Frustrated pirates set ship on fire; British tourist “spotted” in Somalia. Nigerian pirates spreading their reach but not necessarily ‘copycat’; Tanker is released. Convicted pirates appeal in US court. Insurers back private security as shipmanagers call for more coordinated action. Two-tier system of ransom payments as seafarer unions disagree with UN military armed force idea. Drop in Asia piracy during August. Piracy and terrorism link raised again. Reaper drone deployment will help combat piracy, but shift towards Mozambican Channel warning stated. Filipino government has not abandoned its duty. Seminar expresses difficulties faced by African governments. Pirates’ in-fighting whilst crew suffer illness, and ‘Talk like a Pirate’ day.
It has been seen before, but it has raised its ugly head once more. Piracy in itself is an ugly and terrifying business for seafarers, but the attempt to smoke them out of a safe room or to set the ship ablaze in frustration is a fearsome prospect for sailors. MV Pacific Express crew were fortunate rescue was at hand. Some vessels have not been so lucky in the past. The British tourist, Judith Tebbutt, has been “spotted” it is claimed. Two Kenyan suspects are being held by Kenyan police relating to the case.
Whilst the payment of ransoms continues to be debated, the pirates continue to fight amongst themselves over the money and when gloriously drunk.
Attacks this week have been in the Somali Basin, Mozambique Channel and near to the islands of Comoros and Madagascar. As the weather improves, pirated dhows, used as motherships, will launch attacks in the area. The prospect of drones being based in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean is said to be a boost in combating piracy and improving operational security in the region.
The payment of ransoms has caused some debate recently. As US legislators look to make payments illegal, paying may cause a two-tier system of those who can pay and those who cannot. A ban on ransoms would only likely make the problems of piracy worse, not better.
Insurers have stated their backing for private armed security to combat piracy and have warned of rising costs as result of the ongoing attacks.
Meanwhile, shipmanagers have added their voices to the debate and say it is hard for them to influence the outcome of any negotiations that are done by shipowners and insurers. Greater clarification on how ports in the region will accommodate armed guards and the issue of transparent guidelines to shipowners and vessels is called for. The entering and disembarkation of security teams, and the storage of weapons needs to be clear.
A seminar held in South Africa by the Institute for Security Studies looked at ways of dealing with the problems of piracy caused by political instability and the resultant social breakup and poverty. A most interesting article which is recommended is read in full. Lack of political will and a lack of capacity are two major issues.Seafarer unions in the US have stated their opposition to the idea of a UN military armed guard force as it rewards flag-of-convenience states that make no effort to protect crews working on their flagged vessels.
The crew of MV Iceberg 1 are reported to be deteriorating in health. The demand for $8 million and 17 months captivity does not help the situation.
Pirate Activity – East Africa
In the Somali Basin, a Cyprus-flagged, Greek-owned cargo ship, MV Pacific Expresscame under attack by 2 skiffs with armed pirates. The vessel with 26 crew and was able to send an alert signal which was picked up by an Italian RO-RO cargo ship which relayed the signal to warships in the vicinity.
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MV Pacific Express on Fire (Source:NATO/OTAN/Somalia Report)
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The ship took avoiding action, employing best management practices; however, the pirates managed to board the vessel. All of the crew retreated into the citadel and requested for assistance. In frustration at being unable to take control of the ship and crew, prior to leaving the ship, the pirates set fire to the vessel’s accommodation area. A NATO Italian coalition warship, ITS Andrea Doria, arrived at the location and rescued the Filipino and Ukrainian crew. The fire has been extinguished - OCEANUSLive.
The vessel had been abandoned in position 04:24S – 042:20E, approximately 87nm Southeast of the hijack attempt location.
The hijack attempt came 3 days after the China-flagged, An Ning Jiang, evaded an attack 85nm off Mombasa.
Kidnapped British tourist Judith Tebbutt has been “spotted” on a tiny island in Somalia – 185 miles away from the resort where she was abducted, reports the Daily Mirror.
Sources in Kenya, where the deaf mother-of-one was snatched after her husband was shot dead, claim she was moved there under cover of darkness.
A gang of men was seen landing at the remote island near the Somali port of Kismayo on Thursday.
Piracy expert Andrew Mwangura revealed: “Sailors and fishermen several nautical miles away from Kismayo spotted the pirates, who have yet to speak about their demands.”
