. The skiff was destroyed by one of the ship's 25mm cannons. One occupant of the skiff was killed and several others were injured.
More on link


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

> Now we have Persian Gulf pirates?



There always were pirates operating in the Gulf. This is not a surprise for those of us who have been there. Since piracy has become sexy with the news media we are now seeing the attacks getting publicity.


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from the Canadian Press:


> Ottawa was so embarrassed by the "catch-and-release conundrum" involving Somali pirates last year that it ordered the navy not to take any prisoners unless they had an iron-clad case that would stand up in court, say federal documents.
> 
> The policy change happened in the spring of last year and meant sailors would stand aside unless they actually saw the "commission of an act of piracy, or armed robbery generally defined as illegal use of violence" on the high seas.
> 
> At the time, the frigate HMCS Winnipeg was patrolling the northwest Indian Ocean as part of a NATO anti-piracy operation.
> 
> "Only in situations where HMCS Winnipeg apprehends persons during its current anti-piracy operations and where it believes that sufficient evidence exists that could lead to a prosecutable case" would prisoners be taken, said a May 29, 2009 letter asking Defence Minister Peter MacKay to approve the new policy.
> 
> "In cases where HMCS Winnipeg has reasonable grounds to suspect that persons encountered at sea are involved in piracy but where no evidence exists to prove an act of piracy was committed, the expectation is that no detainees would be taken." ....


----------



## The Bread Guy

This from the _Wall Street Journal_:


> U.S. Marines early Thursday boarded and seized control of a German-owned commercial vessel that had been commandeered by pirates, in what appeared to be the first American-led military boarding of its kind amid a recent surge of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and along the east coast of Africa.
> 
> A raiding party of 24 Marines boarded the ship about 85 miles southeast of Mukallah, Yemen, in the Gulf of Aden, according to the U.S. Navy. Pirates had captured the vessel, which was carrying steel chains, in the same vicinity the previous day, the Navy said.
> 
> The U.S. said there were no casualties among the raiding party or the ship's crew. Nine alleged pirates were captured in the operation....








Helicopters provided aerial watch as U.S. Marines boarded and seized control of the M/V Magellan Star.  Photo credit:  U.S. Navy


----------



## George Wallace

Hopefully we don't see a "Catch and Release" here.


----------



## The Bread Guy

> The African Union sought U.N. approval Thursday for a naval and air blockade of Somalia, as well as more troops and aid to fend off piracy and terrorism in the struggling Horn of Africa nation.
> 
> The AU's commissioner for peace and security, Ramtane Lamamra, urged the U.N. Security Council to authorize a blockade while seeking far more international aid and a contingent of 20,000 AU-led troops, up from the current authorization of 8,000. He also asked the council to approve hiring up to 1,680 police. The AU peacekeeping force, operating under the U.N. mandate, now has about 6,000 troops ....


More here.


----------



## The Bread Guy

> Stopping piracy on the high seas is critical for nations like Canada and requires more than naval force, a high-ranking member of the Canadian Navy says.
> 
> Cmdr. Steve Waddell - who recently spent about six months commanding the HMCS Fredericton on a piracy- and terrorism-fighting mission for NATO - said what's required is a long-term, multi-faceted approach that will get at what really causes the problem.
> 
> "The root problem is ashore," Waddell, who currently works in maritime strategy at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa - said during a visit to the HMCS Griffon in Thunder Bay on Friday. "We can keep addressing the issues at sea and trying to deter them from attacking legitimate and defenseless merchant ships, but until conditions are changed ashore I don't think that we'll see that threat go away.
> 
> "There is little opportunity (for) tangible employment for people in Somalia," he said. "So, once other opportunities are given to them, then perhaps they'll look elsewhere."
> 
> Any specifics in terms of dealing with that, Waddell said, are beyond his mandate as a member of the Navy. But Canada and other nations and agencies need to work together, perhaps through the United Nations, to address the problem.
> 
> (....)
> 
> "Forty per cent of our exports related to GDP, 90 per cent of all trade, travels by the high seas," Waddell said. "With all of those imports coming into this country, unimpeded commerce is important.
> 
> "When you've got folks like pirates that are taking legitimate mariners hostage and negotiating ransom, driving up insurance rates on shipping, requiring them to manoeuvre further away from the coastline thereby adding days onto their schedule or extra fuel, when you've got terrorists that indicate they want to blockade choke points . . . these are threats to security," Waddell said. "It's beyond the jurisdiction of individual states.
> 
> "Navies get involved to assure security on the high seas. And Canada, which is so reliant on imports . . . it's important for us to be involved." ....


A bit more here.


----------



## GAP

Danish navy destroys pirate boat
By Reuters
Article Link

COPENHAGEN - A Danish warship boarded a pirate supply vessel off the coast of Somalia, captured six suspected pirates and then sank the ship, Denmark’s navy said on Wednesday.

The suspects were later freed on the coast, a Danish naval command spokesman said.

“They had not committed anything criminal at sea — they were just on the wrong boat, with the wrong gear at the wrong time,” spokesman Kenneth Nielsen said. “They had equipment on board that could be used in piracy.”

The boat was seized on Tuesday by the navy’s Esbern Snarre vessel during a NATO patrol along Somalia’s east coast, the naval command said in a statement.

Piracy is rife off the coast of Somalia in east Africa, disrupting shipping lanes between Europe and Asia, putting crews and vessels in danger and jacking up insurance rates for shipowners.

The Danish crew confiscated a small number weapons and a large amount of fuel before setting explosives to the boat and sinking it, the navy said.

“There is a very strong mandate from the U.N. so that international navies can confiscate and destroy equipment related to piracy,” Nielsen said.

The captured supply boat was larger than the skiffs commonly used by pirates in raids so it could operate far from the coast, he said.
More on link


----------



## GAP

Somali pirates free UK couple Paul and Rachel Chandler
Article Link
 14 November 2010 Last updated at 10:08 ET

Will Ross on what lies ahead for the Chandlers, seen here hours after their release

A retired British couple have been released by Somali pirates after being held captive for more than a year.

Paul, 60, and Rachel Chandler, 56, from Kent, were seized from their yacht near the Seychelles in October 2009.

Mrs Chandler said: "I'm enjoying being free". The couple said they were fine, but will undergo medical checks.

They were taken to Adado, then Mogadishu, and have now arrived in Kenya. The BBC held off reporting the release due to an injunction.

It observed the terms of the order obtained by the Chandlers' family which was intended to stop news organisations covering their release until they were safely out of Somalia.
Rachel Chandler Rachel Chandler and her husband said they were fine after their ordeal

Mr Chandler told the BBC: "We're fine, we're rather skinny and bony but we're fine."

The couple were told they were to be released two days ago, he said.

"We were told on Friday in a way which gave us some confidence to believe it. Otherwise we'd been told we'd be released in 10 days almost every 10 days for the past nine months. So we'd taken all these suggestions with a pinch of salt."

Asked if he had felt their lives had been in danger during captivity, he said: "That's something we'll talk about later, but we were not really directly endangered by the gang, after the initial seizure."

He said "ideally" he'd like to get back to sea soon.
More on link


----------



## gun runner

Does anyone know exactly how many ships/vessels the pirates are holding? I heard over a hundred, but it is hearsay. Cheers.


----------



## George Wallace

Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.

*
Somali Piracy Is a Problem for the World
*
11/23/2010
SPIEGEL ONLINE


LINK 

*Ten Somalis are facing a Hamburg court as Germany holds its first piracy trial in centuries. They are almost certain to be convicted, but any legal victory for the German authorities will be purely symbolic. Off the coast of Somalia, piracy is becoming ever more sophisticated, with ransoms growing and ambushes getting more audacious.*  By SPIEGEL Staff 

It was April 5, 2010, and the German cargo ship Taipan was 500 nautical miles off the Horn of Africa. The crew, 15 sailors in all, had barricaded themselves into a well-concealed safe room deep in the ship's hold and were now crouched tightly together on the floor.


From there, they had shut off the engines and the electrical systems. Now they were trying to be as quiet as possible, for fear that the pirates on board could hear them. The attackers had brought along a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, or RPG. The captain had seen it with his own eyes. And although this safe room had thick steel walls that were supposedly bulletproof, would they stand up against an RPG? Keeping quiet seemed to be the best approach.

Their silence only made the noise the pirates were making -- the shouting, the gunshots and the sound of doors being kicked in -- sound even louder. The pirates, knowing that there would be no ransom without hostages, were determined to find the crew. One of them was already calling for the captain in English and saying that all the pirates had been captured. It had to be a trick, the men thought, still keeping quiet.

But there it was again: "We're here to help you!" Not a sound from the safe room. "Captain Eggers, this is the Royal Dutch Navy. There are no pirates left here." Not a sound. But then the captain, Dierk Eggers, heard someone speaking Dutch and realized that it wasn't a trap, that he and his crew could finally come out and that it was all over. A special-forces unit from the Dutch frigate Tromp had captured the 140-meter (460-foot) German freighter and taken the pirates prisoner. The pirates were now lying handcuffed in a row on the deck.

*Symbolic Victory*

More than half a year has passed since then. The liberation of the Taipan is seen as one of the biggest successes in the fight against Somali pirates. Prosecutors in Hamburg now intend to turn that success into a victory by the German justice system over outlaws operating off the Horn of Africa.

The trial of the 10 Somali pirates, who the Netherlands has extradited to Germany, began on Monday in courtroom 337 at the Hamburg Regional Court. It is the first piracy trial on German soil in centuries. The court has scheduled 14 hearings. The trial revolves around charges of abduction with the intent to extort money, under Section 239a, Subsection 1 of the German Criminal Code, and attacking maritime traffic, under Section 316c, Subsection 1, Number 1b. More generally, the trial is about the rule of law. It's already clear that if the German authorities win the case, as they are expected to do, it will be no more than a symbolic victory. No one is sure if the larger battle can even be won anymore.

While preparations for the trial were underway in Hamburg in recent weeks, the situation off the coast of Africa deteriorated even further. Pirates have captured 37 ships from January to October of this year, up from 33 in the same period last year. In early November, German authorities counted 19 ships, carrying 440 hostages, at anchor off the coast of Somalia, including the Singapore-flagged MT York, which has a German captain. The ransoms are going up, with pirates now demanding an average of $12 million (€8.9 million), and with ship owners paying up to $10 million. According to Clayton Consultants, a US security firm, the negotiations are now lasting twice as long as in 2009.

The pirates' range of operations is also expanding, rendering increasingly powerless the international protective fleet, the European Union's Atalanta mission and the American, Russian and Indian navies. The few pirates they encounter today are getting more and more cunning, as well as increasingly violent and dangerous. On the other hand, there is a growing industry that profits from the crisis: There are companies that specialize in arming ships, negotiating with hostage-takers and insuring ships traveling along high-risk routes. Some 6,000 kilometers (3,750 miles) away from the Hamburg courtroom, in the fishing areas off East Africa, hardly anyone believes anymore that the Somali malaise is only a temporary phenomenon.

And so the global community has yet another problem it cannot solve, because solving this problem would require improving the world itself. Or at least a small part of the world that has already ceased to be a nation-state and remains nothing but a shattered country where young men without prospects stand to gain a lot and lose very little through piracy. There is, of course, the possibility that they could lose their lives, but lives mean relatively little in Somalia.

*The Hunting Season*

It is now November, and the new hunting season has only just begun. Not that there were months without any attacks, but in the monsoon period the waves are higher and the small skiffs the pirates use in their attacks are tossed about in the rough seas, making hijacking more difficult, more dangerous and sometimes impossible. This has prompted some pirates to move their territory to the Red Sea, where the waves are not as high. But now the monsoon has ended, the clouds are high in the sky, and the Indian Ocean below is as flat as a pancake -- and nicely filled with goods from around the world.


In the week before last, pirates captured the Tunisian tanker Hannibal II and the Chinese freighter Yuan Xiang. The German ship BBC Orinoco was also briefly in the hands of pirates on Nov. 11, but the crew fled to their safe room and the desperados disappeared again.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called the pirates a "scourge." But even though these pirates climb the walls of ships barefoot, carrying weapons so rusted that the investigators in the Taipan case had very little hope of obtaining usable fingerprints, there is no question that the hostage business is extremely well organized.

There are the backers, the financiers, who can be sure that they will not be getting their feet wet in the business. Many have already moved from Somalia to neighboring Kenya, where they invest the millions they have obtained in ransom money. It was no accident that German investigators found Kenyan numbers stored in the mobile phones of the Taipan pirates. They also happened to be the same numbers the investigators had tracked down after the hijacking of the German freighter Hansa Stavanger in April 2009. A gang leader who directed both operations apparently lived in Kenya.

More at:

Part 2: Attracted by the High Stakes 

Part 3: Taking Refuge in the Citadel


----------



## GAP

US sentences Somali pirate to 30 years' prison
Article Link
Posted 1 hour 7 minutes ago

A Somali man has been sentenced to 30 years behind bars after pleading guilty to his role in an April attack on a US Navy vessel off the coast of Africa.

Jama Idle Ibrahim was sentenced on three charges related to the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland amphibious dock-landing ship.

The charges were: attacking to plunder a vessel; engaging in an act of violence against persons on a vessel; and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

In August, a federal judge dismissed different piracy charges against Ibrahim and five other Somalis for attempting to attack and seize the USS Ashland, which they mistook for a merchant vessel.
More on link


----------



## Journeyman

An interesting take on standing up an anti-piracy force from within Somalia, apparently funded by an "unnamed Muslim country."

Link to complete article (You have to go individually; their copyright specifically spells out, "This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed." 




> *Well-Funded Somali Mystery Militia Rises*
> December 02, 2010
> Associated Press
> 
> NAIROBI, Kenya -- In the northern reaches of Somalia and the country's presidential palace, a well-equipped military force is being created, funded by a mysterious donor nation that is also paying for the services of a former CIA officer and a senior ex-U.S. diplomat.
> 
> The Associated Press has determined through telephone and e-mail interviews with three insiders that training for an anti-piracy force of up to 1,050 men has already begun in Puntland, a semiautonomous region in northern Somalia that is believed to hold reserves of oil and gas.


----------



## George Wallace

Remember those Russian tanks?




Reproduced under the Fair Dealings provisions of the Copyright Act.

*Hijacked Weapons
*


*A Discreet Deal for the War in Sudan
*

12/09/2010
By Horand Knaup
SPIEGEL ONLINE

LINK 

*US dispatches have cleared up one of the most baffling weapons affairs of the recent past. In 2008, pirates hijacked a ship full of tanks and other military hardware. Kenya apparently intended to send the materiel on to Southern Sudan. But they were unprepared for the US reaction.*

Sometimes things get so bad they're almost funny. Take, for example, when criminals hold up arms traffickers, and when politicians subsequently lie and are abandoned by their supposed friends -- even though they secretly do the same thing themselves. 


That's exactly what happened in the so-called Faina affair, one of the most baffling cases of weapons smuggling in recent memory -- an affair which has only now come to light due to the leaked US diplomatic cables.

On September 25, 2008, Somali pirates seized the Faina, a harmless-looking freighter, while it was making its way from Ukraine to the Kenyan port in Mombasa. But they were astonished when they looked in the holds and discovered what was on board: a treasure trove of weapons from Ukraine, including 33 T-72 tanks, each weighing about 40 tons -- enough to win a small war in Africa. The Somalian pirates thus blew the cover on a secret transaction that was even more sinister than their own activities. 

After almost five months, the Faina was released after, it is thought, a $3.2 million (€2.4 million) ransom payment, and entered the port of Mombasa on February 12, 2009. The Kenyan government denied all speculation that the tanks were really destined for the autonomous government of predominantly Christian Southern Sudan, which rebels from the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) have been trying to break off from the Muslim northern part of the country. Kenya insisted that the tanks were meant for their own army.

*Triggering US Sanctions *

But the American documents now prove that that was false. While the Somali pirates were still holding the Faina captive, in faraway Washington, George W. Bush's second term as US president came to an end and Barack Obama moved into the White House. 

On November 27, a cable classified as "secret" was sent to the US Embassy in Nairobi bearing clear instructions: 


"Note to government of Kenya officials the United States government and the international community's concern with the potential destabilizing effect that the secret transfer of certain heavy military equipment and small arms and light weapons can generate in the region. Inform the government of Kenya ... that transfers of lethal military equipment to Sudan would trigger US sanctions against supplier governments."


On December 15 and 16, Ambassador Michael Ranneberger and senior US military officials based at the US Embassy in Kenya went to work. As he noted in a dispatch dated Dec. 16, 2009, Ranneberger encountered immediate resistance. During a meeting with Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, he was informed "that the government of Kenya was committed to assisting GOSS (the government of Southern Sudan) and that there was 'intense pressure' from the GOSS to deliver the tanks." Odinga then went on to suggest that his government could deliver the tanks to Uganda, and that they could make their way into Sudan from there.

Ranneberger made his position to the prime minister clear: Washington would not tolerate such a deal. Delivering any tanks to Sudan -- whether via Uganda or any other country -- could result in sanctions against Kenya. 

*Finding Their Way to Sudan *

The Kenyans were surprised. As they saw it, the Bush administration had always been kept informed about Kenya's arming of the SPLA rebels, had never opposed it and, in fact, had even contributed to it. When US military attaché David McNevin met with Jeremiah Kianga, the Kenyan chief of staff, and Philip Kameru, the head of Kenya's military intelligence, there was a tense exchange: 


"Kameru mentioned that, in the government of Kenya's view, the tanks belong to the GOSS.... He added that (Kenyan) President (Mwai) Kibaki was personally very angry about this issue. During the meeting, Kianga commented that the government of Kenya was 'very confused' by our position … since the past transfers had been undertaken in consultation with the United States.... Kianga asked about the significance of what appeared to him to be a major policy reversal. … Kianga asked that the United States explain directly to the Government of Southern Sudan / Sudan People's Liberation Army why (they) are blocking the tank transfer."


*Sudden Reversals *


Ambassador Michael Ranneberger, who had retained his position even after the change in administrations, obviously didn't feel comfortable about the situation. In a carefully worded cable to Washington, he wrote: 


"The government of Kenya is understandably confused, as transfer of these tanks, in their view, dove-tailed with the goals of the United States … (of) converting the SPLA from a guerrilla force to a small conventional force capable of defending Juba (the rebels' capital)."


Ranneberger also suggested that a bit of sympathy should be shown for the Kenyan position.


"Over the past two years, officials from Kenya's Ministry of Defense have shared full details of their engagement with the SPLA as we have shared details of our training program for the SPLA, including combat arms soldier training, under a May 2007 Presidential Directive. ... It is difficult to persuade the Kenyans that transferring this equipment ... will merit sanctions if completed when they are well aware that the United States is continuing military to military security sector reform assistance to the SPLA."


The American documents say nothing about what ultimately happened to the tanks. Experts believe they found their way to Southern Sudan

More on LINK


----------



## GAP

Somali Pirates Ravage The Indian Coast
December 14, 2010
Article Link

 NATO recently issued a warning to merchant ships that Somali pirates were operating a few hundred kilometers off the Indian, Pakistani and Omani coasts. In other words, these pirates were now active from the west coast of India to the east coast of Africa and north to the Persian Gulf. Now that the pirates have demonstrated their ability to operate far (over 2,000 kilometers) from shore, it's no longer possible to just use naval patrols and convoy escorts. That worked in the Gulf of Aden, but father off the Somali coast, there is simply too much area to patrol. With ocean going mother ships, the pirates can operate anywhere in the region. Between the Gulf of Aden, and the Straits of Malacca to the east (between Singapore and Indonesia), you have a third of the world's shipping. All are now at risk. Convoys for all these ships would require more warships (hundreds) than can be obtained.

But there are not a lot of mother ships out there. For over a year now, the anti-piracy patrol, using patrol aircraft in Djibouti and the Seychelles islands, have been searching for the mother ships, sending warships to inspect them, and destroy them if pirate use is confirmed. But the pirates are simply arrested and later dumped on a beach in Somalia. And some of the mother ships get past the patrols, and score. On December 11th, a 70,000 ton cargo ship, and its 24 man crew, was taken 2,200 kilometers from Somalia, and less than a thousand kilometers from India.

The pirate gangs see the loss of mother ships, their speed boats, weapons and boarding gear, as simply a cost of doing business. Since the pirates are not killed, there is no shortage of volunteers to ship out on the mother ships, and take their chances. Even the lowest ranking pirate involved in the seizure and subsequent imprisonment of the ship and crew (until the ransom can be negotiated), will walk away with $10,000 or more. This is a fortune in Somalia. So there are plenty of Somali men wanting to be pirates. Low risk, and high potential for the payoff of a lifetime.
end


----------



## CougarKing

A "safe room" aboard merchant ships/tankers?



> *Crew uses safe room to foil Somali pirate attack*
> 
> 
> Yahoo News, January 05, 2011
> 
> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – *Suspected Somali pirates boarded a British-flagged tanker, but abandoned the siege after the crew locked themselves in a safe room and retained control of the vessel, a naval task force said Tuesday.*
> The foiled attack in the North Arabian Sea — approximately 365 nautical miles southeast of Salalah in Oman — suggested Somali pirate skiffs are extending their range into waters farther north toward Oman.
> 
> A statement by the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces said suspected Somali pirates opened fire from several skiffs and managed to board the merchant vessel CPO China on Monday, but the 20-member crew took refuge in a protected room that allowed them to keep control of the ship.
> 
> Sailors from a ship in the multinational flotilla, *the Australian frigate HMAS Melbourne, boarded the merchant vessel Tuesday and found the pirates gone and all crew safe, the statement said.*On Saturday, pirates seized the Algerian-owned ship MV Blida with 27 crew members onboard about 150 nautical miles southeast of Salalah.


