Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151)
Combined Maritime Forces
Wikipedia
US Naval Forces Central Command
NATO Task Force
NATO-OTAN
SNMCMG1
Operation Allied Protector
European Union Task Force Operation Atalanta
EU Naval Force Somalia
Wikipedia
Maritime Security Centre
EU Consilium
and countries like Russia, China, South Korea and others operating independently.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Current Articles & News v.9
Here are links to current articles and new releases regarding the crisis of international hijacking by pirates (terrorists).
IMB Piracy Map 2009
Lloyd's List Piracy & Security
Somali Pirates Attack Kuwaiti Oil Tanker The spokesman for the European Union's anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have attacked a Kuwaiti-flagged oil tanker but failed to seize it. Cmdr. John Harbour says the pirates attacked the 105,000-ton MV Album about 800 nautical miles east of the northern coast of Somalia. Harbour says Wednesday's unsuccessful attack lasted for about 30 minutes and caused no damage to the ship. NYTimes, 12/30/2009
Somali Pirates Capture Two Cargo Ships Pirates based in Somalia captured two ships so far this week and released a third for $4 million in ransom. Pirates seized on Monday the UK-flag chemical tanker St James Park with a crew of 26 from nine different countries. The ship was en route to Thailand from Spain. On Wednesday, pirates captured the Greek-owned cargo ship Navios Apollon off the coast of Sychelles on its way to India. The pirates attacked the ship and its crew of 19 on a pair of speedboats, according to a report in the Chinese newspaper Xinhua. The ship is carrying fertilizer from Florida. Only hours before the second capture, another band of pirates had released the Singapore-flag vessel Kota Wajar and its 21 crewmembers after receiving approximately $4 million in ransom. Journal of Commerce, 12/30/2009
Examining Impact Of Pirate Attacks, There have been some changes in the area of operation and the modus operandi of the pirates, but, actually, the number of attacks has increased. Last year, there were 111 attacks in the waters off of Somalia. This year, we are on the last days of the year, but we've recorded 210 attacks in the same waters. Last year, 40 ships were seized. This year, 44 have been seized so far. There's been an unprecedented multilateral deployment of navies at any given moment in the last 12 months. There have been somewhere in the order of three dozen naval warships from three combined task forces: The Combined Task Force 151, which is U.S.-led, the NATO Task Force, the European Union Task Force Operation Atalanta, as well as a number of countries like Russia, China, South Korea and others operating independently. And they've had some good effect. But, unfortunately, the Gulf of Aden is a limited body of water and the pirates simply move to the Somali basin, the Western Indian Ocean. Here we're talking about two million nautical miles. And so they're striking an area that's just simply way too large to be patrolled and it's going to increase in the coming months. NPR, 12/28/2009
FACTBOX-Ships held by Somali pirates Reuters-India, 12/27/2009 Here is a list of ships under the control of Somali pirates:
* WIN FAR 161: Taiwanese tuna boat, seized on April 6, 2009.
* AL KHALIQ - Seized on Oct. 22, 2009. The Panamanian-registered ship carried 26 crew, 24 of them Indian. It is owned and operated by SNP Shipping of Mumbai. The 38,305 dwt bulk carrier was seized west of the Seychelles.
* THAI UNION 3 - Seized on Oct. 29, 2009. Pirates on two skiffs boarded the tuna fishing boat with 23 Russians, two Filipinos and two Ghanaians on board.
* FILITSA: Seized on Nov. 10, 2009. The 23,709 dwt cargo ship had three Greek officers a Filipino crew. The Marshall Islands-flagged ship had been heading from Kuwait to Durban, South Africa, when it was attacked 500 miles northeast of the
Seychelles.
* THERESA VIII: Seized on Nov. 16, 2009. The chemical tanker was hijacked in the south Somali Basin, northwest of the Seychelles. The 22,294 dwt tanker had a crew of 28 North Koreans. The captain of the tanker died from gunshot wounds sustained during the hijack, a Somali pirate said.
* MARAN CENTAURUS: Seized Nov 29, 2009: The tanker was sailing from Kuwait to the Gulf of Mexico when it was seized near the Seychelles. The tanker had nine Greeks, two Ukrainians, one Romanian and 16 Filipinos on board and was carrying around two million barrels of crude oil.
* SHAHBAIG: Seized Dec. 6, 2009: Pirates seized the Pakistani-flagged fishing vessel, with a crew of 29 on board, thought to be Pakistani, 320 miles east of Socotra.
