EagleSpeak

Exporting Good Ideas: The RiverHawk Multimission Platform Launched

2012-01-26T09:09:00.000-05:00

MSS Image

For Lebanon, as reported by MarineLink, RiverHawk's Multimission Platform Launched

RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames (RHFSF) has launched its signature Advanced Multimission Platform (AMP) at its shipyard in Tampa, Florida. Fully designed and built in the United States, the 145-foot coastal security craft was contracted 12 months ago by the U S Department of the Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to Maritime Security Strategies (MSS) of Tampa, Florida. RiverHawk designed, produced and is outfitting the ship, scheduled for final delivery to NAVSEA in May. Subsequent transfer is expected this summer to the Lebanese Armed Forces under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The launching ceremony was attended by NAVSEA program officials, representatives from the U S Central Command (USCENTCOM) and a delegation from Lebanon led by the Chief of the Lebanese Navy, Rear Admiral Nazih Baroudi.

The AMP 145 is a design contracted for by Maritime Security Strategies of Tampa, which describes the design as follows:

Each Advanced Multimission Platform begins with our basic design, the AMP-145.
The platforms are built performance tough, using state of the art fabrication processes, materials, and technologies.
12 month delivery.
Composite hull with Aluminum deck and superstructure for speeds of 30+ knots.
Twin Hamilton Waterjets/MTU diesel plants.

Basic Design Parameters

RiverHawk AMP picture of an add-on flight deck
Length 145 ft (42 m)Beam 28 ft<Draft 6 ftDisplacement 230 metric tonsCrew Compliment Up to 22Maximum Speed 30+ knots (2 Engines) 40 knots (3 Engines)Maneuver Speed 1-3 knotsHorsepower 9,300 to 17,300 HP (2 and 3 Engine Packages Available)Range at 11 knots / 2,650 NM (transit speed)Effective Limits at 12 knots Sea State 4Survivability > 20' seasEndurance 9+ daysFuel Capacity 12,000 gallonsWater Capacity 800 gallons (plus water maker)Sewage Capacity 500 gallonsElectric Generator Capacity 99 KW x 3Mission Packages Available

C4ISR - Customer Driven
Small Boat - Stern Recoverable RHIB
Adaptable Mission Modules & Weapon Systems
Small helo pad capability - VERTREP

MSS partners include three retired U.S. Navy officers, all of whom with experience in the mine sweeping/small ship world.

The reported contract price for this small ship - about $29 million.

Hmm. Imagine having 40 or 50 of these things to play with - with up armoring, of course.

Somali Criminals: SEALing their fate

2012-01-25T09:28:00.000-05:00

Reported as U.S. Forces Rescue Kidnapped American, Danish Humanitarian Workers in Somalia:

By the order of the President of the United States and under the direction of U.S. Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM), early Wednesday morning, January 25, 2012, U.S. Special Operations Forces rescued an American citizen and a Danish citizen from captivity in Somalia.
Mrs. Jessica Buchanan of the United States and Mr. Poul Thisted of Denmark, who both worked for the Danish Demining Group, a non-profit humanitarian organization, were kidnapped at gunpoint on October 25, 2011, near Galcayo, Somalia, and were being held for ransom.
The Department of Justice requested assistance from the Department of Defense, which, in turn, directed U.S. AFRICOM to plan and conduct the rescue operation.
Receiving actionable intelligence, U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted a coordinated operation in the vicinity of Gadaado, Somalia. During the course of the operation, the rescue force patrolled to the location and confirmed the presence of Mrs. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted guarded by nine captors. All nine captors were killed during the assault. After securing the location, U.S. Special Operations Forces found Mrs. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted unharmed in the outdoor encampment.
"Last night's mission, boldly conducted by some of our nation's most courageous, competent, and committed special operations forces, exemplifies United States Africa Command's mission to protect Americans and American interests in Africa," said General Carter F. Ham, commanding general, U.S. Africa Command. "I am extraordinarily proud of the joint-service team that planned, rehearsed and successfully concluded this operation. Thanks to them, a fellow American and her Danish co-worker are safe and will soon be home with their families. We should remember that Mrs. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted were working to protect the people of Somalia when they were violently kidnapped. It is my hope that all those who work in Somalia for the betterment of the Somali people can be free from the dangers of violent criminals."
At the time of their abduction, Ms. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted had finished conducting a demining training course for local Somali citizens.

If I was a pirate, I wouldn't be so sure that I was safe at home.Emphasis added.

Philippines: 15 Dead Fisherman on High Seas

2012-01-24T07:57:00.000-05:00

Reported as "High seas massacre":

Gunmen mercilessly strafed at least 15 fishermen in a grisly massacre on the high seas off Basilan, with a police official saying investigation is under way to identify and hunt down the perpetrators.

Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regional police, said they are banking on the testimony of the three survivors of the attack that occurred at around 7 a.m. Monday some 10 nautical miles away from Basilan.
***
The initial conduct of the investigation revealed that a total of 18 fishermen were on board three fishing boats when gunmen on board three small watercrafts started shooting them some 10 nautical miles away off the Sibago Island in Mohammad Ajul town in Basilan.
***
Asked if the Abu Sayyaf is responsible for the attack as the area is known routes of the bandits in going to mainland Mindanao, Latag said it is early to point the blame to the group, saying it is also a possibility that sea pirates perpetrated the massacre.

Doesn't sound like a chance encounter, does it? UPDATE: More here, which makes it sound like a fishing "turf" war:

Cabangbang told The Associated Press that the fishermen were probably attacked by a rival group of fishermen because they strayed into their fishing grounds. . . ."They were fishing in the turf of another group of fishermen from Basilan," Cabangbang said. *** One of the survivors told police that their group had been warned to stay away from the fishing grounds where the attack took place, ABS-CBN TV reported.Khu, the regional police official, said there was unconfirmed reports that the attacked fishermen were blamed by their rivals for destroying giant nets that they had set up worth about $3,500. Such nets are used for catching tuna, one of the Philippines' main exports.

Things having to do with Iran

2012-01-23T11:01:00.000-05:00

Paying a premium for strategic incoherence | Shadow Government:

Here the administration's incapacity to develop a strategy has had deeply detrimental effects. They don't seem to realize their writing off Iraq has fanned sectarian tensions throughout the middle east, how their inactivity on Syria is further destabilizing Iraq (and vice versa), or their approach to the peace process undercut Palestinians working to build a state and further isolated Israel, can't tell the difference between success in Libya and success in Egypt, what fleeting opportunities now exist to contain Iranian activity and influence in the region, how far -- and even just how -- to support the transition to democracy, whom to partner with, or coordinate their rhetoric about priorities (a pivot to Asia?) with in this once in a century set of changes occurring in the middle east.

Morning Brief: European Union bans Iranian oil:

European ministers elected to phase in the embargo gradually to protect the European economy as it struggles to overcome its debt crisis, but enraged Iranian authorities may foil that plan. Iran's Fars news agency quoted one official as saying Iran should halt oil exports to the EU immediately "so that the price of oil soars and the Europeans ... have trouble."

Why we should take Tehran's threat to cut off the Strait of Hormuz seriously. :

, , , The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), a well-connected Washington defense think tank, just released a new analysis of future military trends around the Persian Gulf. Mark Gunzinger and Chris Dougherty, authors of "Outside-In: Operating from Range to Defeat Iran's Anti-Access and Area-Denial Threats," assert that over the next decade, Iran could acquire military capabilities that would rip up the assumptions that the U.S. military has used for its Persian Gulf planning over the past three decades. The authors conclude that the Pentagon needs to adapt to changing military circumstances in the region by devising new plans and redirecting investments into new capabilities.

From the web page offering up referenced CSBA piece:

Iran has had ample opportunity over the last twenty years to examine the “American way of war” and to deduce that allowing the United States and its allies to mass overwhelming combat power on its borders is a prescription for defeat. Therefore, Iran is pursuing measures to deny the U.S. military access to close-in basing and make traditional U.S. power-projection operations in the Persian Gulf possible only at a prohibitive cost.

Challenges, challenges.

Midrats Sunday: Episode 107 Air-Sea Battle Budgets the PACOM Shuffle 01/22/12

2012-01-21T23:43:00.000-05:00

Episode 107 Air-Sea Battle Budgets the PACOM Shuffle 01/22 by Midrats | Blog Talk Radio 5pm Eastern U.S.:

Most agree that our nation's national security focus needs to shift its weight towards the swath across the Western Pacific through the Strait of Malacca to the Northern Arabian Gulf.

We have started the same path in response to national budget and debt problems that started a decade ago in Europe; and the defense budget here as there will take the first hit.
Are we starting in the right direction - or are we in danger of inserting in to the equation a fundamental error?
Our guest for the entire hour will be returning guest and panel member, Bryan McGrath.
Bryan is the Founding Director of Delex Consulting, Studies and Analysis specializing in Defense and National Security issues, including strategy and strategic planning, executive communications, and strategic communications.
You can also find him online at Conservative Wahoo and Information Dissemination.
A retired Naval Officer, Bryan spent 21 years on active duty including a tour in command of USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), with his final duties ashore included serving as Team Lead and Primary Author of the U.S. Navy's 2007 Maritime Strategy; A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower.

Somali Pirates: Indian Dhow Freed by EUNAVFOR, Pirates Wrangle Escape

2012-01-21T12:32:00.000-05:00

FGS Luebeck and the freed dhow (EU NAVFOR photo)

An interesting follow on to the failed pirate attack on a ship defended by Dutch Marines, where the pirate "attack dhow" was ultimately freed from pirate control, though the pirates themselves managed to blackmail their way onto another pirated mothership. All as set out in EU NAVFOR warship FGS LUEBECK successfully releases Indian dhow and crew

After three days of persistent pressure, FGS LUEBECK has forced Somali pirates to release an Indian dhow with 15 Indian mariners held as hostages.

On the 17 January 2012 the EU NAVFOR warship FGS LUEBECK re-located an Indian registered dhow which had been used as pirate mother-ship involved in the attack on M/V FLINTSTONE early the same day. A Dutch Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) stationed on the Dutch-registered civilian fall-pipe vessel had repelled the attack following a gun-fight and caused the attack skiffs to retreat back to the pirate mother ship with injuries to the suspected pirates.

Having positively identified the dhow and sighted the attack skiffs and other pirate paraphernalia on deck of the dhow, FSG LUEBECK approached the dhow demanding that they comply via radio messages.

The vessel did not react to radio calls or to subsequent warning gunshots. Sustained pressure was applied to the dhow through the presence of FGS LUEBECK including direct shots fired into the bow of the dhow and use of the ship’s helicopter to neutralise the attack skiffs secured on the upper deck.

Throughout the action the safety of the hostages was the primary consideration, especially as the suspect pirates threatened to kill all crew members and to fire on anyone attempting to board the dhow.

During the night of 19 January 2012, FGS LUEBECK established control of the situation to allow the M/V ENRICO IEVOLI, an Italian tanker which had been pirated in December 2011, and has 18 hostages onboard to rendezvous with the Indian dhow. On arrival the pirates again threatened that they would harm all the hostages if any military action was taken to prevent a transfer of pirates who had been injured during the initial attack on the M/V FLINTSTONE.

The FGS LUEBECK maintained an overt presence and following the transfer, was able to board the Indian dhow to assure the health and safety of the crew as well as providing technical assistance. The 15 released crewmembers were all in good health. This action has denied the suspect pirates the use of the dhow as a mother-ship and freed the crew from what could have become months of captivity. The injured suspected pirates were seen to have transferred to the M/V ENRICO IEVOLI which is being shadowed . . .

World Oil Transit Chokepoints - Add One More to the List

2012-01-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Energy Information Agency has a dandy list of those narrow places on the earth where oil flowing in commerce on ships can be threatened by "pirates, terrorist attacks, and political unrest" at World Oil Transit Chokepoints. The list includes the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca, the Suez Canal, Bab el-Mandab, the Bosporus, Panama Canal, and the Danish Straits.