----------



## GAP

Arrr! Pirates Take Up to $12 Billion Worth of Booty
Article Link
  By Spencer Ackerman  January 18, 2011 

Don’t let the dilapidated fishing boats or the rusting AK-47s fool you. Pirates mean serious business. A maritime industry group crunched the numbers and found that the measures companies and governments take to avoid and combat the piracy threat cost between $7 billion and $12 billion every year.

The One Earth Future Foundation’s Oceans Beyond Piracy project documents exploding costs in piracy-related actions (.pdf). Ransoms paid to Somali pirates totaled $238 million in 2010 — the worst year for piracy on record, according to the International Chamber of Commerce.

The average payout to ransom a hijacked ship was $5.4 million last year, up from just $150,000 in 2005. (Wired magazine analyzed the Somali pirate business model in 2009.)

And ransoms aren’t even the lion’s share of piracy’s costs to global maritime commerce. Insuring ships passing near piracy-prone areas like the Gulf of Aden costs between $460 million and $3.2 billion. Naval presence to protect merchant shipping costs another $2 billion.

Regional economies lose up to $1.25 billion annually. Rerouting ships to less pirate-prone waters costs up to $3 billion. (Hat tip: GCaptain.)

Oceans Beyond Piracy readily admits that its estimate is imprecise. Piracy doesn’t have a clear impact on every economic measurement related to global maritime shipping. The overall economic downturn imposes its own costs on everything from insurance to local business impact.

What’s more, it’s “difficult to quantify the value of … world seaborne trade in monetary terms,” according to the International Maritime Association. But it’s undoubtedly massive: One figure the association provides shows that the operation of maritime ships — and there are 50,000 commercial vessels on the seas — produces $380 billion in freight rates, itself equivalent to 5 percent of global trade.

About 90 percent of all global trade comes to your local store from the seas. That helps explain how a ragged band of pirates operating off the Somali coast can have such a disruptive impact.

And that in turn explains the lucrative opportunities available antipiracy businesspeople. BAE Systems is marketing one of its shipboard laser dazzlers as a tool to blind pirates before they can take your ship hostage.

Private security firms have begun defending ships from pirates, although that carries its own insurance costs. Ships that have been through the traumatic experience of a pirate-jacking, like the Maersk Alabama, have placed nonlethal acoustic weapons on deck to shoo pirates away.
More on link


----------



## nuclearzombies

Insanity: repeatedly sending undefended vessels though pirate infested waters.

It is my rough undertstanding that many commercial vessels prohibit weapons on board, and there are likely some good reasons for that. It makes no sense to me to put a boat out with no means to defend itself. I have read a number of news stories involving the use of water cannons, which sounds kinda fun and apparently has had some deterrent effect. It also seems logical that there is an inherent difficulty in that some of the cargo vessels are quite large and have relatively small crews. 
Ever notice the pirates deftly avoid armed vessels where possible? I would be in favour of training and arming the crews, but that would likely result in the pirates altering their tactics in kind, becoming more violent and agressive maybe?


----------



## GR66

I wonder if anyone's looked into placing mock-ups of weapons on their commercial ships that are transiting dangerous waters.   Perhaps just the sight of a couple of weapon stations appearing to have MG's would serve to deter an attack on your particular vessel.


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

GR66 said:
			
		

> I wonder if anyone's looked into placing mock-ups of weapons on their commercial ships that are transiting dangerous waters.   Perhaps just the sight of a couple of weapon stations appearing to have MG's would serve to deter an attack on your particular vessel.



And what happens when said pirates try and take out fake weapons with an RPG7 et al.....you may end up with damage to your ship and casualties amongst your crew.


----------



## GR66

Ex-Dragoon said:
			
		

> And what happens when said pirates try and take out fake weapons with an RPG7 et al.....you may end up with damage to your ship and casualties amongst your crew.



I'm sure that doing so could certainly carry some (very serious) risks to a ship and crew trying this.  However, with the high risks (and extremely high potential costs) already being faced by shipping lines forced to transit these waters I'm simply curious if any lines have pondered the idea in hopes of at least decreasing the chance that THEIR ship is the one targeted.  It wouldn't be the first time that people have placed others at risk in hopes of gaining an advantage.

Obviously such a strategy would be pretty short-lived as well.  As soon as word leaked out that ships were doing this the deterrent effect would be lost.


----------



## CougarKing

link



> *South Korean navy commandos stormed a ship hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing all the crew and killing eight pirates, according to military officials.*
> 
> "Our special forces stormed the hijacked Samho Jewelry earlier today and freed all hostages," said Colonel Lee Bung-Woo, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
> 
> "During the operation, our forces killed some Somali pirates and all of the hostages were confirmed alive," Lee told reporters. Another JSC spokesman said eight pirates were killed.
> 
> The rescue took place about 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) off northeast Somalia, Lee said.
> 
> The South Korean skipper of the chemical freighter suffered a gunshot wound to his stomach during the raid but his condition is not life-threatening, Lee said.


----------



## Retired AF Guy

More info here:

 South Korean forces storm hijacked ship, free hostages 

According to the article this is the second time in the last few days that the S. Koreans have engaged Somalia pirates:



> The South Korean rescue Friday, ....... followed a brief gun battle three days earlier between the South Korean destroyer Choi Young and a group of pirates, officials said.
> 
> The destroyer, which had been tracking the Samho Jewelry, saw several pirates leave the South Korean vessel to hijack a Mongolian boat nearby. Using a fast boat and a helicopter, the South Korean military rescued the Mongolian ship, killing several pirates. Three South Korean soldiers suffered minor injuries.
> 
> "Three of our soldiers suffered light scratches on their bodies as they were fired upon by pirates on Tuesday," Lee said. "Our Lynx helicopter immediately returned fire and several pirates fell into the waters. We believe they are dead."


----------



## nuclearzombies

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> link



I tip my hat to those SK fellas . Call me a meanie, but somebody mentioned the use of a yard arm earlier in the thread


----------



## jollyjacktar

Good to see another Navy take the kid gloves off.  Hopefully this will be a trend that everyone else will follow and fix this new Piracy plague.  It worked in the 17-1800's and it would work today if the political will was there to have some backbone for a change.  +1000 South Korea


----------



## CougarKing

And the Malaysians take action as well:

*take note that the Malaysian warship used in this action was actually a converted container ship as described in this other, earlier post.



> *Malaysian Commando Foils Pirate Attack on MT Bunga Laurel*
> 
> 2011/01/21
> By Adrian David
> 
> KUALA LUMPUR: There was drama aplenty in the Gulf of Aden when commandos from a Royal Malaysian Navy auxilliary ship  stormed and rescued a hijacked Malaysian chemical tanker and its crew from Somali pirates, early yesterday.
> 
> The Shipborne Protection Team, comprising special forces from the combined Armed Forces tri-services, swung into action from the RMN’s* Bunga Mas 5*.
> 
> Their swift and timely action saved the lives and limbs of the 23 crew. It also salvaged the tanker laden with lubricating oil and ethylene dichloride, all of which is believed to be worth in excess of an estimated RM30 million.
> 
> Bunga Mas 5’s effort resulted in the capture of seven Somali pirates, three of whom were injured in the ensuing gun battle with the commandos.
> 
> Relating the high drama, RMN chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said MT Bunga Laurel, hired by the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC), was on its way from the gulf to Singapore when it was attacked by the pirates about 300 nautical miles (555km) east of Oman at 11.40pm on Thursday.
> 
> “The drama unfolded just two hours after the Bunga Mas 5 had completed escorting the tanker and another MISC liquefied natural gas carrier, MT Seri Balhaf, to a safe zone called Easton 4 in the gulf.
> 
> “This is the waypoint where we cease our escort duty,” he said.
> 
> Abdul Aziz said under the cover of darkness, seven pirates armed with AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns and pistols suddenly emerged from a skiff boat and began boarding the tanker, firing at random.
> 
> MT Seri Balhaf was spared.


----------



## CougarKing

Plus pics from the South Korean assault described in the previous page:


----------



## The Bread Guy

AP Interview: Somali pirates torturing hostages
KATHARINE HOURELD, The Associated Press, 1 Feb 11
Article link


> Somali pirates are systematically torturing hostages and using them as human shields, the top commander of the European Union Naval Force said Tuesday.
> 
> Pirates have recently tied hostages upside down and dragged them in the sea, locked them in freezers, beaten them and used plastic ties around their genitals, Maj. Gen. Buster Howes told The Associated Press.
> 
> "There have been regular manifestations of systematic torture," he said. If warships approached a pirated ship too closely, the pirates would drag hostages on deck and beat them in front of naval officers until the warship went away, Howes said.
> 
> "A few years go, they were very constrained and much more respectful" to hostages, he said, but now "they've shown a willingness to use violence much more quickly and much more violence."
> 
> Howes' account of the worsening treatment of hostages was based on hostage debriefings, naval intelligence and liaison with commercial shipping companies.
> 
> There could be several reasons for the change in tactics. As ransoms have risen, the Somali fishermen who began first taking ships have been edged out by more ruthless and well organized gangs. More warships and better-prepared crews mean pirates have to use more violence to stop ships — for example, hitting a vessel with several rocket-propelled grenades — and sometimes more violence to get to crews that have locked themselves in a safe room or "citadel." ....


More on link


----------



## GAP

Pirates seize four American sailors
By RICHARD LOUGH, Reuters
Article Link

MOGADISHU - A yacht with four Americans on board is believed to have been hijacked in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. embassy in Nairobi said on Saturday.

Pirate gangs plaguing the shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean typically target large merchant ships, with oil tankers the prize catch, but the snatching of foreigners can also yield high ransoms.

“Preliminary reports indicate that a U.S.-flagged vessel tentatively named as the Quest has been hijacked in the Arabian Sea. There were four U.S. citizens on board,” an embassy spokesman said.

All relevant U.S. government agencies were monitoring the situation, he added.

Earlier, a regional maritime expert said the 58-foot S/V Quest had been hijacked 240 miles off Oman on Friday afternoon as it sailed from India to Salalah in Oman.

Ecoterra, an advocacy group monitoring piracy in the Indian Ocean, said the 58-foot yacht was owned by Jean and Scott Adam. It was not immediately clear if the couple were on the yacht at the time of the attack. 
More on link


----------



## willellis

I just read a BBC article on this. As unfortunate as it is, one must ask, "what were you thinking!" For years now, it has been common knowledge that pirates have been operating throughout the Indian Ocean, and more specifically, in the Gulf of Aden. Just shocking that some people think their 58 ft yacht won't be a target.  : The article also mentioned that the TF operating in the Gulf will not stray from their current mission which is specific to the merchant cargo traffic. Such a shame, and completely avoidable. 


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12513120 

Link for the story.


----------



## Oldgateboatdriver

This is a little unfair to them: India to Oman does not require them to enter or even be near the Gulf of Aden. It is reasonably far from the general Somali pirates op area, and we don't know what their plan was as far as proceeding further after their visit to Oman.


----------



## willellis

True, but the pirates have been active in those waters as well. Just because they are less active doesnt mean it's safe. I'm just looking at it from the way I would plan a trip.  Oh yea, they were planning on going through the Suez Cannal.


----------



## Oldgateboatdriver

One of the most active area for piracy against yachts is the Gulf of Mexico. And yet you never hear about people not transiting there. That's because the sea is wide and search methods of pirates limited. So you are dealing with chance encounters. A low probability event that is thus discounted by the yacht owners.

The Somali pirates are in the same situation: they will maximize their chances by sticking to merchant ships main routes. A yacht that follows the coast of the Arabian peninsula fairly closely to get to the Red Sea is quite likely to make it without any problems IMHO.


----------



## willellis

Here's the latest. Sad that this had to happen to these people, but such is the way for so many missionaries in the past.



21 February 2011 Last updated at 16:59 ET Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint
US couple on yacht hijacked off Somalia 'knew of risks'

Piracy flourishes off the coast of Somalia
Continue reading the main story
PIRACY CRISIS
Losing battle
Q&A: Prosecuting pirates
Somali piracy: Global map
Q&A: Somali piracy
Friends of a US couple aboard a yacht hijacked off Somalia on Friday say the pair knew their journey was risky, but were determined to press on with their Christian mission.

In an email sent days before they went missing, Scott and Jean Adam described plans to stay out of touch to hide their location from pirates.

Also on the S/V Quest were Americans Phyllis MacKay and Bob Riggle.

The US Navy is tracking the route of the yacht, an official told the BBC.

The Adams have been sailing the yacht around the world since 2002, often distributing bibles, according to their website.

'Tried to take precautions'
Robert Johnston taught Scott Adam at Fuller Seminary in California, and described the Adams as accomplished sailors.


"They were responsible planners, they knew there was the potential for problems and they tried to take precautions, but obviously something happened," he said.

"The last email we had gotten on the 12th of February said they were happy, upbeat, excited - everything was going fine.

"They basically had said we're not going to be in communication for 10 or 12 days because we know this is territory where there could be problems and we don't want pirates or other people to know our location."

The cost of piracy
The S/V Quest was hijacked 240 nautical miles (275 miles) off Oman on Friday afternoon, according to Ecoterra, an international maritime watchdog.

It is believed the yacht was en route from India to Oman.


Robert Johnston and his wife Catherine Barsotti (pictured) were friends with the Adams
While pirates usually attack cargo ships, they have hijacked a number of yachts in recent years.

Ecoterra said the capture of the S/V Quest had been reported by both its sources and by Nato's anti-piracy operation, Ocean Shield.

Mapping out their sailing plans for this year, Jean and Scott Adam said they planned to sail from Sri Lanka to Crete in the Mediterranean, via the Suez Canal, making stops in India, Oman and Djibouti.

(This is courtesy of the BBC News Network)


----------



## George Wallace

willellis 


If you are going to post something like this, provide links and clean it up some.  There is no need for us to have to read the garbage that was included in the above ( ie.  Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint, Continue reading the main story
, Q&A: Prosecuting pirates, Q&A: Somali piracy ).


----------



## Edward Campbell

George Wallace said:
			
		

> willellis
> 
> 
> If you are going to post something like this, provide links and clean it up some.  There is no need for us to have to read the garbage that was included in the above ( ie.  Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint, Continue reading the main story
> , Q&A: Prosecuting pirates, Q&A: Somali piracy ).




Further, willellis, please read this and the posts around it - it was one of the things you, *and all others*, should read before posting here.

The owner, Mike Bobbitt, provides this site for our enjoyment, but he does so *at some legal risk to himself*. (See e.g. this - it's not the first.) We must not do things, like posting unattributed articles, that might make things even more difficult for Mr. Bobbitt.


----------



## willellis

Sorry, usually I do post the link. As far as the source, I pulled this directly from the BBC News website.  I will take head of what was mentioned though. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## Rifleman62

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/national_world&id=7972780

WASHINGTON, D.C. - February 22, 2011 (WPVI) -- *Officials with the Pentagon have announced 4 Americans held by pirates off the Somali coast were killed during negotiations today.
*
ABC News reported just after 9 a.m. that during negotiations between officials with the U.S. Navy and the pirates, gunfire was heard. When the captured boat was boarded, the four Americans were found dead.

The yacht Quest was hijacked on Friday off the coast of Oman, but is now in the waters between Yemen and northern Somalia, two pirates and a Somali government official told The Associated Press.

One pirate who gave his name only as Hassan said a warship with a helicopter on its deck is near the Quest.

Pirates have increased attacks on ships off the coast of East Africa, but Americans have rarely been targeted. The last attack against a U.S. crew - in 2009 - ended with Navy sharpshooters killing two pirates and rescuing the ship's captain.

The Quest is owned by Scott and Jean Adam, a couple from California. The Blue Water organizers also identified the other two Americans onboard as Phyllis Mackay and Bob Riggle. The NBC TV station in Seattle, Washington spelled the name as Phyllis Macay and said she and Riggle are from Seattle.

The Adams have been sailing the world with a yacht full of Bibles since 2004. The hijacking of their yacht came two days after a Somali pirate was sentenced to 33 years in prison by a New York court for the 2009 hijacking of the Maersk Alabama. That case ended when Navy sharpshooters killed two pirates holding the ship's captain.

Pirates have increased attacks off the coast of East Africa in recent years despite an international flotilla of warships dedicated to protecting vessels and stopping the pirate assaults. Multimillion dollar ransoms are fueling the trade, and the prices for releasing a ship and hostages have risen sharply.

Pirates currently hold 30 ships and more than 660 hostages, not counting the attack against the Quest.

The best-known case of Westerners being held hostage in Somalia was that of Paul and Rachel Chandler, a British couple held for 388 days. The two, who were captured while sailing in their private yacht, were released in November.

The Adams - who are members of the Marina del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, California - run a Bible ministry, according to their website, and have been distributing Bibles to schools and churches in remote villages in areas including the Fiji Islands, Alaska, New Zealand, Central America and French Polynesia.

The pirates from Puntland in northern Somalia are not hardline Islamists and the fact the Adams carry Bibles is not likely to be a problem. Pirates in Puntland are known to spend their ransom spoils on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes.

Associated Press copy was used in this report.


----------



## The Bread Guy

willellis said:
			
		

> Sorry, usually I do post the link. As far as the source, I pulled this directly from the BBC News website.  I will take head of what was mentioned though. Thanks for the heads up.



Here's some ways to do it:
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/40238/post-377907.html#msg377907
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/93265/post-925847.html#msg925847
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/95200/post-952848.html#msg952848
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/99474/post-1019350.html#msg1019350


----------



## jollyjacktar

I am disgusted that 13 of the Pirates were detained....  they should be treated as Pirates always have been.  On sight.  I do wonder at what point will it come to for actions that these Pirates would understand will at last be allowed to be taken area, and when will these Lilly livered Politicians finally grow some nads.


----------



## nuclearzombies

Four US Citizens Killed by Pirates. Link to article here ---> http://ca.news.yahoo.com/four-americans-killed-pirated-yacht-off-somalia-report-20110222-061744-149.html

I was wondering how this episode would play out.


----------



## OldSolduer

It would not surprise me one bit to see pirates "disappear", never to be seen again. Maybe they do already.....just sayin....hypothetically.


----------



## willellis

Tragic. Funny that the UN said that they were dissatisfied with the way the pirate problem was being dealt with. Who knows, maybe more ships in the water, maybe just more verbal diarrhea.


----------



## jollyjacktar

Jim Seggie said:
			
		

> It would not surprise me one bit to see pirates "disappear", never to be seen again. Maybe they do already.....just sayin....hypothetically.



hypothetically, I sure hope so.  Or at least a return to the "Q" ships to deal with them......


----------



## Halifax Tar

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> hypothetically, I sure hope so.  Or at least a return to the "Q" ships to deal with them......



Ahhh yes the "Q" ships or you will merchantmen simply start to arm  themselves again...


----------



## jollyjacktar

Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines  Pirates  into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them. The basic ethos of every Q-ship was to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.  

They were used by the British Royal Navy (RN) during the First World War and by both the RN and the United States Navy during the Second World War (1939–1945), as a countermeasure against German U-boats and Japanese submarines.  

Pusser crews, not Civilian.  Hypothetically speaking of course.....


----------



## OldSolduer

Hypothetically do we think the USN may start doing just that???


----------



## larry Strong

Jim Seggie said:
			
		

> Hypothetically do we think the USN may start doing just that???



Or conversly they will hopefully take them to the US and jail them like this one......