* MV NESEYA, Indian, dhow, seized 12/18/2009
* AL-MAHMOUDIA2, Yemen, freighter, Seized 12/18/2009
* ST. JAMES PARK, UK, chemical tanker, Seized 12/28/2009
* NAVIOS APOLLON, (19 crew members) Greece-owned by Navios Maritime Partners, the sister company of Navios Maritime Holdings, fertilizer cargo, Seized 12/30/2009
Ships and Vessels recently released:
* KOTA WAJAR: Seized on Oct. 15, 2009. The 24,637-tonne container ship, seized 300 miles north of Seychelles, was heading for Mombasa from Singapore and had 21 crew on board, released 12/30/2009
* DE XIN HAI: Siezed in mid-October, released 12/28/2009, seized 11/5/2009
* DELVINA, Greece, (21 crew members), released 12/18/2009, seized 11/5/2009.
* MT ARIANA, Greece, (24 crew members) released 12/10/2009, seized 5/2/2009.
* CHARELLE, released 12/3/2009
Status of Vessels Held off the Somali Coast, Ecoterra Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor, Buzzle, 5/18/2009
Status of Vessels held in Somalia: Copyright: Ecoterra Intl.
(IO = Indian Ocean / GoA = Gulf of Aden)
9+ months:
T/B YENEGOA OCEAN: Taken back from a brief move to Alula and held at Xawo (GoA). The Nigerian government has now stepped in to help in solving the case of this tugboat with 10 desperate Nigerian crew members. After many months, during which already humanitarian assistance had to be provided, the owner - Nigerian ESL Integrated Services - had then provided for some support but not achieved the release.
7+ montha:
MV JAIKUR-I: All international crew-members were evacuated and are back home. The general cargo ship itself is still detained due to a dispute with the owners over damaged cargo - case closed for us.
5+ months:
T/B MASINDRA 7: The Malaysian-owned tugboat with Indonesian owned barge ADM 1 is presently held 30 nm off Hafun. The 11 Indonesian crew are in very bad condition, while the mastermind of the piracy case went to Yemen, where he is wanted and hunted by the Yemeni authorities. An attempt by the owner to solve the case from Yemen apparently failed so far. After the Malaysian warship Indera Sekti had a go at the earlier stand-off site at the Gulf of Aden coast the vessel went to the Indian Ocean side. Several shoot-outs between the now two pirate groups holding the vessel. 2nd engineer got hit in the crossfire but is ok now, given the circumstances. Malaysian government apparently still not keen yet to supervise the continuously failing negotiations by the owner. The freeing of this vessel should now receive much higher priorities.
2.5+ months:
S/Y SERENITY: The catamaran sailing for Madagascar from the Seychelles with three Seychellois crew aboard is held around 12 nm off Garacad (IO). Negotiations have been complicated so far.
1.5+ months:
MS INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: The former oceanographic research vessel with 7 Seychellois crew, held off Handule near Harardheere. Some crew-members are back on board. Interfering brokers pushed the ransom demands higher.
6+ weeks:
MV HANSA STAVANGER: A German commando operation to free the five Germans (incl. captain), three Russians, two Ukrainians, two Filipinos and 12 Tuvaluans was terminated due to the dangers for the crew. Vessel is moored near Harardheere and some crew is still held on land. Negotiations ongoing.
5+ weeks:
FV WIN FAR 161: The Taiwanese tuna boat with 30 crew is held 8 nm off Garacad. The fate of 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese.is neglegted by the owner of the vessel.
FV MOMTAZ 1: Egyptian fishing vessel is still detained for illegal fishing at Gacaan (GoA) with 18 Egyptian crew. Egyptian government sees no possibility to bail the vessel and crew out, because the directive of the Egyptian government not to operate in Somali waters was not observed.
FV SAMARA AHMED: Egyptian fishing vessel is still detained for illegal fishing at Gacaan (GoA) with 16 Egyptian crew. Egyptian government sees no possibility to bail the vessel and crew out, because the directive of the Egyptian government not to operate in Somali waters was not observed.
T/B BUCCANEER: The Italian tugboat with two huge barges of presently and formerly unknown content - owned by Micoperi Marine Contractors - was carrying 10 Italians, five Romanians and a Croatian, and was seized towing two barges while traveling westbound through the Gulf of Aden. Governmental mediation and intervention failed so far. Italian warship Maestrale is standby at a distance of about 45 nm.
4+ weeks:
MV IRENE E.M.: The St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged Greek-owned bulk carrier with 22 Filipino crew is held near Harardheere (IO). Negotiations ongoing.
MV POMPEI: The Belgian dredger and its 10 crew with two Belgian, four Croatian, one Dutch and three Filipino crew on board is held between Garcad and Harardheere. Negotiations ongoing.
3+ weeks:
MV PATRIOT: The German owned, but Maltese-flagged bulk-carrier with 17 crew of which 15 are Filipino is held near Eyl (IO). Negotiations ongoing.
2+ weeks:
MV ARIANA: The British owner-managed and Greek operated, but Antigua and Barbuda-flagged freighter with 24-men crew (all of Ukrainian nationality) is held near Harardheere (IO). Negotiations started.