Time to add another narrow area to the list, the "O Gap" sometimes located in Washington,DC and, unique to chokepoints, known to be more a part of a calculation than a real spot on the planet.

Shown below is a rare capturing of the "O Gap" as it begins to close off a route of oil to the U.S.:

Some might feel that the "O Gap" would be better known as the "Keystone Twist". Many people are unhappy with its existence, as set out in Expected Keystone XL permit rejection strongly criticized:

US Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), the primary sponsor of legislation that set a deadline for a decision, said the administration misled the American people on the pipeline. “In the face of Iranian threats against oil affordability, [it] once again is trying to blame Congress and the State of Nebraska instead of taking responsibility for American jobs and security,” he said during an appearance at a Greenwood, Ind., instruments and gauges manufacturer who potentially would be doing work for the project.“This political decision offers hard evidence that creating jobs is not a high priority for this administration,” said US Chamber of Commerce Pres. Thomas J. Donohue. “By placing politics over policy, the Obama administration is sacrificing tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs in the short term, and many more than that in the long term.”***“Blocking the Keystone pipeline would be an enormous mistake by the Obama administration,” said National Center for Policy Analysis Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett. “We need the oil and we need the jobs it would bring. This is as ‘shovel ready’ as anything Obama has proposed, yet because his radical environmental constituency objects, he’s apparently halting the pipeline.”

Or, as set out in the video linked at Instapundit, “He chose Venezuela over Canada.”, which really ought to be watched.

China must like the result, Canada will look to China to sell its oil. I guess the oil tanker owners will be happy, too.

Remember the "O Gap" - the new chokepoint.UPDATE: Here, read Re-Election Obsessed Obama Goes Political On Keystone By ROBERT J. SAMUELSON

Somali Pirates: Rejected by Dutch Marines

2012-01-18T08:17:00.000-05:00

Somali pirates do not press encounter as Dutch marines ward off pirate attack:

Dutch marines guarding a merchant ship have warded off an attack by pirates after it was accosted in the Arabian Sea south of Yemen, the Dutch defence ministry said Tuesday.

"Dutch marines warded off the attack when pirates approached the Flintstone", a ship that dumps rocks to protect oil and gas pipelines, at around 6:00 am (0500 GMT), it said in a statement.
***
"The marines tried in vain to stop the fast-moving skiff, occupied by six men armed with an assortment of weapons including a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), by firing tracers as a warning," the ministry said.

After one of the men aimed the RPG at the ship, the marines fired on the skiff, which turned around and joined the larger fishing vessel.

"It's not excluded that there may have been casualties among the attackers," the ministry said.

Putting armed guards on merchants has slowed the pirates down.

Danube River Pirates: Small Time Crime

2012-01-17T10:50:00.000-05:00

Danube River System

Danube shipping company reports pirate attacks on its ships in Romania:

Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (Izmail, Odesa region) has reported a pirate attack on its UDP-1724 barge, which was in a convoy headed by the Perm motor vessel, on the 20-25 kilometer of the Borcea-Bala stretch of the Danube River on Romania on Jan. 4, 2012.

According to the press release of the company, first the motor vessel steered the barge and two sections with ore. After leaving them at a distance of 25 kilometers from Borcea, the vessel returned for the remaining sections, and at that time about fifteen people attacked the barge.

"A" marks Borcea, Romania
They demanded alcohol, cigarettes, money, fuel, and searched the barge. They threatened the skipper with a knife and threatened to throw him overboard. The attackers took from the barge two rope coils each 100 meters long and old maneuvering ropes about 150 meters long. The crewmembers were not injured by the pirates.

Somalia: Oil Exploration Starts in Puntland

2012-01-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

Oil and Gas Journal reports Somalia: Dharoor block exploratory wells started:

Horn Petroleum Corp. has spudded the Shabeel-1 wildcat on the Dharoor block in Puntland, northern Somalia, toward a planned total depth of 3,800 m, said Africa Oil Corp., Vancouver, BC, which owns a 51% equity interest in Horn Petroleum.

Operations have also started on the Shabeel North-1 well with the setting of the 30-in. surface casing and the drilling of a 50-m pilot hole. The Sakson 501 rig will be used to drill both wells, and drilling and evaluation time is put at 90 days each.

Horn Petroleum reports:

The Shabeel and Shabeel North prospects are located on a Jurassic aged rift system which is part of the same system that has proven to be highly productive in the Masila and Shabwa Basins in Yemen that contain an estimated 6 billion barrels of oil*. Both prospects are very large fault block prospects with internal most likely estimates of potential oil volumes of over 300 million barrels of recoverable oil. Source rocks are expected to be rich Jurassic Kimmeridgian shales in the deep portion of the rift immediately down dip from the Shabeel prospects. Reservoirs are expected to be sandstones and carbonates of the Lower Cretaceous and Jurassic systems analogous to Yemen.

Horn President and CEO David Grellman commented "The commencement of drilling in the Dharoor Valley block is a major milestone in the evaluation of the oil potential of Northern Somalia. We have had very strong support from the Puntland regional government and the local communities who are all keen to see development resume in the region after prolonged periods of internal strife. These wells are the first to be drilled into the deep areas of the rift basins and will be key to unlocking the hydrocarbon potential of this unexplored prospective trend".

Oh, look, an industry other than piracy.

Watch for stories about the corruption of the Puntland oil money flows, along the line of those set out in this Wikipedia article. And for stories of the exploitation of Africa's natural resources by the West.

Structure map from Africa Oil Corp.

Cruise Ship Disasters: "Human Error?"

2012-01-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

Story speaks for itself - BBC News - Costa Concordia cruise ship captain 'went off course'

Based on reports I have heard, here's a thought for you - when at sea on any sort or size of vessel, always carry a small, waterproof flashlight or glow stick on your person.

I don't care if it's the biggest ship on the ocean with the most lights per square foot or a small sailboat like a Sunfish, having a light when the lights go out or if you fall over the side or whatever may save your life.

Doesn't have to much of a light, either.

Even carrying a couple of glow sticks in a pocket or purse is a good idea if you won't carry anything else.

They will help you find your way out of dark spaces and help rescuers find you.

Glow sticks are cheap. I always carry a supply in my car. You just never know.

Sample light.

Somali Pirates: Still Out There Attacking

2012-01-16T10:20:00.000-05:00

Latest unsuccessful Somali pirate attack effort as reported by the fine folks at the NATO Shipping Center in All Alerts:

Alert 007 16/01/2012 08:15
15.03 58.23 Attacked Alert 007 - Pirate Attack A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.
Date of alert : January 16, 2012
Alert type : Pirate Attack
Location : 15 02 N 058 14 E
Latitude : 15 02 N
Longitude : 058 14 E
---WARNING WARNING WARNING---
Alert number 007 / 2012.
At 0814 UTC 16 JAN a merchant vessel is currently under attack by 1 white skiffs in position 15 02 N 058 14 E. Vessel is SAFE.

Map is portion of NATO SC Alert Map. My arrow.

Somali Pirates: Royal Navy Nabs 13 and Mothership (U.S. Navy gets assist)

2012-01-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

BBC News reports Royal Navy captures 13 Somali pirates:

Royal Marines apprehending pirates on dhow
RFA Fort Victoria and a US Navy vessel intercepted the pirates' boat, which had refused to stop despite warning shots from a Royal Navy helicopter.

Royal Marines in speedboats approached the vessel and boarded it, capturing 13 pirates and seizing weapons.
***
This latest operation was carried out around dawn on Friday.Capt Shaun Jones RFA, commanding officer on RFA Fort Victoria, said: "To manoeuvre such a large ship at speed in close vicinity of a nimble dhow takes extreme concentration and skill; my team were never found wanting."Capt James Sladden, who commanded the Royal Marines boarding party, added: "The moment of going on board the dhow was tense as we knew there were pirates on board who had refused to stop despite our warning shots."Through our weapon sights we could see there were about 13 pirates, mostly gathered in the area of the bridge. We quickly boarded and secured the vessel before mustering the pirates on the bow."

If they can't get to sea, they can't capture ships. Containment. See here, here and here and at the links therein. Perhaps this time . . .

Midrats 15 Jan 12 Episode 106: Tough Choices Hard Budgets

2012-01-14T00:37:00.003-05:00

Join us Sunday at 5pm (Eastern U.S.) to discuss the military budget as planning of the great diversion of money from the Department of Defense begins at Episode 106 Tough Choices Hard Budgets 01/15 . Or, as the Salamander put it

Many are sobering up to the fact that the military is about to face a budget challenge not seen in a generation. Especially those who have seen this movie before, a number know that this one has the potential to be the most challenging seen in over half a century.

For the full hour, our guest will be Col. Robert Killebrew, USA (Ret.)., using his article in the DEC Armed Forces Journal, Cutbacks and Crisis, as a starting point.

In addition to being a contributing editor at AFJ, mong the many other things he has done since retirement he writes and consults on national defense issues as a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

Prior to his retirement from active duty he served for thirty years in a variety of Special Forces, infantry and staff duties. His assignments ranged included duty in Vietnam with MACVSOG, the Vietnamese Airborne Division, command in mechanized, air assault and airborne units, and staff positions in the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force, as director of plans, XVIII Airborne Corps, special assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Army, command of a deployed joint task force and as an instructor in strategy and policy at the Army War College.
If you want to be ahead of the game in the growing budget battles, make sure and tune in this Sunday at 5pm EST or get the archive.

Strait of Hormuz: Triple Carriers (Briefly?)

2012-01-13T07:40:00.000-05:00

Let's see now, one carrier leaves the Arabian/Persian Gulf and hangs about the Northern Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea because its replacement is inbound, the replacement has nearly arrived, and a third is lurking about the area.

USS John C. Stennis

Why, that's three of the big beasts in the region. Hmmm. What message does this send to the self-proclaimed "gatekeepers" of the Strait of Hormuz? Well, none if you believe this sort of headline, "U.S. military moves carriers, denies Iran link":

The U.S. military said on Wednesday that a new aircraft carrier strike group had arrived in the Arabian Sea and that another was on its way to the region, but denied any link to recent tensions with Iran and portrayed the movements as routine.

USS Carl Vinson
The shift in the powerful U.S. naval assets comes at a moment of heightened tensions with Iran, which has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz - the world's most important oil shipping lane - if U.S. and EU sanctions over its nuclear program cut off its oil exports.

The U.S. military has said it will halt any blockade of the strategic strait and the top U.S. naval officer acknowledged on Tuesday that preparing for a potential conflict there was something that "keeps me awake at night."

Still, the Pentagon denied any direct link between recent tensions and the movement of aircraft carriers.

USS Abraham Lincoln
"I don't want to leave anybody with the impression that we're somehow (speeding) two carriers over there because we're concerned about what happened, you know, today in Iran. It's just not the case," said Captain John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman.

Military officials said the USS Carl Vinson arrived in the Arabian Sea on Monday to replace the outgoing USS John C. Stennis carrier strike group, which Iran last week warned not to return to the Gulf after departing in late December.

The Stennis was due to return to its home port in San Diego but the Pentagon did not say when that would happen.

Another carrier strike group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, concluded a port visit to Thailand on Tuesday and was now in the Indian Ocean. It is on track to join the Vinson in the Central Command area of operations, which begins in the neighboring Arabian Sea.

Why would anyone think there was a message involved?

By the way, carriers do not travel alone. They have escort services.

Somali Pirate Fail: "Know Your Enemy"

2012-01-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

Surrendering survivors -EUNAVFOR photo

Well, the headline "Spanish Navy Thwarts Pirate Attack in Indian Ocean" doesn't really tell the tale:

Spanish forces have captured six alleged pirates in the Indian Ocean, after the suspects attacked a Spanish navy ship.

Patino
The Spanish defense ministry says pirates aboard a skiff (small boat) opened fire on the combat support ship Patiño early Thursday.