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41615693/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/



> Pirate who 'wanted to kill Americans' gets 33 years for hijacking U.S. ship
> 
> NEW YORK — A Somali pirate who attacked a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Africa in 2009 was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison Wednesday by an emotional judge who said a long sentence was necessary to deter others and punish the only survivor among a group of pirates who "appeared to relish their most depraved acts."
> 
> U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska sometimes became choked up as she described the harm Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse brought to the crew aboard a merchant ship in the Indian Ocean.
> 
> She ordered Muse to serve 33 years and nine months in prison, rejecting a plea for leniency by his defense lawyers.
> 
> The tense standoff that ensued after Muse and his fellow pirates held the captain of the Maersk Alabama hostage after the April 8, 2009, attack ended when Navy sharpshooters killed three of Muse's men and freed the captain, Richard Phillips.
> 
> Muse pleaded guilty last year to federal charges in a prosecution that was part of a stepped-up effort to stem a wave of 21st-century piracy using 19th-century maritime laws.
> 
> 
> Before he was sentenced, Muse said he was "very sorry for what I did."
> 
> "I got my hands into something that was more powerful than me," Muse said through a translator.
> 
> Preska rejected Muse's attempts to minimize or explain away his involvement and she noted that prosecutors had described the pirates as experienced, coordinated and ruthless.
> 
> "They appeared to relish even their most depraved acts of physical and psychological violence," she said, noting that the pirates had conducted a mock execution of the captain during the several days they held hostage.
> 
> Before the sentence was announced, 44-year-old crew member Colin Wright told the judge he was "not the same person I used to be and I never will be."
> 
> He complained that security still has not been improved much for ships traveling near Somalia.
> 
> "I'd like to see something done about that," he said.
> 
> Late last year, a Virginia jury found five other Somali men guilty of exchanging gunfire with a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Africa. Scholars called it the first piracy case to go to trial since 1861 during the Civil War, when a New York jury deadlocked on charges against 13 Southern privateers.
> 
> Aside from the novelty of his case, Muse became a curiosity because he defied swashbuckler stereotypes: The boyish, 5-foot-2 defendant has often looked bewildered in court and sometimes wept. Following his capture, his lawyers insisted he was 15 and should be tried as a juvenile; prosecutors convinced a judge he was at least 18.
> 
> The Maersk Alabama was boarded by the pirates as it transported humanitarian supplies about 280 miles off the coast of Somalia, an impoverished East African nation of about 10 million people.
> 
> 
> Muse was the first to board the 500-foot ship, firing his AK-47 assault rifle at the captain, prosecutors said. He ordered Phillips to halt the vessel and then held him hostage on a sweltering, enclosed lifeboat that was soon shadowed by three U.S. warships and a helicopter.
> 
> The English-speaking Muse taunted Phillips by threatening to "bury him in a shallow area of the ocean" and by telling his captive he "liked having hijacked an American ship and wanted to kill Americans," the government's court papers said.
> 
> The siege ended when Navy sharpshooters on the USS Bainbridge picked off the three pirates in a stunning nighttime operation, leaving Phillips untouched.
> 
> 
> .Somalis captured by international naval forces have been brought to several countries in Europe and Asia to face piracy charges. The Dutch navy captured five men last November trying to hijack a South African yacht, and they are now in custody in the Netherlands awaiting prosecution.
> 
> Last June, five other Somalis were convicted by a Dutch court of attacking a cargo ship in 2009 with automatic weapons and a rocket-propelled grenade and sentenced to five years. In the same month the Dutch extradited 10 alleged pirates to Germany to stand trial for trying to seize a German cargo ship.
> 
> Other criminal cases for piracy are under way in India, South Korea and Malaysia.


I figure that no country is about to start hanging pirates off of the yard arm any time soon.


----------



## VIChris

You might be right, but this guy's in for one hell of a ride when he gets to prison. Somehow I can't see life being too sweet for a small, boyish looking foreigner who allegedly relished the thought of killing Americans in Club Fed. He'll be hoping for a yard arm unless he can find some form of protection on the inside, be it protective custody or through a gang of like minded inmates.


----------



## larry Strong

I hope it comes close to the terror his victims went thru.


----------



## jollyjacktar

Oh I don't know about that.  Muse will find lots of support from the inmates who are Islamist bent inside.  There will be plenty of that sort of lowlife.

Jim, hypothetically speaking.  I could only hope so.  It would be a good start to a cure for the plague, if they started not coming home on a regular basis you would see it drop off as it did in the 17-18th centuries.  They would gravitate to safer forms of employment on land.  I could also only dream that we would get into the act too.  I know that if I pinched myself though I would wake up.


----------



## willellis

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Oh I don't know about that.  Muse will find lots of support from the inmates who are Islamist bent inside.  There will be plenty of that sort of lowlife.
> 
> 
> 
> Possible, but I think it all comes down to wether or not he will be in the general population or protective custody.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Jim, hypothetically speaking.  I could only hope so.  It would be a good start to a cure for the plague, if they started not coming home on a regular basis you would see it drop off as it did in the 17-18th centuries.  They would gravitate to safer forms of employment on land.  I could also only dream that we would get into the act too.  I know that if I pinched myself though I would wake up.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Totally agree. What is the deterant for these people. On average, Somalis make $2 a day. If the start pirateing and are successful, they hit the jackpot. If they are not and go to jail, they get 3 squares a day everyday. Eitherway, they win.
> 
> Click to expand...
Click to expand...


----------



## GAP

What was the point of you quoting with no comment....if you have nothing to add, I do not want you using the forum to jack up your MilPoints....


----------



## Edward Campbell

GAP said:
			
		

> What was the point of you quoting with no comment....if you have nothing to add, I do not want you using the forum to jack up your MilPoints....




I think he did comment but he doesn't know how to use the "quote" function - another of the perils of knowing to little and posting too much.


----------



## larry Strong

I don't know the law, however if the latest bunch are brought back to the US and charged with murder in a state that has the death penalty......and are able to enforce it. That could work as a deterrent


----------



## GAP

India Secures The Seychelles
February 26, 2011
Article Link

 India is sending a Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft to the island nation of Seychelles, to help in dealing with Somali pirates. This aircraft will remain for at least two years. Last year, India had offered to give Seychelles a Dornier 228 and two Chetak helicopters for anti-piracy duty, but tiny Seychelles preferred that India simply operate this equipment on their territory until the Somali piracy threat is gone. India has already sent a naval patrol boat and one Chetak helicopter to the Seychelles to help with anti-piracy patrol. Indian warships are also coming by more frequently.

The Seychelles islands have a total population of 85,000 and no military power to speak of. They are largely defenseless against pirates. So are many of the ships moving north and south off the East Coast of Africa. Three years ago, Somali pirates began operating as far east as the Seychelles, which are a group of 115 islands 1,500 kilometers from the east African coast. India is making this effort because the Somali pirates are a threat to Indian shipping and the Seychelles are a neighbor it wants to remain on good terms with. India has also pledged $5 million in other military aid for the Seychelles.

The Dornier 228 is a German passenger aircraft that India builds under license. It is a 6.6 ton, twin turboprop aircraft that the Indian Coast Guard uses for maritime reconnaissance, and is equipped with a surface search radar. India has 24 of these recon models. The Chetak is an Indian made, 2.2 ton helicopter that can carry a crew of two and five passengers. It is being phased out of Indian service.

The U.S. is already operating Reaper UAVs and P-3 maritime patrol aircraft on the Seychelles, to search for Somali pirates operating in the area. The 4.7 ton Reaper has a wingspan of 21.2 meters (66 feet) and a normal payload of 1.7 tons. It has a max speed of 400 kilometers an hour, but cruises at closer to 300. Reaper is considered a combat aircraft, because it normally carries over a ton of bombs or missiles. This includes the hundred pound Hellfire missile, and 500 pound laser or GPS guided smart bombs. By carrying no weapons at all, which is how the ones in the Seychelles will operate, they can stay in the air for over 24 hours at a time. The U.S. Air Force sent 75 airmen to the Seychelles to maintain the two or three Reapers that were based there. The operators, based in the United States, control the Reapers via a satellite link. This was the first time the Reaper was used for maritime reconnaissance. The manufacturer has been pushing the Reaper (which is three times heavier than the Predator) as a maritime reconnaissance aircraft, and this has been a realistic, and successful, test. A fully equipped, for maritime patrol, Reaper costs over $20 million each. Such a Reaper can spot ships below night and day, and has cameras that can zoom in on any ship or speedboat for a detailed video close up. A P-3 aircraft can only stay in the air for half as long as a Reaper, but carries more sensors and weapons. A P-3 also requires a larger ground crew, and more maintenance after each flight.
end of article


----------



## nuclearzombies

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> They would gravitate to safer forms of employment on land.



I found that quite amusing!  


I don't think they'll give it up until it becomes unprofitable, or risk outweighs the desire. I still think the yardarm idea is the best one, though the Q-ship idea is really neat too.


----------



## nuclearzombies

Unsurprisingly, the pirates have taken a Danish Family hostage.

Link to article here: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/somali-pirate-says-danish-hostages-killed-attempt-made-20110301-110312-735.html

Essentially, the pirates say these people will suffer the same fate as the 4 Americans if a rescue attempt is made.


----------



## willellis

:facepalm:  Unreal... I love the part regarding their "pirate plan". Wow. This should be interesting to watch as it unfolds.


----------



## The Bread Guy

Via Reuters, shared in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the _Copyright  Act_:


> The United States is looking at new strategies to fight pirates off Somalia, who last month killed four Americans and represent a growing threat to sea traffic, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday.
> 
> "I'm fed up with it," Clinton said in testimony to the Senate appropriations committee. "We need to do more, and make it clear that the entire world better get behind what we do and get this scourge resolved."
> 
> (....)
> 
> Clinton said that existing efforts to stop the piracy, which include naval patrols by a number of nations, had failed to significantly dent pirate operations which are increasingly distorting world fuel trade due to higher insurance premiums.
> 
> "We have put together an international coalition, but frankly we're not in my view getting enough out of it ... we're looking at a lot of different options," Clinton said, saying the problem demanded a "much more comprehensive approach" by agencies including the Defense Department.
> 
> Clinton declined to say what options were under consideration, but did outline factors she said would have to be addressed including a willingness by some shipping companies to sidestep the issue.
> 
> "One of our big problems is that a lot of major shipping companies in the world think it's the price of doing business," Clinton said. "They pay a ransom and they just go on their merry way. That has been a huge problem."
> 
> Clinton said many foreign naval vessels now patrolling the area were not effective -- "when push comes to shove they're not really producing" -- and not enough was being done go after the pirates' safe-haven ports on the Somali coast.
> 
> Clinton said there was no question of U.S. military operations in mainland Somalia, where the United States withdrew after the killing of U.S. troops in late 1993 depicted in the movie "Black Hawk Down."
> 
> But she said the piracy issue was moving up Washington's priority list as attacks continued unabated.


----------



## nuclearzombies

"But she said the piracy issue was moving up Washington's priority list as attacks continued unabated"

Awesome! we just need to wait until it becomes an important issue in Washington... This is going to sound really bad, the pirates will probably get a smackdown sooner if they murder those Dutch folks :facepalm:


----------



## MarkOttawa

Serious people (like the Russians and Chinese):

Indian navy captures 61 pirates in Arabian Sea 
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/P/PIRACY?SITE=TXNEW



> NEW DELHI (AP) -- The Indian navy captured 61 pirates who jumped into the Arabian Sea to flee a gunfight and fire on the hijacked ship from which they had staged several attacks, a navy statement said Monday.
> 
> Two Indian navy ships also rescued 13 crew members from the fishing boat Sunday night, nearly 695 miles (1,100 kilometers) off Kochi in southern India, the statement said.
> 
> The pirates had hijacked the Mozambique-flagged Vega 5 in December and had used it as a mother ship - a base from which they staged several attacks in the vast waters between East Africa and India.
> 
> A patrol aircraft spotted the mother ship Friday while responding to another vessel reporting a pirate attack, the Indian navy said. The pirates aborted the hijacking attempt and tried to escape in the mother ship.
> 
> When the Indian ships closed in Sunday night, the pirates fired on them. The hijacked vessel caught fire when the Indian navy returned fire, the navy said.
> 
> The pirates as well as the crew members jumped into the sea from the burning vessel, but were taken out by Indian sailors, the statement said...
> 
> The navy was checking whether the pirates were from Somalia or Yemen. They were *being taken to Mumbai, India's financial capital, to be prosecuted for attacking the Indian ships* [emphasis added]...
> 
> The Indian navy's third anti-piracy operation this year followed the capture of 28 Somali pirates last month and another 15 in January. Both groups also are to be prosecuted in Mumbai...



Mark
Ottawa


----------



## Rifleman62

http://inmovies.ca/home/tom_hanks_to_fight_pirates/53dbde2a

*Tom Hanks To Fight Pirates*

Real-life adventure on the high seas for Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks will be doing battle with pirates in his next picture, but that doesn't mean he'll be tangling with the likes of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Instead, the Hollywood veteran will be dueling with a more modern form of high seas bandit, as Hanks will star as real-life Captain Richard Philips, who was kidnapped by Somali pirates in 2009.

Deadline reports that the movie will be based on Philips' own account of the tale in his memoir A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs and Dangerous Days at Sea.

Philips was captain of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama when it was captured by Somali pirates. To save his crew, he offered himself up as a hostage, only to be saved three days later by a platoon on U.S. Navy SEALs.

Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Dana Brunetti and Kevin Spacey, the producing team behind The Social Network, are also the gang behind Duty. Hanks has already been working recently with Rudin on the upcoming adaptation of the Jonathan Safran Foer 9/11 drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

No director or script are in place for Duty just yet, but expect those elements to come together quickly now that Hanks is attached to st


----------



## CougarKing

> link
> 
> 
> *UAE forces storm hijacked ship, detain pirates*
> 
> By Firouz Sedarat | Reuters – 1 hour 33 minutes ago
> DUBAI (Reuters) - *United Arab Emirates special forces stormed a cargo ship hijacked in the Arabian Sea, freeing the crew and detaining the pirates on Saturday, the official news agency WAM said.
> 
> Anti-terrorism forces acting in coordination with the U.S. Fifth Fleet were involved in the operation, which led to the surrender of the pirates, the agency said.*
> 
> "Arrilah 1 with all its crew is now heading toward the UAE coast, and the pirates are held under guard and will be handed over to the Interior Ministry," a UAE military official said.
> 
> The 37,000-tonne bulk carrier had been sailing from Australia to Jebel Ali, in the emirate of Dubai, when it was attacked by pirates early on Friday.
> 
> The vessel was operated by shipping arms of the government-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
> 
> The UAE, the world's third largest oil exporter, includes the emirate of Dubai.
> 
> Somalia has lacked an effective central government for two decades and is awash with weapons. The chaos on land has allowed piracy to boom in the strategic waterways off its shores linking Europe to Asia and Africa.
> 
> Despite successful efforts to stem attacks in the Gulf of Aden, international navies have been unable to contain piracy in the Indian Ocean owing to the vast distances involved, and the mostly Somali pirate gangs are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms.
> 
> (Reporting by Firouz Sedarat; Editing by Kevin Liffey)


----------



## GAP

Dutch marines kill Somali pirates, Iranian boat freed
4 April 2011 Last updated at 12:23 ET
Article Link

Dutch marines have killed two suspected Somali pirates and captured 16 others, the Dutch defence ministry says.

The alleged pirates were captured in an operation to free a hijacked Iranian fishing boat off the coast of Somalia.

The marines came under fire when they approached the fishing boat, the ministry said.

The suspected pirates are being questioned on board a Dutch warship which is taking part in a Nato anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.

Ten suspected pirates were caught as they tried to escape in a high-speed vessel and six were detained on the fishing boat.

It is unclear whether the captives will stand trial anywhere.

"Prosecutors will have to decide," Dutch Defence Ministry spokeswoman Marloes Visser told news agency AP.

He said the bodies had been "entrusted to the water" saying it was not practical to keep them on board the warship because of the high temperatures.

In the absence of a stable government, piracy can be highly lucrative in Somalia.

Gangs often receive millions of dollars in ransoms.

Many of the vessels targeted are cargo ships sailing near the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

They have also expanded their field of operations to much of the Indian Ocean.
More on link


----------



## jollyjacktar

2 out of 16 is a good start.  I'm sure they could do better though.


----------



## OldSolduer

Or as King Leonida's Captain says in "The 300"

"A hell of a good start"


----------



## nuclearzombies

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> 2 out of 16 is a good start.  I'm sure they could do better though.



"I'm not sure what happened, sir. One minute they were there, the next they were overboard and full of lead. Very curious indeed sir."


----------



## jollyjacktar

Shared with the usual caveats.

Sea piracy attacks hit a record high
The Associated Press 

A global maritime watchdog says sea piracy worldwide hit a record high of 142 attacks in the first quarter this year as Somalian pirates become more violent and aggressive.

The International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, says 97 of the attacks occurred off the coast of Somalia, up sharply from 35 in the same period last year.

It says attackers seized 18 vessels worldwide, including three big tankers, in the January-March period and captured 344 crew members. Pirates also murdered seven crew members and injured 34 during the quarter.

The Kuala Lumpur-based centre's director Pottengal Mukundan said Thursday that there was a "dramatic increase in the violence and techniques" used by Somali pirates to counter increased patrols by international navies.

© The Associated Press, 2011

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/04/14/piracy-increase-somalia.html


----------



## The Bread Guy

Shared in accordance with the Fair Dealing provisions (§29) of the _Copyright  Act_


> The Japanese government has set up its first full-scale, overseas base in Djibouti to be used by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force as its antipiracy mission off Somalia is expected to be prolonged, defense ministry officials said Wednesday.
> 
> It is the first time Japan has set up such a full-scale base outside Japan.
> 
> In the 12-hectare base located on the northern side of Djibouti’s international airport, the government built, at a cost of around 4.7 billion yen, the headquarters’ building, dormitories, P-3C patrol plane maintenance hanger and a gymnasium for MSDF members.
> 
> The MSDF had previously used a part of the U.S. military base located to the south of the airport. Since 2009, the MSDF has deployed two destroyers and two P-3C aircraft, used for surveillance activities.
> 
> Chief of Staff Adm. Masahiko Sugimoto said the new base allows the MSDF to operate efficiently. “It is not an outlying base where the SDF would be permanently stationed,” he added, in regard to the war-renouncing Constitution of Japan that limits the use of force abroad.


Source

Also, news releases on some of their recent ops in the area here (Japan SDF site)


----------



## GAP

Robotic Subs Threatened By Somali Pirates
July 21, 2011
  Article Link

 The Somali pirates, who now prowl most of the Indian Ocean (west of India) have not only interfered with merchant shipping, but with oceanographic research as well. For example, an international effort to distribute and maintain 3,000 instruments into the world's oceans is now under attack off Somalia. The scientists use these 3,000 buoys and robotic mini-submarines to assist in predicting the weather and gaining a better understanding of the oceans in general. But the scientists can no longer travel into the western Indian Ocean, because of the risk. The small research ships have already had a few close calls with pirates. So the task of dropping off (and sometimes picking up) these robotic research devices will be carried out by some of the warships operating off Somalia, and points east.

This global use of robotic sensors has been growing more extensive and important, over the last decade. Much of the progress was made possible by the development of highly efficient AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle). The U.S. Navy developed one of these nearly a decade ago for monitoring the underwater "weather". This SeaGlider is a two meter (six foot) long, 52 kg (114 pound) device that looks like a torpedo with wings. It can stay at sea for up to six months (before needing a battery recharge) and glides through the water at up to 20-25 kilometers a day. The AUV is propelled by a system of shifting weights (the battery pack) an air tank that is emptied and filled to adjust depth, and a pair of wings that provide lift, as wings do for an aircraft in the air. The SeaGlider moves forward by diving, and comes back up in a forward glide as well, collecting data all the way.

SeaGlider's main mission is to measure of the water, and use its built in satellite phone, every four hours or so, to send the information to anyone in the navy that needs it. SeaGlider also uses the satellite phone to get new orders, and has a built in GPS and other navigation sensors to enable it to find its way to areas it has been ordered to monitor. SeaGlider also collects information on currents, and uses that to help it glide from place to place.

SeaGlider was not built to help with weather prediction, but to improve American anti-submarine capability. The composition (temperature, salinity, oxygen content, quantities of biomatter, and so on) of the water in oceans changes slowly. Those characteristics influence the effectiveness of sonars (both active and passive.) If you can monitor the water composition more accurately, your sonars will be more accurate. SeaGlider can be dropped by aircraft or helicopter and spend days, weeks, or months collecting water information (at depths of up to 3,000 feet) before friendly subs show up for action.

At $100,000 each, SeaGlider was a cheap way to keep an eye on large chunks of the ocean. SeaGlider works because its onboard electronics draw very little power, as does its movement mechanism. SeaGlider isn't fast, but it has that most prized UAV/AUV characteristic; persistence. SeaGlider can hang around for a long time, waiting for the enemy to show up. This was a mission submarines were originally designed for. But manned subs were too expensive to put enough of them out there to cover large areas of the ocean. SeaGlider is cheap, efficient, patient and never has to worry about crew morale. What the navy is not discussing is a future version of SeaGlider that wanders around an area looking for hostile submarines as well. 

Meanwhile, devices similar to SeaGlider are being used on an even larger scale to monitor a larger number of ocean characteristics. Apparently the Somali pirates have not captured and held for ransom one of these robotic subs, but they may have simply shot some to pieces as it surfaced near them (to transmit data). The scientists will continue to drop off and pick up their stationary and self-propelled sensors near pirate-infested waters. But in pirate territory, only warships will perform what is now a dangerous duty.
end


----------



## GAP

The Sound Of Panic
July 27, 2011
Article Link

Despite one well publicized failure, the sonic cannon (or LRAD, for Long Range Acoustic Device) is increasingly popular for security conscious merchant ships travelling in the Indian Ocean (between western India and Africa). This vast area has become the hunting grounds for Somali pirates (using seagoing fishing boats or small cargo ships as mother ships.) The pirate vessels have two or more speed boats in tow, and these are turned loose, with half a dozen of more armed pirates each, when a likely target is spotted. Attacking at dusk or dawn, the speedboats can often get close enough, without being spotted, for the pirates to board.

But most merchant ships in the area now have better security. The ships navigation radar is set to alert the crew is anything resembling a pirate mother ship shows up. More sailors are posted as lookouts (because the radar cannot detect the small speedboats), and if speedboats are spotted, an increasing number of ships repel boarding attempts using a sonic cannon (LRAD). Even cruise ships have successfully used LRAD to chase off pirates.

