Pirated ship catches fire off Somalia, crew rescued

Somali pirates rescued nineteen crew members of the MV ORNA after their hijacked ship caught fire off the Horn of Africa country's coast, pirates and residents said yesterday.

The Panama-flagged bulk cargo vessel seized last December is owned by the United Arab Emirates, and was hijacked by the pirates on December 20 some 400 miles northeast of the Seychelles.

It was not clear how the ship caught fire, or the type of cargo the vessel was carrying when it was seized. The pirates said the cargo and the ship's engines were not damaged by the fire, but the crew's living quarters were destroyed.

20% of ships in pirate-prone waters will have armed guards by 2013

Around 20% of ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, the epicentres of piracy, will carry armed guards by 2013, according to the Security Association for the Maritime Industry. This is an increase from 12% at present. 

The Security Association for the Maritime Industry represents a fifth of private security firms offering services to shipping companies in the area off the coast of Somalia, according to spokesman Peter Cook. He was speaking at a presentation in London this week.

“There is a wish by some shipowners to have armed guards on board and you can’t dispute the fact they are successful,” Andrew Bardot, secretary and executive officer of the International Group of P&I Clubs, which insures 90 percent of the world fleet against liability claims, told Bloomberg.

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Pirates release MV Sinar Kudus after one and a half months in captivity

Somali pirates have released the nickel carrier MV Sinar Kudus after holding the vessel for ransom for 46 days and using it as a mother ship from which to attack other vessels.

The ship was released on Monday and is now sailing to a safe port, the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) reports.

Between 30 and 50 pirates captured the Indonesian flagged vessel in the Arabian Sea on March 16. It was on its way to Suez (Egypt) and then the Netherlands from Singapore when it was attacked. Pirates then used it to try and hijack the Liberian flagged cargo vessel Emperor nearby. However, private security on board the ship repelled the attack after an exchange of fire.

The Sinar Kudus was carrying 8,300 tonnes of ferronickel from Indonesia.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), as of April 28 there have been 173 attacks by pirates this year, resulting in 23 successful hijackings. Somali pirates are currently holding 26 vessels and 518 hostages, the IMB reports.

Somali pirates attempting a hijacking a day; have hijacked 20 ships this year

There have been five attempted hijackings this last week in the Indian Ocean, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). In total, Somali pirates have made 117 attempts to hijack ships this year, succeeding in 20 cases. In the process they have taken 338 hostages, the IMB reports.

The most recent hijacking too place on April 21 when the bulk carrier MV Rosalia d’Amato was captured by pirates roughly 350 nautical miles south east of Salalah, Oman. The 74,500 tonne Italian flagged and owned vessel was on its way to Bandar Imam Khomeini (Iran) from Paranagua (Brazil) when it was attacked by a single skiff, The European Union Naval Force reports. Coalition warships had communications with the vessel and were told: ‘pirates onboard stay away’. The MV Rosalia d’Amato has a crew of 21, comprising six Italians and 15 Filipinos.

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Bulk Carrier Hijacked in Indian Ocean, Containership Missing

The European Union Naval Force Somalia, or EU NAVFOR, has reported that the bulk carrier M/V Rosalia D’Amato was pirated approximately 350NM South East of Salalah, Oman, in the Indian Ocean earlier this morning.

The 74,500 tonne Italian flagged and owned vessel was on its way to Bandar Imam Khomeini (Iran) from Paranagua (Brazil) when it was attacked by a single skiff. Coalition warships had communications with the vessel and were told: ‘pirates onboard stay away’.  The M/V Rosalia D’Amato has a crew of 21(6 Italians, 15 Filipinos). There is no further information on the condition of the crew at present.

The M/V Rosalia D’Amato was registered with MSC(HOA) and was reporting to UKMTO.

In other news, Dow Jones is reporting that a Hanjin Shipping container ship with 14 South Koreans aboard lost contact with its company Thursday off Somalia.

The 75,000-ton container ship had departed from Spain for Singapore.

“The ship made its last communications at around 5 a.m.,” the report quoted the official as saying, without confirming media reports that the ship had been hijacked.

Source : http://gcaptain.com

Gunmen kill six in attacks on two Somali mosques

Unidentified gunmen fired on worshippers at two mosques in Somalia's self-proclaimed state of Puntland, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, residents and security officials.