A statement says the navy ship exchanged fire with the pirates, who eventually tried to flee on their boat. A military helicopter caught up with the pirates, who then surrendered.

The ministry says six suspected pirates were taken into custody, five of whom were injured. The detainees said a colleague who was killed during the incident had been thrown overboard.

Hey, riding in a small boat, big ships look very much the same. Still . . .

This is perhaps the 4th or 5th time this sort of thing has happened. Never turns out well for the pirates.
More here.

Somali Pirates: Pirate Mothership "Disrupted"

2012-01-11T23:25:00.000-05:00

Early report and not much in the way of details, but there is this from NATO Shipping Center Daily Piracy Update:

The M/V LIQUID VELVET, the previously pirated vessel that may have been used as a mothership, was disrupted by naval Counter Piracy forces in the evening of 10 January. This mothership is no longer considered a threat to merchant shipping.

RN Lynx helicopter

I expect more details will be forthcoming. Should be interesting reading.UPDATE: Looks like a blocking move by a Royal Navy force as set out here:

RFA Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria, which is operating as part of Nato’s Operation Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean, cut off the vessel’s progress when it was 90 miles from the coastline and forced it to return to Somalia.Fort Victoria approached the Liquid Velvet under cover of darkness, before circling the vessel at speed. The ship’s Lynx helicopter was also used. Fort Victoria then followed Liquid Velvet as she retreated towards Somalia.

Nice.

U.S. Coast Guard's Turn to Rescue Iranian Sailors in Distress

2012-01-10T22:42:00.000-05:00

If you didn't know the U.S. Coast Guard was sending ships out to the Indian Ocean area, well, then this will be a surprise for you - the Coast Guard rescues Iranian mariners in Persian Gulf:

Distress Iranian Dhow
The Coast Guard Cutter Monomoy, assigned to Commander, Task Force 55, rendered aid to six Iranian mariners who were aboard a distressed vessel in the North Arabian Gulf Tuesday.

USCGC Monomoy (Island Class Cutter)
At approximately 3 a.m. local time, Monomoy was operating in the area when it was hailed by flares and flashlights from the Iranian cargo dhow, Ya-Hussayn. The dhow’s master requested assistance from Monomoy indicating the engine room was flooding and deemed not seaworthy.

Monomoy immediately launched their small boat and approached the Ya-Hussayn. Two persons were rescued from the vessel and four from a life raft tied off to the dhow’s stern.

Grateful Rescued Sailor
The six Iranian mariners were transferred to Monomoy and were provided water, blankets and halal meals. Halal meals are in accordance with Islamic law and are stored aboard U.S. Coast Guard ships to provide to Muslim mariners in distress.

An emergency medical technician from Monomoy treated an injured Ya-Hussayn crew member. Fortunately, his injuries were not serious and there was no requirement for him to be medically evacuated.
***
Turnover to the Iranian Coast Guard
Later in the day, the six mariners were transferred by smallboat from Monomoy to the Iranian Coast Guard vessel Naji 7.

The captain of the Naji 7, via translator, said, “Sends his regards and thanks to our Captain and all crewmembers for assisting, and taking care of the Iranian sailors. Wishes us the best, and thanks us for our cooperation.”

Sailors helping sailors. Been that way a long time.

All photos by U.S. Navy except for picture of the cutter Monomoy which is a U.S. Coast Guard photo.

Somali Pirates: "We need a bigger boat?"

2012-01-10T09:36:00.003-05:00

Early reports from the NATO Shipping Center that the Somali pirates may have gotten underway with a bigger ship to transit to their hunting grounds, as indicated at the NSC - DailyPiracyUpdate of 10 Jan 12:

M/V LIQUID VELVET, a previously pirated vessel may be used as a mothership. It was last reported making way 120nm off the coast of Somalia in vicinity of 10 22N 058 33E. This vessel was pirated on 31 Oct 11, and neither the vessel or crew have been released from pirate control. Details can be found under Alert 004.
Masters are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating through this area, and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Please see photo of M/V LIQUID VELVET at left.

Orange hull, white superstructure, king post forward, crane amidships, tanker.

gCaptain reports ONI release here:

VESSEL IS HEADING NORTHEAST TOWARDS THE ARABIAN SEA IN POSITION 10-58N 053-23E AT A SPEED OF 7.6 KTS.

UPDATE: Posit of ship based on ONI and NATO reports. Red course lines is my projection and is undoubtedly not accurate.

Details from NATO Shipping Center Alerts:

ALERT 004/2012 10/01/2012 10:25 10.97 53.38
Suspicious Activity SUSPECT VESSEL - POSSIBLE MOTHERSHIP
A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.

Date of alert : January 10, 2012
Alert type : Suspect Vessel
Location : SOMALI BASIN 10 58 E 053 23 E
Latitude : 10 58 N
Longitude : 053 23 E

---WARNING WARNING WARNING---

Alert number 004/2012

At 1024 UTC / 10 JAN 12 / the pirated MV LIQUID VELVET could be acting as a mothership and was reported in position 10 58 N 053 23 E

Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating within 100 nautical miles of the position given in this report and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously.

Political Campaign Finance Math

2012-01-10T08:26:00.000-05:00

Seems like this Sidney Harris cartoon applies to political campaigns and their promises of economic growth:

The long political campaigns continue.

Somali Pirates: The First Week's Work

2012-01-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

So, in addition to being somewhat thwarted by the re-capture of pirated mother ships by U.S. and Danish units and releasing ships after collecting ransom, Somali pirates have been taking to sea in areas somewhat sheltered from the heavy winds and waves. NATO's Shipping Center kindly provides us with a map and a summary of pirate activity since the beginning of the year at NSC | All Alerts:

NSC 2/12 06/01/2012 14:15 12.43 43.8 Suspicious Activity NSC 2/12 - Suspicious activity A vessel has reported seeing suspicious activity in the vicinity of the Bab al Mandeb. 2 skiffs with 6 persons on board were seen acting suspiciously.
***This vessels is Safe***
*** The Pirate Attack Group is still in the region***
This is in the same area as Alert 001, Alert 002, and NSC 1/12.

Masters are advised to proceed with extreme caution while transiting this area.
***
ALERT 003/2012 05/01/2012 04:45 22.45 60.98 Attacked ALERT 003/2012 --WARNING WARNING WARNING--- Alert number 003 / 2012.
At 0446 UTC 04 JAN 2012 a merchant vessel was attack by 1 skiff with 6 POB in position 22 27 N 060 59 E.
**This vessel managed to evade hijack***
*** Vessel is SAFE***
The Pirate action group is still in the area.
***
Alert 002/2012 04/01/2012 08:20 12.28 44.16 Attacked Alert 002/2012
A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.
Date of Alert: 04 Jan 2012
Location: [002] GULF OF ADEN 12 17 N 044 10 E
Latitude: 12 17 N
Longitude: 044 10 E
Alert Details:
---WARNING WARNING WARNING---
Alert number 002 / 2012.
At 0822 UTC a merchant vessel was reported under attack by a skiff in position 12 17 N 044 10 E.
***This vessel managed to evade hijack***

The Pirate Attack group is still in the area.
***
ALERT 001/2012 04/01/2012 04:20 13.16 49.2 Attacked Alert 001/2012
A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.
Date of Alert: 04 Jan 2012 Location: [001] Gulf of Aden 13 10 N 049 12 E
Latitude: 13 10 N Longitude: 049 12 E
Alert Details:
--WARNING WARNING WARNING---
Alert number 001 / 2012.
At 0200 UTC a merchant vessel was attacked by 1 skiff in position 13 10 N 049 12 E.

**This vessel managed to evade hijack***
*** Vessel is SAFE***
The Pirate Attack group is still in the area.
***
NSC 001/12 04/01/2012 03:45 12.12 44.18 Approached WARNING - SUSPICIOUS APPROACHES There have been reports of 4 skiffs in the Gulf of Aden/ Bab al Mandeb region. This Pirate Attack Group has attacked 1 vessel, and approached 3 vessels.
Approaches occured:
0345Z in vicinity of 1205N 04423E
0753Z in vicinity of 12 14N 044 11E
0817Z in vicinity of 12 17N 044 10E
***These vessels are Safe***
*** The Pirate Attack Group is still in the region***

Masters are advised to proceed with extreme caution while transiting this area.

Small boats ops are easier when the weather is good and the WeatherOnline.co.uk maps show areas where small boat operations may be more likely, if the pirate mother ships can make it to the areas (red circles are my guesses - feel free to make your own):

Somali Pirates: Royal Danish Navy Frees Hostages, Nabs Pirates

2012-01-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

Following on the U.S. Navy's rescue of an Iranian fishing boat crew and capture of pirates (see here), comes this report, "Danish Warship Frees 14 Hostages in Somalia Action":

A Danish warship freed 14 Iranian and Pakistani hostages following a seaborne action against alleged pirates off Somalia's coast, the Danish Navy said late Saturday.

"The operation took place as planned and without harm to the ship's crew, the hostages or the pirates," said Carsten Fjord Larsen, Captain of the warship Absalon, which conducted the action, in a press statement.

The Danish Navy is now considering what further action to take with the 25 alleged pirates who were found on board, and how to send home the hostages.

HMDS Absalon
On Saturday morning, the Absalon, which is part of a NATO-led anti-piracy operation, pursued a fishing boat it had suspected of being a pirate mother ship for some time, off Somalia's coast in the Indian Ocean.

"After three hours, the 25 pirates gave themselves up. Some began to throw their weapons overboard, and others followed," Larsen told DR News, Denmark's public broadcaster.

The Absalon fired warning shots and gave verbal instructions to the pirates to surrender, he added.

On inspection, the fishing vessel, which was previously hijacked by pirates, was found to contain small motor boats and fuel, allegedly used by the pirates.

Both alleged pirates and hostages are now being registered and questioned, while the fishing vessel is held alongside the Absalon with a view to returning it to its rightful owner.

Fearless Navy Bloggers Take to the Air: Midrats Epsiode 105

2012-01-08T12:03:00.000-05:00

Today at 5pm Eastern (U.S.), it's a special anniversary show! Join us at Midrats Episode 105 for a sort of a cocktail party conversation.Or, as CDR Salamander put it:

Yes friends, believe it or not we are on our 105th episode!

Two years behind us, and a third in front. Though we already have some great guests lined up in the upcoming weeks, as a way of saying thanks to everyone for tuning in, for our 2nd Anniversary show we are going to try something a little different - we are going to turn the tables on ourselves.

This time, it is our friends, listeners and regular guests who will get to ask the questions and visit for awhile.

What would you like the hosts to talk about? Is there a topic you would like us to address that we don't? Well here is your chance.

Look at the top of the showpage - that's our call in number.

Remember, click here to join in the fun.

How Iran Says "Thanks"

2012-01-07T12:18:00.004-05:00

The photo is a message from me to the FARS propaganda machine.

BBC News report here;:

According to a New York Times reporter who boarded the captured Al Molai with the US forces, the Iranian fishermen expressed great gratitude for their rescue, with one saying: "It is like you were sent by God."

But Iran's Fars news agency expressed suspicion about the operation, saying it was "like a Hollywood film" which "seems to have been pre-organised". (emphasis added)

"Fars" should be pronounced "farce."

UPDATE: Official Iran says "humanitarian" rescue, Fars gets caught in another misrepresentation here - read the last paragraph for the smack down.

Well, it just adds to the Kharma! U.S. Navy aids Iranian hostages held by pirates

2012-01-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

U.S. Navy Photo of Rescue

U.S. Navy Press Release U.S. Navy Rescues Iranian Fishing Vessel from Pirates in Arabian Sea:

Forces assigned to the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, rescued an Iranian fishing vessel from pirates in the northern Arabian Sea, Jan. 5.

At approximately 12:30 p.m local time, an SH-60S Seahawk from guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai. Simultaneously, a distress call was received from the master of the Al Molai claiming he was being held captive by pirates.