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Ali Babitu Arrested
(Photo: Miller-McLean - Mirror.co.uk)
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It is the only reported sighting of social worker Judith, 56, since she was snatched from a beach hut villa at the Kiwayu Safari Village resort in Kenya last Saturday by bandits who shot dead her company director husband David, 58. Terrified Judith, who has a 25-year-old son Oliver back in Britain, was bundled away on a speedboat heading for Somalia. Pirates and local Islamic terrorists – possibly linked to al-Qaeda – have both been linked to the attack.The sighting comes as the first picture emerged of handyman Ali Babitu, who is accused of helping to co-ordinate the kidnapping.
Babitu, 25, who worked at the Kiwayu resort, will face abduction and robbery charges in court tomorrow. Police think he led gunmen to the cottage where the Tebbutts, from Bishop’s Stortford, Herts, were staying. Babitu was seen in public for the first time yesterday handcuffed and barefoot as he was transferred to a police station for further questioning. A second suspect, Isa Sheikh Saadi, 37, was also being quizzed by police.
Pirate Activity – West Africa
Nigerian pirate gangs are moving into the waters of neighbouring countries and attacking vessels further offshore after being driven from their coastal haunts by a military crackdown.
The shift to deeper waters mirrors one by their better-known Somali counterparts after pressure from international warships and raises the threat to shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, which is rich in oil and minerals.
Pirate attacks have spiked off the coast of Benin this year while dropping in neighbouring Nigeria, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) watchdog, and attacks may also be on the rise in Cameroon to the south.
"While Somalis are not coming to Nigeria with franchise kits, Nigerians do have smartphones and so can surf the Web and keep an eye on what the Somalis and other pirates are doing and incorporate inspired changes," said Michael Frodl with U.S.-based consultancy C-LEVEL Maritime Risks.
"All this represents a growing menace to shipping off Nigeria, Benin, and other West African nations."
London's marine insurance market last month added Benin to its high-risk list, and the vast Gulf of Guinea region could become more risky for shipping, threatening a growing source of oil, metals and agricultural products.
"We believe that this is happening because the Nigerian navy and coastguard has clamped down heavily on piracy in their waters, forcing the pirates to move elsewhere," said IMB manager Cyrus Mody.
A spokesman for Nigeria's military Joint Task Force confirmed that intensified patrols and intelligence operations had led to a drop in piracy in Nigeria. Authorities had made 30 arrests in the past month, he said.
In the latest reported attack in Benin last week, pirates hijacked the Cyprus-flagged Mattheos I some 60 nautical miles offshore -- one of the furthest offshore grabs recorded in West Africa. Benin's patrol boats were hours away and powerless to intervene.
Frodl said the pirates appeared to be moving further offshore not just to avoid coastal patrols "but also to take advantage of ships letting down their guard in waters assumed to be safer".
"The attacks off Benin (...) represent the same sort of pivot we saw from the Somalis when the more ambitious and capable pirates shunned the Gulf of Aden a couple of years ago for the Somali Basin," he said.
The IMB said there have been 19 pirate attacks off Benin this year, compared with none in 2010. Authorities in Cameroon, just south of Nigeria, have also complained of an increase in pirate attacks since 2010.
"These guys are like roaches -- once you try and stomp on them they are going to go somewhere else," a U.S. official familiar with maritime security in the region told Reuters, asking not to be named.
Unlike off Somalia, West African pirates tend to focus on stealing cash and cargoes instead of kidnapping for huge ransoms. But experts say there have been cases of West African pirates being paid small ransoms to release crews.
The spread of piracy to new territory in the Gulf of Guinea has underlined the need for regional cooperation on maritime security, analysts and security officials said.
Military sources in Benin said France had deployed a surveillance frigate to Benin's waters at the end of August. The French military is also planning anti-piracy training in Benin and Togo in the coming weeks. Read the full article – Reuters.
The vessel was released September 24. No ransom was paid for the release of the Cypriot-flagged Mattheos I, although pirates who seized it stole as much as they could of the diesel fuel it was carrying as cargo, said Consultores de Navegacion spokeswoman Sheena Campbell - OCEANUSLive.
Released By Pirates
Spanish oil tanker that was hijacked by pirates off West Africa 10 days ago was freed Saturday and the 23-member crew is OK, its owner said.
No ransom was paid for the release of the Cypriot-flagged Mattheos I, although pirates who seized it stole as much as they could of the diesel fuel it was carrying as cargo, said Consultores de Navegacion spokeswoman Sheena Campbell, reports Associated Press.
