A quieter week in the region as pirates move to the Red Sea. Pirate-held MV patrols the Arabian Sea. Organized crime and financial links to piracy; South Korea jails pirates; “Pirates fought the Law, and the Law lost;” Life as a hostage described but SA hostages are ailing; Kenyan lower courts to try piracy cases. ‘Failed ransom drop’ planes were modified. India fights expansion of piracy zone.
Piracy activity has decreased for the second week running, although one vessel was boarded as crew evacuated to the citadel. The predicted onset of the south-westerly monsoon, much the same as in 2010, has seen the increase in attacks occurring in the Red Sea and Bab al Mandeb Strait. Recent assessments indicate that there are two Pirate Action Groups operating in the vicinity and are highly likely to attempt to blend in with the already heavily congested fishing skiff activity in the area. Other PAG activity is likely by MV Orna acting as a mothership in the Arabian Sea whilst a pirated dhow, Jelbut 31, has been observed carrying 2 skiffs in the Somali Basin. The release of MV Khaled Muhieddine K following ransom payment has now been realised with the 25 crew now safe. Organized crime and its financial involvement with Somali piracy are investigated. In South Korea, the pirates that were detained following the daring rescue of the Samho Jewelry, were meted out jail sentences but the policy on pirate detention has changed in light of the treatment of seafarers held in captivity. A journalist, who ventured to Somalia in 2008, provides firsthand account of treatment at the hands of pirates. However, the plight of a South African couple, held further south of Somalia, is reportedly dire as food and water is scarce in a region already suffering a humanitarian crisis. The issue of jurisdiction in the prosecution of Somali pirates convicted in Kenya is to be resolved through the lower courts. The ‘inadvertent’ arrest of the security personnel carrying $3.6 million to pay the ransom for the release of two vessels and their crew remain in custody as authorities declare the planes being used were modified to enable the delivery of ransom drops. India, in the meantime, is lobbying Lloyd’s of London to reverse the expansion of the area judged prone to piracy after insurance costs surged by as much as 300-fold this year alone.
Pirate Activity
Three attacks were carried out in the Red Sea and Bab al Mandeb Strait. All proved unsuccessful for the pirates and the attacks were, unlike previous attacks in the area, conducted by pirates in 1 or 2 skiffs. One attack saw pirates board the vessel, however, the crew had retreated to the citadel, informed authorities, and were later rescued by a naval boarding team. No pirates were found and no one was injured. The Iranian navy again came to the aid of a vessel coming under attack whilst transiting the Indian Ocean. The incident was the 12th such action the Iranian Navy has been involved in since March 21, the start of their new year – Presstv.ir
Release of vessels
The Togo-flagged, Syrian-owned bulk carrier, MV Khaled Muhieddine K, hijacked January 20 in the North Arabian Sea with a crew of 25, was on the morning of May 26, 4 months after capture, confirmed as having been released from pirate control. The deadline for the release of MV Suez has been extended to June 11 as the aircraft chartered to deliver the ransom was unavailable - Shabelle.com. See Somalia Report on “Failed Ransom Drop.” .
Pirates In Court
In South Korea, the pirates taken by the S Korean commandos when rescuing the crew of the Samho Jewelry were prosecuted. The court in the port of Busan ruled that the Somali pirate, Araye, was involved in the shooting of Seok Hae-kyun, captain of the vessel, during the forced boarding by the navy Jan. 15 and was subsequently jailed for life. The captain was shot in the stomach and remains in poor condition in hospital. Eight pirates were killed and five were arrested during the boarding and ensuing gun battle, six days after the pirates had seized the 11,500-ton chemical carrier. The same court in Busan also sentenced another Somali man to 15 years in jail and gave two other pirates 13-year prison terms – UPI.com.
In Kenya, a landmark ruling from the high court ruled that lower courts are to try piracy cases. It brings to a close the long standing issue over the jurisdiction of the Kenyan courts which has seen numerous cases stall –
Coastweek.com . Kenyan judge, Justice Jackton Ojwang, also submitted that "
piracy is not a special crime, such as murder, that merits trial before the high court exclusively and that piracy cases properly fall within the ambit of the magistrates’ courts act.”
