The Threat of Modern Piracy- A Merged Thread

[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]

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]

.... 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.