One crew member was slightly injured when he was hit by a pirate, but all the other crew members are fine, she said in Madrid.
The ship is now off the coast of Nigeria. The crew comprises five Spaniards, two Ukrainians and the rest Filipinos. Campbell would not say which one was hurt.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry also confirmed the ship had been released.
The vessel was seized September 14 as it idled 62 nautical miles from Benin's capital Cotonou while transferring diesel fuel cargo to another ship.
Campbell said then that in such hijackings off West Africa, pirates are usually after the cargo rather than ransom money as is the case in Indian Ocean hijackings by Somali pirates.
Spanish National Radio reached the Mattheos I by phone Saturday morning and a terse, unnamed crew member said "there is nothing to worry about" but gave no details of the ordeal or the release.
Asian Pacific Thoughts
Sharing his thoughts on port and maritime security in the Asian Pacific, Commodore RS Vasan (Retd), Head, Strategy and Security Studies, Center for Asia Studies, recently joined Lloyds DCN for a Q&A session. With a spotlight on anti-piracy measures from the role of multinational military forces and armed guards to the current situation off Somalia and the shipping industry’s responses to countering piracy, Commodore RS Vasan offered a detailed and refreshing look at piracy today – Asian Studies.org (PDF).
Q. Piracy is the hottest topic for media coverage of maritime issues. We regularly hear reports of escalating piracy attacks, both in terms of frequency and violence and how it endangers world trade. Does piracy affect freight movements in any meaningful way? If so, how? What are the consequences of that?
A. One has to just look at the number of vessels and crew still in custody of the pirates. As on date nearly 39 vessels of all description and over 573 merchantmen are held in custody. In addition to the ransom money that is being paid it has a serious consequence for the morale of the sea farer who is prevented today from carrying on with his legitimate task of using the high seas for commerce and trade. Many of the developing countries including India and China are heavily dependent on movement of energy products and other goods for sustaining their growth. The GDP figures would continue to be affected if the freight movements are frequently disrupted due to the actions of piracy or maritime terrorism. The consequences while clearly has an economic angle, has a greater human dimension in terms of the trauma faced by the innocent law abiding seafarer.
Pirates in Court
The piracy conviction of five Somali men who launched an attack on a U.S. warship off the coast of Africa is headed to an appeals court, says the Houston Chronicle.
Attorneys for the five are expected to argue Tuesday before three judges in Richmond that since the men did not successfully carry out a robbery at sea, their convictions cannot stand.
The government is expected to counter in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the men's actions constitute piracy under widely accepted international law.
The five were convicted of piracy last November for the April 1, 2010, attack on the USS Nicholas, a Virginia-based frigate that was patrolling the pirate-infested waters in the Indian Ocean.
US Federal courts heard arguments this week in the second of two pirate prosecutions in federal court in Norfolk, Virginia. The first appeal, which the court heard in the spring, has been held up on a procedural issue and is being stayed pending the decision of this week’s consolidated appeals. This second appeal–United States v. Abdi Dire (the lead case, together for argument with four other appeals)–was the second argued this week, these appeals arise out of the convictions, after trial, of five Somali pirates for their attack on the USS Nicholas – Opinio Juris.
The panel that heard arguments was the same panel that heard arguments in the appeal arising out of the USS Ashland prosecution: Judge King, Judge Davis, and Judge Keenan. Appellants divided their argument among three lawyers, each of whom addressed a distinct issue: whether the facts proven amounted to piracy under the law of nations; whether certain statements made by the captured pirates should be suppressed; and whether three 924(c) counts should be merged for sentencing. The prediction from the details inferred from questioning is a unanimous vote to affirm the original conviction.
Private Security
More ship insurers are backing the use of private armed guards on merchant vessels at sea to combat Somali piracy as attacks and the resulting costs are set to rise in coming weeks, industry officials said on Tuesday – Insurance Journal.
Pirate attacks on oil tankers and other ships are costing the world economy billions of dollars a year and navies have struggled to combat the menace, especially in the vast Indian Ocean. Seaborne gangs are set to ramp up attacks in the area after the monsoon season ends.
A famine crisis in Somalia could also draw more people into piracy, marine insurers said.
“Piracy is clogging the arteries of globalization,” said Emma Russell with underwriter Watkins, a member of the Lloyd’s of London insurance market. “No vessel with armed guards has yet been taken,” she added.