11+ days:
MV VICTORIA: The German owned, but Antigua and Barbuda- flagged cargo vessel was sea-jacked by eight pirates on May 5, 2009 in the Gulf of Aden. The 11 Romania crew with one woman are all-right, given the circumstances. Negotiations started.
9+ days:
MV MARATHON: Seized on May 7, 2009. The small coke fuel carrier, with 8 all-Ukrainian crew is owned by the Netherlands but Netherlands-Antilles flagged. The Dutch frigate De Zeven Provinciën as well as a Spanish warship have the vessel boxed in at 29 nm off Laasmacaan on the Gulf of Aden coast. Situation on board extremely tense.
Still missing:
Since 28th April 2009: Akio Yonago's 36-foot sailboat, the S/Y EMU II and another yacht it was sailing together with from the Seychelles.
Wanted:
Crew (6 Syrians and 6 Indians) of MT AGIA BARBARA Wanted for Murder: The crew still at large ! Vessel was observed in Dubai after it fled from Mogadishu and vessel position later indicated that it was loading again at the Al Basra Oil Terminal, Iraq
IMB Piracy Map 2009Lloyd's List Piracy & Security
Somali Pirates Attack Kuwaiti Oil Tanker The spokesman for the European Union's anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have attacked a Kuwaiti-flagged oil tanker but failed to seize it. Cmdr. John Harbour says the pirates attacked the 105,000-ton MV Album about 800 nautical miles east of the northern coast of Somalia. Harbour says Wednesday's unsuccessful attack lasted for about 30 minutes and caused no damage to the ship. NYTimes, 12/30/2009
Somali Pirates Capture Two Cargo Ships Pirates based in Somalia captured two ships so far this week and released a third for $4 million in ransom. Pirates seized on Monday the UK-flag chemical tanker St James Park with a crew of 26 from nine different countries. The ship was en route to Thailand from Spain. On Wednesday, pirates captured the Greek-owned cargo ship Navios Apollon off the coast of Sychelles on its way to India. The pirates attacked the ship and its crew of 19 on a pair of speedboats, according to a report in the Chinese newspaper Xinhua. The ship is carrying fertilizer from Florida. Only hours before the second capture, another band of pirates had released the Singapore-flag vessel Kota Wajar and its 21 crewmembers after receiving approximately $4 million in ransom. Journal of Commerce, 12/30/2009
Examining Impact Of Pirate Attacks, There have been some changes in the area of operation and the modus operandi of the pirates, but, actually, the number of attacks has increased. Last year, there were 111 attacks in the waters off of Somalia. This year, we are on the last days of the year, but we've recorded 210 attacks in the same waters. Last year, 40 ships were seized. This year, 44 have been seized so far. There's been an unprecedented multilateral deployment of navies at any given moment in the last 12 months. There have been somewhere in the order of three dozen naval warships from three combined task forces: The Combined Task Force 151, which is U.S.-led, the NATO Task Force, the European Union Task Force Operation Atalanta, as well as a number of countries like Russia, China, South Korea and others operating independently. And they've had some good effect. But, unfortunately, the Gulf of Aden is a limited body of water and the pirates simply move to the Somali basin, the Western Indian Ocean. Here we're talking about two million nautical miles. And so they're striking an area that's just simply way too large to be patrolled and it's going to increase in the coming months. NPR, 12/28/2009
FACTBOX-Ships held by Somali pirates Reuters-India, 12/27/2009 Here is a list of ships under the control of Somali pirates:
* WIN FAR 161: Taiwanese tuna boat, seized on April 6, 2009.
* AL KHALIQ - Seized on Oct. 22, 2009. The Panamanian-registered ship carried 26 crew, 24 of them Indian. It is owned and operated by SNP Shipping of Mumbai. The 38,305 dwt bulk carrier was seized west of the Seychelles.
* THAI UNION 3 - Seized on Oct. 29, 2009. Pirates on two skiffs boarded the tuna fishing boat with 23 Russians, two Filipinos and two Ghanaians on board.
* FILITSA: Seized on Nov. 10, 2009. The 23,709 dwt cargo ship had three Greek officers a Filipino crew. The Marshall Islands-flagged ship had been heading from Kuwait to Durban, South Africa, when it was attacked 500 miles northeast of theSeychelles.
* THERESA VIII: Seized on Nov. 16, 2009. The chemical tanker was hijacked in the south Somali Basin, northwest of the Seychelles. The 22,294 dwt tanker had a crew of 28 North Koreans. The captain of the tanker died from gunshot wounds sustained during the hijack, a Somali pirate said.