A visit, board, search and seizure team from Kidd boarded the Al Molai and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The Al Molai had been pirated and used as a "mother ship" for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, according to members of the Iranian vessel's crew.

The pirates did not resist the boarding and surrendered quickly.

"The Al Molai had been taken over by pirates for roughly the last 40-45 days," said Josh Schminky, a Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent aboard the Kidd. "They were held hostage, with limited rations, and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations."

According to members of the Kidd boarding party, the Iranian crew said they were forced by the pirates to live in harsh conditions, under the threat of violence with limited supplies and medical aid.

"When we boarded, we gave them food, water, and medical care," said Schminky. "They had been through a lot. We went out of our way to treat the fishing crew with kindness and respect.

"After securing the ship and ensuring the safety of all persons on board, we began distributing food and water to both the crew and the suspected criminals as is our standard practice in counter-piracy operations," said Schminky.

Video from U.S. Navy helicopter:

I'm sure the Iranian Navy was standing by . . . somewhere.

South Korea wants its "Mystery Missiles"

2012-01-05T08:48:00.001-05:00

Patriot Missile

Following up on an earlier post, Waiting for the "good" explanation, concerning a whole bunch of Patriot missiles found adrift on a the Thorco Shipping vessel MS Thor Liberty, it now seems that the South Koreans (a) have claimed the missile cargo and (b) want delivery.

As reported here, there will new protections provided for the vessel and its cargo as the way is went to the ROK:

South Korea is seeking U.S. cooperation to ensure safe shipment of missiles that were detained in Finland, government sources said Thursday.

One source said a British-registered ship, named Thor Liberty, has been authorized to leave the port in Kotka, southern Finland.

The ship, carrying 69 surface-to-air missiles from Germany to South Korea, was impounded there last month.

It sought safe harbor in Finland to avoid a typhoon. Local authorities, however, discovered that the vessel did not have proper transit documents for its shipment of missiles and other explosives, since it was not initially scheduled to make a stop there.

With the ship about to depart for South Korea after clearing administrative issues, safety concerns have emerged, the source said.

"Foreign news wires have reported that the ship has Patriot missiles, and it is possible that pirates and international terrorists could try to seize the ship," the source said. "The government has asked the U.S. to use their intelligence assets to help ensure safe travel of this ship."

The source said the U.S. is operating satellites monitoring situations in the Pacific Ocean and has installed long-range sea surveillance radars in Hawaii and other places.

Another source said the United States will begin real-time monitoring of suspected pirate ships around the planned route for Thor Liberty once the ship leaves Finland.

"I understand the U.S. also plans to dispatch their naval destroyer from nearby once a pirate ship or a suspected one moves closer to the cargo ship," the second source said.

Well, at least there is a plan.

Maybe.

I'm sure that if there are armed security guards on board the UK-flagged vessel as it transits pirate infested waters or other dangerous areas, those guards will be in full compliance with whatever guidelines Parliament may come up with in its efforts to clarify the use of deadly force on UK-flagged ships transiting with armed security guards (see here).

I hope the crew of MS Thor Liberty has a quiet passage for the remainder of this trip. It surely hasn't started out that way.

Brits worry about application of armed force by anti-pirate guards

2012-01-04T21:45:00.002-05:00

Can a private security team shoot at these guys? Or does he need to wait until fired upon?

Reported at BBC News - Clarify "lethal force" piracy defence rules, say MPs, worry over "free fire zones at sea" prompts effort to have good rules for private armed security guards:

But Mr Ottaway said much more detail was needed on how UK-flagged vessels could respond, if confronted by pirates.

"The government's guidance on the use of force, particularly lethal force, is very limited and there is little to help a ship's master make a judgement on where force can be used.

"The question anyone would ask is that if a private armed guard on board a UK-flagged vessel sees an armed skiff approaching at high speed, can the guard open fire? The government must provide clearer direction on what is permissible and what is not."

Ok, we're talking British law (as it only applies to UK-flagged ships) but I would assume that once fired upon by an "armed skiff" a security team is justified in returning fire - unless there is some "you must retreat as far as you can rule" before shooting back rule. However, up the to the point of receiving fire there are a whole lot of scenarios that can arise - perhaps the private security teams need to have counsel present.

The pirates, on the other hand, don't seem to be troubled much by rules - or concerns about damage to innocent lives - being outlaws and all.

Update: You can find an excerpt of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report on "Piracy off the coast of Somalia" here:

We conclude that the guidance on the use of force, particularly lethal force, is very limited and there is little to help a master make a judgement on where force can be used. The Government must provide clearer direction on what is permissible and what is not. Guidance over the use of potentially lethal force should not be left to private companies to agree upon. We recommend that the change of policy be accompanied by clear, detailed and unambiguous guidance on the legal use of force for private armed guards defending a vessel under attack. This guidance should be consistent with the rules that would govern the use of force by members of the UK armed forces in similar circumstances, and should include:
the circumstances in which private armed security guards faced with a clear threat of violence may respond with force, including lethal force, where proportionate and necessary, and
examples of a "graduated response" to an attack, including confirmation that nothing in UK law or the CPS guidance requires a victim of pirate attack to await an aggressor's first blow before acting in self-defence.
We recommend that the Government take this forward as a matter of urgency, as we understand that private armed guards are already being deployed on some UK-flagged vessels.

Iranian threats

2012-01-03T10:47:00.002-05:00

U.S. Energy Information Administration Map

In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose, as another irrational Iranian spokesman threatens (but only once)the U.S. Navy, as set out here:

Iran's army chief on Tuesday warned an American aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf in Tehran's latest tough rhetoric over the strategic waterway, part of a feud with the United States over new sanctions that has sparked a jump in oil prices.

And, well, this time they mean it so much they won't repeat their warning:

“We usually don’t repeat our warning, and we warn only once,” Ataollah Salehi was cited as saying by the state-run Fars news agency. “We recommend and emphasize to the American carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf.”

Could Iran close the Strait of Hormuz? Maybe, but, in my view, (1) not for very long and (2) at a huge cost to - Iran. Energy markets would spike, but only until it becomes clear that there are alternative routes for oil to flow (see the map above). See here:

On average, 14 crude oil tankers per day passed through the Strait in 2011, with a corresponding amount of empty tankers entering to pick up new cargos. More than 85 percent of these crude oil exports went to Asian markets, with Japan, India, South Korea, and China representing the largest destinations.
At its narrowest point, the Strait is 21 miles wide, but the width of the shipping lane in either direction is only two miles, separated by a two-mile buffer zone. The Strait is deep and wide enough to handle the world's largest crude oil tankers, with about two-thirds of oil shipments carried by tankers in excess of 150,000 deadweight tons.
Closure of the Strait of Hormuz would require the use of longer alternate routes at increased transportation costs. Alternate routes include the 745 mile long Petroline, also known as the East-West Pipeline, across Saudi Arabia from Abqaiq to the Red Sea. The East-West Pipeline has a nameplate capacity of about 5 million bbl/d. The Abqaiq-Yanbu natural gas liquids pipeline, which runs parallel to the Petroline to the Red Sea, has a 290,000-bbl/d capacity. Additional oil could also be pumped north via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to the port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea, but volumes have been limited by the closure of the Strategic pipeline linking north and south Iraq.
The United Arab Emirates is also completing the 1.5 million bbl/d Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline pipeline that will cross the emirate of Abu Dhabi and end at the port of Fujairah just south of the Strait. Other alternate routes could include the deactivated 1.65-million bbl/d Iraqi Pipeline across Saudi Arabia (IPSA), and the deactivated 0.5 million-bbl/d Tapline to Lebanon.

China might be the most affected country if the Strait of Hormuz is closed.

An interesting piece from Arab News by Abdulateef Al-Mulhim, "Strait of Hormuz and Iranian threats":

Every five years, the Iranians would threaten the whole world that they would close the Strait of Hormuz. They never did. They simply can’t do it and they are not capable of doing it even if they wanted to do it.

That the Iranians feel the need to rattle swords right now may be due to the shambles of their already weak economy and the internal political fallout from the drive to develop nuclear weapons. In the meantime, they gain some benefit from increasing oil prices caused by their threats.

Hijacked Tug Rescued Off Indonesia

2012-01-02T11:11:00.000-05:00

Reported as Indonesia Rescues Hijacked Tug Boat :

Indonesian authorities have rescued a tug boat with nine crew believed to have been hijacked in the Straits of Singapore, a sea lane seeing a rise in attacks, an official said on Monday.

The boat was recovered on Saturday off Indonesia, said Noel Choong, head of the piracy reporting center of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

It had been towing a barge laden with heavy machinery and piling materials which an Indonesian aircraft and three warships found in the same area a day later, he added.

The tug and barge, heading from peninsular Malaysia to Borneo island, last made contact on December 27 off southern Malaysia near the Straits of Singapore before it was hijacked, Choong said.

Circle on map indicates area involved.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.006-05:00

Here's hoping for a wonderful 2012 for all of us!

Somali Pirates: EU to take on pirate shore support?

2011-12-30T09:43:00.002-05:00

A hint that the Somali support infrastructure might - just might- be getting some cross hairs fixed on it at Germany: EU Mulls New Powers For Piracy Mission:

German officials say the European Union is considering expanding the scope of its anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa to allow the destruction of pirates’ equipment on the beaches of Somalia.

If so, it's about time. The key to pushing back the pirates is on the land and in the littoral waters of Somalia.

UPDATE: More here:

The EU is apparently considering ramping up the operation to target the pirates' weapons arsenals, speedboats and fuel depots on the beach. The plan foresees helicopters targeting the infrastructure from the sea. The aircraft would not, however, fire on people. The German Foreign Ministry stressed that the expanded mission would only involve destroying the onshore infrastructure and would not be "an operation on land."

Some opposition tool is whining:

Omid Nouripour, the defense spokesman for the Green Party's parliamentary group, was even more outspoken. He called the idea of targeting the pirates' onshore facilities "sheer madness." He spoke of the danger of mission creep should the pirates retreat further onshore in response to attacks.

Someone ought to explain to Omid Nouripour the difficulties imposed on the pirates by making them perform logistics 100 miles from the beach.

Hormuz Strait Word Games Ratcheting Up

2011-12-29T10:42:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, we had an Iranian political bozo stirring up international concern with a threat to close down the Strait of Hormuz, followed, as noted in How many Iranian threats to "close the Strait of Hormuz" does it take to make oil prices jump?, by a near immediate denial of the intent of the Iranians to close the strait, now followed by Iranian war games in the Arabian Gulf showing their forces of various types, as they do nearly every year.

In case you are wondering, yes, the U.S. and its allies monitor these games.

In addition, the U.S. and its allies also occasionally rise to the bait tossed out by Iran's clowns and threaten that, surprise, surprise, any effort by Iran to really close the Strait of Hormuz would be "a very bad thing" and that could result in serious letters of warning, meetings of the UN Security Council and perhaps, maybe, at some point in all of Iran's forces being sent to the bottom of the ocean and/or painted pink and being made to live in a country like Iran. This week's counterpoint to Iran's point comes to us via the 5th Fleet via CNN, who are trying very hard to drum this up into a story:U.S. Navy won't tolerate 'disruption' through Strait of Hormuz from CNN.com

The U.S. Navy said Iran's threat to block the strategically and economically important Strait of Hormuz is unacceptable.

"The free flow of goods and services through the Strait of Hormuz is vital to regional and global prosperity," Navy 5th Fleet in Bahrain spokeswoman Cmdr. Amy Derrick Frost told reporters on Wednesday.

"Anyone who threatens to disrupt freedom of navigation in an international strait is clearly outside the community of nations; any disruption will not be tolerated."

It's all part of the on-going war with Iran, being fought in many ways, but always asymmetrically by Iran, because, while its leadership may be a bunch of wild and crazy guys, they are not completely nuts.