Industry delegates at the annual conference of the International Union of Maritime Insurance (IUMI) said there were more than 20,000 transits a year in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Speakers at the conference said the hiring of private armed guards to accompany ships is increasingly seen as an effective deterrent against pirates and as a complement to overstretched navies, many of whom face budget cuts.
Ship owners and insurers have until recently been reluctant to accept the use of armed private contractors. They have hesitated partly due to legal liabilities and risks, including the problem of bringing weapons into some territorial waters and due to the fear of escalating violence.
The IUMI said the use of private guards should comply with the legislation of the flag state.
“It’s not going to resolve the problem but at least it’s going to protect some of the vessels and property going through the Indian Ocean,” IUMI President Ole Wikborg said of private armed guards at a press briefing.
Economics of Piracy
As US legislators look to make ransom payments in cases of piracy illegal experts believe there could become a ”two-tier system” – where some owners can pay ransoms and others cannot - Shiptalk.
This view was expressed at the IUMI conference in Paris, where Richard Neylon of Holman Fenwick Willan voiced opinion that a ban on ransoms would only likely make the problems of piracy worse, not better.
Quoted in Lloyd’s List, Neylon stated, “If the US banned payments then US shipowners could not pay ransoms and this would likely extend to the European Union…not all shipping companies across the world would stop paying. It would create a two-tier system where certain ships would be released and the pirates would continue.”
Whether that would mean pirates would only target the “paying flags” is extremely unlikely, so there would be potential for the vessels of certain flags to languish in captivity while others would be freed once the cash demands were met.
Somali pirates have turned their attention to the vast amount of ships that bring goods to the Persian Gulf oil states. Over 500,000 tons a day is landed in Persian Gulf ports and more of those ships are being attacked by pirates. As a result, maritime insurance companies have declared the east coast of Arabia as a danger zone and imposed piracy surcharges. This means that everyone buying imported goods will end up paying up to half a percent or so. It could be worse. Two years ago, Insurance costs, to cover piracy risk, were increasing the cost of each barrel of oil imported into Kenya by one percent or more. Additional time at sea, to steer clear of pirate infested waters, added up to another dollar per barrel, writes Strategy Page.
Pirates are now operating up to 1,600 kilometres off the northeast coast of Africa, and close to the Straits of Hormuz (where ships exit the Persian Gulf and enter the Indian Ocean). Ship captains on oil tankers are drilling their crews on ways to avoid approaching pirates, and keep them off the ship (usually with fire hoses.) But tankers are more defenceless than most merchant ships, because of their flammable cargo. The pirates often disregard this and fire on the tankers. Gun fire is bad enough, but the pirates sometimes fire RPG rockets at ships. One of these armour piercing projectiles could puncture the hull and set the tanker on fire.
Some 40 percent of the world’s oil shipments pass through the Straits of Hormuz, which comes to about fifteen tankers a day. Oil producing nations, including Iran, have sent warships to join the international anti-piracy patrol, but the growing threat to tanker and freighter traffic in the Indian Ocean is causing alarm, and more ambitious plans to guard the straits, as well as the oil routes down the east coast of Africa (and thence west to the Atlantic), are in the works. This is especially true as pirate raids occur closer to the Straits of Hormuz (the entrance to the Persian Gulf).
Ports in piracy-threatened regions must make clear how they will accommodate armed guards and issue transparent guidelines to shipowners and operators, Dom Mee, president of Protection Vessels International, has warned in an article by Port Strategy.
Speaking at a piracy conference, Mr Mee pointed to the recent ship hijacking in port waters in Oman as a wake-up call to lax port procedures on piracy.
While the International Maritime Organisation recently set out guidelines for shipowners and operators to deal with maritime armed guarding, no reference or guidance was given to the provision of armed guards while in waters under port state control.
“Ports, ideally under the auspices of the IMO, should move swiftly to issue guidelines illustrating how they handle armed security when they are entering or disembarking ports, as well as guidance for the storage of weaponry,” said Mr Mee.
Call to Arms & Action
The shipmanagement community has become more outspoken on piracy matters of late, and as the heads of V Ships and Anglo-Eastern Ship Management add their voices to the debate, there are calls for more coordinated action, reports Shiptalk.
Roberto Giorgi and Peter Cremers have spoken out about “frustration and a feeling of helplessness” when trying to speed the release of their crews. The shipmanagers claim that with negotiations in the hands of the shipowners and insurers, then, it is hard for them to influence the process.