* MARAN CENTAURUS: Seized Nov 29, 2009: The tanker was sailing from Kuwait to the Gulf of Mexico when it was seized near the Seychelles. The tanker had nine Greeks, two Ukrainians, one Romanian and 16 Filipinos on board and was carrying around two million barrels of crude oil.* SHAHBAIG: Seized Dec. 6, 2009: Pirates seized the Pakistani-flagged fishing vessel, with a crew of 29 on board, thought to be Pakistani, 320 miles east of Socotra.
* MV NESEYA, Indian, dhow, seized 12/18/2009
* AL-MAHMOUDIA2, Yemen, freighter, Seized 12/18/2009
* ST. JAMES PARK, UK, chemical tanker, Seized 12/28/2009
* NAVIOS APOLLON, (19 crew members) Greece-owned by Navios Maritime Partners, the sister company of Navios Maritime Holdings, fertilizer cargo, Seized 12/30/2009 Ships and Vessels recently released:
* KOTA WAJAR: Seized on Oct. 15, 2009. The 24,637-tonne container ship, seized 300 miles north of Seychelles, was heading for Mombasa from Singapore and had 21 crew on board, released 12/30/2009
* DE XIN HAI: Siezed in mid-October, released 12/28/2009, seized 11/5/2009
* DELVINA, Greece, (21 crew members), released 12/18/2009, seized 11/5/2009.
* MT ARIANA, Greece, (24 crew members) released 12/10/2009, seized 5/2/2009.
* CHARELLE, released 12/3/2009
Status of Vessels Held off the Somali Coast, Ecoterra Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor, Buzzle, 5/18/2009Status of Vessels held in Somalia: Copyright: Ecoterra Intl.
(IO = Indian Ocean / GoA = Gulf of Aden)
9+ months:
T/B YENEGOA OCEAN: Taken back from a brief move to Alula and held at Xawo (GoA). The Nigerian government has now stepped in to help in solving the case of this tugboat with 10 desperate Nigerian crew members. After many months, during which already humanitarian assistance had to be provided, the owner - Nigerian ESL Integrated Services - had then provided for some support but not achieved the release.
7+ montha:
MV JAIKUR-I: All international crew-members were evacuated and are back home. The general cargo ship itself is still detained due to a dispute with the owners over damaged cargo - case closed for us.
5+ months:
T/B MASINDRA 7: The Malaysian-owned tugboat with Indonesian owned barge ADM 1 is presently held 30 nm off Hafun. The 11 Indonesian crew are in very bad condition, while the mastermind of the piracy case went to Yemen, where he is wanted and hunted by the Yemeni authorities. An attempt by the owner to solve the case from Yemen apparently failed so far. After the Malaysian warship Indera Sekti had a go at the earlier stand-off site at the Gulf of Aden coast the vessel went to the Indian Ocean side. Several shoot-outs between the now two pirate groups holding the vessel. 2nd engineer got hit in the crossfire but is ok now, given the circumstances. Malaysian government apparently still not keen yet to supervise the continuously failing negotiations by the owner. The freeing of this vessel should now receive much higher priorities.
2.5+ months:
S/Y SERENITY: The catamaran sailing for Madagascar from the Seychelles with three Seychellois crew aboard is held around 12 nm off Garacad (IO). Negotiations have been complicated so far.
1.5+ months:
MS INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: The former oceanographic research vessel with 7 Seychellois crew, held off Handule near Harardheere. Some crew-members are back on board. Interfering brokers pushed the ransom demands higher.
6+ weeks:
MV HANSA STAVANGER: A German commando operation to free the five Germans (incl. captain), three Russians, two Ukrainians, two Filipinos and 12 Tuvaluans was terminated due to the dangers for the crew. Vessel is moored near Harardheere and some crew is still held on land. Negotiations ongoing.
5+ weeks:
FV WIN FAR 161: The Taiwanese tuna boat with 30 crew is held 8 nm off Garacad. The fate of 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese.is neglegted by the owner of the vessel.
FV MOMTAZ 1: Egyptian fishing vessel is still detained for illegal fishing at Gacaan (GoA) with 18 Egyptian crew. Egyptian government sees no possibility to bail the vessel and crew out, because the directive of the Egyptian government not to operate in Somali waters was not observed.
FV SAMARA AHMED: Egyptian fishing vessel is still detained for illegal fishing at Gacaan (GoA) with 16 Egyptian crew. Egyptian government sees no possibility to bail the vessel and crew out, because the directive of the Egyptian government not to operate in Somali waters was not observed.
T/B BUCCANEER: The Italian tugboat with two huge barges of presently and formerly unknown content - owned by Micoperi Marine Contractors - was carrying 10 Italians, five Romanians and a Croatian, and was seized towing two barges while traveling westbound through the Gulf of Aden. Governmental mediation and intervention failed so far. Italian warship Maestrale is standby at a distance of about 45 nm.