In most cases, the pirates simply drop their weapons, cover their ears (which doesn't help) and turn away. In one case, there was minimal damage to a cruise ship (several bullet holes, one passenger cabin damaged by an RPG rocket and one injured crewman). If it's a night attack, or one at dawn, the cruise ship passengers often never know that the pirates where sent away with focused sound. In one case, however, a passenger was up at dawn to take a walk, and spotted two speedboats approaching. Before he could alert the crew, he saw the pirates drop their weapons, with some of them covering their ears, as the speedboats turned away. The passenger later found that his cruise ship was equipped with an LRAD (which looks more like a radar dish on a pole, mounted on the deck somewhere that only the crew has access to.)

LRAD is basically a focused beam of sound. Originally, it was designed to emit a very loud sound. Anyone whose head was touched by this beam, heard a painfully loud sound. Anyone standing next to them heard nothing. But those hit by the beam promptly fled, or fell to the ground in pain. Permanent hearing loss is possible if the beam is kept on a person for several seconds, but given the effect the sound usually has on people (they move, quickly), that is unlikely to happen. LRAD works. And on a speedboat, you have nowhere to run. The LRAD operator targets the guy operating the outboard engine, and anyone else who tries to keep the speedboat headed for the target.

But there has been one exception. Three years ago, the pirates simply took the pain, kept on coming, and got aboard the chemical tanker. The three man security team, sensing that the pirates might behave violently when they got their hands on the people who were operating the sonic cannon, decided to jump overboard. Fortunately, the helicopter from a nearby (but not close enough) warship that the security people had also called, arrived in time to haul the three security men out of the water. The pirates had already moved away with their newly captured tanker. It appears that the LRAD in question may have been operating at the wrong sound setting, because of an operator error, or equipment failure. In any event, there have been no other incidents of the pirates ignoring the sonic pain.

Some U.S. Navy ships also carry it, but not just to repel attacking suicide bombers, or whatever. No, the system was sold to the navy for a much gentler application. LRAD can also broadcast speech for up to 300 meters. The navy planned to use LRAD to warn ships to get out of the way. This was needed in places like the crowded coastal waters of the northern Persian Gulf, which the U.S. Navy patrols. Many small fishing and cargo boats ply these waters, and it's often hard to get the attention of the crews. With LRAD, you just aim it at a member of the crew, and have an interpreter "speak" to the sailor. It was noted that the guy on the receiving end was sometimes terrified, even after he realized it was that large American destroyer that was talking to him. This apparently gave the army guys some ideas, for there are now rumors in Iraq of a devilish American weapon that makes people believe they are hearing voices in their heads.
end


----------



## GAP

'Piracy soars' off coast of Benin
Article Link
 11 August 2011 Last updated at 16:43 ET

Piracy has become more common off the coast of West Africa the International Maritime Bureau has said.

The head of the bureau, Capt Pottengal Mukundan, said there were 15 attacks off the coast of Benin in the first half of the year.

He said pirates often sailed hijacked tankers to an area where another tanker waited to collect its siphoned fuel.

The mode of attack, he said, was similar to that used by pirates operating off the coast of Nigeria.

"The vessels are taken over by the armed pirates and then forced to sail to an unknown destination, where the cargo is discharged into a smaller tanker," Capt Mukundan told the BBC.

"And then the vessel is brought back and released. In some case, two or three crew members have been kidnapped and are taken ashore and are held until a ransom is paid."

Escalation

He said the crew, although often roughed up, was usually freed, rather than being ransomed.

Piracy is more prevalent off Somalia in East Africa where the crews of hijacked vessels are often ransomed. According to the bureau, there were 163 attacks by Somali pirates in the first half of 2011, up from 100 in the first six months of 2010. Piracy has become more common off the coast of West Africa the International Maritime Bureau has said.

The head of the bureau, Capt Pottengal Mukundan, said there were 15 attacks off the coast of Benin in the first half of the year.

He said pirates often sailed hijacked tankers to an area where another tanker waited to collect its siphoned fuel.

The mode of attack, he said, was similar to that used by pirates operating off the coast of Nigeria.

"The vessels are taken over by the armed pirates and then forced to sail to an unknown destination, where the cargo is discharged into a smaller tanker," Capt Mukundan told the BBC.

"And then the vessel is brought back and released. In some case, two or three crew members have been kidnapped and are taken ashore and are held until a ransom is paid."
More on link


----------



## The Bread Guy

Wanted by EU NAVFOR:  "pirate cultural advisor"


> The EUNAVFOR Operation Headquarters (OHQ) is currently recruiting a pirate cultural advisor. Please see below for further details including the principal duties the post-holder will fulfil and the experience required for the role. Instructions for those wishing to submit an application can also be found here. Applications are to be received by the OHQ before close of business on 24 August 2011.
> 
> Post Description: To provide the Operation Commander (OpCdr) and OHQ staff with pirate cultural and religious advice and in particular to advise on pirate trends and weaknesses, including their perceived role in Somalia.
> 
> Principal Duties:
> 1. Advisor to the OpCdr on pirate culture, business model and modus operandi in the Indian Ocean.
> 2. In conjunction with the Overseas Support Group garner information on negotiations for ships being held by pirates.
> 2. Provide and/or prepare written and verbal advice.
> 3. Provide guidance to the OHQ and EU on pirate culture.
> 
> Additional Duties:
> 1. Work with Specialist Staff and the intelligence team in order to develop possible pirate cases for prosecution (in the region or through a Member State).
> 
> Professional Experience: Military or ex-military who has worked with the CP Forces and/or other parties involved in CP (industry/insurers/negotiators).
> Education: NA
> Security Clearance: EU Secret
> 
> Desirable:
> • Professional Experience:  Working in Maritime Operations
> (....)


Source:  Wired.com Danger Room blog, 12 Aug 11


----------



## The Bread Guy

> A Somali man was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for his role in the hijacking of a yacht off the coast of Africa that left all four Americans on board dead, telling a federal judge that he never meant for anyone to get hurt.
> 
> “I’d like to express my regret and sorrow to the victims’ families,” Ali Abdi Mohamed said through an interpreter.
> 
> Mohamed is the first of 11 men who have pleaded guilty to piracy in the case to be sentenced. Each of the men face mandatory life sentences, although that could eventually be reduced as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. A second Somali was expected to be sentenced later in the day.
> 
> The owners of the Quest, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., along with friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were shot to death in February several days after being taken hostage several hundred miles south of Oman. They were the first Americans to be killed in a wave of piracy that has plagued the Indian Ocean in recent years ....


_Marine Corps Times_, 22 Aug 11


----------



## GAP

Germans Run Out Of Fuel Off Somalia
September 25, 2011
Article Link

A trade union dispute in Germany has led to reduced German participation in the anti-piracy patrol off Somalia. The problem arose when the union that represented the civilian sailors who manned the navy's four tankers, refused to renew a deal while allowed tanker sailors to work 65 hours a week while off the Somali coast. This amount of hours was needed to run the tankers while on the high seas, and the tanker sailors received extra paid leave, when they returned home, for the hours above the 48 a week their basic contract calls for.

Without the 65 hour week, the tankers cannot operate off Somalia, so German warships there have to pull into a port to refuel, which reduces their time at sea by up to 30 percent (depending on how much time they spend moving at high speed in the pursuit of pirates.) The navy continues to negotiate with the union, but does not have much room to maneuver, as budgets are being cut. Refueling at sea requires specially trained tanker crews, and these tankers are always in short supply. German warships can depend on navy tankers from other countries in an emergency, but not for regular refueling.
end


----------



## Ex-Dragoon

http://www.marinelink.com/news/government-guards-should340646.aspx

Hiring Armed Guards Should be Left to Government

Wednesday, September 28, 2011


 In the wake of an independent report recommending the Netherlands government to provide Dutch shipowners with better levels of protection against piracy, including the hiring of armed guards, Netherlands law firm AKD says that shipowners who directly hire armed personnel themselves could face criminal prosecution.

The so-called De Wijckerslooth Committee report was designed to assess the desirability and possibility of deploying private sector armed security to help protect Dutch ships from the threat of attack by (mainly Somali) pirates. It recommends that the Dutch government moves towards a higher level of protection of its merchant fleet including, “if necessary”, the use of armed private security guards. The report, however, cautions that such security guards should only be hired by the government, and should only perform their security duties as soldiers under the full authority of the Ministry of Defence. The authors of the report add that, under the current circumstances, it is not desirable that shipowners privately hire armed private security guards, an option which should only be considered “in case of special conditions”.

The committee argues that, if the government uses its own resources, or engages reservists or hires armed private security guards who will temporarily be given military status, this will not constitute privatisation of security duties. By creating additional defence capacity in this way, no amendment of legislation and regulations will be required.

It is envisaged that the recommendations of the committee could lead, relatively quickly, to providing the level of protection against piracy considered necessary for merchant vessels. The alternative - whereby shipowners themselves hire private security guards (an approach endorsed by the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners) - entails “several problems”, according to the committee, and would require drastic amendment of Dutch legislation and regulations, which under normal circumstances could take “several years”.

Jan Kromhout, a partner with AKD in Rotterdam, says, “Clearly, it is the duty of government to do its utmost to protect the merchant fleet from attacks by pirates. In the event that the government is not able to fulfil its duties, for whatever reason, it will have to employ outside help. It is not desirable that privately owned companies hire armed protection to perform the duties which are the responsibility of government, which should retain its monopoly of force. Furthermore, the cost of providing protection against piracy should be borne by the state. Shipowners should only be allowed to hire private armed guards in special situations, in the event that the government is not able to fulfil its duties.

“In the event that Dutch shipowners do hire armed personnel, or provide weapons to those on board, those directly involved, as well as shore-based personnel (including the ultimate management of the company) could face criminal prosecution. Furthermore, shipowners could be faced with local legislation covering the import and export of weapons in the event that the vessel has weapons on board and enters the jurisdiction of another country.”


----------



## GAP

LRAD Conquers The Naval World
October 5, 2011
Article Link

 The Indian Navy has joined its Western counterparts in equipping its ships, off the Somali coast, with sonic cannon (or LRAD, for Long Range Acoustic Device). LRAD is basically a focused beam of sound. Originally, it was designed to emit a very loud sound. Anyone whose head was touched by this beam, heard a painfully loud sound. Anyone standing next to them heard nothing. But those hit by the beam promptly fled, or fell to the ground in pain. Permanent hearing loss is possible if the beam is kept on a person for several seconds, but given the effect the sound usually has on people (they move, quickly), that is unlikely to happen. LRAD works. And on a speedboat, you have nowhere to run. The LRAD operator targets the guy operating the outboard engine, and anyone else who tries to keep the speedboat headed for the target.

U.S. Navy ships have been carrying LRAD for nearly a decade, but not just to repel attacking suicide bombers, or whatever. No, the system was sold to the navy for a much gentler application. LRAD can also broadcast speech for up to 3,000 meters, or pain for up to 300 meters. The navy planned to use LRAD to warn ships to get out of the way. This was needed in places like the crowded coastal waters of the northern Persian Gulf, which the U.S. Navy patrols. Many small fishing and cargo boats ply these waters, and it's often hard to get the attention of the crews. With LRAD, you just aim it at a member of the crew, and have an interpreter "speak" to the sailor. It was noted that the guy on the receiving end was sometimes terrified, even after he realized it was that large American destroyer that was talking to him. This apparently gave the army guys some ideas, and there were rumors in Iraq of a devilish American weapon that made people believe they were hearing voices in their heads.

Other navies, particularly those operating off the Somali coast (in the international anti-piracy patrol) noted the American success with LRAD and equipped their own ships. Indian, Arab and Chinese ships are the latest to get the sonic cannon. 
More on link


----------



## Retired AF Guy

The BBC is reporting that Brtish and U.S. forces have stormed a hijacked ship and rescues the crew. Re-produced under Section 29 of the Copyright Act.



> UK and US forces 'rescue pirate-held Italian ship'
> 
> British and US naval forces have rescued an Italian ship hijacked by Somali pirates.
> The 56,000-ton bulk carrier Montecristo was hijacked 620 miles off Somalia on Monday by pirates in a small boat, ccording to the owners.
> Italy's Foreign Ministry said that 11 pirates had been detained and the 23-man crew had been released.
> The UK's Ministry of Defence said the Royal Navy had boarded the ship and had met no resistance.
> Members of the crew, from Italy, India and Ukraine, are said to be doing well.
> Italy's Foreign Ministry expressed "great satisfaction" with the operation to save the D'Alessio Group-owned cargo ship.
> The UK's MoD said the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Fort Victoria and a US frigate were sent to help the seized vessel.
> Pirates surrendered after the two naval ships approached the Montecristo, said the MoD.



 Link 

Another report from Yahoo:



> Special Forces Free Crew Of Hijacked Ship
> 
> The crew of an Italian cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates has been freed by British and US special forces, Italy's defence ministry has said.
> Eleven pirates were captured after the rescue operation, the foreign ministry added.
> It said the rescue operation was carried out by forces from two naval vessels, one from the US and one from Britain.
> Pirates attacked the Montecristo vessel carrying 23 crew members - seven Italians, six Ukranians and 10 Indians - on Monday.
> The foreign ministry said the crew of the 55,675 bulk carrier had taken refugee inside an armoured shelter on board the ship when it was hijacked.
> Crew members had continued to control its movements, bringing it closer to an area where anti-piracy forces were patrolling.
> The ship's owners said the crew had trained in anti-piracy drills and the move into an armoured shelter is apparently part of new measures to combat attacks.
> Somali pirates, operating on small inflatables, normally use rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles, with no heavier armaments that would penetrate armour plating.
> The foreign ministry said the US and Britain had operated under the orders of Italian Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi, commander of the Nato Ocean Shield anti-piracy task force.
> Earlier, defence minister Ignazio La Russa said Italy would shortly deploy a special naval force on merchant vessels to protect them from Somali gunmen in an escalation of international efforts to combat the scourge of piracy.
> Many ships already carry private security contractors to counter piracy, but deployment of military forces is a significant boost in measures that had previously been hampered by disputes over the legality of using lethal force.
> Pirates flourish off largely lawless Somalia by attacking passing ships, taking hostages and demanding ransoms to free them and the vessels.



 Link


----------



## The Bread Guy

From the abstract (abstract and executive summary downloadable here):


> This work examines the capability-models of ships performing counter-piracy patrols in the; International Recommended Transit Corridor, located in Gulf of Aden (GOA). Specifically, it considers possible approaches to predict the response time of assets patrolling long and thin regions and to facilitate coordination between multiple assets.  For situations where the pirate attacks occur randomly, the across-channel location of the; ship prior to the attack has only a limited impact on the response-time probability distribution, supporting the notion that the problem can be examined in a one-dimensional (1D) context. It is demonstrated that the 1D approach is extremely effective at reproducing the cumulative distributions of higher fidelity models. The 1D approach is then used to demonstrate that coordinating patrol ship positions is a key factor, while coordinating the rotation of helicopter crews between ships may be less important. It is also shown that for the types of wind fields in which pirates will operate in the GOA, a ship can reposition itself in a manner such that the winds will not heavily affect response capabilities.  Finally, a description of how the results from this work can be applied in the development of  an asset positioning model are presented, and a description of the way forward is provided.



*Ramzi Mirshak, "Ship Response Capability Models for Counter-Piracy Patrols in the Gulf of Aden", DRDC CORA TM 2011-139, September 2011*


----------



## The Bread Guy

Interesting (alleged) "meeting chauffeur" service.....


> British commandos made a dramatic amphibious landing on Somalia’s war-torn shores to seize a tribal leader, the Daily Mail can reveal.
> 
> In an extraordinary operation in a lawless area teeming with bandits and pirates, elite Royal Marines launched Viking armoured vehicles from landing craft and pushed several miles inland to pick up the clan chief.
> 
> The unprecedented covert landing comes at a sensitive time in the troubled East African country as Al Qaeda-linked groups are training terror recruits and pirates are holding more than 100 hostages after seizing their boats.
> 
> The tribal elder, one of the most influential figures in the region, was whisked through bandit country by heavily armed troops from 539 Assault Squadron and taken to a ‘very important meeting’ with MI6 and the Foreign Office aboard a Royal Navy support ship anchored off the coast.
> 
> The discussions are understood to have included the location of terror training camps and the seizing of hostages by clansmen operating in the Indian Ocean off Somalia.
> 
> The operation raises the prospect of further raids against terror camps and pirate bases ....


_Daily Mail_, 29 Oct 11


----------



## GAP

Bold Lie Turns High-Seas Run-In Into Dramatic Rescue
Article Link
 By C. J. CHIVERS January 7, 2012 

ABOARD THE FISHING VESSEL AL MULAHI, in the Gulf of Oman — Late on Thursday afternoon, as the American destroyer Kidd loomed alongside this hijacked Iranian dhow, the warship’s loudspeaker issued a command in Urdu to the dhow’s frightened Urdu-speaking crew. American sailors stood ready, weapons in hand. 

If you have weapons aboard, the voice boomed, put them where we can see them, on the roof of your wheelhouse.

Fifteen Somali pirates were also on board Al Mulahi, crouched and cornered on the very vessel they had seized in November to use as their mother ship. They had knives, a pistol and four assault rifles. But they did not speak Urdu. For a moment, the captors depended on their captives. They asked their Iranian hostages what the American sailors had just said.

One of the hostages, Khaled Abdulkhaled, answered without pause: “They said they are about to blow this ship up.”

The pirates panicked. Their unity broke down. Each man hoped, variously, to surrender, find cover or hide. Discarding their weapons, nine of them crammed into a small hold beneath the wheelhouse. Six more huddled near the open bow.

Soon, armed American sailors climbed aboard. They spotted the six Somalis on the bow, who did not resist. As more of the boarding team swarmed over the side, the Iranian hostages pointed to where the remaining pirates were hiding. The sailors pulled those men out, one by one, into the light and forced them face down onto the deck.

Al Mulahi was secured. The Iranian hostages had been saved without a shot being fired. 
More on link


----------



## a_majoor

Longer article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/07/world/middleeast/for-iranians-held-by-pirates-us-to-the-rescue.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print