Both companies have vessels under their management held by pirates. V. Ships is crew manager for the tanker “Savina Caylyn”, while Anglo-Eastern is manager for the 25,390 dwt, Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker “Fairchem Bogey”.
The shipmanager feel they are in a difficult position, with no formal role in negotiations, and no direct involvement. This is seen by the shipmanagers as a problem, and one which needs a solution.
There has been an improvement in the situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in August 2011 compared to August 2010. A total of 11 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in August 2011 compared to 23 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported during the same period in 2010. No piracy incident and no attempted incidents were reported in August 2011, says a ReCAAP monthly report (PDF).
One incident involved the hijacking of a fishing vessel in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The Malaysian authorities foiled the hijacking incident, apprehended the culprits who had been sentenced to 10 years' jail and four strokes of rotan for armed gang robbery.
The new Seychelles base, with the Reaper deployment, will allow for more flights and improved operational security, giving the military a better chance at uncovering and destroying al Qaeda training camps in East Africa, officials said, reports Wall Street Journal. Militants can sometimes spot and track drones that fly over land from the base at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti—something that will be more difficult at an island base.
The Seychelles' capital, Victoria, is about 920 miles east of the southern tip Somalia, and about 650 miles northeast of Madagascar. The new base will help increase surveillance of pirates operating in the waters off Somalia. A senior defence official said the U.S. hasn't yet used the Reapers deployed the Seychelles to conduct armed reconnaissance on pirate ships, but the option is open to use the drones to strike at pirates who have mounted attacks.
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| Reaper Drones Overthe Indian Ocean (Source: WSJ) |
"If there was a piracy situation gone wrong, the Seychelles are a good place from which to put something overhead," said the senior defence official.
The U.S. stationed Reaper drones in the Seychelles from September 2009 until this past spring, when they were withdrawn. Those aircraft weren't armed and were used only for surveillance. Officials said at the time that those drones were to be used to monitor pirates.
The new MQ-9 Reapers deployed to the Seychelles, officials said, can be configured for both reconnaissance and strike missions. The Reapers can fire Hellfire missiles, as well as guided 500-pound bombs.
Officials declined to specify what countries could be reached from the Seychelles base. However, based on the official range, an aircraft could conduct missions in Somalia and other countries in eastern Africa. A Reaper could also likely reach Yemen, if it were to land in Djibouti rather than return to the Seychelles.
It would also be able to fly widely over the Indian Ocean to hunt for pirates. "It gives us reach into different areas," the senior defence official said.
Piracy could move to the Mozambican Channel because of instability caused by piracy from Somalia, an analyst warned on Tuesday, says News24.
"Both sides [of the channel] are not particularly densely populated, are seriously under-policed and there is a lot of shipping going through," defence analyst Helmoed-Romer Heitman told a maritime security seminar in Pretoria.
Heitman said there would be a major difference between the Somali pirates and future Mozambican Channel pirates.
Pirates in Somalia could wait for ransoms to be paid because the country had no effective government.
Pirates in the channel would have to face the authorities at some stage, and would not have the time and space to wait for a ransom.
Heitman said they would probably not hold a crew for ransom, but kill them, loot the ship and sink it.
Local governments needed to "pre-empt" the prospect of piracy in the region by improving the economic situation of locals - in this case people living in Mozambique and Madagascar, he said.
The legal framework for arresting and charging pirates also needed to be addressed. Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries should address problems that could come about as a result of hot pursuit operations crossing territorial waters, Heitman said.
South Africa was the only SADC member that had a navy of any size.
Madagascar, with more than 4000km of coastline, had one patrol craft and one landing craft, he said.
Four American maritime unions have urged the U.S. Department of State not to follow the recommendation of an international shipping group that advocated using UN military guards to fight shipboard piracy – Seafarers.org.
After pointing out that many members of those respective unions sail in pirate-infested waters near Somalia and farther out in the Indian Ocean, Heindel observed that the Round Table recently asked the United Nations to establish a “UN Force of Armed Military Guards” for deployment aboard merchant ships.