4+ weeks:
MV IRENE E.M.: The St. Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged Greek-owned bulk carrier with 22 Filipino crew is held near Harardheere (IO). Negotiations ongoing.
MV POMPEI: The Belgian dredger and its 10 crew with two Belgian, four Croatian, one Dutch and three Filipino crew on board is held between Garcad and Harardheere. Negotiations ongoing.
3+ weeks:
MV PATRIOT: The German owned, but Maltese-flagged bulk-carrier with 17 crew of which 15 are Filipino is held near Eyl (IO). Negotiations ongoing.
2+ weeks:
MV ARIANA: The British owner-managed and Greek operated, but Antigua and Barbuda-flagged freighter with 24-men crew (all of Ukrainian nationality) is held near Harardheere (IO). Negotiations started.
11+ days:
MV VICTORIA: The German owned, but Antigua and Barbuda- flagged cargo vessel was sea-jacked by eight pirates on May 5, 2009 in the Gulf of Aden. The 11 Romania crew with one woman are all-right, given the circumstances. Negotiations started.
9+ days:
MV MARATHON: Seized on May 7, 2009. The small coke fuel carrier, with 8 all-Ukrainian crew is owned by the Netherlands but Netherlands-Antilles flagged. The Dutch frigate De Zeven Provinciën as well as a Spanish warship have the vessel boxed in at 29 nm off Laasmacaan on the Gulf of Aden coast. Situation on board extremely tense.
Still missing:
Since 28th April 2009: Akio Yonago's 36-foot sailboat, the S/Y EMU II and another yacht it was sailing together with from the Seychelles.
Wanted:
Crew (6 Syrians and 6 Indians) of MT AGIA BARBARA Wanted for Murder: The crew still at large ! Vessel was observed in Dubai after it fled from Mogadishu and vessel position later indicated that it was loading again at the Al Basra Oil Terminal, Iraq
Monday, April 13, 2009
United States and Somalian Hijacking Crisis
Here is a collection of articles that chronicle the United States' entry into the Somalian pirate & hijacking crisis. This begins with the rescue of Maersk Alabama's Captain Richard Phillips on Sunday, April 12, 2009.
Navies to guard undersea cable from Somali pirates Foreign navies have agreed to protect a vessel installing an undersea high-speed Internet cable from pirates off the coast of Somalia, a Kenyan minister said on Thursday. (Reuters, 04/16/2009)
Clinton Calls for Crackdown on Somali Pirate Bases (Update1) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for authorities in Somalia to act against land bases that pirates use to attack ships and said the U.S. will seek ways to track and freeze assets of the brigands. Clinton said she has assigned a team of U.S. diplomats to press the Somali government and leaders of Puntland, a semi- autonomous region in Somalia, to take action against the land bases. (Bloomberg, 04/15/2009)
French raid pirate ship, US seeks to freeze assets 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. (Associated Press/Yahoo News, 04/15/2009)
Somali pirates in brazen challenge to Obama and allies as they hijack FOUR more ships... and open fire on a fifth Somali pirates have brazenly hijacked four more ships in the Gulf of Aden over the last 24 hours and opened fire on a fifth. The pirates captured two trawlers yesterday, a cargo ship named the M.V. Irene overnight, and a second cargo ship named the M.V. Seahorse today. This afternoon a NATO official said a band of pirates had opened fire on a fifth cargo ship - but it managed to escape. (UK MailOnline, 04/14/2009)
U.S. Military Considers Attacks on Somali Pirates’ Land Bases 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 (Bloomberg 04/13/2009)
Navies to guard undersea cable from Somali pirates Foreign navies have agreed to protect a vessel installing an undersea high-speed Internet cable from pirates off the coast of Somalia, a Kenyan minister said on Thursday. (Reuters, 04/16/2009)
Clinton Calls for Crackdown on Somali Pirate Bases (Update1) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for authorities in Somalia to act against land bases that pirates use to attack ships and said the U.S. will seek ways to track and freeze assets of the brigands. Clinton said she has assigned a team of U.S. diplomats to press the Somali government and leaders of Puntland, a semi- autonomous region in Somalia, to take action against the land bases. (Bloomberg, 04/15/2009)
French raid pirate ship, US seeks to freeze assets 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. (Associated Press/Yahoo News, 04/15/2009)
Somali pirates in brazen challenge to Obama and allies as they hijack FOUR more ships... and open fire on a fifth Somali pirates have brazenly hijacked four more ships in the Gulf of Aden over the last 24 hours and opened fire on a fifth. The pirates captured two trawlers yesterday, a cargo ship named the M.V. Irene overnight, and a second cargo ship named the M.V. Seahorse today. This afternoon a NATO official said a band of pirates had opened fire on a fifth cargo ship - but it managed to escape. (UK MailOnline, 04/14/2009)
U.S. Military Considers Attacks on Somali Pirates’ Land Bases 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 (Bloomberg 04/13/2009)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
April 10, 2009 Update on Hijacked vessels
Below are some of the vessels believed to be held by pirates:
NAMES UNKNOWN Seized April 11, 2009, two Egyptian boats, carrying a crew of 24
BUCCANEER, seized April 11, 2009, Italian tugboat, owned by Micoperi Marine Contractors, carrying 10 Italians, 5 Romanians and a Croatian, in the Gulf of Aden.