> *For Iranians Waylaid by Pirates, U.S. to the Rescue*
> By C. J. CHIVERS
> 
> ABOARD THE FISHING VESSEL AL MULAHI, in the Gulf of Oman — Senior Iranian military officials this week bluntly warned an American aircraft carrier that it would confront the “full force” of the Iranian military if it tried to re-enter the Persian Gulf.
> 
> On Friday, Fazel Ur Rehman, a 28-year-old Iranian fisherman, had a warmer greeting for the carrier task force.
> 
> “It is like you were sent by God,” said Mr. Rehman, huddled under a blanket in this vessel’s stern. “Every night we prayed for God to rescue us. And now you are here.”
> 
> In a naval action that mixed diplomacy, drama and Middle Eastern politics, the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis broke up a high-seas pirate attack on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, then sailors from an American destroyer boarded the pirates’ mother ship and freed 13 Iranian hostages who had been held captive there for more than a month.
> 
> The rapidly unfolding events began Thursday morning when the pirates attacked a Bahamian-flagged ship, the motor vessel Sunshine, unaware that the Stennis was steaming less than eight miles away.
> 
> It ended Friday with the tables fully turned. The captured Somali pirates, 15 in all, were brought aboard the U.S.S. Kidd, an American destroyer traveling with the Stennis. They were then shuttled by helicopter to the aircraft carrier and locked up in its brig.
> 
> This fishing vessel and its crew, provided fuel and food by the Navy, then set sail for its home port of Chah Bahar, Iran.
> 
> The rescue, 210 miles off the coast of Iran, occurred against a tense political backdrop. On Tuesday the Iranian defense minister and a brigadier general threatened the Stennis with attack if it sought to return to the Persian Gulf, which it had left roughly a week before. The warning set up fears of a confrontation over the vital oil shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz.
> 
> None of that tension was evident at sea. The Sunshine, a 583-foot cargo ship carrying bulk cargo from Calais, France, to Bandar Abbas, Iran, continued its journey. The freed hostages, Iranian citizens, greeted the American sailors with wide-eyed relief.
> 
> Mahmed Younes, 28, the fishing vessel’s captain, said he and his crew had been captured roughly 45 days ago by pirates in a skiff, who boarded their 82-foot dhow and forced it to an anchorage in the northern Somali port of Xaafuun. There, the pirates took on provisions and more gunmen.
> 
> In late December the pirates, using their hostages to run the dhow, set back out to sea, hunting for a tanker or large cargo ship to capture and hold for ransom.
> 
> For several days, Al Mulahi roamed the Gulf of Oman, unmolested under its Iranian flag, the pirates and former hostages said. They saw several ships. But the pirates’ leader, Bashir Bhotan, 32, did not think any of them would command a high ransom. They let them pass.
> 
> “The pirates told us, ‘If you get us a good ship, we will let you go free,’ ” Captain Younes said. “We told them, ‘How can we get you a ship? We are fishermen, not hunters.’ ”
> 
> On Thursday morning, six of the pirates set out in a fiberglass skiff and found their quarry — the Sunshine, 100 miles from the shore of Oman. One of the pirates, Mohammed Mahmoud, 33, later said this was the type of vessel they would hope might fetch a ransom of several million dollars.
> 
> Brandishing a rocket-propelled grenade and several Kalashnikov rifles, they rushed alongside, threw a grappling hook and tried to lash a ladder to the Sunshine’s side. They hoped to scale the gunwales and seize the bridge.
> 
> Their plans unraveled immediately. As the Sunshine radioed for help, and tried to deter the boarding by spraying the pirates with fire hoses, the pirates were unable to board.
> 
> “Our ladder broke,” Mr. Mahmoud said.
> 
> Then an American helicopter appeared.
> 
> Neither the pirates nor the crew of the Sunshine had known it, but three Navy ships — the Stennis; the U.S.N.S. Rainier, a supply ship; and the U.S.S. Mobile Bay, a guided-missile cruiser — were steaming in formation a few miles away. The carrier was taking on provisions from the Rainier and had several helicopters in the air when the Sunshine radioed its distress call.
> 
> Aboard the carrier, Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller, who commands the carrier strike group, looked at the chart and radar images of the Sunshine’s location with something like disbelief. The Sunshine and the Stennis were only a few miles apart. “These might be the dumbest pirates ever,” he said.
> 
> He ordered a helicopter and the cruiser toward the Sunshine and other helicopters to investigate the radar images of other ships in the area, to search for the skiff’s possible mother ship.
> 
> Seeing the approaching aircraft, the pirates let the Sunshine pull away and tossed their weapons over the side, they said.
> 
> Aboard the carrier, the officers watched a video feed from the helicopter, showing the six men in T-shirts and tank tops in a small white boat, bobbing on the waves. For a few minutes the Somalis seemed unsure what to do. Then they put their hands atop their heads.
> 
> “They are surrendering, they are surrendering,” said Capt. Todd W. Malloy, the carrier strike group’s chief of staff. A boarding team from the Mobile Bay soon approached in an inflatable boat.
> 
> The pirates told them they were at sea “for fun,” the sailors said. There were no weapons on board and the Sunshine had steamed away. The Mobile Bay’s sailors began to take the pirates’ fingerprints and photographs for a biometric database.
> 
> Meanwhile, two other Navy helicopters had made four passes by Al Mulahi. The fishing vessel was about 30 miles away and carried a skiff identical to the pirate’s skiff on the dhow’s deck. But Al Mulahi was flying an Iranian flag, which made boarding the vessel politically delicate. There were no pirates visible on board.
> 
> The Navy quickly made a plan. The sailors on the boarding team gave the pirates oranges and water and set them free. But a helicopter from the Mobile Bay lingered outside of eyesight and followed the skiff’s movements with long-range optics.
> 
> The skiff headed toward the Iranian dhow.
> 
> The Kidd, a guided-missile destroyer serving as the command ship for Combined Task Force 151, an international counterpiracy team off the coast of Africa, steamed toward the dhow from 120 miles away. Several hours later, after the pirates boarded the dhow, the Kidd approached and called Al Mulahi on a bridge-to-bridge radio.
> 
> The ship asked if the dhow had any foreigners aboard. The dhow answered that it did not.
> 
> “While doing surveillance aerially, we had seen that there were Middle Easterners aboard and Somalis, and that socially they were not intermingling,” said Cmdr. Jennifer Ellinger, the top officer on the Kidd. “We could also see that some of the clothing hanging on board was Somali.”
> 
> A brief standoff ensued, as the ship and dhow bobbed alongside each other at sea. The Somalis were hiding and forcing the Iranian captain, a hostage, to speak to the American ship.
> 
> The ship had brought many of its crew who spoke different languages onto the bridge. One of the sailors, Chief Petty Officer Jagdeep Sidhu, speaks English, Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi.
> 
> Al Mulahi is from eastern Iran, near Pakistan, where many residents speak Urdu. He heard Captain Younes use an Urdu phrase, and was given the radio to hail him.
> 
> “At first he was hesitant to answer because he was afraid,” Chief Sidhu said. “But the Somalis could not understand Urdu, and he was able finally to muster enough courage and say: ‘We need help. Please help.’ ”
> 
> With the dhow’s request, the political uncertainties of boarding an Iranian-flagged vessel were lifted, because the ship’s master had asked for help. Rear Adm. Kaleem Shaukat, the Pakistani commanding Combined Task Force 151, gave permission, and late in the afternoon two inflatable boats from the Kidd ferried armed sailors to Al Mulahi.
> 
> They climbed aboard and discovered six Somalis hiding near the bow and nine more inside a cargo space. The Somalis did not resist, and were searched and moved to the bow, where they were held overnight.
> 
> A search of the dhow found four assault rifles and ammunition. Several of the Somalis, slumped with resignation, discussed their lives as pirates with a reporter and photographer traveling with the boarding team.
> 
> They said they knew the risks of being caught, but had been willing to try nonetheless. Mr. Mahmoud said he had three wives and seven children to feed. “In Somalia we have no jobs,” he said. “That’s the reason to go to sea. Our country has a civil war, and I don’t have skills.”
> 
> He said this had been his maiden voyage, a claim that could not be independently verified.
> 
> He said they had set sail with a rifle for every man and a single rocket-propelled grenade with 10 rockets, but, when the Navy approached from multiple directions, “we put them in the sea.”
> 
> As he sat smoking a cigarette a large liquid natural gas tanker steamed by on the horizon. “Ahhh,” he said. “L.N.G.”
> 
> He looked at it longingly. “Before we would have liked to catch that ship,” he said. Then he looked at the armed sailors standing about five yards away. He exhaled smoke and shook his head. “Not now,” he said.
> 
> On Friday morning, Mr. Bhotan, the leader of the pirate crew, looked dejectedly as his former charges were ferried away on inflatable boats to the Kidd, where they were showered, dressed in white suits and flex-cuffed before being flown to the carrier.
> 
> Al Mulahi, soon to be given fresh fuel from the Kidd for the journey home, was about to sail back to Iran. Mr. Bhotan said he did not know what would happen to him. “I am a prisoner,” he said.


----------



## The Bread Guy

> The Harper government has wanted the navy to play a bigger role in battling Somali pirates in the waters off East Africa, but has been stymied about what to do with potential prisoners, documents reveal.
> 
> The international effort to contain the pirating of commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and beyond is something Canada "strongly supports" and it provides the perfect, low-risk venue for the country to showcase its military ability.
> 
> A series of briefing notes, obtained by The Canadian Press under Access to Information from Defence Minister Peter MacKay's office and the chief of maritime staff, show the eagerness over the last two years to take on a renewed mission.
> 
> But the enthusiasm is tempered by the reality that once caught, there's no place to try pirates.
> 
> "While international law provides that any state may take jurisdiction over piracy in international water, counter-piracy efforts off the coast of Somalia continue to be hampered by a lack of authority in domestic laws, as well as by questions concerning jurisdiction over apprehended individuals suspected of piracy and related crimes," said Nov. 3, 2010 memo to Robert Fonberg, the deputy defence minister.
> 
> Aside from the legalities, there is also a hard political reality.
> 
> Canada's land forces grappled with the politically-explosive detainee controversy during the Afghanistan combat mission.
> 
> The last time a Canadian warship captured pirates in April 2009, it was forced to release them because of the jurisdictional void. Documents show the government was chastened and federal bureaucrats struggled to address what they termed the "catch-and-release conundrum" of Somali pirates.
> 
> Vice-Admiral Paul Maddison, the head of the Royal Canadian Navy, said the problem has yet to be solved.
> 
> "Different nations are doing different things here," he said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. "And I don't think we're going to see a burning desire for an international consensus on a new international legal regime in terms of detention." ....


The Canadian Press, 23 Jan 12


----------



## The Bread Guy

Well done, whoever it was  


> U.S. military forces flew into Somalia in a nighttime helicopter raid Wednesday, freed an American and a Danish hostage, and killed nine pirates in a mission President Obama appeared to reference before his State of the Union speech, officials and a pirate source said.
> 
> The Danish Refugee Council confirmed that the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, were freed "during an operation in Somalia." Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, had been working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped in October.
> 
> Obama seemed to refer to the mission before his State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday night. As he entered the House chamber in the U.S. Capitol, he pointed at Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Good job tonight."
> 
> A Western official told The Associated Press that the raid was carried out by U.S. military forces. A second official said the helicopters and the hostages flew to a U.S. military base called Camp Lemonnier in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released publicly.
> 
> The timing of the raid may have been made more urgent by a medical condition. The Danish Refugee Council had been trying to work with Somali elders to win the hostages' freedom but had found little success.
> 
> "One of the hostages has a disease that was very serious and that had to be solved," Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal told Denmark's TV2 channel. Soevndal did not provide any more details ....


_Army Times_, 25 Jan 12


----------



## jollyjacktar

Reports are that they were SEALS.  Nice to read that there will 9 less repeat offenders out there.  That's the way to treat Pirates.


----------



## tomahawk6

Method of entry was parachute.Egress via chopper from Dijibouti.Good clean op.


----------



## GAP

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Method of entry was parachute.Egress via chopper from Dijibouti.Good clean op.



There they go, again!!!   Making legends......


----------



## OldSolduer

IMO the world needs to do that a few more times. Then maybe the ne'er do wells will get the message.


----------



## The Bread Guy

The Pentagon Info-machine's version:


> Special operations forces rescued an American woman and Danish man who had been held captive in Somalia for three months, President Barack Obama announced early this morning.
> 
> Both are well and are in a secure location, and there were no American casualties in the operation.
> 
> Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted were working as part of a Danish demining group when Somali criminals kidnapped them near Galcayo, Somalia, on Oct. 25, according to a statement from Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta. Galcayo is near the border with Ethiopia. There was no word where the two were held.
> 
> “This successful hostage rescue, undertaken in a hostile environment, is a testament to the superb skills of courageous service members who risked their lives to save others,” Panetta said in the statement. “I applaud their efforts, and I am pleased that Ms. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted were not harmed during the operation.”
> 
> The president said he had spoken with Buchanan’s father and told him that all Americans are thankful that his daughter is safe and will soon be home.
> 
> “The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice,” Obama said in his statement. “This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.”
> 
> Panetta stressed the rescue was a team effort and required close coordination between the Defense Department and the FBI. “They are heroes and continue to inspire all of us by their bravery and service to our nation,” Panetta wrote.
> 
> The Danish Demining Group trains local people to defuse and render safe landmines and other ordnance left in the wake of war. In addition to Somalia, the group is working in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Liberia, South Sudan and Uganda.
> 
> At the beginning of the president’s State of the Union address last night, TV cameras caught Obama shaking Panetta’s hand and saying “Good job.” No one knew then what he was talking about.
> 
> During his address, Obama lauded service members’ commitment and ability to work together. The rescue operation is another example of that.
> 
> “As commander in chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts,” the president said in his statement.



President's statement:


> On Monday, I authorized an operation to rescue Jessica Buchanan, an American citizen who was kidnapped and held against her will for three months in Somalia. Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home. As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts.
> 
> Jessica Buchanan was selflessly serving her fellow human beings when she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being. Last night I spoke with Jessica Buchanan’s father and told him that all Americans have Jessica in our thoughts and prayers, and give thanks that she will soon be reunited with her family. The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice. This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.



SecDef's statement:


> Last night U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted, by order of the President of the United States, a successful mission in Somalia to rescue two individuals taken hostage on October 25, 2011. Ms. Jessica Buchanan, an American citizen employed by the Danish Demining Group, and her Danish colleague, Mr. Poul Thisted, were kidnapped at gunpoint by criminal suspects near Galcayo, Somalia.
> 
> Ms. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted have been transported to a safe location where we will evaluate their health and make arrangements for them to return home.
> 
> This successful hostage rescue, undertaken in a hostile environment, is a testament to the superb skills of courageous service members who risked their lives to save others.  I applaud their efforts, and I am pleased that Ms. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted were not harmed during the operation.  This mission demonstrates our military's commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens wherever they may be around the world.
> 
> I am grateful to report that there was no loss of life or injuries to our personnel.
> 
> I express my deepest gratitude to all the military and civilian men and women who supported this operation.  This was a team effort and required close coordination, especially between the Department of Defense and our colleagues in the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  They are heroes and continue to inspire all of us by their bravery and service to our nation.


----------



## Retired AF Guy

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Reports are that they were SEALS.  Nice to read that there will 9 less repeat offenders out there.  That's the way to treat Pirates.



I don't think these guys were pirates since the two hostages were kidnapped inside Somalia itself and not at sea. Other than that, job well done and hopefully we will be seeing more actions like this.


----------



## GAP

Djibouti Outpost Behind Somalia Rescue Is Part of New Defense Strategy
Article Link

WASHINGTON — An austere Pentagon outpost in the hardscrabble desert on the Horn of Africa proved serendipitously ideal as a launching pad for Tuesday’s commando raid that freed two aid workers held in Somalia. The use of the base, Camp Lemonnier in neighboring Djibouti, is also a signpost to the future, as the military focuses on “economy of force” missions that can preserve an American military presence and protect national security interests at relatively low cost. 

A rescue mission from any other American base in the region would have added hours to the raiding party’s mission to infiltrate Somalia and neutralize the nine kidnappers — all were killed — without injury to the Navy Seal team or the hostages. Basing the complex airborne assault on a warship would have been far more complicated.

The “economy of force” concept involves using small numbers from the American military to set up installations in far-flung regions of interest, where they can be joined by personnel from other arms of the United States government, including the State, Justice, Agriculture and Commerce Departments; Customs and Border Protection; and the Agency for International Development.

While a hostage-rescue mission generates news, the day-to-day work at Camp Lemonnier focuses on quiet efforts at improving the abilities of local militaries and law-enforcement personnel to protect and police their own territory, while assisting in building schools, digging wells, laying roads and vaccinating livestock.

Camp Lemonnier is part of an archipelago of outposts in high-risk environments that also can serve as lily pads for commando raids and intelligence operations if required. It offers runways, communications, housing, a hospital — and privacy. 
More on link


----------



## jollyjacktar

Retired AF Guy said:
			
		

> I don't think these guys were pirates since the two hostages were kidnapped inside Somalia itself and not at sea.


Possibly, possibly not.  Semantics.  Pirates have shore offices too.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091548/Somali-pirates-chop-hostage-captain-s-arm-elicit-2m-ransom.html


----------



## OldSolduer

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Possibly, possibly not.  Semantics.  Pirates have shore offices too.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091548/Somali-pirates-chop-hostage-captain-s-arm-elicit-2m-ransom.html



I agree. Don't kidnap our people and you won't die. Quite simple really.

Don't chop off body parts...and we win't send people to kill you. Simple.


----------



## armyvern

Good job to these Seals!!


As for wrangling these pirates, it's that old proverb rearing it's head:

Rock <--- Doing the right thing & really getting the proper shit done ---> Hard Place

 :-\


----------



## Retired AF Guy

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Possibly, possibly not.  Semantics.  Pirates have shore offices too.  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091548/Somali-pirates-chop-hostage-captain-s-arm-elicit-2m-ransom.html



You're exactly right. The National Post reported today that they were part of a pirate gang. What we should look at is that the hostages were freed unharmed, none the rescuers were harmed and nine bad guys were "terminated with extreme prejudice." 

I do have a few question that may be actually worth its own thread; The media is reporting it was SEAL Team Six that carried out this raid, the same unit that killed UBL. My question is why was SEAL Team Six in both ops? The U.S. Army has its own anti-terrorist unit (Delta Force) so why weren't they used? Is it something about a specific AOR or specific taskings or what? 

An inquiring mind would like to know.


----------



## GAP

U.S. Navy rescues yet another distressed Iranian fishing vessel
Agence France-Presse  Feb 1, 2012
Article Link

DUBAI — The U.S. Navy has announced that it assisted an Iranian fishing vessel in distress in the Gulf, the fourth such incident this year in an area marked by tension between Washington and Tehran.

The Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet said in a statement late Tuesday that forces from the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group responded to a “distressed Iranian fishing dhow” that had nine crew members on board.

The U.S. Navy team was allowed to board the vessel and repair the engine, the statement said.

On January 18, the U.S. Navy assisted the crew of an Iranian fishing vessel in distress in the Gulf of Oman. On January 11, the U.S. Navy rescued six Iranian merchant marines from a sinking cargo ship. And on January 7, a Navy destroyer rescued 13 Iranian fishermen being held hostage by Somali pirates.
More on link


----------



## Rifleman62

I would get suspicious at the new trend of Iranian fishing vessels in distress. One of these will eventually blow up in their faces one way or another. I realize you must respond to a vessel in distress, but the Iranians are nutters.


----------



## SeaKingTacco

The IRGN are nut jobs.  In my experience, the Iranian Navy and Iranian fishermen are ok.  The fishermen, in particular, just want to be left alone.

It might happen the the USN gets set up at some point by a "vessel in distress", but I would say that right now, they are winning the propaganda war by doing what they are doing.  The guys that get helped by the USN talk when they get back home.  And they all have family that also talk.  For now, it is a good risk to take.


----------



## jollyjacktar

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> The IRGN are nut jobs.  In my experience, the Iranian Navy and Iranian fishermen are ok.  The fishermen, in particular, just want to be left alone.


Whats the difference between the IRGN and IN?  Thought it was one in the same.


----------



## SeaKingTacco

The revolutionary guards navy is controlled directly by the theocracy, IIRC.  They are fairly...fanatical.  The Iranian Navy is just like any other Navy- And I don't recall there being a lot of love lost between the two organizations


----------



## jollyjacktar

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> The revolutionary guards navy is controlled directly by the theocracy, IIRC.  They are fairly...fanatical.  The Iranian Navy is just like any other Navy- And I don't recall there being a lot of love lost between the two organizations


There you go.  I'll admit I haven't looked too hard at what Iran has for assets.  You only seem to hear of the Revolutionary portion of their goodies.  I'm sure they are tools, as most fanatics seem to be.  Never sailed in those waters so did not bone up on what professional forces they might posses.  Seeing as they are the pro's I expect they don't have time for the beardy weirdy schmoes.


----------



## OldSolduer

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> The revolutionary guards navy is controlled directly by the theocracy, IIRC.  They are fairly...fanatical.  The Iranian Navy is just like any other Navy- And I don't recall there being a lot of love lost between the two organizations



Come to think of it, the SS was not adored by the Wehrmacht in World War Two. Political armies/forces rarely endear themselves to professional forces. At least that is the way I read it.

Sorry for the tangent.


----------



## jollyjacktar

Shared with the usual caveats.  This sounds interesting, and promising too.  Maybe by being private vs regular naval they might be able to take more proactive courses of action against the pirates.  Good hunting and good luck, sounds interesting.     Photo and story at link below.

http://www.shipsmonthly.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=534:a-maldon-based-warship-has-been-refurbished-to-take-on-somali-pirates&catid=49:waterfront&Itemid=64


A Maldon-based warship has been refurbished to take on Somali pirates. Defender, an ex-Omani Navy fast attack vessel which was featured in Ships Monthly last year, has been armed and modernised at Fullbridge after languishing on the Blackwater estuary for the past three years.

The ship has changed hands several times since being ‘gifted’ back to Lowestoft, where she was built in the mid-1970s for the Sultan of Oman. Her new owner and skipper is former Royal Navy Lieutenant Chris Enmarsh, who said: ‘Defender’s task will be to deter pirates intent on boarding ships that pass the East African coastline. She will be manned by handpicked ex-Royal Marine Commandos and run as a professional naval ship.’

Defender has had a 40mm cannon installed on her fore deck and a 20mm cannon on her aft deck, with two machine guns on each side.


----------



## GAP

2 Hostages Are Killed in Sea Rescue That Frees 16
By J. DAVID GOODMAN Published: February 28, 2012 
Article Link

The Danish Navy said Tuesday that two hostages had died during an operation over the weekend that freed more than a dozen people held on a pirate mother ship off the coast of Somalia.

The navy said in a statement that 16 crew members of the hijacked ship had been rescued, but that two more had been found with severe injuries and later died despite a navy doctor’s efforts. The circumstances that led to their fatal injuries were not immediately known, and their nationalities were not given. The navy said the situation was under investigation.

A navy spokesman said the two hostages “were wounded during the operation,” Reuters reported.

The crew from the Absalon, a Danish warship under international command in the Gulf of Aden, had been tracking the large pirate vessel for several days before intercepting it on Sunday night as it tried to move away from the coast. The Danish ship opened fire on the vessel after it ignored both calls to stop and warning shots, the navy said.

At least 17 people suspected of being pirates were taken aboard the Absalon, the navy said, and could face criminal prosecution.

Danish naval ships, part of international antipiracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, have often favored negotiation over aggressive action to secure the release of hostages held by Somali pirates. 
More on link


----------



## GAP

Next pirate hot spot: the Gulf of Guinea

The Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of West Africa, is a significant source of US oil. Rising piracy here could mean rising prices at the pump.

By Scott Baldauf, Staff Writer / February 28, 2012 
Article Link

High-seas piracy has found another home, in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea on the West African coast. The number of attacks in 2011 far surpassed the total number for 2010, and the pace could increase this year as well, as oil-rich nations of the region increase their production. With global oil supplies tight and the price of oil already rising, the costs of West African piracy will almost certainly be felt at your local fuel pump.

According to the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO), 64 incidents of piracy were reported in nine countries of the Gulf of Guinea region in 2011, up from 45 incidents in seven countries in 2010. There have been 10 reported piracy incidents in the first two months of 2012 alone, an indication that the pace of attacks remains steady, as oil prices rise.

Like piracy off the coast of Somalia, the high-seas attacks in the Gulf of Guinea – extending from Ivory Coast in the West toward Nigeria, and down toward the Democratic Republic of Congo -- are driven by a combination of economic opportunism by existing criminal gangs, and the lack of governmental capacity to rein in those criminal gangs on shore. Militias in Nigeria’s restive Niger Delta region have long carried out attacks on land-based oil pipelines, siphoning off crude oil in a practice called “illegal bunkering.”