“We oppose the use of UN forces in this fight because, quite simply, it rewards flag-of-convenience states that make no effort to protect crews working on vessels flying their flags,” Heindel wrote. “In particular, most if not all of the so-called flag-of-convenience or runaway flags have either made woefully inadequate attempts to combat piracy, or they’ve made none at all. The burden of dealing with pirates is being borne by the seafarers themselves, ship operators and a few nations – including the United States – and the task of actually prosecuting pirates by even fewer. The failure of flag-of-convenience states to exercise their jurisdiction against pirates who have attacked vessels flying their flag is totally unacceptable by the world’s seafarers and should be by those that employ and regulate us.”
He continued, “In that light, the Round Table’s proposal amounts to saddling American taxpayers with paying to protect the flag-of-convenience scheme. Put another way, their proposal equates to having others pay to fight piracy while the absent flag states rake in profits from much of the world’s fleet without meeting any of the obligations as a proper flag state. In our opinion, their failure to act thus far has contributed to the death of more than sixty seafarers...”
Finally, Heindel noted that the aforementioned unions as well as the ITF support many of the concerns expressed by the Round Table. “However, they missed the mark on this proposal.”
A top official of the country’s premier training school for seafarers said on Wednesday that the Philippine government does not abandon its duty in finding solutions to maritime piracy victimizing some Filipino seafarers since 2008, writes the Philippine Information Agency.
Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez, OIC Executive Director of the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) located in Barangay Cabalawan this city made this statement in the “Harampang ha PIA” held on September 21 at the PIA regional office.
Jimenez was with the other officials representing the different national government agencies in Eastern Visayas involved in the maritime industry where they served as guests in the regular PIA media interaction which centred on the National Maritime Week celebration on September 25-30, 2011 with the theme “Piracy: Orchestrating the Response”.
He informed that there were already 257 Filipino seafarers who have been victimized by maritime piracy from the period 2008-2009 where one Filipino died in Malaysia in August 2008.
The Filipino seafarers which contributed some US$ 2.5 billion in a year to the country’s economy has now been affected by maritime piracy and that government has already laid down “preventive and reactive “measures to combat it, the NMP executive director added.
Jimenez further said that part of the preventive measures undertaken by the Philippine government against maritime piracy is the development of an anti-piracy training program for seafarers which NMP offered a one month free training on anti-piracy which is now a regular course and not free anymore.
Other preventive measures espoused by the Philippine government in coordination with other global maritime organizations include the fair treatment of all ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the coast of Somalia; APEC economies to collaborate and cooperate closely on the maritime piracy issue and assist Somalia in restoring a working government, Jimenez mentioned.
The Philippine government has donated US$ 20,000 to the UN Trust Fund to support security in the fight against maritime piracy, issued various flag state advisories, hold inter-agency consultations, created of an Ad Hoc Committee on piracy and armed against ships by the Office of the President are the reactive measures undertaken by the Philippine government against maritime piracy, Jimenez disclosed.
He also assured that other government agencies in the government like the Philippine Coast Guard, MARINA and other stakeholders in the maritime industry are also taking steps in finding solutions to maritime piracy.
A seminar held by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, South Africa, looked at ways of dealing with the problems of piracy caused by political instability and the resultant social breakup and poverty – Digital Journal (Read more).
The conference, which featured both top military personnel and defence analysts from the world of academe as well as journalism, expressed the difficulties African governments faced in tackling the problem.
Two major issues; lack of capacity and lack of political will, surfaced as the most serious and difficult to overcome. Speakers pointed out that as much as 39 per cent of global trade passes through the Indian Ocean, but nations on the East Coast of Africa – with the sole exception of South Africa – did not contribute to protecting this trade for the simple reason that it was beyond their means. A Japanese embassy official indicated that this should be treated as significant, while the Africans present tended to look on the negative side.
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| Lisa Otto of ISS ACPP (Photo: Christopher Szabo) |
Lisa Otto (right) of the ISS’s African Conflict Prevention Programme sketched the rise of the Somali piracy phenomenon. She pointed out that as Somalia collapsed as a state, there was nothing that could exercise a coast guard function and as a result, ships – mainly from Europe – used Somali waters to fish and Somali coastlands to dump dangerous waste.
Thus the first Somali “pirates” were exercising what she termed ”vigilante justice”, by making the ships pay “taxes” to them. Later, they found hostage ransoms paid better. Up to this point, the phenomenon was relatively minor and local. But then, Otto explained, criminal gangs began to get involved, and these linked up to Somali warlords, who control clan-based territories within the country. (Unlike many African countries, the Somalis all have the same language, culture and religion, but are split along clan lines).