Residents believe the attacks targeted mosques run by al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels, blamed for a roadside bombing a few hours before that killed a prominent cleric who was also a senior Puntland government official.

The mosque attacks on Saturday evening and Sunday morning in Galkayo killed a total of six people, prompting local authorities to order all mosques in the town to close temporarily for fear of further attacks, Reuters reports.

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Piracy at an all time high in 2011 first-quarter - watchdog

Piracy hit an all-time high worldwide in the first three months of 2011 led by a surge in incidents off the coast of Somalia, a maritime watchdog said today.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said its reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur recorded 142 piracy incidents from January to March this year, compared to 67 in the same period last year.

Of the 142 incidents which comprised attacks on ships, hijacking and boardings, 97 took place off the coast of Somalia. Of these, 37 were tankers, including 20 with more than 100 000 deadweight tonnes.

Somali pirate gets 25-year US prison sentence

A Somali pirate who pleaded guilty for his role in seizing a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden and holding it for more than two months was sentenced last Thursday by a US judge to 25 years in prison.

The U.S. Justice Department said Jama Idle Ibrahim, 39, had previously received a 30-year prison sentence by a federal judge in Virginia for a separate attack on a U.S. Navy ship. The two sentences are to be served at the same time.

A federal judge in Washington handed down the prison term for Ibrahim after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit piracy and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Dutch marines kill 2 pirates off Somali coast

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The Dutch defense ministry says its marines have killed two pirates and captured 16 in an operation to free a hijacked Iranian fishing boat off the coast of Somalia.

The ministry says in a statement marines from the frigate HMS Tromp opened fire on the pirates Sunday after they shot at two Dutch inflatable speed boats sent to investigate a suspicious fishing vessel.

Ten suspected pirates were captured as they tried to flee in a high-speed skiff and six more were detained on the fishing boat. The bodies of two suspected pirates killed in the firefight also were recovered on the boat.

Defense Ministry spokeswoman Marloes Visser said Monday the pirates, some of whom were injured in the shooting, were being questioned on board the Tromp.

Source : http://www.forbes.com

Somaliland’s first pirate prison formally opened by the United Nations

The breakaway region of Somaliland has officially opened a maximum security prison, built with United Nations funding, to hold Somali pirates.

On Tuesday the Hargeisa pirate prison was officially opened in Somaliland’s capital. It can hold 460 people and currently houses 297 prisoners, 88 of whom are convicted pirates, ABC News reports.

Although the prison was officially opened this week, prisoners began to arrive in November last year. However, only pirates picked up by the Somali Coast Guard and tried in local courts have been imprisoned, as the facility is not yet accepting pirates captured by foreign countries.

Somali pirates cut ransoms to clear hijacked ships

Somali pirates said earlier this week that they would lower some of their ransom demands to get a faster turnover of ships they hijack in the Indian Ocean.

Armed pirate gangs, who have made millions of dollars capturing ships as far south as the Seychelles and eastwards towards India, said they were holding too many vessels and needed a quicker handover to generate more income.

"I believe there is no excuse for taking high ransoms. At least each of our groups holds ships now," pirate Hussein told Reuters from Hobyo on the Somali coast. He said the pirates were holding more than 30 ships at the moment.

Pirates seize ship and use it for further attacks; Libyan ship hijacked

Somali pirates hijacked a ship off the East African coast on Wednesday and are using it as a mother ship from which to attack other vessels.

The European Union’s Navfor anti-piracy task force said yesterday that between 30 and 50 pirates had captured the Indonesian flagged MV Sinar Kudus in the Arabian Sea and then used it to try and hijack the Liberian flagged cargo vessel Emperor nearby. However, private security on board the ship repelled the attack after an exchange of fire.

Somali pirates sentenced to life in US prison

Five Somali men were sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in a US prison after being convicted of piracy and trying to attack an American warship off the coast of Africa last year.

In November the group was convicted by a jury in a federal court in Virginia on charges of piracy, attacking to plunder a vessel and various other firearms and weapons charges.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a growing problem over the last several years, with pirate gangs making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, but also prompting increased patrols by the US and other government navies, Reuters reports.