MAERSK ALABAMA: Siezed April 8, 2009, the 17,000 tonne a Danish-owned, U.S-operated container vessel was hijacked in the Indian Ocean 400 miles off the Somali capital Mogadishu.
MALASPINA CASTLE siezed April 6, 2009, the 32,000-tonne vessel, which flies a Panamanian flag, British owned, wirth crew of 24, including 16 Bulgarians, was taken on Monday morning in the Gulf of Aden.
TANIT Yacht, French sailing boat seized: April 4, 2009, some 640 kilometers (400 miles) off the coast of Ras Hafun, northeast Somalia.
HANSA STAVANGER, German 20,000 ton container vessel, seized off the southern Somalia coast, between Kenya and Seychelles, including a 24 man crew, including 5 Germans.
MV. WIN TAR 161: seized near Seychelles, 3o crew members (the ship's skipper and first engineer are Taiwan nationals, 5 crew members are Chinese, 17 are Filipinos, and 6 are Indonesian),700 ton, Taiwanese deep sea long-line fishing vessel.
SHEHENSHA-E-MADINA, owned by Yasim Salim Sambhina of Salaya: Siezed in Red Sea on March 30, 2009, with 18-member crew
INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: Seized March 2009: The 35-metre long boat was built in Hamburg as an oceanographic research vessel. It accommodates around 12 passengers. The yacht Serenity with three people on board was seized in late February or early March.
BOW ASIR: Seized on March 26, 2009. The Norwegian 23,000-tonne, Bahamas-registered chemical tanker was carrying caustic soda. It was operated by Salhus Shipping and carried 27 crew consists of a Norwegian captain, 19 Filipinos, five Poles, one Russian and one Lithuanian.
NIPAYIYA: Seized on March 25, 2009. The 9,000 ton Greek-owned and Panamana-registered MT Nipayia, was seized by pirates 450 miles from Somalia's south coast, including a Russian captain and 18-Philippine crew.
SALDANHA: Seized on Feb. 22, 2009. The Maltese-flagged cargo ship, sailing to Slovenia, has 22 crew and was loaded with coal. TITAN: Seized on March 19, 2009. The 43,000 dwt Saint-Vincent-flagged cargo vessel with 24 crew was sailing from the Black Sea to Korea when it was attacked by pirates.
LONGCHAMP: Seized on Jan. 29, 2009. The liquefied petroleum gas tanker, built in 1990, has 13 crew on board, 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian. The tanker has a capacity of 3,415 tonnes.
NAME UNKNOWN: Seized on Dec. 16. A yacht with two on board, an Indonesian tugboat used by French oil company Total. Pirates also hijacked the Chinese fishing vessel Zhenhua-4 with 30 Chinese crew aboard but it was freed the next day.
STOLT STRENGTH: Seized Nov. 10. The chemical tanker had 23 Filipino crew aboard. It was carrying 23,818 tonnes of oil products.
NAMES UKNOWN: Seized on Dec. 10. Pirates hijacked two Yemeni fishing vessels with a total of 22 crew in coastal waters in the Gulf of Aden. Five crew reportedly escaped.
CHEMSTAR VENUS: Seized Nov. 15. The tanker was travelling from Dumai, Indonesia, to Ukraine. It had 18 Filipino and five South Korean crew.
NAMES UNKNOWN Seized April 11, 2009, two Egyptian boats, carrying a crew of 24
BUCCANEER, seized April 11, 2009, Italian tugboat, owned by Micoperi Marine Contractors, carrying 10 Italians, 5 Romanians and a Croatian, in the Gulf of Aden. 
MAERSK ALABAMA: Siezed April 8, 2009, the 17,000 tonne a Danish-owned, U.S-operated container vessel was hijacked in the Indian Ocean 400 miles off the Somali capital Mogadishu.
MALASPINA CASTLE siezed April 6, 2009, the 32,000-tonne vessel, which flies a Panamanian flag, British owned, wirth crew of 24, including 16 Bulgarians, was taken on Monday morning in the Gulf of Aden.
TANIT Yacht, French sailing boat seized: April 4, 2009, some 640 kilometers (400 miles) off the coast of Ras Hafun, northeast Somalia.