In recent years, these attacks have extended to commercial shipping, and today’s West African pirates hijack ships and direct them to meet up with other large tanker ships specially contracted to offload the volumes of stolen crude oil.
More on link


----------



## Sythen

> The European Union has agreed to expand its mission against Somali pirates, by allowing military forces to attack land targets as well as those at sea.
> 
> In a two-year extension of its mission, EU defence ministers agreed warships could target boats and fuel dumps.
> 
> The BBC's security correspondent Frank Gardner says the move is a significant step-up in operations, but one that also risks escalation.
> 
> Several EU naval ships are currently on patrol off the Horn of Africa.
> 
> They police shipping routes and protect humanitarian aid. A two-decade war has wrecked Somalia, leaving it without a proper government.
> 
> The transitional government only controls the capital Mogadishu, while al-Shabab militants, who recently joined with al-Qaeda, hold large swathes of territory.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17487767

More at link

EDIT: Forgot to add link


----------



## jollyjacktar

About time they started to get some balls.  They still have a long way to go to get to the way it should be.


----------



## Oldgateboatdriver

However, that is the E.U. only, so it does not encompass Canada, Australia or the U.S. who only operate there under the auspices of the UN, or of their own national authority.
Would not mind seeing our national authority move in the same direction, even if only for the sake of uniformity of R.O.E.'s.


----------



## jollyjacktar

Oldgateboatdriver said:
			
		

> However, that is the E.U. only, so it does not encompass Canada, Australia or the U.S. who only operate there under the auspices of the UN, or of their own national authority.
> Would not mind seeing our national authority move in the same direction, even if only for the sake of uniformity of R.O.E.'s.


That's true.  But if all the others start taking it to the Pirates, as they damn well should be.  Perhaps we will start to see a change in our mandate as well.


----------



## GAP

Civilian Gun Ships Off Somalia
April 1, 2012
Article Link

To get around laws, in many ports, forbidding weapons aboard merchant ships, security companies operating off the Somali coast have equipped small ships to serve as floating arsenals. The security guards boards, in port, the merchant ships they are guarding, then meet up with the gun ship in international waters so the guards can get their weapons and ammo. The process is reversed when the merchant ships approach their destinations or leave pirate infested waters (and put the armed guards off onto the gun ship.) Maritime lawyers fret that there are no proper laws to regulate these floating armories, or that if there are applicable laws, everyone is not following them. It's also feared that some enterprising lawyers will seek to represent the families of pirates shot by these armed guards. Off the Somali coast, everyone is looking for a big payday.

In the last three years, more and more merchant ships, despite the high expense, have hired armed guards when travelling near the "Pirate Coast" of Somalia. It began when France put detachments of troops on tuna boats operating in the Indian Ocean, and Belgium then supplied detachments of soldiers for Belgium ships that must move near the Somali coast. These armed guards are not cheap, with detachments costing up to $200,000 a week. There are now over a dozen private security companies offering such services. What makes the armed guards so attractive is the fact that no ship carrying them has ever been captured by pirates. That may eventually change, but for the moment, the pirates avoid ships carrying armed guards and seek less well-defended prey.

Most Western nations have small merchant marine fleets operating under the national flag. It's more common for shipping companies in the West to use "flags of convenience" (like Liberia and Panama) to evade laws mandating who can be hired for the crew and what they must be paid (in addition to other restrictions.) Shipping companies using flags of convenience generally do not allow firearms on board, lest they be used by mutineers. There are a few mutinies each year, usually over pay or working conditions. But even if there are weapons on board, you would have to train members of the crew how to use them. Moreover, the pirates often rely on stealth, sneaking up on a ship at night, while the target vessel is far off the Somali coast.

The piracy has been a growing problem off the Somali coast for over a decade. The problem now is that there are thousands of experienced pirates. And these guys have worked out a system that is very lucrative, and not very risky. For most of the past decade, the pirates preyed on foreign fishing boats and the small, often sail powered, cargo boats the move close (within a hundred kilometers) of the shore. During that time, the pirates developed contacts with businessmen in the Persian Gulf who could be used to negotiate (for a percentage) the ransoms with insurance companies and shipping firms. The pirates also mastered the skills needed to put a grappling hook on the railing, 10-12 meters (30-40 feet) above the water, of a large ship. Doing this at night, and then scrambling aboard, is more dangerous if the ship has lookouts, who can alert sailors trained to deploy high pressure fire hoses against the borders.

Big ships have small crews (12-30 sailors). Attacking at night finds most of the crew asleep. Rarely do these ships have any armed security. Ships can post additional lookouts when in areas believed to have pirates. Once pirates (speedboats full of armed men) are spotted, ships can increase speed (a large ship running at full speed, about 40+ kilometers an hour, can outrun most of the current speed boats the pirates have), and have fire hoses ready to be used to repel boarders. The pirates will fire their AK-47 assault rifles and RPG grenade launchers, but the sailors handling the fire hoses will stand back so the gunmen cannot get a direct shot.

Since the pirates generally take good care of their captives, the anti-piracy efforts cannot risk a high body count, lest they be accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes or simply bad behavior. The pirates have access to hundreds of sea going fishing boats, which can pretend to fish by day, and sneak up on merchant ships at night. The pirates often operate in teams, with one or more fishing boats acting as lookouts, and alerting another boat that a large, apparently unguarded, ship is headed their way. The pirate captain can do a simple calculation to arrange meeting the oncoming merchant vessel in the middle of the night. These fishing boats can carry inflatable boats with large outboard engines, or simply two speedboats towed behind it. Each of these can carry four or five pirates, their weapons and the grappling hook projectors needed to get the pirates onto the deck of a large ship. These big ships are very automated, and at night the only people on duty will be on the bridge. This is where the pirates go, to seize control of the ship. The rest of the crew is then rounded up. The pirates force the captain to take the ship to an anchorage near some Somali fishing village. There, more gunmen will board, and stand guard over crew and ship until the ransom is paid. Sometimes, part of the crew will be sent ashore, and kept captive there. The captive sailors are basically human shields for the pirates, to afford some protection from commando attacks.
end


----------



## GAP

Sea piracy on the decline in first quarter
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia— The Associated Press Monday, Apr. 23, 2012 
Article Link

Sea piracy worldwide dropped 28 percent in the first quarter of the year as attacks fell sharply in Somalia's waters thanks to international naval patrols, an international maritime watchdog said Monday.

Pirate attacks intensified, however, in Nigeria and Indonesia.

The number of worldwide attacks in January to March dipped to 102, down from 142 cases in the same period in 2011, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur said in a report. It said 11 vessels were hijacked and 212 crew members taken hostage, compared with 18 ships seized and 344 people taken hostage a year ago.

In Somalia, there were 43 attacks, including nine vessel hijackings, compared with 97 attacks a year ago. The agency attributed the decline to “disruptive actions and pre-emptive strikes” by navies in the region.

Multiple navies — including a large U.S. presence — patrol the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean, and many private ships now carry armed guards.

The European Union Naval Force recently said it would expand its mission to include Somalia's coast and waterways inside the country for the first time, making its battle against piracy more proactive.

“It is unlikely that the threat of Somali piracy will diminish in the short to medium term unless further actions are taken,” the agency said. “The EU announcement to expand their anti-piracy mission to target pirates ashore is another welcome move that could further threaten the Somali piracy model.”
More on link


----------



## Sythen

http://isupportourveterans.com/?p=833



> Somali pirates spot what looks like a large cargo ship in the dead of night and decide to attack. They fire on the ship — only to discover that the “cargo ship” they’ve engaged in battle is actually the USS Nicholas, a guided-missile frigate. Oops! The Nicholas sinks the pirates’ boat, then finds and sinks their mother ship. Five Somali pirates are now awaiting trial in the Nicholas’ brig. As Rachel Maddow says in this clip, the Navy really is more than a job — it’s an adventure!



Guess someone needs to teach these guys the basics of PID!


----------



## GAP

Two articles of interest.....

Seeking Somali pirates, from the air
By Frank Gardner BBC security correspondent 
Article Link

From a desert airbase in the United Arab Emirates, a Royal Australian Air Force Orion surveillance plane taxis along the tarmac.

The 13-strong crew, part of a 25-nation coalition force, has been tasked to patrol two huge patches of ocean between the southern coast of Oman and the Horn of Africa.

It is where Somali pirates were last seen operating - and it is where they are thought to be lying in wait for their next victims.

Maritime piracy off the Somali coast is estimated to have cost the global shipping industry about $5.6bn (£3.6bn) last year alone and, along with the growing terrorist threat, it is one of the principal reasons David Cameron has convened this week's Somalia conference in London.

Over 100 seafarers and several ships are currently held for ransom in often atrocious conditions.

What started out a few years ago as a local vigilante reaction by Somali fishermen - fed up with foreign fishing fleets plundering their waters - has now evolved into a massive and sometimes murderous business.

The Navy's Mark Ray explains what happens when a distress call comes in

Ransoms run into the millions of dollars, crews are sometimes tortured to put pressure on ship-owners to pay up, and ships have been attacked as far as 1,000 miles (1,600km) from Somalia.
Vast ocean

So how does patrolling the vast Indian Ocean by air make any difference?

It is a long sortie - ten hours in the air, banking and diving - down to the Horn of Africa and back.

Flying low, the Australians record every vessel in a designated search area. 

The plane has an electronic optical (EO) camera beneath the nose, producing high-resolution photographs that can be beamed instantly back to analysts onshore in the UAE and Bahrain. Sitting just behind the pilot, a photographer uses a hand-held telephoto lens to take digital photos as back-up.

"Basically we are just seeing what sort of vessels are in the area," says aerial analyst Sergeant Scott Brando.

"We're looking for any acts of piracy. The radio operator puts through any surface contacts that the radar picks up, big or small."
More on link

Somali Mohammad Shibin guilty over Quest hijacking
Article Link
 27 April 2012

A US jury has convicted a Somali man of piracy for serving as a hostage negotiator during the hijacking of an American yacht.

Mohammad Saaili Shibin was found guilty of piracy, kidnapping and hostage-taking over the 2011 hijacking of the SV Quest, near Oman.

Prosecutors said he received at least $30,000 (£18,475) for negotiating ransom payments.

The incident saw all four Americans on board shot and killed.

Shibin was arrested by the FBI and military officials in Somalia in April 2011.

He now faces a mandatory life sentence, due to be handed down in August by the court in Norfolk, Virginia. His lawyer said he would appeal.

Two Somalis also charged in the case pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Several others involved in the hijacking have also received life terms, while some face murder charges and the possibility of the death penalty.

The couple who owned the boat, as well as two guests, were shot to death after a gang of 19 pirates took them hostage in the Indian Ocean.

The four - Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, California, and friends Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay, of Seattle - were the first Americans to die in a spate of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

Two of the pirates were killed by US forces and another two were found dead on the pirates' vessel. It is unclear how they died.
end


----------



## GAP

Somali piracy: EU forces in first mainland raid
15 May 2012 
Article Link

EU naval forces have conducted their first raid on pirate bases on the Somali mainland, saying they have destroyed several boats.

The EU forces were transported by helicopter to the bases near the port of Haradhere, a well known pirate lair.

Anti-piracy forces have been reluctant to attack mainland bases, fearing for the crew of captured ships.

Somalia-based pirates have seized vessels across the Indian Ocean and demand huge ransoms for their release.

They are believed to be holding about 17 ships and 300 crew.

The latest incident involves the Greek-owned oil tanker Smyrni which was hijacked in the Arabian Sea last week.

The Liberian-flagged tanker carrying 135,000 tonnes of oil is reported to be heading for Somalia.
'Nothing spared'

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says the attack on the land base is a significant development in the fight against Somali piracy. 

The EU recently agreed to expand Operation Atalanta to allow forces to attack land targets as well as those at sea, and this is the first time its forces have used the new rules to attack a base on the mainland.

The attack was carried out overnight and, according to the European forces, no Somalis were hurt during the action.

The multinational forces used helicopters in conjunction with two warships to leave five of the pirates' fast attack craft "inoperable".

The European naval mission issued a statement saying: "The focused, precise and proportionate action was conducted from the air and all forces returned safely to EU warships on completion".

A spokesman added that the operation was carried out with the full support of the Somali government after extensive surveillance, and the aim was to deny the pirates a safe haven onshore.

Bile Hussein, a pirate commander, told the Reuters news agency that speed boats, fuel depots and an arms store had been targeted.

"They destroyed our equipment to ashes. It was a key supplies centre for us," Mr Hussein said. 
More on link


----------



## The Bread Guy

> The Department of Defense will begin funding an Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored project aimed at developing Web applications to help multinational navies police the world's oceans, officials announced May 14.
> 
> The International Collaborative Development for Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness (ICODE MDA) was one of 14 projects selected by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to receive $1 million awards beginning this fall through the Coalition Warfare Program, which funds international collaborative research efforts.
> 
> The ICODE MDA project is a research alliance between ONR and Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific). ONR is partnering with scientists in Chile to build widgets, or Web-based applications, for use by sailors and maritime operators to analyze data and other information to combat pirates, drug smugglers, arms traffickers, illegal fishermen and other nefarious groups.
> 
> "A lot of maritime threats occur in developing parts of the world," said Dr. Augustus Vogel, associate director for Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa in ONR-Global's Chile office. "Our goal is to develop partnerships with countries that have maritime threats to help solve those problems."
> 
> ONR will tap researchers at the Technical University of Federico Santa Maria, one of Chile's top engineering schools, to create Web-based tools in an open source environment. The work will focus on producing software to improve automation, small-target detection and intent detection.
> 
> Ultimately, the software will be compatible with multiple maritime network systems so that navies around the world can use the tools and share information for global operations ....


U.S.N. Info-machine, 14 May 12


----------



## Kirkhill

Concurrent Activity from Defense-Aerospace

Back to the days of yore:  Can't make up my mind if this is the East India Company model, the Knights of Malta model or the Templar model.  I suspect the latter.



> Private Navy Planned to Counter Pirate Raids
> 
> (Source: The National; published May 13, 2012)
> 
> A private navy costing US$70 million (Dh257m) is being set up to escort merchant ships through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden.
> 
> It will comprise a fleet of 18 ships, based in Djibouti, and will offer to convoy merchant vessels along the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC).
> 
> This is the world's most dangerous shipping lane, between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. The fleet will be operated by the Convoy Escort Programme (CEP), a British company launched by the international shipping insurers Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) and the Lloyds of London underwriters Ascot.
> 
> Full funding will be in place by the end of next month, and the CEP hopes the fleet will be operational by December.
> 
> "The shipping industry needs to stand up and be counted," said Angus Campbell, the CEP's chief executive and a former director of Overseas Shipholding Group, the world's second-biggest listed oil tanker company. "The time is now, not in four or five years' time."
> 
> Piracy in the region is costing the global economy an estimated US$7 billion a year. For the ship owners alone, every vessel sailing through the waters off Somalia is charged additional insurance premiums of between $50,000 and $80,000.
> 
> Ships opting to carry their own armed guards can be charged an additional $18,000 and $60,000 per voyage by security companies.
> 
> Although the European Union is spending more than €8m (Dh37.94m) a year to maintain a naval force in the waters - EU NavFor - its warships still cannot provide close support to all merchant vessels.
> 
> The CEP, however, offers substantial savings to owners as well as protection from pirate attack. The CEP will buy insurance and use that to cover the ships in its convoys, so owners will no longer need to pay premiums, or hire security.
> 
> Instead, they will just pay a flat $30,000 to $40,000 per ship in the convoy.
> 
> The CEP is planning to buy seven 150-foot fast patrol boats, understood to be ex-Swedish Navy, and has already earmarked 11 former offshore supply vessels for purchase and conversion.
> 
> The ships will be equipped with fast semi-inflatables, called ribs, an array of non-lethal counter-measures, and 0.50 calibre heavy machine guns. They will be operated by a crew of five and carry eight armed security personnel each.
> 
> The programme will result in convoys of up to four merchant ships closely escorted by one CEP craft along the IRTC, with additional CEP ships in support, covering east and west-bound traffic.
> 
> Once in operation, the force will capable of escorting up to 470 ships a month through the Gulf of Aden, equivalent to about 25 per cent of current traffic.
> 
> "Our crews will undergo intensive training in how to implement a graduated response. We will be compliant with maritime law and will observe the International Maritime Organisation conventions, such as the Safety of Life at Sea treaty," said Mr Campbell. "We have had detailed discussions with the Royal Navy, who were a little concerned at first, but are now supportive, as are the British government."
> 
> Sean Woollerson, a partner in the marine, oil and gas division of JLT, said the description "private navy" did not apply to the CEP fleet.
> 
> The aim is to stop the pirates before they reach the merchant ship, and the emphasis is on non-lethal measures. Use of offensive weapons will be a last resort. "This is not a navy," said MrWoollerson. "What we're trying to be is a deterrent force. Prevention is within our reach."
> 
> The plan has been put together during the past three and a half years and now involves 21 companies, including law firms, auditors and risk managers, as well as JLT and Ascot.
> 
> The CEP has agreed with the Cyprus Maritime Administration for its vessels to sail under the island's flag.
> 
> "Anything that can prevent piracy in this area is to be supported," PottengalMukundan, the chief executive of the Commercial Crime Services arm of the International Maritime Bureau, told the British newspaper TheMail on Sunday.
> 
> JLT is a leading British insurance business and was first established as a division of Jardine, Matheson and Company, which was founded in Canton [now known as Guangdong], China, in 1832.
> 
> Although floated off, Jardine still owns 40 per cent of JLT, which specialises in risk insurance, such as shipping, kidnap and ransom. JLT insures 14 per cent of the global shipping fleet and is a traded on the FTSE 250 Index.
> 
> "While this peril has always existed on the high seas, the scale and intensity of piracy in the Gulf of Aden has focused the attention of the shipping and insurance industries on this exposure," said the company's website regarding its involvement in the programme.
> 
> -ends-



The Templar Naval Ensign attached.


----------



## Fishbone Jones

Sorry. Forgot about this thread.

Saw the title and thought it was another thread about that Paul Watson guy of Shepard Pie fame.

Or something like that. :dunno:


----------



## jollyjacktar

I, and several of my peers have been giving this sort of employment some serious consideration.  There seems to be no downward trend in Piracy and there is an upwards trend of counter pirate ops out there.  Not too sure what sort of ripple effect there is from all the Brit FRP's as of late though on the business.


----------



## GAP

We're coming to get you! 

Somali pirate boat blown up by chopper as Navy frigate crew arrest 12
By Ian Drury 15 May 2012
Article Link

Flames erupt into the sky from a skiff floating adrift in the Indian Ocean, a powerful demonstration of the Royal Navy’s might as it fights the scourge of Somali piracy.

The boat was blown out of the water by a Merlin helicopter, flown from HMS Westminster, which strafed the vessel, setting fire to fuel tanks.

The pirate crew fled to another vessel before the attack, but were among 12 arrested without a fight by boarding teams from the frigate shortly after.

HMS Westminster is boosting security off the East African coast as part of Combined Task Force 150, one of three international naval groups set up to defeat terrorism, tackle piracy and stop the trafficking of people and drugs.

It has carried out three counter-piracy missions in a seven-month tour of duty in the Indian Ocean.

The 4,900-ton vessel, with 185 crew, has played a key role in deterring bandits who prey on merchant ships off the volatile Horn of Africa, seizing hostages and demanding huge ransoms.

A Navy spokesman said: ‘Using the Merlin’s powerful sensors, we found the suspected pirates and identified weapons, excessive fuel, ladders and more people than you would expect to find for any other purpose in small boats, hundreds of miles from land in the Indian Ocean.

‘Faced with an overwhelming display of force, the suspected pirates immediately surrendered.’

Photographs of last month’s successful operation were released yesterday by the Ministry of Defence.
More on link


----------



## GAP

Nigeria navy retakes hijacked oil tanker off coast
Article Link
Published September 05, 2012 Associated Press 

LAGOS, Nigeria –  Nigeria's navy on Wednesday retook an oil tanker hijacked off the country's largest city, freeing 23 Indian sailors held hostage by pirates who fled as the navy arrived, a spokesman said.

None of the sailors was hurt in the hijacking of the MT Abu Dhabi Star, which happened off the coast of Lagos, said Pat Adamson, a spokesman for Dubai-based Pioneer Ship Management Services LLC. The Nigerian navy was providing an escort for the vessel Wednesday afternoon to make sure it arrived safely at Lagos' busy port, Commodore Kabir Aliyu said.

The pirates who took over the vessel fled when they saw the Nigerian naval ship on the horizon, Adamson said. It was unclear whether they stole any of the ship's cargo, though the crew had begun an inspection of the ship, the spokesman said.

The pirates targeted the ship as it was anchored off the coast Tuesday night, Aliyu said. The sailors onboard sent distress signals as the pirates boarded the Singapore-flagged ship, with their last message indicating they had locked themselves inside a panic room on the vessel, Aliyu said.

During the short hijacking, the ship's management received no ransom demands for the crew, Pioneer Ship Management Services said. That's not unusual, as pirates in the region increasingly target oil tankers for their cargos, holding control of the vessels only long enough to offload the fuel before escaping. That's in contrast to pirates off the Somali coast, who typically hold sailors for months for ransom.