USS John C.Stennis - Not exactly liking finding Waldo

UPDATE: To add to the fun, the Iranians report, apparently with great joy, they were able to "spot" an aircraft carrier the size of a city block transiting the Strait of Hormuz with its escorts. The real news story would have been if they were unable to see something akin to the Empire State Building floating by their Navy. Report here:

The US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain across from Iran and guards the passageway, confirmed to ABC News that two of its ships did pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Dec.27 en route to the Arabian Sea where they are assisting operations in Afghanistan.

USS Mobile Bay
“The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), conducted a planned, routine transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Dec. 27

UPDATE2: Okay, Iran got what it wanted Iranian threats push crude above $101/bbl in New York market. Now, if only we had a crude oil pipeline from Canada, this sort of thing wouldn't be so - - dramatically unnecessary.

Somali Piracy 2011

2011-12-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

From the ICC IMB's Live Piracy Map
Some IMB numbers (there are a couple of changes needed - final report later):

Worldwide Incidents: updated on 16 Dec 2011
Total Attacks Worldwide: 421
Total Hijackings Worldwide: 42

Incidents Reported for Somalia:
Total Incidents: 231
Total Hijackings:26
Total Hostages: 450
Total Killed: 15

Current vessels held by Somali pirates:
Vessels: 10
Hostages: 172

Somali Pirates: Early report of ship grabbed off Oman

2011-12-27T07:41:00.000-05:00

NATO Shipping Center Map of hijacking off Oman

Pirates hijack Italian ship with 18 on board off Oman:

Pirates hijacked an Italian cargo ship with six Italians, five Ukrainians and seven Indians on board at dawn on Tuesday . . .

NATO Shipping Center report:

A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.

Date of alert : December 27, 2011
Alert type : Pirate Attack
Location : [249] ARABIAN SEA 18 18N 057 36E
Latitude : 18 18N
Longitude : 057 36E

Alert number 250 / 2011.

Reference previous Alert number 249 / 2011.

At 0403 UTC a merchant vessel was reported under attack by pirates in position 18 18 N 057 36 E.

***THIS VESSEL HAS BEEN HIJACKED***

Faith

2011-12-25T00:01:00.004-05:00

From the Gospel of Luke:

2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

2:2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

2:3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And to all of you on watch in case "peace on earth" does not break out, thanks - and Merry Christmas!

Checking the List

2011-12-24T09:04:00.000-05:00


So, according to the list my elves prepared . . .

Waiting for the "good" explanation

2011-12-22T10:56:00.001-05:00

BBC News - Finland 'finds Patriot missiles' on China-bound ship:

"Fireworks"
Police are questioning the crew of the MS Thor Liberty after what were described as 69 Patriot anti-missile missiles were found aboard.

Interior Minister Paivi Rasanen said the missiles were marked "fireworks".

The MS Thor Liberty had docked in the Finnish port of Kotka after leaving Germany last week.

Dock workers became suspicious after finding explosives poorly stored on open pallets, and the missiles were then found in containers marked "fireworks".

The managing director of the ship's owner, Thorco Shipping, expressed surprise. Thomas Mikkelsen told AFP news agency from Denmark that he was unaware of the matter.

Another company official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the ship had been detained in Finland and said the missiles could have been loaded on to the vessel by mistake, AFP adds.(emphasis added)

?

Now, who has "misplaced" 69 Patriot missiles and how much was earned in doing so.

And who played the double agent in this "surprise discovery?"

UPDATE: CNN reports Patriot missiles found on a ship bound for Asia were being sent legally. Belong to South Korea, they say.

Doesn't explain reported "surprise" of shipping company, labeling of "fireworks" - does it? Although, given the nature of first reports, perhaps it does . . .

Somali Piracy: US Navy Slows Pirates

2011-12-22T09:17:00.001-05:00

USS Pinckney - Royal Australian Navy photo by Able Seaman Paul Berry

Or, as the U.S. Navy puts it "USS Pinckney Disrupts Piracy":

At approximately 11:00 a.m., the M/V Heather, operating 30 nautical miles from Nordic Apollo, reported suspicious activity by a skiff.

Pakistan Navy Rear Adm. Kaleem Shaukat, CTF 151's commander, authorized Pinckney to investigate.

Nordic Apollo confirmed the pirate attack, but stated they no longer had sight of the skiff. In response to the distress call, Pinckney made best speed to the area, issued a radio warning to other vessels in the vicinity, and launched its MH-60R helicopter.

US Navy photo
The helicopter crew successfully tracked and located the skiff, observing nine suspected pirates and pirate paraphernalia on board, including several ladders, weapons and fuel containers. The suspected pirates were seen attempting to cover their weapons with blankets and throwing the ladders overboard as Pinckney closed their position.

Intercepted by the helicopter and Pinckney, the skiff stopped and the suspected pirates threw their weapons, identified as five AK-47 rifles, one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher and three RPG rounds, overboard.

US Navy photo
Pinckney was given authorization to conduct a boarding using their visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team and once aboard, the VBSS team confirmed there were nine suspected pirates, one grappling hook, 36 barrels of fuel, and 75 and 45 horsepower outboard engines. The VBSS team scuttled one outboard motor and left the skiff with enough fuel and water to return back to shore.

Related: A questioning of the counter-piracy rules of engagement.

EU NAVFO on Somali Pirate Hostages

2011-12-21T07:01:00.000-05:00

Press release on the some of the evils of Somali piracy from EU NAVFOR at European Union Naval Force Somalia - Operation Atalanta | Merchant ship crews held hostage in Somalia:

While the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia has received significant coverage over the past 4 years, with the exception a number of high-profile individuals, the fate of the merchant crews which make up the majority of those held hostage, is not often considered or reported.

This humanitarian tragedy is especially pertinent over Christmas, a time when families normally gather to celebrate.

The Shiuh Fu No.1 fishing boat, pirated Christmas Day 2010; the whereabouts of the crew of 13 Chinese, 12 Vietnamese and 1 Taiwanese mariners is unknown
There are currently 199 men and one woman held hostage in Somalia following the pirating of their ships in the Indian Ocean and all are being held against their will to be used by criminal gangs as part of a ransom business. Since the start of the EU NAVFOR counter-piracy mission in December 2008, a total of 2317 merchant seamen have been held hostage for an average of nearly 5 months. The longest period in captivity is 19 months for the 24 crew members of the M/V ICEBERG 1, who are still being held.

The PRANTALAY 12 fishing boat, pirated 18 April 2010 and beached on 14 July 2011. 5 of the crew died in captivity, 1 is missing and 4 remain in Somalia following the release of the remainder.
It is estimated that at least 60 merchant seamen have died as a result of their captivity in the hands of the pirates and many more have suffered torture and abuse. 49 of the 200 hostages are held without the collateral of a ship, following the ship sinking or being abandoned which means that their future is less clear as their value is seen as less than that of a ship. Additionally, a recent tactic of the criminal gangs has been to agree to the ransom payment for the return of ship and crew and then hold-back some of the crew when the ship is released to use to negotiate for the release of convicted Somali pirates from the home country of the detained crew members. Currently 4 South Korean and 7 Indian crew members from the M/V GEMINI and the ASPHALT VENTURE are held following the release of the ships.

Today, there are 3 ships abandoned and derelict on the beach, creating a source of potential pollution, whilst their crews, totalling 54 men, remain in captivity.
***

Photos and captions are from EU NAVFOR.

"Death in the DPRK"

2011-12-20T10:13:00.000-05:00

Good advice in "Death in the DPRK" at Shadow Government:

Western leaders should send clear messages to the new regime that it will not tolerate aggression, the need to resume serious de-nuclearization talks, and push for North Korea's opening up to the region and the outside world.

Nor is this the time to rush and offer humanitarian assistance to try and use food aid as leverage with the new regime.

Kim Jong Il Dead

2011-12-18T22:16:00.000-05:00

AMF

North Korea Says Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il Has Died

I don't plan to miss him.

Midrats: Episode 102 The Military Media at a Pivot 12/18 at 5pm Eastern

2011-12-18T12:12:00.001-05:00

Join us at 5pm Eastern on Sunday for Midrats Episode 102 The Military Media at a Pivot :

It started after 911, something not seen for any significant duration since Vietnam - and sustained interest in military matters. As a result, we have seen an increase in the variety and number of places where you can find reporting on military matters.

From retired officers on the news networks using maps to explain the big picture, to new media, to expanded traditional coverage - a decade of war has brought a depth of knowledge that was almost non-existant in the last two decades of the last century.

With two wars and smaller skirmishes in the Long War taking place on a regular basis, the need and interest for information has kept knowledge of military history, strategy, tactics, equipment, and plans as an ongoing requirement in the media.

As the American military presence in the Iraqi war ends, Afghanistan scheduled to fade, and defense budgets contract - what is the state of the military focused media going forward?

To discuss the above and to review the major Navy and military topics of the year will be returning guest Phil Ewing, previously with Politico and Navy Times.

Somali Pirates: Slowed by Weather, Naval Forces

2011-12-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

Somali pirates are in a slowdown, caused in part by weather and by "disruption" by naval forces.

TCG Gediz

First, the naval side, a Turkish warship did its job, as reported at CTF-151 SHIP TCG GEDIZ DISRUPTS SUSPECTED PIRATE MOTHER SHIP AND SKIFF

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship TCG GEDIZ of the Republic of Turkey, assigned to CMF’s counter-piracy mission, Combined Task Force 151 disrupted a suspected pirate mother ship and a pirate skiff in the southern Somali Basin.

The task force received a report of an attack on the merchant vessel MV JEANNE as it transited international waters off the coast of the Somalia/Kenya border. CTF 151 Commander, Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, Pakistan Navy tasked GEDIZ, patrolling in the area, to search for the skiff that had participated in the attack.

GEDIZ located a suspected mother ship for the pirate action group operating in this area, a group which included the skiff responsible for the earlier attack on MV JEANNE, Nov 21. This vessel was also suspected of involvement in two other recent attacks in this operating area. GEDIZ’s boarding team conducted a search of the vessel, and destroyed all equipment associated with piracy, including multiple grappling hooks and a boarding ladder.

GEDIZ identified the suspected pirate skiff and witnessed the crew toss multiple items overboard, including grappling hooks and what appeared to be weapons. When GEDIZ was in close enough proximity for a more thorough examination of the skiff, they assessed that it presented no further threat and that all materiel involved in possible acts of piracy had been discarded.

This leads into the NATO Shipping Center weekly assessment:

During the reporting period of 8 to 14 December 2011 the piracy activity level was less than the previous reporting period. Suspicious activity was seen in the North Arabian Sea and a mothership was located off the coast of central Somalia, which was later disrupted by Naval Counter Piracy forces.

The NE monsoon is fully established, and this is likely a contributing factor to the decrease in piracy activity in the Greater Somali Basin.

Not Cookie Cutters

2011-12-17T10:57:00.002-05:00

It's a hotel room. In a crane. in the Netherlands

Sometimes wanderlust strikes.

When it does, here is a site and a publication of places to stay that definitely are not "cookie cutter" boxes that make Paris like Des Moines or whatever.

If anyone would like to fund our travel and expenses, my wife and I are available to sample and report back on these places.

Unusual and Unique Overnight directory

Open publication - Free publishing - More celebration

Short Break

2011-12-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

Short gap in posts may occur over next two days.

MBA graduation ceremonies for #1 son are my excuse.

Enjoy yourselves with an old "Seabase" concept . . .

How many Iranian threats to "close the Strait of Hormuz" does it take to make oil prices jump??

2011-12-14T10:48:00.001-05:00

One, apparently, even if made by some obscure clown who was almost immediately slapped down for being a dolt, as reported in Strait of Hormuz Not Closed, Iran Foreign Ministry Says:

The Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, after oil prices surged amid speculation that vessels might be blocked from using the strategic waterway.

The spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, said reports about the strait’s closure were untrue. Oil prices spiked by as much as 3.6 percent today in New York and London.

“These claims are sometimes made, but they are by people who have no role, no official title or authority,” Mehmanparast said by telephone from Tehran.

