The Threat of Modern Piracy- A Merged Thread

[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!

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]

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]

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]

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.