HANSA STAVANGER, German 20,000 ton container vessel, seized off the southern Somalia coast, between Kenya and Seychelles, including a 24 man crew, including 5 Germans. MV. WIN TAR 161: seized near Seychelles, 3o crew members (the ship's skipper and first engineer are Taiwan nationals, 5 crew members are Chinese, 17 are Filipinos, and 6 are Indonesian),700 ton, Taiwanese deep sea long-line fishing vessel.
SHEHENSHA-E-MADINA, owned by Yasim Salim Sambhina of Salaya: Siezed in Red Sea on March 30, 2009, with 18-member crew
INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: Seized March 2009: The 35-metre long boat was built in Hamburg as an oceanographic research vessel. It accommodates around 12 passengers. The yacht Serenity with three people on board was seized in late February or early March. 
BOW ASIR: Seized on March 26, 2009. The Norwegian 23,000-tonne, Bahamas-registered chemical tanker was carrying caustic soda. It was operated by Salhus Shipping and carried 27 crew consists of a Norwegian captain, 19 Filipinos, five Poles, one Russian and one Lithuanian. 
NIPAYIYA: Seized on March 25, 2009. The 9,000 ton Greek-owned and Panamana-registered MT Nipayia, was seized by pirates 450 miles from Somalia's south coast, including a Russian captain and 18-Philippine crew.
SALDANHA: Seized on Feb. 22, 2009. The Maltese-flagged cargo ship, sailing to Slovenia, has 22 crew and was loaded with coal. TITAN: Seized on March 19, 2009. The 43,000 dwt Saint-Vincent-flagged cargo vessel with 24 crew was sailing from the Black Sea to Korea when it was attacked by pirates.
LONGCHAMP: Seized on Jan. 29, 2009. The liquefied petroleum gas tanker, built in 1990, has 13 crew on board, 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian. The tanker has a capacity of 3,415 tonnes.NAME UNKNOWN: Seized on Dec. 16. A yacht with two on board, an Indonesian tugboat used by French oil company Total. Pirates also hijacked the Chinese fishing vessel Zhenhua-4 with 30 Chinese crew aboard but it was freed the next day.
STOLT STRENGTH: Seized Nov. 10. The chemical tanker had 23 Filipino crew aboard. It was carrying 23,818 tonnes of oil products.
NAMES UKNOWN: Seized on Dec. 10. Pirates hijacked two Yemeni fishing vessels with a total of 22 crew in coastal waters in the Gulf of Aden. Five crew reportedly escaped.
CHEMSTAR VENUS: Seized Nov. 15. The tanker was travelling from Dumai, Indonesia, to Ukraine. It had 18 Filipino and five South Korean crew.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Somalia Piracy Update (NATO)
The following slides are from NATO's Shipping Centre website. [click on slide image for larger view]
January 21, 2009
January 21, 2009
Current Articles & News v.8
Here are links to current articles and new releases regarding the crisis of international hijacking by pirates (terrorists).
10 ships, 179 crew held by Somali pirates The International Maritime Bureau says 166 crew on nine hijacked ships are still being held off the coast of Somalia, not including the German tanker seized Thursday, the MV Longchamp and its 13-man crew.
The other ships include:
(1) Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, seized in September. The pirates had originally asked for $20 million for the ship, which is laden with 33 tanks and other heavy weapons. (2) Turkish tanker Karagol, seized in November carrying 4,500 tons of chemicals and 14 Turkish personnel. (3) Chinese fishing vessel Tianyu No. 8, seized in mid-November. (4) Bulk carrier African Sanderling and its 21 Filipino crewmen, seized in October. (5) Egyptian cargo ship Blue Star with 28 crew, seized in January.