Winning
In the entertaining and informative blog website,
Strategypage.com, under the subheading “
Pirates fought the Law, and the Law lost,” the policy of “
catch and release,” the method used by most European navies in light of the difficulty in prosecuting pirates, has it seems been adopted by India. Following the outrage at the failure to gain the release of all 15 crew from a tanker after the ransom had been paid; India had reacted by sending a warship to where it believed the seven Indian sailors were held. The pirates, still holding a further 53 Indian sailors, demanded that 120 pirates held in India be released if they wanted the return of the seven sailors. India, according to the article, was not sure that the idea of deporting the pirates to Somalia was a good one. The potential for them to be freed through bribery did not appeal. It is compounded by the matter of prosecuting and imprisoning hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of captured pirates in India. The overriding concern for India is the safety of its sailors, and the media fallout should the pirates murder the seven seafarers still held, and the blame the government will undoubtedly receive. The new policy, Strategypage adds, is
“much less likely to generate unflattering headlines.” Also, read further on the notion
“The Pirates Have A Plan B”.
Awash with money
In an article by UNODC, the issue of organized crime and the financial links to Somali piracy is discussed. Describing that a study concluded that more than $110 million was paid in ransoms during 2010, at an average of $4.85 million per hijacking, it states that, “Piracy in the region has increased so much that it is now considered a form of transnational organized crime, complete with established procedures, a successful business model and well-organized and well-funded backing.” In order to assist in international efforts to combat piracy, UNODC held a meeting in Nairobi from 17 to 19 May 2011 to address piracy and its links to illicit financing. Several key recommendations emerged from the meeting, including enhanced information-sharing and cooperation among the key players involved in countering piracy (something OCEANUSLive has championed at length). Also stated was the importance of improved knowledge of the formal and informal financial channels used to transfer money and training to fight money-laundering more effectively. The African Executive article, “Financial Networks and Ransom Payment: Target Pirates or Payers?” raised the issue in April 2011. Not yielding to the paying of ransom demands has been consistently urged by the U.S. Even Somalia’s own foreign minister, Mohammed Abdulahi Omar Asharq, pleaded with shipping firms to not pay ransoms since they were “institutionalizing hostage taking” by doing so.
Life as a Hostage
In 2008, the Sunday Telegraph’s Chief Foreign Correspondent, Colin Freeman, was kidnapped in Somalia. He lived to tell
the tale. Although covered as part of the Hay Festival, Britain’s top festival of the arts, by the Telegraph, Mr Freeman, who was kidnapped along with a Spanish freelance photographer called José Cendon, describes his treatment and his feelings on his captivity. It is an insight into the thoughts and fears of any of those held by Somali pirates.
This is no less demonstrated by the continuing plight of the South African crew of yacht, Choizil, (hijacked October 26 last year 100 miles off the Tanzania coast), Bruno Pelizzari and Deborah Calitz from Durban, held on Koyama Island, 40
miles to the south of Kismayo in Somalia, north of the Kenyan border. They are reportedly in poor health given that there is a shortage of fresh water, medicine and food. The demand for ransom has been as high as $10 million, however, any ransom demand is considered beyond the means of the hostages’ family, reports Somalia Report.
Transport Ministers warned of piracy crisis
On behalf of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), which represents the global shipping industry and the world's national shipowners' associations, ICS Board member, Michael Parker (who is also President of the UK Chamber of Shipping) addressed Transport Ministers from around the world at the OECD International Transport Forum, in Leipzig, Germany, the
Stattimes.com reports. He stressed that the most immediate priority for governments, if they were serious about maintaining the efficiency and security of the global supply chain, “must be to address the piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean. In the last few months, the situation, quite simply, has spiralled out of control”.
American Suicide Bomber?
Although not directly related to piracy, the fact that the FBI is investigating reports that a suicide bomber who killed two African Union soldiers in Mogadishu, Somali, has raised further concerns. The suicide bomber who was “so happy” to turn his body into shrapnel for the infidels, Abdullhai Ahmed is quoted as saying he was from Minnesota, USA. The incident raised red flags throughout the U.S. intelligence community –
CNN.com as reported via
Somalia Report media roundup.