"No role, no official title or authority" - sounds like just the guy to quote to make oil prices jump a bit.

About 1/6 of the daily global consumption of oil travels through the Strait, but that's just because it's easier that way.

Closing the Strait would not mean the end of civilization as we know it and the rest of the world would adjust in a fairly short time.

More to follow on this when I get time.

China: Small Footprint in Seychelles?

2011-12-13T12:04:00.000-05:00

As a follow on to my earlier post regarding Seychelles offer of some sort of anti-piracy base to the Chinese at Somali Pirates: Seychelles asks China for counter-pirate "presence"

Reuters reports "China considers Seychelles port offer, denies base plan":

"According to escort needs and the needs of other long-range missions, China will consider seeking supply facilities at appropriate harbours in the Seychelles or other countries," the ministry said on Monday, according to the China Daily.

"This approach is transparent, and there's no cause for worry," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters, referring to those discussions.

"China has no plans for establishing military bases abroad," said Liu, adding that he had not heard of any ideas of stationing personnel or aircraft on the Seychelles, an archipelago of 115 islands.

Somali Pirates: Weather Impact

2011-12-13T07:46:00.002-05:00

In last week's Weekly Piracy Assessment, the NATO Shipping Center reported that the on-coming monsoon season in the Indian Ocean will impact piracy:

The NE monsoon has begun but tempered by a low pressure area in the region. As a result it is not likely to impede piracy activity in the near term. The monsoon is expected to go into full swing over the next couple weeks and, as weather deteriorates, piracy activity is likely to be hindered.

The U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) (pdf) expands the same point:

4. DECEMBER 08 – DECEMBER 14
A. (U) GULF OF ADEN: Moderate winds and light seas (ENE 15 – 20, 2 – 4 feet) exist in the GOA and will continue through the next 72 hours. EXTENDED FORECAST: Expect ENE winds to continue through forecast period. A modest increase in sea heights will occur in the western half of the Gulf of Aden as 3 – 5 foot seas provide moderate impacts to small boat operations by 11 Dec.
B. (U) SOMALI COAST: Continued NE winds over the Somali Basin have increased sea heights from Socotra Island southwest to the Kenyan border. Expect high winds and seas (NE 20 – 25, 6 – 8 feet) to affect small boat operations through the next 72 hours. EXTENDED FORECAST: Winds and seas will remain prominent impacts to the area through 14 Dec as the NE monsoon fully sets in over the region.
C. (U) NORTH ARABIAN SEA: Light to moderate winds and seas (NE 12 – 16, 2 – 4 feet) in the North Arabian Sea will continue through the next 72 hours. EXTENDED FORECAST: A large portion of the NAS will continue to experience little to no impacts through 14 Dec. Expect a region just south of the Gulf of Oman to show increased sea heights (4 – 6 feet) by 13 Dec.
D. (U) INDIAN OCEAN: Residual seas from the Somali Basin will provide moderate impacts (3 – 5 feet) to the Kenyan and Tanzanian waters, while winds in the region vary in direction and remain mainly below 10 knots through the next 72 hours. Expect light winds and seas (ENE 8 – 12, 1 – 3 feet) in the sheltered waters of the Mozambique Channel through 11 Dec. EXTENDED FORECAST: Variable light winds and residual seas from the Somali Basin will continue to provide the only impacts to the Kenyan and Tanzanian waters through 14 Dec. Expect an increase in winds through the Mozambique Channel by 12 Dec to slowly increase seas in the southern portion. Moderate winds and seas (N 15 – 20, 3 – 5 feet) will affect the region by 13 Dec.

The PAWW weather forecast map suggests a potential decline in pirate activity due to the weather. See the map above.

But you can also look over the right, where the WeatherOnline charts appear constantly updating winds in the Somali pirate operating areas. Here's the 13 Dec 2011 winds:

Arabian Sea winds

Gulf of Aden Winds

Lots of 15+ knot winds out there except relatively near shore . . .

Weather takes its toll on the pirates, as reported by SomaliaReport "Six Pirate Groups, Six Boats Missing at Sea":

The number of pirate attacks off the Somali coast has declined considerably in recent weeks due to strong winds and storms with pirates reporting that at least six of their groups and six of their boats were lost at sea.

Before merchant ships get too cocky, remember that there have been plenty of attacks during the monsoon seasons over the years and the winds are much lower near the entrance to the Red Sea.

The NATO Shipping Center also has an updated "Pirate Action Group" map, putting PAGs in a couple of areas near lower reported winds:

UK Rules for Private Armed Guards on British Merchant Shipping Revealed

2011-12-12T10:43:00.001-05:00

Rules and concerns expressed here:

The guidelines stipulate that ship owners should include certain factors in a risk assessment motivate for selecting a private security company (PSC). Shipping companies wishing to use armed guards will also be required to submit a detailed counter-piracy plan to the UK Department for Transport in advance.

No word on the number of bullets that will be allowed each armed guard - Barney "One Bullet" Fife or Rambo-style.

Based on recent events in India, as reported here, a strict count of bullets might be important.

Rambo may have trouble with that.

Somali Piracy: Interrupted

2011-12-12T10:19:00.000-05:00

CTF-151, the Combined Maritime Anti-Piracy Force, reports a case of "piratus interruptus" in CTF-151 SHIP TCG GEDIZ DISRUPTS SUSPECTED PIRATE MOTHER SHIP AND SKIFF:

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship TCG GEDIZ of the Republic of Turkey, assigned to CMF’s counter-piracy mission, Combined Task Force 151 disrupted a suspected pirate mother ship and a pirate skiff in the southern Somali Basin.

The task force received a report of an attack on the merchant vessel MV JEANNE as it transited international waters off the coast of the Somalia/Kenya border. CTF 151 Commander, Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, Pakistan Navy tasked GEDIZ, patrolling in the area, to search for the skiff that had participated in the attack.

GEDIZ located a suspected mother ship for the pirate action group operating in this area, a group which included the skiff responsible for the earlier attack on MV JEANNE, Nov 21. This vessel was also suspected of involvement in two other recent attacks in this operating area. GEDIZ’s boarding team conducted a search of the vessel, and destroyed all equipment associated with piracy, including multiple grappling hooks and a boarding ladder.

GEDIZ identified the suspected pirate skiff and witnessed the crew toss multiple items overboard, including grappling hooks and what appeared to be weapons. When GEDIZ was in close enough proximity for a more thorough examination of the skiff, they assessed that it presented no further threat and that all materiel involved in possible acts of piracy had been discarded.

Midrats, Sunday: Episode 101 Kido Butai at Pearl Harbor

2011-12-10T18:30:00.001-05:00

The Japanese carrier strike force, the Kido Butai, lead the attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941. Since then, the discussion about the attack and its ramifications has hardly paused. We offer up the latest iteration with Sunday's 5pm (Eastern U.S.) program on Midrats - Episode 101 Kido Butai at Pearl Harbor 12/11 :

A lot has been written about what went wrong at Pearl Harbor - a very American perspective.

If you are a neutral tactical or look at things from a Japanese perspective - there was a lot that went right at Pearl Harbor at the Tactical and Operational Level.

Join Sal from CDR Salamander and me as we discuss for the full hour many of the less understood aspects fo the attack on Pearl Harbor and the development in the Imperial Japanese Navy's tactical innovations with one of the co-authors of the article in December's Naval History magazine, Pearl Harbor's Overlooked Answer - Jonathan Parshall.

Mr. Parshall is one of the authors of the book, The Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway, a book highly recommended by many naval readers, including this one:

"I have begun reading Shattered Sword... and had to stop. It is too large, reads too well, contains too much information, and is too difficult to put down. Start it at your own risk! My congratulations to the authors and to Brassey's/Potomac Books for an excellent and valuable product."

— Norman Polmar, noted analyst, consultant, and author specializing in naval, strategic, and intelligence issues.

Join us, please.

The link is Episode 101. If you can't join us live, you can listen to the archived version at the same site, or download the show as an MP3. Or, if you prefer, listen or download from iTunes.

India and Pakistan: Water War May Go Nuclear?

2011-12-09T11:02:00.000-05:00

Indus River Basin (from U.S. Senate report)

Interesting link up from Oilprice.com to an editorial in a Pakistani newspaper in John Daly's Pakistani Editorial Says Nuclear War with India "Inevitable" as Water Dispute Continues:

Every now and again, one reads an editorial that stops the reader in his tracks.

On 8 December, with the headline "War Inevitable To Tackle Indian Water Aggression," Pakistan’s Urdu-language Nawa-e Waqt, issued such a screed.

Nawa-e Waqt bluntly commented on India’s Kashmiri water polices and Islamabad’s failure up to now to stop New Delhi’s efforts to construct hydroelectric dams in Kashmir, “India should be forcibly prevented from constructing these dams. If it fails to constrain itself, we should not hesitate in launching nuclear war because there is no solution except this.”

Read it all.

It seems that India is building dams in Kashmir that may allow it to control the flow of water through Pakistan - water vital to Pakistan's agricultural survival. The Pakistanis take exception to having their fate lie on the hands on some flow control wheel on Indian dams. Daly reports:

Bashir Ahmad, a geologist in Srinagar, Kashmir commented grimly about the Indians’ future intentions, “They will switch the Indus off to make Pakistan solely dependent on India. It’s going to be a water bomb.”

As noted in the Oilprice.com article, Afghanistan is also looking to build dams on the Kabul River, which also would impact Pakistan. India is reported to be supporting these dams. The effect is to make the Pakistanis even less comfortable.

The U.S. Senate report, "AVOIDING WATER WARS: WATER SCARCITY AND CENTRAL ASIA’S GROWING IMPORTANCE FOR STABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN" can be downloaded here:

Of all the rivers flowing into Pakistan, the Indus is the most essential because of its importance to the agricultural sector. Pakistan’s agriculture relies on the world’s largest contiguous irrigation system fed by the Indus waters; in fact, water withdrawals for agricultural irrigation represent almost 97 percent of all withdrawals in Pakistan. This irrigation network covers an estimated 83 percent of cultivated land in the country and contributes to nearly a quarter of its gross domestic product.

Water. Can't live without it. Might go to war over it. One of those "national survival" threats.

China's Navy: "Peaceful Development?"

2011-12-08T11:24:00.001-05:00

Some recent comments by the Chinese president seem to indicate an interest in instilling a bellicose attitude in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy:

A day before Chinese and US military officials started military talks in Beijing, Chinese President Hu Jintao told it's navy to accelerate modernisation and prepare for war.

Speaking to military officials on Tuesday, Xinhua, China's official media agency quoted President Hu as commanding the Party congress of People's Liberation Army Navy to "make extended preparations for warfare in order to make greater contributions to safeguarding national security and world peace."

Many observers believe that President Hu's blunt comments are in stark contradiction to his often repeated claims of China's "peaceful rise".

Peaceful rise? Well, here's a little background in an interesting read from Eurasiareview, "PLA And China's Peaceful Development - Analysis":

China has thus found a near justifiable way of modernizing its Defence Forces, particularly its Navy by emphasizing on the importance of non-traditional roles for its forces. The 2008 ‘White Paper on China’s National Defence’ enunciated for the first time that China now sees the Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) as an important form of applying military force. The PLA Navy has accordingly widened its scope of operations to include “…integrated offshore operations in distant waters …” The uninterrupted anti-Piracy patrols mounted by the PLA Navy ships since December 2008 in the Gulf of Aden and off Somali coast, wherein nine task Forces have been deployed till date for escort duties, is the most notable instance of MOOTW.

***
The PLA Navy hospital ship Peace Ark sailed for the Indian Ocean from China on 31 August 2010 on a 90 day ‘Mission Harmony-2010’. The ship operated in the Gulf of Aden for some time with the sixth task force and then called on ports in Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles and Bangladesh. The ship’s medical teams provided free health services, diagnostics and treatment to the local public and military personnel. This achieved much more international mileage for China in spreading the message of ‘Peaceful Development’ than what mere words on White Papers and rhetorical statements from back home could do.