Soon, the ransoms were in the millions of US dollars. Some 20 percent of the hijack money went to the warlords, thus perpetuating the instability in Somalia. She added there were an estimated 5,000 pirates in five main gangs.
Otto stressed the pirate operations were “very sophisticated” and that pirates had access to intelligence from corrupt port officials, both in Africa and elsewhere. She also emphasised that that targets were carefully selected as they left ports according to considerations like speed, freeboard (the height of the ship’s deck above the waterline) whether the ship had armed guards on board or was escorted or in a convoy, or alone and the decision was taken in a cold, calculated way.
“This is a business” she said.
Maritime chokepoints are among the most sensitive locations where geography, trade, and politics meet. The challenges posed by Middle Eastern chokepoints, in particular, were evident even before the massive dependence on oil of the twentieth century. These points have become increasingly volatile in recent years, and especially since the Arab uprisings began. Complications include increased regional instability and aggravation of existing threats, pre-eminently piracy, terrorism, and the challenges posed by Iran.
Though states’ interests vary and are sometimes in conflict with one another, all value unfettered shipping. In recent years, the greatest regional threat to this common interest in the Red Sea, has been Somali piracy (although not exclusively). Much has been undertaken to address this ongoing problem. International efforts and resources, including the deployment of European, American, NATO, Chinese, Indian, Iranian, and other naval forces, coordinated commercial shipping movements, dedicated tracking and communications resources, and widespread adoption of anti-piracy practices have driven the attacks away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait further east along the Yemeni coast of the Indian Ocean (towards the Straits of Hormuz) and to the south of the Horn of Africa.
Tactical measures have reduced (that is, displaced) the number of pirate attacks in the Red Sea in recent years. However, the strategic problem of failing states—of which piracy is only a symptom—may be getting worse at the sea’s two ends and in the middle. Somalia’s ongoing problems could prove to be just the tip of the iceberg. Current international anti-piracy efforts mainly target the symptom (i.e. attacks on the seas) and not the fundamental causes of the phenomenon - read more Eurasia Review.
Pirate In-fighting
Over the last few months, there has been a dramatic increase of conflicts among Somali pirates resulting to a number of deaths.
In separate incidences, several people, including some pirates, have been killed in fighting between rival pirate groups in areas along Somalia's coastline. The clashes erupted in such districts and villages of Bargal, Hafuun, Hurdiyo, Rasubina, Hariro and Ballidhidin, which are in Bari, Garacad, Dhanane and Hobyo districts of Mudug Region.
The areas have reportedly been a common battlefield for pirates, particularly over the last three months. "At least 17 pirates have died and several others wounded," reliable sources told Somalia Report recently.
Local communities in the affected areas say the pirates tend to fight one another, especially when they are drunk and often over women. They exchange fire anywhere in the middle of the villages.
Seafarers Plight
Somali pirates holding the Panama-flagged MV Iceberg 1 are demanding $8 million in ransom and claimed that the health of crew is deteriorating due to the secret chemicals the vessel is carrying, according one of the pirates holding the vessel who spoke Somalia Report by phone.
"The health situation of the crew is very serious. First there were 24 crew and one died last February. The 23 that remain are in poor condition due to the poison from the chemicals on the ship," said Aadan, a self-declared pirate spokesman who uses only his first name, while on a board the vessel which is anchored off Garacad in Mudug region of Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland.
“We are demanding $8 million since this vessel is carrying chemical materials. When we hijacked this vessel the owner of the vessel ordered the crew to exit the vessel because the owner doesn’t want the world to know his vessel is carrying chemical materials," said the pirate.
Although the pirate could not identify the type of chemicals, he explained to Somalia Report that the crew “can't take food well and are losing weight. They are in pain."
Other reports indicate the vessel is officially carrying machinery bound for the United Arab Emirates.
The vessel and crew have been held in captivity for 17 months.
And finally...
September 19 was International Talk Like A Pirate Day. For most would-be buccaneers, this is an opportunity to drink grog and try out their best Captain Jack Sparrow impersonations. Danger Room (Wired.com) certainly does not discourage this kind of behaviour.
At the same time, piracy is not just a thing of the past, but rather a real-world problem plaguing the some of the most dangerous areas of the world today. And so with this in mind but also in the spirit of International Talk Like A Pirate Day, Danger Room would like to offer this guide to talking like a real pirate — as in, the one of the guys hijacking ships in the Horn of Africa region today. It’s the first in what may become a series of ITLAPD features.