Pirate attacks are on the rise in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, which follows the continent's southward curve from Liberia to Gabon. Over the last year and a half, piracy there has escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings and cargo thefts. Last year, London-based Lloyd's Market Association -- an umbrella group of insurers -- listed Nigeria, neighboring Benin and nearby waters in the same risk category as Somalia, where two decades of war and anarchy have allowed piracy to flourish.

Pirates in West Africa have been more willing to use violence in their robberies, as they target the cargo, not the crew for ransom as is the case off Somalia. Experts say many of the pirates come from Nigeria, where corrupt law enforcement allows criminality to thrive.

Analysts believe the recent hijackings of tanker ships may well be the work of a single, sophisticated criminal gang with knowledge of the oil industry and oil tankers. Those involved in the hijackings may have gotten that experience in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta, where thieves tap pipelines running through the swamps to steal hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil a day.
end


----------



## GAP

Party appears to be ending for Somali pirates
September 25, 2012 Associated Press
Article Link

HOBYO, Somalia –  The empty whiskey bottles and overturned, sand-filled skiffs littering this once-bustling shoreline are signs the heyday of Somali piracy may be over. Most of the prostitutes are gone and the luxury cars repossessed. Pirates while away their hours playing cards or catching lobsters.

"There's nothing to do here these days," said Hassan Abdi, a high school graduate who taught English in a private school before turning to piracy in 2009. "The hopes for a revitalized market are not high."

Armed guards aboard cargo ships and an international naval armada that carries out onshore raids have put a huge dent in piracy and might even be ending the scourge.

While experts say it's too early to declare victory, the numbers are startling: In 2010, pirates seized 47 vessels. This year they've taken five.

For a look at the reality behind those numbers, an Associated Press team from the capital, Mogadishu, traveled to the pirate havens of Galkayo and Hobyo, a coastal town considered too dangerous for Western reporters since the kidnappers have turned to land-based abductions over the last year.

There they found pirates who once owned vast villas living in darkened, unfurnished rooms, hiding from their creditors.

Prostitute Faduma Ali longs for the days when her pirate customers had money. As she smoked a hookah in a hot, airless room in Galkayo last week, she sneered as she answered a phone call from a former customer seeking some action on credit.

"Those days are over. Can you pay me $1,000?" she asked. That's what she once got for a night's work. "If not, goodbye and leave me alone."

"Money," she groaned as she hung up.

The caller, Abdirizaq Saleh, once had bodyguards and maids and the attention of beautiful women. When ransoms came in, a party was thrown, with blaring music, bottles of wine, the stimulant khat and a woman for every man.

Now Saleh is hiding from creditors in a dirty room filled with dust-covered TVs and high-end clothes he acquired when flush.

"Ships are being held longer, ransoms are getting smaller and attacks are less likely to succeed," said Saleh, sitting on a threadbare mattress covered by a mosquito net. A plastic rain jacket he used at sea dangled from the door.

Somali pirates hijacked 46 ships in 2009 and 47 in 2010, the European Union Naval Force says. In 2011, pirates launched a record number of attacks -- 176 -- but commandeered only 25 ships, an indication that new on-board defenses were working.

The last of the five hijacked this year was the Liberian-flagged MV Smyrni, taken with its crew of 26 on May 10. They are still being held.

"We have witnessed a significant drop in attacks in recent months. The stats speak for themselves," said Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Sherriff, a spokeswoman for the European Union Naval Force.
More on link


----------



## GAP

Hired Guns Tame The Somali Coast
  Article Link
October 6, 2012

 At the moment there's a booming market in security guards for merchant ships plying the waters off Somalia and adjacent areas (Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, western Indian Ocean, Straits of Hormuz). While many ships get by on-the-cheap by forming convoys that are guarded by warships of the international anti-piracy patrol, others have schedules that preclude waiting for a convoy to form. Most of these ships are now using a detachment of 4-5 armed guards, which cost them about $40,000 for the short trip through pirate infested waters.

It's not just the armed former soldiers and marines now riding on the most choice targets that scare off the pirates but also all the dozens of boats (the size of seagoing fishing boats) that ferry the armed guards between African and Arabian ports to the ships that are to be guarded. The pirates have learned to keep clear of these boats as well, as they are full of heavily armed men willing to undertake some target practice before reaching their merchant ship and going on duty.

The rapid growth in the use of armed guards (who were on ten percent of large ships a year ago and some 70 percent now) and more aggressive operations by the international anti-pirate patrol have caused ship captures by pirates to decline by two-thirds this year. The reduction in ransom money has led to a collapse of the economic boom in and around the northern Somalia port towns where the pirates were based. There are now a lot of unemployed pirates and those still at sea have to proceed much more cautiously.
end


----------



## GAP

Kenya can try Somali pirates, appeal court says
Article Link
The Associated Press

NAIROBI, Kenya -- Kenya's Court of Appeal says the country's courts have jurisdiction to try Somali pirates caught on international waters.

In 2010, the High Court ruled that Kenyan courts can only deal with offenses that take place within the territorial jurisdiction of the country.

On Thursday The Court of Appeal said universal jurisdiction allowed all states to prosecute pirates despite location of the offense and nationality of perpetrators. The judges say piracy off the coast of Somalia has affected economies of many nations, including Kenya, and they must ensure criminals have no safe haven.

The international community has depended on countries like Kenya and the Seychelles to prosecute pirates who attack off East Africa. Somalia has been in conflict for two decades, and piracy is one of few opportunities to make money.
end


----------



## GAP

Somali troops 'free' 22 hostages held by pirates
Article Link
 23 December 2012

Twenty-two hostages seized by pirates nearly three years ago have been freed, the authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say.

They said their maritime force began the operation to free the hostages - and their ship - nearly two weeks ago.

The hostages are showing signs of having suffered physical torture and illness, their statement said.

Successful pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have decreased in the last two years.

This is due to the increased use of private security guards on ships and better co-ordination between naval patrols in the area, the BBC's Mary Harper says.

It is rare for Somali forces to move on pirates in this way, our correspondent says.

The Panama-flagged MV Iceberg One was seized off the Yemeni coast in 2009, and was being held near Gara'ad village on the coast in Mudug region when Puntland's maritime troops surrounded it on 10 December.

In their statement, the Puntland authorities said their troops fought the pirates for two weeks before safely rescuing all 22 hostages on board the ship.

They also killed a number of pirates after intercepting one of their small boats delivering weapons and other supplies to the captured ship.

"After two years and 9 months in captivity, the hostages have suffered signs of physical torture and illness," the statement said. "[They] are now receiving nutrition and medical care."
end


----------



## GAP

Somali pirates release sailors as piracy reports reach five-year low
March 12, 2013 FoxNews.com
Article Link

Somali pirates released a Greek-owned oil tanker and its 26 sailors after seizing the vessel in the Arabian Sea last year in an increasingly rare hijacking on the high seas.

Pirates released the sailors, including 14 Filipinos, from the Liberian-flagged MT Smyrni on Saturday, the Philippine government said Tuesday. The ship and its crew were headed to Oman, according to a statement by Philippine’s foreign affairs department. Piracy reached a five-year low last year, with intervention by various navies and aggressive interdiction off the coast of Somalia, according to experts. 

“All of the crew members are in good physical condition,” the statement continued.

The ship was carrying 135,000 tons of crude oil when it was hijacked on May 10, roughly 300 nautical miles east of Oman as it sailed from Turkey toward Somalia. The hijacking, according to the International Maritime Organization, involved 10 pirates in two skiffs armed with automatic weapons whose initial attempt to board the tanker was unsuccessful due to increased speed and evasive maneuvers by the MT Smyrni.

Exactly why the pirates released the vessel 10 months after hijacking it was unclear, but the owners of the vessel, Athens-based Dynacom Tanker Management, confirmed the development and thanked crew members and their relatives for support throughout the “long ordeal,” according to a statement obtained by AFP.

Globally, 297 ships were attacked in 2012 compared to 439 in 2011, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Those figures were largely driven by a huge reduction in Somali piracy, although East and West Africa remain the worst hit areas with 150 attacks last year.
More on link


----------



## GAP

Pirates reportedly hijack fuel tanker, kidnap crew off Nigeria's coast
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/28/fuel-tanker-reportedly-hijacked-off-nigeria-coast/?intcmp=obnetwork
Published May 28, 2013 FoxNews.com

Private security officials say pirates have hijacked a fuel tanker and kidnapped foreign sailors in a West Africa region that is experiencing increasing pirate activity.

Security officials said Tuesday that the hijacking of the MT Matrix I happened Saturday off the coast of Bayelsa state in Nigeria. The officials said the pirates kidnapped both Nigerian and Pakistani sailors in the attack.

A military spokesman in the delta referred calls for comment Tuesday to Nigeria's navy, the Associated Press reports. Commodore Kabir Aliyu, a navy spokesman, said there had been no report of a hijacking made to officials.

Some shippers in the region don't report hijackings publicly, out of fears of having their insurance premiums rise.

Telephone numbers for Pakistan's High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, could not be immediately connected Tuesday.

Nigerian naval authorities listed the ship as one of several allowed to bring subsidized gasoline into the country in May as part of a program costing the nation billions of dollars a year.

Naval officials listed the ship as being operated by a company called Integrated Shipping Services Nigeria Ltd. Other registries listed the ship as being operated by Val Oil Trading SA of Athens, Greece. Phone numbers for both companies could not be found. Officials at Matrix Energy Ltd., a Nigerian company listed as doing business with Val Oil Trading, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Oil tanker hijackings have happened more and more in recent months, with pirates stealing the fuel onboard, as opposed to kidnapping sailors for ransom. Estimates suggest pirates likely are able to make as much as a $2 million profit for off-loading 3,000 tons of fuel. Foreign hostages still draw tens of thousands of dollars in ransoms, with nearly all released unharmed after their companies pay for their freedom.

Insurers have listed Nigeria, neighboring Benin and nearby waters in the same risk category for hijackings as Somalia.

Security experts told The Economist that 2013 could be the worst year ever for pirate incidents off West Africa.

There have been 28 reported incidents this year so far, while 2012 had 62 and 2011 had 44. 

Meanwhile, in Somalia, pirate activity has been sharply reduced because of foreign intervention, The Economist reports.
end


----------



## Jacky Tar

COs of ships need to regain the authority to try pirates when and as captured, and if found guilty, execute them.


----------



## Oldgateboatdriver

Personally, I favour a "special forces" approach like the one used in Europe against terrorist hostage takings in the 60's and early 70's:

Go in and make sure none of the terrorist comes out alive - Regardless of what the hostages may say, stick to your PR line that the terrorist resisted to one man t'ill the end.

When the message sank in that there would be no negotiations and your casualty rate for hostage taking is 100%, the hostage takings stopped quickly.

When shipowners stop paying the ransom and call in, instead, special military forces that take out all the pirates, the rate of piracy acts will sharply decline very quickly.


----------



## Canadian.Trucker

Jacky Tar said:
			
		

> COs of ships need to regain the authority to try pirates when and as captured, and if found guilty, execute them.


+1 to include keelhauling as a punishment >


----------



## Oldgateboatdriver

Unfortunately, nowadays, our hulls are smooth and kept free of barnacles for hydrodynamic purposes: It would only be a matter of how long the pirate can hold his breath.

Perhaps flogging round the fleet instead?


----------



## Canadian.Trucker

Oldgateboatdriver said:
			
		

> Personally, I favour a "special forces" approach like the one used in Europe against terrorist hostage takings in the 60's and early 70's:
> 
> Go in and make sure none of the terrorist comes out alive - Regardless of what the hostages may say, stick to your PR line that the terrorist resisted to one man t'ill the end.
> 
> When the message sank in that there would be no negotiations and your casualty rate for hostage taking is 100%, the hostage takings stopped quickly.
> 
> When shipowners stop paying the ransom and call in, instead, special military forces that take out all the pirates, the rate of piracy acts will sharply decline very quickly.


While I truly do agree with your statements, the problem becomes that even though the rate of piracy would decline, the incidents that turn violent for hostages would increase due to the pirates/hostage takers/terrorists knowing they have nothing to lose.  Double edged sword type of situation.



			
				Oldgateboatdriver said:
			
		

> Unfortunately, nowadays, our hulls are smooth and kept free of barnacles for hydrodynamic purposes: It would only be a matter of how long the pirate can hold his breath.
> 
> Perhaps flogging round the fleet instead?


I could get on board with that.


----------



## GAP

Canadian.Trucker said:
			
		

> While I truly do agree with your statements, the problem becomes that even though the rate of piracy would decline, the incidents that turn violent for hostages would increase due to the pirates/hostage takers/terrorists knowing they have nothing to lose.  Double edged sword type of situation.



And thats exactly the sentiments the pirates are counting on.....we are too afraid to live with the consequences.....


----------



## Halifax Tar

Why shipping companies haven't begun to arm themselves again is beyond me. 



> http://www.dillonaero.com/home.html
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_merchantman#21st_century
> - See heading 21st Century
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defensively_Equipped_Merchant_Ships
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q-ship


Contract to a security company, mount a couple of .50s or even Dillon guns and you should be able to reach out and poke "Jack Sparrow" long before he and his mates get close to you. 

Cheap and easy solution that I would suspect would get the point across very quickly.


----------



## jollyjacktar

As I've said before.  Bring back "Q" ships.  And sink the Pirate vessels with all hands when they engage.  If the Pirate crews stop returning from sea and mysteriously disappear at a steady rate, the remainder will find safer employment ashore as before.


----------



## Jacky Tar

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> As I've said before.  Bring back "Q" ships.  And sink the Pirate vessels with all hands when they engage.  If the Pirate crews stop returning from sea and mysteriously disappear at a steady rate, the remainder will find safer employment ashore as before.


 :goodpost: Have some milpoints


----------



## GAP

Pirate attack off Somalia thwarted by EU Naval Force

Pirate attack: The EU Naval Force says 14 Indian sailors aboard a dhow alerted officials Wednesday that their craft was under attack from 12 armed pirates.

By Abdi Guled, Associated Press / June 7, 2013 
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0607/Pirate-attack-off-Somalia-thwarted-by-EU-Naval-Force

MOGADISHU, Somalia

The European Union Naval Force says Somali pirates who took control of a cargo vessel with 14 Indian sailors on board fled after counter piracy ships from the EU and NATO responded.

The EU Naval Force says 14 Indian sailors aboard a dhow alerted officials Wednesday that their craft was under attack from 12 armed pirates. Swedish and Dutch warships responded. The pirates then steered the hijacked vessel toward the coast and abandoned it.

Somali pirates once held dozens of ships and hundreds of hostages. But the number of attacks has dropped considerably due to anti-piracy patrols and armed guards on ships.

The EU Naval Force says Somali pirates haven't hijacked a ship since May 2012. The force says pirates have attacked four ships this year, none successfully.


----------



## Privateer

Per CBC:  

*Pirate attacks shift from Somalia to Gulf of Guinea
Piracy cost West African region $2 billion US last year, International Maritime Bureau reports*



> The London-based International Maritime Bureau published figures for the first six months of the year indicating that while piracy is down in the rest of the world, the Gulf of Guinea has overtaken Somalia as the world's new hot spot.



link:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/07/15/pirates-west-africa-report.html

Gulf of Guinea (courtesy Google maps):  http://goo.gl/maps/Zi6vj


----------



## OldSolduer

Privateer said:
			
		

> Per CBC:
> 
> *Pirate attacks shift from Somalia to Gulf of Guinea
> Piracy cost West African region $2 billion US last year, International Maritime Bureau reports*
> 
> link:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/07/15/pirates-west-africa-report.html
> 
> Gulf of Guinea (courtesy Google maps):  http://goo.gl/maps/Zi6vj



So what are those USN SEALS doing these days.........


----------



## CougarKing

Speaking of another pirate-infested area in the Gulf of Guinea...



> Lagos (AFP) -* Nigeria, United States, Britain, Spain and the Netherlands Friday conducted a joint military exercise as part of international efforts to curb piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which has become a global hotspot.*
> 
> Coastguards, frigates, warships and helicopter patrols took part in *the joint amphibious exercise, codenamed "African Wings"*, in a show of military strength off Lagos.
> 
> Nigeria's naval chief Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba said the exercise aimed to demonstrate the combat-readiness of his country's navy in the fight against piracy.
> 
> "This is a joint military exercise between our armed forces and our foreign partners to send a clear signal to the criminals in our waters that we are ever ready and prepared for them," he said.
> 
> *Rear Admiral Ben Bekkering, leading the Dutch navy at the exercise, promised further cooperation to "make the Gulf of Guinea and the international waters safe and secure."
> 
> The number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea rose from 39 in 2010 to 53 in 2011 and 62 in 2012, according to the London-based think tank Chatham House.*
> 
> Pirate attacks in the region have increasingly targeted international cargo tankers, with stolen fuel sold on the international black market.
> 
> Other instances have occurred off Nigeria's oil-producing southern coast, where vessels have been raided, sometimes with expatriate workers kidnapped for ransom.
> 
> 
> Yahoo News


----------



## CougarKing

Seriously, this was NOT from an Onion story...  ;D

As reported by the National Post



> *The ultimate weapon against Somali pirates: Britney Spears*
> 
> Not every member of the merchant navy can be Captain Phillips, and so as Somali pirates continue to be a maritime threat, protective forces have turned to a new force of weaponry: Britney Spears.
> 
> *Specifically Spears’ chart-topping hits Baby One More Time and Oops! I Did It Again, which according to a representative of the merchant navy, are the songs the pirates presumably “hate the most.”*
> 
> 
> “These guys can’t stand Western culture or music, making Britney’s hits perfect,” Scottish merchant navy officer Rachel Owens told the U.K. Mirror. “They’re so effective the ship’s security rarely needs to resort to firing guns —* as soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney they move on as quickly as they can.”*
> 
> Navy members use the pop tunes, which are played at extremely high volume, when initial warnings fail to have an effect on the pirates. “The speakers can be aimed solely at the pirates so as not to disturb the crew,” Owens said, noting that pirates will often wear earplugs to avoid hearing the songs.
> 
> “Playing loud pop songs has been proven as one of the most effective ways of fending off attackers,” a spokesman for the British Association of Private Security Companies confirmed to the Mirror, adding that there is a choice of music made available to each security detail.
> 
> It’s not the first instance of armed forces using pop music as a weapon: Chilean dictator reportedly used the songs of Julio Iglesias to torture political opponents in the 1970s, and the U.S. army reportedly used Western music — including songs by Spears, as well as Eminem — as an offensive tactic in the War on Terror.
> 
> And according to Steven Jones of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, the pirates should consider themselves lucky to have to suffer only Spears — he can think of at least one other pop star whose tunes would be considerably more potent.
> 
> *“I’d imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention,” he joked to the Mirror.*
> 
> (...)


----------



## Goose15

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Seriously, this was NOT from an Onion story...  ;D
> 
> As reported by the National Post


I believe the Americans do a similar thing but with really OLD OLD country music. Has the RCN never considered using this technology?


----------



## dapaterson

Goose15 said:
			
		

> I believe the Americans do a similar thing but with really OLD OLD country music. Has the RCN never considered using this technology?



Finally!  A use for the musician trade!


----------



## cupper

They must be using an LRAD unit.


----------



## GAP

Why would that music be a deterrent? Have you listened to the crap they call music? It's the equivilant to two bullfrogs fighting over a salamander..... :


----------



## Goose15

GAP said:
			
		

> Why would that music be a deterrent? Have you listened to the crap they call music? It's the equivilant to two bullfrogs fighting over a salamander..... :



Would you want to approach someone if they were blaring the sounds of those two fighting bullfrogs right at you? 

To them it's equivalent apparently


----------



## Goose15

cupper said:
			
		

> They must be using an LRAD unit.



Does the RCN ever use these?


----------



## CougarKing

Another security contractor possibly aims to target pirates in the Niger delta with this retired Irish Navy warship:

From the IRISH TIMES



> *Navy’s retired LE Emer sells for €320,000 to businessman*
> 
> New owner says he’s unsure on private or security role for vessel in Niger Delta
> 
> The former Naval Service vessel the LE Emer, which was stood down last month after 35 years, has been sold at auction in Cork today for €320,000 to a Nigerian businessman based in London.
> 
> *Cyprian Imobhio, chief executive and managing director of Uniglobe Group*, said he had got the LE Emer, stripped of its armaments, for a good price, but he was reluctant to say it was a bargain. “It was a good price - but I would have preferred to get her for €200,000,” he said with a smile.
> 
> (...)