Fighting more than piracy
There have been no attacks within 800 kilometres (500 miles) of the coast of India due to stepped-up naval patrols, states the Indian Shipping Secretary K Mohandas. This is the point raised in India’s lobbying of Lloyd’s of London to reverse the expansion of the area judged prone to pirate attacks after insurance costs are reported to have surged as much as 300-fold in 2011. The insurance costs are significantly eroding margins for shipping companies as they struggle with overcapacity and rising costs. Varun Shipping is quoted as stating it is “paying an extra $70,000 per voyage to cover the risk of piracy on about 16 ships that travel between India and the Middle East.” The Indian navy currently has four ships patrolling the area at all times and has formed an inter-ministerial committee to negotiate with hijackers and advise vessel owners. It is claimed that the patrols have driven the pirate threat away -
BloombergNow.
And finally...
OCEANUSLive’s partner site,
Somalia Report, now provides a weekly roundup of the vessels and crew under pirate
control. It highlights that naval vessels close to the pirate-held ships are denied the opportunity to provide medical care to the hostages, or even remove the bodies of dead seafarers. The ability to interdict or arrest whilst closely monitoring the ships shows the limited authority many of the warships have in the region.
Piracy events
Over the last 7 days are:
Hijack:
5 Unsuccessful Attacks:
- May 29 at 1150 UTC, in position 1424N - 04204E, in the Red Sea, a Marshall Island-flagged bulk carrier, Hawk I, came under attack by 2 skiffs which chased and fired small arms at the vessel. The Master sent SSAS alert message, raised the alarm and contacted authorities as the crew prepared to enter the citadel. The embarked security team enforced anti-piracy measures and the vessel managed to evade the hijack attempt.
- May 31 at 0437 UTC in position 1335N - 04237E, again in the Red Sea, a Singapore-flagged chemical tanker, Astir Lady, was chased and fired upon by 6 pirates in a single skiff. Anti-piracy measures were implemented and the pirates aborted the attack.
- May 31, 1300 UTC, in position 1328N - 04236E, around 28nm northwest Assab, Eritrea in the Red Sea, a bulk carrier, Atlas, was attacked and boarded by pirates in a skiff. All the crew retreated to the citadel and called for assistance. A French warship was reported to have been hailed. A naval boarding team was able to get onto the vessel, carry out a search and rescue the crew. No pirates were found on the vessel. All crew were safe and no injuries were sustained.
Suspect Pirate Activity:
- Activity in the region remains relatively quieter as the sea state makes small boat operations difficult. Two Dhow PAGs are likely to be operating in the Red Sea and Bab al Mandeb Strait. MV Orna (hijacked with a crew of 19 on
December 20, 2010) has been tracked from the Somali Basin on a north-easterly heading towards the Arabian Sea and back. The NATO Shipping Centre assessed it to be likely conducting mothership operations but her intentions remain unclear. Orna appeared to slow down and loiter before turning back towards Somalia. Whether she was carrying out a resupply of search for an unsuspecting victim is unknown. A pirated dhow, Jelbut 31, carrying two skiffs, is operating within the Somali Basin. The pirates continue to push their luck despite the poor sea state. - The Red Sea and Bab al Mandeb Strait, as seen by attacks this week, is likely to see increased activity due to the south-westerly monsoon, as was seen in 2010. The pirates are likely to use the congestion of fishing skiffs, which often actively defend their nets and will approach any merchant ship encroaching on their nets, as a means to avoid detection and launch an attack. Clearly, extra vigilance and the early adoption of BMP are advised.
Currently Somali pirates are holding 493 seafarers hostage. 22 hijacked ocean-going vessels are included and 22 former crew members or passengers of Choizil, ING, Leopard and Asphalt Venture.
Vessels are reminded that the coalition forces' warships may not be in the vicinity of a pirate attack, subsequently, it is emphasised that seafarers can greatly reduce their chances of being pirated if they follow precautions as recommended in the
Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks.
Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of any reported positions of attacks and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally, registration of vessel movement with MSC(HOA) prior to transiting the region is recommended. OCEANUSLive.org permits the reproduction of this image providing source and link are published (Map ToU)
Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai in the first instance (UKMTO or Telephone+971 50 552 3215) and on entering the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) bound by Suez, 78E and 10S.
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