(AP International, 01/29/2009)
Kenya agrees to prosecute U.S.-held pirates: Pentagon Kenya has agreed to prosecute Somali pirates captured by the U.S. Navy, allowing U.S. forces to begin taking piracy suspects into custody on the high seas, the Pentagon said on Thursday. U.S. and Kenyan officials signed a bilateral agreement on January 16 that calls for suspects to be tried in Kenyan courts, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. The pact removes a major obstacle that prevented the U.S. Navy from capturing pirates. (Reuters, 01/29/2009)
Somali pirates hijack German gas tanker, 13 crew Somali pirates hijacked a German tanker loaded with liquefied petroleum gas Thursday off the Horn of Africa. The ship's 13-man crew was reported safe, even though gunshots were heard over the ship's radio. The MV Longchamp is the third ship captured by pirates this month in the Gulf of Aden. (Yahoo News, 01/29/2009)
Sailor tells of the moment pirates captured the Sirius Star A Scottish sailor who was held hostage for two months on the oil tanker, the Sirius Star, has spoken for the first time about the "beautiful morning" at sea that was ruined by heavily armed pirates. (Telegraph UK, 01/29/2009)
Monday, January 12, 2009
NATO's Somalia Piracy Update
The following slides are from NATO's Shipping Centre website. [click on slide image for larger view]
January 12, 2009
January 7, 2009
December 11, 2008
November 21, 2008
November 18, 2008
October 15, 2008
January 12, 2009
January 7, 2009
December 11, 2008
November 21, 2008
November 18, 2008
October 15, 2008
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
7 Essays of Africa Piracy Annals
Here are seven very comprehensive sequential essays, written by Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis, filled with good data, representing an academic perspective of the hijacking and terrorism off the coast of Somalia."Around the Year Change 2008–2009 in Somalia/Horn of Africa Piracy Annals." (American Chronicle, 01/05-06/2009)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Monday, January 5, 2009
GeoEye IKONOS High-Resolution Satellite Sensor
Somali Pirates Hijacked Tanker, M/V Sirius Star, Located by GeoEye IKONOS High-Resolution Satellite Sensor GeoEye IKONOS Satellite collects high-resolution (<1m) image on November 20th, 2008 of the hijacked supertanker Sirius Star owned by ARAMCO of Saudi Arabia. The vessel is located 5 miles off the Somalia coast at WGS-84 ECEF Latitude 4.595? North and Longitude 48.085? East. The IKONOS Satellite Image was acquired from 423 miles in space while the IKONOS satellite was moving from north to south over the East coast of Africa at 17,000 mph. (4 miles per second).
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Current Articles & News v.7
Here are links to current articles and new releases regarding the crisis of international hijacking by pirates (terrorists).
54 Filipino seamen still in Somali pirates' hands Fifty-four Filipino seamen remain in the hands of their ransom-seeking Somali captors after 36 of their colleagues were freed over the weekend, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. The remaining sailors are crew members of the four ships that are still in the custody of the pirates in Somalia, namely: the MTAfrican Sanderling (hijacked on Oct. 15), MT Stolt Strength (hijacked on Nov. 11), Tianyu No. 8 (hijacked on Nov. 14), and the MV Chemstar Venus (hijacked on Nov. 16). (ChinaView, 01/12/2009)
Saudi tanker (Sirius Star) 'freed off Somalia' A Saudi supertanker that was captured by Somali pirates in November carrying two million barrels of oil has been released, reports quoting pirates say. A negotiator for the pirates told the BBC a $3m (£1.95m) ransom was paid. A small plane was seen apparently dropping the ransom by parachute onto the tanker. Coalition naval forces in Bahrain said it appeared that the pirates on the Sirius Star had received a ransom payment in a container parachuted from a plane. Reuters later reported that five of the pirates making off with the ransom money had drowned after their boat was hit by high seas. (BBC, 01/09/2009)
Hostages freed from pirates off Somalia, Nigeria Pirates freed 20 hostages aboard a Turkish freighter commandeered off the Somali coast, as nine captives on a French boat were released off southern Nigeria, the boat owners said Wednesday. The Yasa Holding Co. said pirates freed the Yasa Neslihan freighter Tuesday after paying a ransom. The Turkish ship was seized Oct. 29 in the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean near Somalia. (AP, 01/07/2009)
54 Filipino seamen still in Somali pirates' hands Fifty-four Filipino seamen remain in the hands of their ransom-seeking Somali captors after 36 of their colleagues were freed over the weekend, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. The remaining sailors are crew members of the four ships that are still in the custody of the pirates in Somalia, namely: the MTAfrican Sanderling (hijacked on Oct. 15), MT Stolt Strength (hijacked on Nov. 11), Tianyu No. 8 (hijacked on Nov. 14), and the MV Chemstar Venus (hijacked on Nov. 16). (ChinaView, 01/12/2009)
Saudi tanker (Sirius Star) 'freed off Somalia' A Saudi supertanker that was captured by Somali pirates in November carrying two million barrels of oil has been released, reports quoting pirates say. A negotiator for the pirates told the BBC a $3m (£1.95m) ransom was paid. A small plane was seen apparently dropping the ransom by parachute onto the tanker. Coalition naval forces in Bahrain said it appeared that the pirates on the Sirius Star had received a ransom payment in a container parachuted from a plane. Reuters later reported that five of the pirates making off with the ransom money had drowned after their boat was hit by high seas. (BBC, 01/09/2009)
Hostages freed from pirates off Somalia, Nigeria Pirates freed 20 hostages aboard a Turkish freighter commandeered off the Somali coast, as nine captives on a French boat were released off southern Nigeria, the boat owners said Wednesday. The Yasa Holding Co. said pirates freed the Yasa Neslihan freighter Tuesday after paying a ransom. The Turkish ship was seized Oct. 29 in the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean near Somalia. (AP, 01/07/2009)
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