----------



## CougarKing

Related:

Net Security news link



> *Digital ship pirates: Researchers crack vessel tracking system*
> 
> Posted on 16 October 2013.
> 
> 
> In the maritime business, Automated Identification Systems (AIS) are a big deal. They supplement information received by the marine radar system, are used for a wide variety of things - including ship-to-ship communication - and are relied upon each and every day. Unfortunately, the AIS can also be easily hacked in order to do some real damage, claims a group of researchers presenting at the Hack In The Box Conference currently taking place in Kuala Lumpur.
> 
> Automated Identification Systems (AIS) transceivers can currently be found on over 400,000 ships sailing the high seas, and it is estimated that by 2014, that number will reach a million. The installation is mandatory for all passenger ships and commercial (non-fishing) ships over 300 metric tonnes, and it tracks them automatically by electronically exchanging data with other ships, AIS base stations, and satellites.
> 
> AIS hasn't replaced the marine radar system - it has been added to it to enhance marine traffic safety. The system has been first mandated for some 100,000 vessels in 2002. In 2006, the AIS standards committee published the Class B type AIS transceiver specification, which enabled the creation of a lower cost AIS device and triggered widespread use.
> 
> The data exchanged includes everything that has to do with the position of the ship, the cargo it carries, information on nearby ships, etc. The system used by the ships to communicate with other ships, plot their course and follow it, avoid collision with other ships, reefs and things that may be floating nearby that could cause damage to the vessels, as well as to aid in accident investigation and in search and rescue operations.
> 
> The information is also sent to upstream providers such as Maritimetraffic.com, Vesselfinder.com or Aishub.net, where anyone can check a specific vessel's position and additional information about it.
> 
> The upstream data sending can be effected via email, TCP / UDP, commercial software, smartphone apps, and radio-frequency gateways, and is sent via different types of messages (27 types in all). For example, message 18 delivers the position report (longitude, latitude, navigation status, an so on) and is sent every 30 second to 3 minutes depending on the speed of the ship, and message 24 provides the static report (type of ship, name, dimension, cargo type, etc) and is sent every 6 minutes.
> 
> Message type 8 is a binary broadcast message that can include any type of data, type 22 is for channel management (and only port authorities are allowed to use it). Type 14 is a safety-related broadcast message (and alerts of emergencies such as crew or passengers falling off board).
> 
> But, as Dr. Marco Balduzzi and Kyle Wilhoit of Trend Micro and independent security researcher Alessandro Pasta showed,* AIS is vulnerable both at the implementation and at the protocol level.
> 
> The researchers detailed a couple of different attack vectors and divided the exploitations of threats into software and radio frequency (RF) attacks. The root of all problems is the same: there is no authentication and no integrity checks, so the apparent validation of spoofed and specially crafted packets is a huge problem.*
> 
> The software attacks demonstrated to the full packed conference hall included:
> 
> *AIS spoofing*
> 
> There are a number of online AIS services that track vessel positions and locations around the world - the aforementioned Marine Traffic, Vessel Finder and AIS Hub are just some of them. These services are receiving AIS data and use maps to provide visual plotting that showcases global maritime traffic.
> 
> * AIS services track vessels, but don't do any checkups on who is sending AIS data.* This data usually includes vessel identification, location details, course plotting and other data specific to the vessel in question. With this on mind, the attackers can send specially crafted messages that could mimic the location of an existing vessel, or even create a fake vessel and place it on its own virtual course. This can cause a bit of panic, especially because you can fake a whole fleet of let's say war ships sailing on course to an enemy country or showing up off the coast of it.
> 
> *Ship hijacking*
> 
> This variation of the spoofing attack on AIS could be used to download the data of an existing ship, changing some of the parameters and submitting it to the AIS service. The result is virtual placement of a vessel on a completely different position or plotting a bizarre route that could include some "land sailing".
> 
> *Replay attacks*
> 
> All of the packets above can be saved and stored locally and then replayed at any time. By using the script and a scheduling function on a local system, the attacker can carefully replay spoofed messages in specific timeframes.
> 
> The mentioned scenarios were just an introduction on what you can do when you have reverse engineered AIS and know how to modify the date and reuse it. The most interesting part of the research includes attacking vessels over RF. The researchers coded an AIS frame builder, a C module which encodes payloads, computes CRC and oes bit operations. The output of the program is an AIS frame which is transferred from a digital into the radio frequency domain.
> 
> (...)


----------



## CougarKing

:nod: (link embedded in headline)



> Somali Pirates’ First Hijacking Attempt of 2014 Ends with Arrests
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _A boarding team from the French EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta flagship FS Siroco boards a dhow suspected of being used as a pirate mothership in the Gulf of Aden, Saturday, January 18, 2014. Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR_


----------



## Colin Parkinson

You know the pilot of that SA316 Alouette III is likely thinking "If I hear another Sea King pilot complain about their helo's being old....."


----------



## CougarKing

Piracy in the Med?



> Military.com
> 
> Quote:
> 
> 
> *SEALs Seize Hijacked Tanker in Mediterranean*
> 
> STUTTGART, Germany -- *A team of U.S. Navy SEALs seized control early Monday of a commercial tanker that was hijacked in the Mediterranean earlier this month by a small group of armed Libyan men, the Defense Department announced.*
> 
> The SEALs, acting under an order from President Barack Obama, embarked from the USS Roosevelt, which is deployed to the Mediterranean as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group.
> 
> "No one was hurt tonight when U.S. forces, at the request of both the Libyan and Cypriot governments, boarded and took control of *the commercial tanker Morning Glory*, a stateless vessel seized earlier this month by three armed Libyans," DoD spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a news release.
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## OldSolduer

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Piracy in the Med?



Maybe the threat of Special Ops forces kicking the pirates in the junk (figuratively) will stop most of the piracy.


----------



## CougarKing

What are they gonna do, TORPEDO Somali pirate skiffs?  ;D

US Naval Institute



> *Chinese Submarine Headed to Gulf of Aden For Counter Piracy Operations*
> 
> By: Sam LaGrone
> Published: September 30, 2014 1:03 PM
> Updated: September 30, 2014 1:08 PM
> China has sent a submarine to the Gulf of Aden to help in counter piracy operations — a first for the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) submarine fleet, according to the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. In a press briefing last week, ministry spokesman Col. Geng Yansheng confirmed a PLAN submarine was headed off the coast of Somalia to join a Chinese task force effort to piracy in the region.
> 
> News of the submarine emerged earlier this month when what appeared to be *a Song-class diesel attack submarine (SSK)* took on fuel and provisions in Sri Lanka from Sept. 7 to 14, raising questions if China was expanding submarine operations into the Indian Ocean.
> 
> “What needs to be pointed out is that it is a common practice for navies of all countries to have their submarines and ships replenished at certain intervals at ports,” Geng said.
> 
> (...EDITED)


----------



## cryco

you haven't heard of the latest trend? Periscoping small vessels? The Chinese sub comes with an extended periscope that can puncture holes in small wooden boats.


----------



## CougarKing

Moving from an aforementioned half-a**ed attempt at an air force, ISIS is now exploring a maritime arm...   :facepalm:

Defense News



> *Is Islamic State Group Getting Into the Piracy Business?*
> Nov. 2, 2014 - 02:38PM   |   By AWAD MUSTAFA
> 
> DUBAI — An expert is downplaying concerns raised last week by *the United Arab Emirates that Islamic State militants could unite with al-Shabab terrorists and expand to the seas, since no evidence has been established of links between terrorists and pirates.*
> 
> On Oct. 29, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan raised the piracy concerns, calling for the international community to be more vigilant regarding new threats at the fourth UAE Counter Piracy Conference in Dubai.
> 
> “As groups like Daesh [Islamic State] develop ties to criminal networks and arms networks like al-Shabab, it is essential that we prevent them from expanding their operations into the sea and threaten vital channels such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, Bab al Mandab and the Gulf of Aden,” he said.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## Colin Parkinson

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> What are they gonna do, TORPEDO Somali pirate skiffs?  ;D
> 
> US Naval Institute



Well there is a good argument for reintroducing deck guns.


----------



## OldSolduer

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> What are they gonna do, TORPEDO Somali pirate skiffs?  ;D
> 
> US Naval Institute



More like coaching them and supplying info and arms. Just my thought.


----------



## Kirkhill

You really have to work on those trust issues, Jim.   >


----------



## CougarKing

At least one state fighting the pirates on Africa's West coast:

Reuters



> *Ghana's navy frees hijacked tanker, arrests pirates*
> 
> ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's navy has freed a tanker ship hijacked off the coast of Nigeria and arrested eight pirates believed to be responsible for seizing it, a military spokesman said on Sunday.
> 
> Pirate attacks have increased in West Africa in recent years, jacking up insurance costs for shipping companies. Experts say gangs based in the waters off Africa's top oil producer Nigeria are extending their reach across the region's Gulf of Guinea.
> 
> Colonel Aggrey Quarshie would not say when the MT Mariam was seized by pirates. The small tanker's owners, using an onboard tracking device, informed Ghanaian authorities of its position in Ghanaian waters on Saturday.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

An update on that Chinese SSN that was hunting pirates in the Gulf of Aden:

If the pirates had sonarmen they'd deaf, since apparently the Chinese sub sounds like a bang on the drum all the day..."

South China Morning Post



> *China's pirate patrol submarine is too noisy, say naval experts*
> 
> *China's recent deployment of a nuclear submarine for an antipiracy mission in the Gulf of Aden may have caused unease among its neighbours, but naval experts say the Type 091 vessel is unlikely to pose any real threat because of the noise it generates.*
> 
> The experts say the international community should instead keep an eye on China's quieter, more advanced diesel-driven submarines.
> 
> *CCTV's military channel last Sunday reported that a nuclear submarine from the People's Liberation Army Navy had completed a two-month escort mission in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden, and returned to its base in Qingdao , Shandong province.*
> 
> The report did not specify the type of submarine used, but commentators said the footage suggested it was an updated version of *a Type 091 submarine.*
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

The three countries on the Malacca Strait taking more action against piracy in the area, which has been known for piracy much longer than Somalia:

Diplomat



> *How Did a Singapore Warship Foil a Pirate Attack?
> City-state scores victory amid rising incidents in the region.*
> 
> By Prashanth Parameswaran
> September 02, 2015
> 
> A Singapore navy vessel successfully disrupted a sea robbery on a Malaysian-flagged tugboat Tuesday.
> 
> According to a September 1 press release issued by the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF), the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) had immediately deployed its Fearless-class patrol vessel the RSS Resilience upon receiving a report from the boat – Permata 1 – at around 9am as it was transiting the Singapore Strait.
> 
> As I noted in a previous piece, the Fearless-class patrol vessels have been in service with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) for around two decades and are responsible for the city-state’s coastal defense (See: “What Do We Know About Singapore’s New Warship”). The 55-meter vessels boast a speed in excess of 20 knots, a range of 1,800 nautical miles and can carry a crew of 30. In terms of weapons, they are equipped with a 76 mm OTO Melara SRGM, a Mistral Surface-to-Air Missile or Typhoon Mk 25 Gun, and four CIS 0.5” machine guns. They will be replaced by the new locally-made Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV).
> 
> (...SNIPPED)



Indonesia and Malaysia cooperating against piracy: 

Diplomat



> *Indonesia, Malaysia Step Up Fight Against Piracy
> Firmer response comes amid growing concerns about the problem.*
> 
> By Prashanth Parameswaran
> September 02, 2015
> Indonesia and Malaysia are both stepping up their fight against piracy in the wake of growing security concerns in surrounding waters, news sources reported August 27.
> 
> Piracy is hardly a new issue for Southeast Asian states. As I have written before, the region is a logical target for such attacks as it is home to vital shipping lanes through which about half of world trade and a third of the world’s oil supply pass (See: “Over Half of World Piracy Attacks Now in ASEAN“).
> 
> Despite notably enhanced regional cooperation in recent years to address piracy concerns, incidents have nonetheless continued to be on the rise. According to the International Maritime Bureau, the first six months saw a total of 134 incidents of piracy and armed robbery, an increase from 116 during the same period last year. ReCAAP, a Singapore-headquartered anti-piracy organization, recorded six piracy incidents in the straits of Malacca and Singapore on 21 and 22 August alone.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)


----------



## CougarKing

Bravo! 

Marine Insight



> *French Ship Provence Seizes Large Weapons Cache Heading Towards Somalia*
> 
> As part of the Combined Maritime Forces Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), which conducts maritime security and counter terrorism operations.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _The dhow was spotted heading toward Somalia by Provence’s Caïman helicopter whilst it was undertaking routine surveillance in the Northern Indian Ocean. Subsequently, Provence boarded the dhow and determined that it was without nationality. Provence then undertook a search of the vessel, during which the weapons were discovered. The haul included several hundred AK47 assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank weapons._


----------



## jollyjacktar

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> Bravo!
> 
> Marine Insight



Well done indeed.


----------



## CougarKing

The Abu Sayyaf insurgents from the Southern Philippines have been kidnapping tugboat sailors from both Malaysia and Indonesia since last month: placed this here since their acts can be considered piracy.

The Star (Myanmar)



> *Abu Sayyaf hijacks boat near Malaysian border, 10 Indonesian sailors kidnapped*
> 
> MANILA: Ten Indonesian crew members on board a tugboat were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines at the weekend, officials in Manila said late on Monday.
> 
> Two Philippine military officials said the militant group had demanded an undisclosed ransom amount from the boat's owners.
> 
> The officials declined to be identified because they are not authorised to speak to media.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)



Toronto Star



> *4 Malaysian crewmen kidnapped by suspected Filipino militants
> Eight gunmen on board a speed boat took the Malaysians from their tug boat. The attackers are believed to belong to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.*
> 
> By: The Associated Press, Published on Sat Apr 02 2016
> 
> MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Suspected Filipino Muslim militants seized four Malaysian crewmen of a tugboat in the second such attack at sea in recent weeks, sparking a new security alarm, officials said Saturday.
> 
> Eight gunmen on board a speed boat took the Malaysians from the MV Massive 6 Friday night but left behind five other crewmen from Burma and Indonesia as the tugboat sailed to Tawau island in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah from the Philippines, Malaysian officials said.
> 
> The tugboat owner managed to establish contact with the remaining crewmen, who reported that they had been robbed and that four Malaysian colleagues had been kidnapped. The tugboat continued its voyage to Tawau with a security vessel escorting it after the attack, the officials said.
> 
> (...SNIPPED)



Yahoo News Singapore



> *Gunmen kidnap four Indonesian sailors off Malaysia*
> 
> Gunmen have abducted four Indonesian sailors and shot and wounded one crew member on the high seas off the east coast of Malaysia's Sabah state, waters where Abu Sayyaf militants are known to operate, a senior police official said Saturday.
> 
> If the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf is confirmed to be behind the kidnapping off Borneo, it would be their third such hostage-taking in as many weeks and comes amid a surge in such attacks.
> 
> "The incident happened late Friday in international waters. Four Indonesian seamen were abducted by the kidnappers. One man was shot and is being treated at a hospital," Sabah police chief Abdul Rashid Harun told AFP.





> *On April 1, four Malaysian sailors* were kidnapped from a ship near Sabah's Ligitan island. It is still unconfirmed who was responsible.
> 
> *Several days earlier 10 Indonesian sailors were kidnapped* in waters off the southern Philippines, with initial information indicating they may have been taken by an Abu Sayyaf faction to Sulu, a remote southern island that is a hideout of the militant outfit.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

I could see this being a area of operations for our AOP's in the near future

LAGOS, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Pirates are stepping up attacks on ships in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, defying regional navies. On Saturday, pirates off Nigeria kidnapped 15 sailors from a Turkish container ship and killed one.

Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea kidnapped 130 seafarers in 22 separate incidents last year, accounting for all but five of those seized at sea worldwide.









						Why Piracy is Surging in the Gulf of Guinea -EXPLAINER
					

By Libby George LAGOS, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Pirates are stepping up attacks on ships in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, defying regional navies. On Saturday, pirates off Nigeria kidnapped...




					gcaptain.com


----------



## CBH99

Literally what the LCS could have excelled at...


----------



## Weinie

CBH99 said:


> Litorally what the LCS could have excelled at.....


FTFY


----------



## FJAG

I'm of the view that we'd be better served by a mother ship, of some type, with a small group of these as patrol craft:






Skjold-class corvette



> Speed:
> In sea state 3: 45 knots (83 km/h)[3]
> In sea state 5: >25 knots (46 km/h)[3]
> In calm sea: >60 knots (110 km/h) (classified)





> Range:800 nmi (1,500 km) at 40 knots (74 km/h)[1]Complement:15–16Sensors and
> processing systems:
> Thales MRR-3D-NG air/surface radar
> Saab Ceros 200 FC
> CS-3701 electronic warfare suite
> Sagem Vigy 20 electro-optical sensor





> Armament:
> 8 × Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile SSMs, kept in an internal weapons bay
> 1 × 76mm Otobreda Super Rapid multi-role cannon
> 2 × 12.7mm Browning M2HB HMGs
> Mistral SAMs
> Protector (RWS) (Sea Protector)


In fact why doesn't our Navy have something like this? - you could probably run a dozen of them for the cost of one CSC.   

🍻


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

FJAG said:


> I'm of the view that we'd be better served by a mother ship, of some type, with a small group of these as patrol craft:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Skjold-class corvette
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In fact why doesn't our Navy have something like this? - you could probably run a dozen of them for the cost of one CSC.
> 
> 🍻


The range is terrible, we would get as far as the West Coast Firing Area then have to turn around and head right back to Victoria for Fuel.  

These ships would be of very little use to us.  We wouldn't be able to take them anywhere and the places we could take them, well we wouldn't need weapons so we may as well just give them to the RCMP or Coast Guard.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

French solution to the issue https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...rder-for-six-new-pom-offshore-patrol-vessels/


----------



## FJAG

Humphrey Bogart said:


> The range is terrible, we would get as far as the West Coast Firing Area then have to turn around and head right back to Victoria for Fuel.
> 
> These ships would be of very little use to us.  We wouldn't be able to take them anywhere and the places we could take them, well we wouldn't need weapons so we may as well just give them to the RCMP or Coast Guard.


That's why I suggest a small flotilla supported/controlled by a mother ship that could also provide helicopter cover and anti-submarine capabilities. The original thread dealt with piracy in the Gulf of Guinea - one could operate similarly off Somalia.

Caveat - I'm not a sailor but like large numbers of small fast boats with minimal crews but carrying a good array of weaponry. I'm starting to believe that the larger the vessel the bigger the target. Don't like keeping all the eggs in one basket.

🍻


----------



## Colin Parkinson

And we could fund the patrol by making a TV show about it


----------



## CBH99

Shame we can't just sent some ships in for a turkey shoot, aka Sink-Ex.  Solve the piracy problem in about 2 days, tops.  

I realize that a lot of the small boats used for piracy are also used for fishing, sigh...never a simple solution, is there?


----------



## Halifax Tar

Q Ships are the answer in my books.  Send a few out and blast the buggers as they approach!









						Q-ship - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## MilEME09

CBH99 said:


> Shame we can't just sent some ships in for a turkey shoot, aka Sink-Ex.  Solve the piracy problem in about 2 days, tops.
> 
> I realize that a lot of the small boats used for piracy are also used for fishing, sigh...never a simple solution, is there?


I dont know, people may turn away if piracy means loosing their livelihood


----------



## daftandbarmy

A more entrepreneurial military force commander would negotiate 'contracts', and other mutually beneficial agreements, with the locals to ensure the safe passage of their vessels and the merchantmen under their care, of course.

See: 'Gurkhas' for more information on how make this work in a land based context


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

daftandbarmy said:


> A more entrepreneurial military force commander would negotiate 'contracts', and other mutually beneficial agreements, with the locals to ensure the safe passage of their vessels and the merchantmen under their care, of course.
> 
> See: 'Gurkhas' for more information on how make this work in a land based context


This is the way!


----------



## Remius

Land based operations.  These guys must have a base the leave from.  Find them, take them out.  Combined with a nimble coordinated naval operation.  Maybe they are doing this but doesn’t seem to be working.  Cooperation seems to be the issue.


----------



## Colin Parkinson

Remius said:


> Land based operations.  These guys must have a base the leave from.  Find them, take them out.  Combined with a nimble coordinated naval operation.  Maybe they are doing this but doesn’t seem to be working.  Cooperation seems to be the issue.


Hence the reason many nations have Marines or Naval Infantry


----------



## Humphrey Bogart

Remius said:


> Land based operations.  These guys must have a base the leave from.  Find them, take them out.  Combined with a nimble coordinated naval operation.  Maybe they are doing this but doesn’t seem to be working.  Cooperation seems to be the issue.


The issue is that the West "partners" with the local authorities and organizations like the UN and AU but then leaves them to do the dirty work unsupervised.  

You want these things sorted properly, you need to also get your hands dirty.  That means small teams embedded with the locals and active participation in their combat operations and not just training and money.


----------



## Blackadder1916

As this thread seems to be generating discussion, just a reminder about the great big piracy thread (54 pages) that kept our attention over the span of several years.  Though it's focus was mainly on the threat from Somalia pirates, it occasionally turned to the other locales (including West Africa) of piracy activity.

EDIT: Merged, thank you.  Bruce


----------



## PuckChaser

Humphrey Bogart said:


> The issue is that the West "partners" with the local authorities and organizations like the UN and AU but then leaves them to do the dirty work unsupervised.
> 
> You want these things sorted properly, you need to also get your hands dirty.  That means small teams embedded with the locals and active participation in their combat operations and not just training and money.


The problem is in Africa a lot of places are very weary of European/Westerners coming in armed and trying to "help" them. The exploitation of colonialism still is fresh in their minds. Unfortunately a lot of those countries have traded European abuse for China's abuse.

The US knows this and has SOCAFRICA under USAFRICOM conducting operations by, with and through partner forces in a traditional Green Beret role of building trust and sharing hardships. They could probably put ODAs in every country there and still not make a big dent in the extremism though...


----------



## Colin Parkinson

These US patrol boats seem to pack a lot of punch, although you need a mothership to support them


----------



## OldSolduer

Humphrey Bogart said:


> This is the way!


A Mandalorian!!! This is the way!!!


----------