China having realized the immense benefit of presenting the benevolent facet of its Navy towards its larger image building exercise sailed the Peace Ark hospital ship again in September 2011 on a long voyage to the Latin American countries of Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Costa. This ‘Mission Harmony 2011’ will keep the ship at sea for more than 100 days over a distance of 23,500 nautical miles. The PLA senior Officer in charge of the mission emphasized that “the mission was of great significance in publicizing the ideas of ‘Harmonious World’ and ‘Harmonious Ocean’, demonstrate China’s friendly relations between the Latin American countries, and highlight the PLA’s image as a peaceful and a civilized force. The words highlighted in the above statement need to be taken due note of by the international community.

For those interested, the white paper "China's National Defense 2010" is available here. A highlight discussing China's role in counter-Somali pirate operations:

In line with relevant UN resolutions, China dispatched naval ships to conduct escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia on December 26, 2008. They are mainly charged with safeguarding the security of Chinese ships and personnel passing through the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters, and the security of ships delivering humanitarian supplies for the World Food Program and other international organizations, and shelter pass-by foreign vessels as much as possible. As of December 2010, the Chinese Navy has dispatched, in seven sorties, 18 ship deployments, 16 helicopters, and 490 Special Operation Force (SOF) soldiers on escort missions. Through accompanying escort, area patrol, and onboard escort, the Chinese Navy has provided protection for 3,139 ships sailing under Chinese and foreign flags, rescued 29 ships from pirate attacks, and recovered nine ships released from captivity.

China takes a proactive and open attitude toward international escort cooperation. Chinese escort fleets have established mechanisms for regular intelligence exchange and sharing with relevant countries and organizations. It has exchanged 24 boarding visits of commanders with fleets from the EU, the multinational naval force, NATO, Russia, the ROK, the Netherlands and Japan. It has conducted joint escort operations with Russian fleets and joint maritime exercises with ROK escort ships, and exchanged officers for onboard observations with Dutch fleets. China has joined international regimes such as the UN liaison groups' meeting on Somali pirates, and the international conference on "intelligence sharing and conflict prevention" escort cooperation.

All hearts, roses and sweetness. Ignore those carrier killing missiles, ignore bullying in the South China Sea - really, we're just a growing power that only means well.

A classic negotiating ploy in dealing with weak-kneed opponents is to rattle the saber and put pressure on your opposition to make more concessions than they should. I don't think it speaks highly of the degree of respect held by the Chinese of the current administration that they choose to play their hand this way.

The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941

2011-12-07T00:19:00.002-05:00

An overview from the Naval History and Heritage Command at The Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941:

Nagumo's fleet assembled in the remote anchorage of Tankan Bay in the Kurile Islands and departed in strictest secrecy for Hawaii on 26 November 1941. The ships' route crossed the North Pacific and avoided normal shipping lanes. At dawn 7 December 1941, the Japanese task force had approached undetected to a point slightly more than 200 miles north of Oahu. At this time the U.S. carriers were not at Pearl Harbor. On 28 November, Admiral Kimmel sent USS Enterprise under Rear Admiral Willliam Halsey to deliver Marine Corps fighter planes to Wake Island. On 4 December Enterprise delivered the aircraft and on December 7 the task force was on its way back to Pearl Harbor. On 5 December, Admiral Kimmel sent the USS Lexington with a task force under Rear Admiral Newton to deliver 25 scout bombers to Midway Island. The last Pacific carrier, USS Saratoga, had left Pearl Harbor for upkeep and repairs on the West Coast.

At 6:00 a.m. on 7 December, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 181 planes composed of torpedo bombers, dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. Even as they winged south, some elements of U.S. forces on Oahu realized there was something different about this Sunday morning.

In the hours before dawn, U.S. Navy vessels spotted an unidentified submarine periscope near the entrance to Pearl Harbor. It was attacked and reported sunk by the destroyer USS Ward (DD-139) and a patrol plane. At 7:00 a.m., an alert operator of an Army radar station at Opana spotted the approaching first wave of the attack force. The officers to whom those reports were relayed did not consider them significant enough to take action. The report of the submarine sinking was handled routinely, and the radar sighting was passed off as an approaching group of American planes due to arrive that morning.

The Japanese aircrews achieved complete surprise when they hit American ships and military installations on Oahu shortly before 8:00 a.m. They attacked military airfields at the same time they hit the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The Navy air bases at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Marine airfield at Ewa and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler and Hickam were all bombed and strafed as other elements of the attacking force began their assaults on the ships moored in Pearl Harbor. The purpose of the simultaneous attacks was to destroy the American planes before they could rise to intercept the Japanese.

Much more at the link above.

Let me also recommend to you a recent article in the U.S. Naval Institute's Naval History magazine Pearl Harbor's Overlooked Answer by Jonathan Parshall and J. Michael Wenger (for those of you interested in this topic, Mr. Parshall is scheduled to be our guest on Midrats on Sunday, 11 December at 5 p.m.).

In many places around the country there will be ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary the attack. After a phone call this morning with a few bloggers, the Navy's Public Affairs Office sent out the following:
Pearl Harbor Events

If you have a chance, take the time to attend one near you.

Offshore Safety

2011-12-05T09:31:00.000-05:00

Nice piece by Dennis Bryant on Offshore Oil Spills and A Culture of Complacency:

It is incumbent upon the offshore oil and gas industry and its regulators to not only take the steps necessary to prevent another Deepwater Horizon casualty, but to adopt wholeheartedly a safety culture that will root out complacency. We are smart enough to develop technologies and processes that will significantly reduce risk. Only time will tell if we are smart enough to overcome the human fallacy of complacency in the face of those risks.

It's short and well worth the read.

I handled too many cases in which the following of proper safety procedures would have either prevented or mitigated the resulting harm.

There is a reason for checklists - they prevent "errors of complacency."

Asian Partnerships: India and Vietnam

2011-12-05T00:36:00.003-05:00

Interesting read from the Turkish Weekly analysis on the India-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Getting Stronger:

The India-Vietnam Neighborhood
The relationships between the two countries make a lot of sense when they share common interest- maritime security, fighting terrorism, security of the sea lanes of communications, piracy and natural disasters. Ever since India and Vietnam signed the New Strategic Partnership in 2007, there witnessed significant improvement in a multifaceted ties ranging from political and economic engagements, security and defence cooperation, science and technology and close cultural contacts. Despite Chinese objections, India and Vietnam went a step ahead to signing six agreements encompassing promote oil exploration in South China Sea, extradition treaty, deepen trade, security and strategic ties, etc. *** What makes this relationship special is because of the close understanding that both countries share over the growing rise of China and its subsequent implication on the security of both countries.

India’s ONGC has entered into a deal with a Vietnamese oil company to jointly explore resources in the South China Sea. This move has caused significant alarm in China because it perceive such move is aimed at containing China’s growing clout in the South East Asian region. Vietnam offer for the exploration of resources is part of the gaining strategic understanding between the two countries. However, the Chinese foreign ministry has repeatedly warned India against such moves that amount to interference in China’s relationship with its neighbors. In response to Chinese reaction, Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna asserted that the exploration projects do not violate international law, and that China’s opposition has no legal basis.

While China on the other hand is steadily increasing its military presence close to India’s borders in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Srilanka. By doing this, Chinese have never thought what would be its implications to India’s security. In recent times, China has expanded its footprint to Pakistan occupied Kashmir, which India claimed to be its own. How can China warn India to remain away when it is expanding close to India’s border and even to India’s claim territory?

Not much doubt about who is believed to be the big threat in the area, is there?

The "post-Cold War world" heads off on a lot of interesting paths.

UPDATE: India is not interested, apparently, in multinational alliances but prefers bilateral agreements, according to this report:

India on Thursday firmly rejected any prospect of joining or forging a trilateral security pact with the US and Australia, remaining steadfast on its long-standing stand of bolstering defence cooperation with other countries on a strictly bilateral basis.

No reason to rattle the Dragon's tail too much, I suppose . . .

Midrats Sunday 5pm: Episode 100 Where are the Carriers?

2011-12-04T13:40:00.001-05:00

Join us today, at 5pm Eastern for Episode 100 Where are the Carriers?:

"Where are the Carriers?"

Whenever the expected unexpected happens on the globe, that is the question that is often asked first. As our nation also faces one of its greatest budget crisis - it is also one that the budget cutters are asking as well.

What is the status of our carrier force as we approach 2012 and what possible directions are we heading? Is the carrier more important in supporting our national strategy than it used to be, or less? Are we buying the right kind of systems to go on and in our carriers? Are we buying enough? How are we assessing our technology risk as we bring in new tools?

Our guest for the full hour will be J. Talbot Manvel, CAPT, USN (Ret.), presently teaching at the U.S. Naval Academy and is a frequent writer on issues of carrier issues and larger Navy policy issues. In the course of his career he served on three carriers and led development o f the maintenance plan for the Nimitz class and design of the Ford class carriers.

You can join us at 5pm by clicking here. If you miss the show, you can listen to it later or download from here or from iTunes.

Episode 100? 100 years of Naval Aviation.

Iranian Press TV accused of making up stories about U.S. drone strikes in Somalia

2011-12-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

Not really surprising, giving the silliness of some of their other fake reporting, but it is nice to see other people noticing. Here's a Daily Telegraph report, "Iranian Press TV accused of faking drone strike reports":

The channel, which is based in Tehran and broadcasts around-the-clock in English, claims that more the 1,370 people have been killed in 56 drone strikes since September - an average of 24 deaths per attack.

But an analysis of their reports by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found no evidence to back up the claims.
***
The US is known to have used drones in Somalia but Tony Burns, the director of operations at the charity Saacid, which is based in Mogadishu, said the cited casualty figures were "simply not possible".
***
A UN official told the Bureau: "Press TV is not a reliable source. It exaggerates and openly fabricates reports," while American diplomats said the reports were "wholly false".

The Iranian Department of Clumsy Disinformation gets another red card.

Somali Pirates: Seychelles asks China for counter-pirate "presence"

2011-12-03T08:12:00.001-05:00

UPDATE here.

Perhaps reflecting a shift in the currents of international sea power or perhaps just an extension of an existing relationship, the Chinese have been invited to extend some power to an island cluster in the the Indian Ocean bothered by Somali pirates.

As reported by AFP as "Seychelles invites China to set up anti-piracy presence":

"We have invited the Chinese government to set up a military presence on Mahe to fight the pirate attacks that the Seychelles face on a regular basis," Adam said.

"For the time being China is studying this possibility because she has economic interests in the region and Beijing is also involved in the fight against piracy," he explained.
***
"Together, we need to increase our surveillance capacity in the Indian Ocean... as Seychelles has a strategic position between Asia and Africa," Michel said in a statement, adding that China had given its army two light aircraft.

The two countries signed a military cooperation agreement in 2004 that has enabled some 50 Seychelles soldiers to be trained in China. They renewed their agreement Friday, with China to provide further training and equipment.

If the Chinese military presence goes ahead, "it won't be the first foreign military presence here because the Americans already have a small drone station here that they use in the fight against piracy," Adam said.

After warships started deploying in the Gulf of Aden in 2008 to thwart attacks on vessels, Somali pirates enlarged their field of operations into the Indian Ocean, including towards the Seychelles.

Physics: The Fabric of the Cosmos

2011-12-02T12:15:00.002-05:00

If you have not seen the PBS series, NOVA | The Fabric of the Cosmos, let me recommend that you take the time to watch it.

Great graphics help make the complex easier to grasp for people like me who last took physics when it was believed the sun revolved around the earth.

Preview:

Watch The Fabric of the Cosmos Preview on PBS. See more from NOVA.

Pakistan: NATO Suppy Routes to Afghanistan Closed, New Rules of Engagement Adopted

2011-12-02T09:02:00.002-05:00

Following the confusion of the attack on a Pakistan border post (see here), the words continue to fly fast and furious, with the truth of what happened becoming less and less relevant.