Attempt to free Danish family from pirates fails

An attempt by Somali security forces to free a Danish family being held by pirates failed yesterday after the rescuers were ambushed.

One of the pirates, Bile Hussein, told the Associated Press that armed forces from the northern region of Puntland, which is where most Somali pirates are based, tried to surround the village of Hul Anod and free the Danish family. He said some of the government forces were killed and others were captured in the botched rescue attempt.

Somali pirates released Ukrainian-crewed ship

Somali pirates released commercial vessel MV York with two Ukrainian crewmen on Wednesday, reports Ukrainian foreign ministry. 

Pirates hijacked Singaporean-flagged LNG tanker MV York in Oct 2010 off Kenya. There are 17 crewmembers on board the ship – one German, two Ukrainians and fourteen Filipinos. 

"Late in the evening of March 9 tanker MV York was released from pirates' captivity; there are two citizens of Ukraine aboard. Currently, the tanker is heading for one of the safe ports; nothing threats to health and lives of Ukrainians", said the press release. 

Somali pirates released German vessel with Russian shipmaster

Somali pirates on March 1 (2) released for ransom German cargo ship Ems River captured on Dec 27, 2010. 

Amount of the ransom is not reported. All crewmen are alive and relatively healthy; they are 7 Filipinos and one Russian shipmaster (other sources say he is Romanian). 

Somali pirates hijacked cargo ship Ems River on Dec 27 at 13:03 (zulu time) in the point 17 57N 057 43E (175 miles northeastward Salalah, Oman) in the Gulf of Aden. Ems River was sailing from United Arab Emirates to Greece. Ems River IMO 9551662; deadweight is 5,200 tons; built in 2010; flag state is Antigua; operated by Grona Tankers, Germany.

Maritime Bulletin: Somali pirates will pay 20% ransoms to radical islamists

Somali pirates came to terms with radical Islamic group Al-Shabab about partial payment of ransoms obtained by pirates for captured vessels, says editor of Maritime Bulletin Mikhail Voitenko referring to a source in Republic of South Africa. 

"The share is going to be 20%. In return, Al-Shabab is obliged to release several pirate leaders which had been arrested while capture of pirate's den Harardhere; also, pirates will be allowed to use Harardhere as a base, and so on", writes Voitenko in his posting on Gazeta.Ru. "The news is very bad, since it will be definitely used by numerous politicians and authorities who have been trying to forbid ransom payments for a long time", considers Voitenko. 

Pirates captured Greek ship with Russian sailor on board

Pirates hijacked Panamanian-flagged Greek cargo ship MV Dover on Feb 28 in the northern part of the Arabian Sea, reports official website of EUNAVFOR Somalia. 

There is one Russian sailor in the crew, 19 Filipinos, and three Romanians. 

The ship was sailing from Pakistan to Yemen. Details of the capture are uncertain so far. There is no communication with the ship. Information about the crew's health status is not available either. 

Pirates hijack bulk carrier; capture Danish family

Pirates hijacked the Greek-owned bulk carrier MV Dover in the North Arabian sea yesterday, while the Danish government announced that pirates had captured a Danish family and their sailboat, including three children.

The MV Dover was seized by pirates about 260 nautical miles northeast of Salalah in Oman. "The Panamanian flagged, Greek owned vessel was on its way to Saleef (Yemen) from Port Quasim (Pakistan) when it was attacked," the European Union's anti-piracy taskforce said in a statement. The crew include three Romanian citizens, one Russian and 19 Filipinos.

Piracy affecting Grindrod

JSE-listed shipping and logistics business Grindrod says piracy has affected the group’s earnings in the year to December. CE Alan Olivier says piracy off the Horn of Africa has had a negative impact on the South African firm's bottom line.

Business Report newspaper says today the miscreants have affected particularly in the group’s Capesize bulk carrier business that mostly carries contractual cargo from Brazil into the Persian Gulf region. Olivier said Grindrod had to divert its ships around the high-risk zone in the Indian Ocean as far as possible, which obviously added significant cost. “Effectively we are losing a voyage a year so when we would be doing six voyages a year (a ship) we are now doing five voyages a year and receiving the same revenue,” he told he business daily.