The Horn of Africa is without question the hotbed of piracy today. A quick glance at the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre Live Piracy Map shows a dense thicket of attacks, and even though some analysis indicates that the areas of attacks may be decreasing in size, and that the frequency of successful attacks is decreasing, the density of attack is increasing and the risk of attacks remains high. And the focus of this activity remains Somalia.
What languages are these pirates saying? Based on the IMB’s reported risk zones, and country data for Somalia from the CIA’s World Factbook, they are probably speaking in Somali, Arabic (probably a Yemeni dialect), Italian (a vestige of Somalia’s colonial heritage) or English.
But what exactly are they saying? A good source for how to say something important in a combat situation at sea – and in a host of other interesting situations – are the Defense Language Institute’s Field Support Modules for a given language. Sadly, Danger Room can’t help you out dealing with pirates on your next trip to Lake Como as DLI does not produce an Italian module, but below are 20 common pirate phrases in English, Somali, and Yemeni Arabic, along with where you can find them in the guides.”
Piracy events
Hijack:
6 Unsuccessful Attacks (All Regions):
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Gulf of Guinea – September 16 (via IMB) at 0340 LT: in position 06:03.7N - 001:17.5E, Lome Anchorage, Togo. Seven robbers in a fast boat approached an anchored Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, E R Bergamo. Duty crew spotted the robbers, contacted the bridge and informed another watchman for assistance. One of the robbers was seen ready with a hook attached with rope. The Master raised alarm, sounded ships horn and the crew directed search lights. Upon noticing the crews’ alertness, the robbers aborted the attempted attack and moved away. Togo navy was contacted but no response received. Later, a naval boat arrived and patrolled the area.
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Somali Basin (IO) –September 17 (via IMB) at 1035 UTC: in position 03:54.6S – 041:04.7E: Around 85nm east of Mombasa, Kenya (Off Somalia). A bright white skiff with six pirates approached and fired upon a China-flagged general cargo ship, An Ning Jiang, underway. Crew retreated into the citadel while the security guards onboard vessel enforced effective measures which prevented the boarding.
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Somali Basin (IO) – September 20 (via IMB) at 0734 UTC in position 04:47S – 044: 35E:.Around 300nm east of Mombasa, Kenya, a Cyprus-flagged, Greek-owned general cargo ship, MV Pacific Express, whilst underway, was chased by pirates in two skiffs armed with guns and RPG with intent to hijack her. The ship took avoiding action, however the pirates managed to board the vessel. All crew retreated into the citadel and requested assistance. Prior to leaving the ship, the pirates set fire to the vessel's accommodation area. A NATO coalition warship arrived on the scene and rescued the crew.
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Indian Ocean - September 20 (via IMB) at 2345 LT: in position 17:03N – 082:24E: Kakinada Anchorage, India. Robbers boarded an anchored US-flagged general cargo ship, Ocean Crescent, unnoticed, stole ship stores and escaped.
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Indian Ocean – September 21 (via IMB) at 0643 UTC: in position 12:46.6S – 046:18.5E: Around 60nm east of Mayotte Island, Madagascar. A Cyprus-flagged container ship, Mekong River, underway noticed two skiffs with 3 - 4 persons in each at distance of 1.5nm. The skiffs increased speed to 18 knots and approached and chased the vessel from different sides. The vessel made evasive manoeuvres, increased speed and enforced anti piracy measures. The skiffs aborted the attempt after chasing the vessel for 25 minutes.
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Indian Ocean - September 22 (via IMB) at 0850 UTC: posn: 12:16.1S – 043:19.5E: Around 20nm south of Grande Comore, Comoros Island. A Norway-flagged bulk carrier, Spar Gemini, underway noticed two blue coloured skiffs at a distance of 1nm. Master raised alarm, and alerted the armed security team. The skiffs approached at a speed of 20 knots. The persons in the skiff were observed to have RPGs. As the skiffs closed to 300 meters and saw the armed team they slowed down and circled the vessel for a few minutes and then moved away. No shots were fired.
At least 17 ships and an estimated 348 seafarers remain captives of the Somali pirates. The British tourist is believed to also be held by pirates. Somalia Report's Weekly Piracy Report provides a roundup of vessel held and additional insight into pirate activity in the region.
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. BMP version 4 is available at the link above; a high resolution version can be downloaded here.
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.
Horn of Africa Piracy Activity
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Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai in the first instance (Email 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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