The U.S. claims a couple of defenses in the incident, including an assertion by Afghan forces that they called in the airstrike.

"Whatever" - as the saying goes- the Pakistanis are not in the mood to listen to explanations. As the story notes,

Pakistan's army claims the attack was unprovoked and insists there was no militant activity in the area.

Meantime, Islamabad has closed its border to the trucks that deliver supplies to coalition troops and is demanding the U.S. vacate a base thought to be used for launching drones.

Further, Reuters reports, "After NATO strike, Pakistan adjusts rules of engagement,

"I do not want there to be any doubt in the minds of any commander at any level about the rules of engagement," Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani said in a communique on Friday.

"In case of any attack, you have complete liberty to respond forcefully using all available resources. You do not need any permission for this."

A military source explained that this amounted to a change in the rules for Pakistani forces guarding the Western border against militant movements to and from Afghanistan.

"In the past, we were only guarding ourselves or reacting against militants," said the source, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

An analysis of the potential impact of the closed Pakistani border can be found at Oilprice.com where reporter John Daly lays out the logistics issues posed by the Pakistan border closing in Furious at Latest U.S. Attack, Pakistan Shuts Down Resupply Routes to Afghanistan "Permanently",

So, what does this mean for logistical support of ISAF forces? According to Nesar Ahmad Nasery, the deputy head of Torkham Customs, around 1,000 trucks cross into Afghanistan on a daily basis, nearly 300 of which are NATO contractors carrying NATO supplies in sealed containers. Khyber Transport Association chief Shakir Afridi said that each oil tanker has a capacity of 13,000-15,000 gallons. In October 2010 Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen said that fossil fuels are the number one import to Afghanistan.

Noting the obvious, as Afghanistan has no indigenous hydrocarbon supplies, every drop must be brought in, with transit greatly increasing the eventual cost. For 2001-2008, almost all U.S. and NATO supplies were trucked overland to Afghanistan through parts of Pakistan effectively controlled by the Taliban.

Source: US TRANSCOM
Credit: Alyson Hurt/NPR

As shown on the map from NPR and Transcom (Logistics into Afghanistan), the logisticians have come up with alternative routes - which Mr. Daly discusses in his report:

But NATO and the Pentagon have a backup plan – since 2009 they have been shifting their logistics to the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a railway link running from Latvia’s Riga Baltic port through Russia and Kazakhstan terminating in Uzbekistan’s Termez on the Afghan border.

There is also another route, involving ships entering the Black Sea with several modal transfers. These alternative routes are much more costly. I suggest reading the excellent Oilprice.com piece for details.

Logistics, logistics, logistics. Can't fight wars without it.

Somali Pirates: Royal Navy and the Dogs of (Pirate) War

2011-12-01T23:40:00.000-05:00

Royal Navy Photo by LA(Phot) Dave Jenkins

Some sea dogs come in handy, as reported in Royal Navy catches Indian Ocean pirates :

The Royal Navy has detained seven suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean, the Ministry of Defence said today.
***
On Monday the supply ship, patrolling about 420 nautical miles from the Seychelles, received information that a Spanish fishing vessel had come under attack from a group of pirate vessels.

"The ship's Lynx helicopter was quickly despatched to investigate," the spokesman said.

"Once at the scene, the helicopter identified two suspect vessels, a whaler and a skiff, in the vicinity of the fishing vessel.

"The faster of the two, a skiff, sped away at over 25 knots as the helicopter gave chase.

"When the skiff ignored orders to stop, a specially trained sniper on board the Lynx helicopter fired warning shots ahead of the fleeing vessel which stopped and the suspected pirates on board were then taken to Fort Victoria via boat.

"Fort Victoria's Royal Marines boarding team then boarded the whaler and another skiff in the vicinity. As a result of the day's action, a total of seven suspected pirates were held on board Fort Victoria along with their whaler as evidence, with no injuries being sustained by either side."
***
The Foreign Office (FCO) said that a UK-trained police dog team had today gathered vital evidence to help prosecute the suspected pirates.

A spokeswoman said the dogs and their handlers were trained by the Surrey Police dog handling team as part of a Foreign Office and United Nations (UN) funded project to tackle piracy.

She said: "Providing sufficient evidence to convict pirates has been a real problem for the international community as pirates often throw their weapons overboard and claim to be fishermen.

"However, the dog handling team is able to search the suspected pirate vessel for traces of explosives and firearms.

"Rocket propelled grenades are a weapon of choice for the pirates, but even if they are disposed of in the sea they leave explosive residue that the dogs can identify.

"Today's search by Diesel (a spaniel) and Millie (a labrador) indicated that the suspected pirates' vessel may contain traces of explosives or firearms.

"This evidence will be passed to the Seychelles prosecutor who will conduct further investigations.

"The seven suspected pirates are alleged to have been involved in an attempted act of piracy on a vessel that supplies the Seychelles tuna fleet."

More at the Royal Navy News site here.

US Coast Guard - Busting Drug Runners

2011-12-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

USCG photo

Coastie Press Release: "Coast Guard Cutters Bertholf, Boutwell nab drugs, smugglers on high seas":

The Coast Guard announced Thursday the interdiction of more than 2,470 pounds of cocaine, and the detention of 12 suspects, during three separate missions in the Eastern Pacific the week of Nov. 21.

The Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf, a national security cutter, and the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell, a Secretary Class high endurance cutter, were on counter-drug patrols in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Boutwell’s crew intercepted a drug-laden fishing vessel more than 200 miles west of Ecuador while Bertholf’s crew recovered cocaine jettisoned from a speed boat they were pursuing near the coast of Panama.

****
The Coast Guard executed 120 drug interdiction cases in fiscal year 2011, keeping 75.6 metric tons of cocaine and 17.3 metric tons of marijuana from reaching U.S. shores. More than 23 metric tons of cocaine have been seized since Aug. 29. The Coast Guard also seized 40 vessels and detained 191 suspects in fiscal year 2011, which ended Sept. 30.
****

The primary method of maritime drug smuggling remains the “go-fast” boat, which accounted for 58 percent of interdiction cases. Self-propelled, semi-submersible vessels, commonly referred to as drug subs, accounted for 19 percent, while fishing vessels accounted for four percent of maritime drug smuggling activity.

USCG photo
Boutwell’s interdiction began Nov. 23 when the cutter approached the Ecuadorian-flagged fishing vessel El Soberano, approximately 230 miles west of Ecuador. The Coast Guard crew observed suspicious packages on board, saw there was no fishing gear on the deck and noted the El Soberano was towing a smaller launch. The Boutwell’s boarding team conducted a search of the fishing vessel, discovering 40 bales of cocaine weighing between 50 to 56 pounds each. The boarding team detained all nine individuals aboard the two vessels and brought them aboard Boutwell.

"I couldn't be prouder of my crew for their vigilance and decisive actions during this interdiction," said Capt. Matthew J. Gimple, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell. "For more than 42 years, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell has safeguarded America’s maritime interests – at home and around the world – saving those in peril, defending our maritime border, and protecting the maritime transportation system, natural resources and the marine environment. We’ve had three interdictions this month, all of which were 200 miles or more offshore; the ability to operate multiple, over-the-horizon boats and aircraft from our cutter for sustained periods is key to success.”

Bertholf’s action began five nautical miles west of Punta Caracoles, Panama, while the cutter was on patrol in Panamanian waters under the authority of an embarked Panamanian shiprider. Bertholf was alerted by a maritime patrol airplane that a “go-fast” drug smuggling speedboat was in the area. The crew of the Bertholf located the “go-fast” using the ship’s Forward Looking Infrared sensor and radar. The cutter’s over-the-horizon boat was launched and its crew intercepted the suspect boat. The “go-fast” fled, jettisoning about nine bales, one of which was recovered by the crew of the pursuing Bertholf over-the horizon boat. The suspect boat eluded law enforcement using the cover of coves and islands in the area of the chase. The pursuit ended as the chase neared the territorial seas of Colombia. The marine patrol airplane identified a debris field from which seven bales and one kilo of cocaine were subsequently recovered.

Two nights prior, the crew of the Bertholf intercepted another “go-fast,” netting two bales of cocaine and three suspects who were turned over to SENAN, the Panamanian Maritime service.

"My crew's response was exceptional during the prosecution of this case, and I'm proud to report we foiled these drug smugglers and kept the narcotics from reaching their ultimate destination - the United States," said Capt. Thomas E. Crabbs, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf. “The Bertholf is one of the Coast Guard's newest cutters, unique to the United States and uniquely equipped to respond to all threats; it served the nation well during this case.”

The Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf is on a 70-day patrol conducting counter-narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific. Cutters like the Bertholf routinely conduct operations from South America to the Bering Sea where their unmatched combination of range, speed, and ability to operate in extreme weather provides the mission flexibility necessary to conduct alien migrant interdiction operations, domestic fisheries protection, search and rescue, counter-narcotics and homeland security operations at great distances from shore keeping threats far from the U.S. mainland.

The Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell is on a 60-day deployment for counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific. So far in this patrol they have been involved in three law enforcement cases resulting in the seizure or jettison of 3,800 pounds of cocaine worth $40 million. The Boutwell and the Coast Guard's current fleet of cutters is from 30 to 45 years old, constituting one of the oldest fleets in the world while being one of the busiest.

The Boutwell and the 11 other original Secretary-class, high endurance cutters, are being replaced by eight Legend-class, national security cutters like the cutter Bertholf. The NCSs are faster, better equipped, more durable, safer and more efficient than their predecessor, and will allow the Coast Guard to continue and build on the proud history of service provided by their predecessor class, delivering a unique blend of military capability, law enforcement authority and lifesaving expertise wherever needed to protect American interests, today and for decades to come.

Armed Security Guards at Sea: Greek Sailor Unions Say "No!"

2011-12-01T11:04:00.002-05:00

Reported here and as news at Safety at Sea Weekly:

The Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation announced yesterday that the bill “does not tackle piracy, nor protect seafarers, but instead raises the chances of mishaps and puts seafarers under psychological pressure”.

In a separate announcement, the Masters & Mates’ Union of the Greek Merchant Marine (PEPEN) said: “The content of the bill is unacceptable and leaves a ship’s master and crew exposed to danger.”
***
Under the proposal, up to six armed guards per ship, acting under the authority of the master, would be allowed on Greek-flagged ships serving routes outside its territorial waters.

There's just no pleasing some people.

Why would there be danger to the sailors? Well, consider this:

Somali pirates released a hijacked palm oil tanker and 21 crew members, but kept four South Koreans as hostages, the ship’s Singapore-based operator said Thursday.
***
In January, the South Korean military killed eight Somali pirates and captured five others in a raid on a hijacked South Korean-operated cargo ship in the Arabian Sea.

The five captured pirates were taken to South Korea and received long prison terms.

And this:

A self-described pirate in Somalia who gave his name as Bile Hussein said the arrests will lead to "trouble" for Indian sailors and ships.

"They better release them, considering their people traveling in the waters, or we shall jail their people like that," he said. "We are first sending a message to the Indian government of releasing our friends in their hands or else they have to be ready for their citizens to be mistreated in the near future."

Now, extrapolate from those threats to what the pirates are doing.

They have always known that the hostages they hold are one of the few reasons that the pirates have been allowed to survive - fear of them killing the hostage sailors they hold has stayed the armed fist of naval forces (including Marines). So, they reason, if we want to influence the policy makers of the countries who pose a threat to us, we should grab and hold their sailors to provide ourselves with leverage against the delivery of force against us.

The hostages become life insurance and political pawns.

It's a war. A nasty brutish sort of war as run by criminal gangs.

Perhaps the Greek sailors feel they don't want to run any additional risks of being long-term hostages.

Somali Pirate Attacks and Warnings (to 30 Nov 11)

2011-11-30T20:52:00.000-05:00

NATO Shipping Center Map, my arrows. Numbers refer to Alerts/Warnings

From NATO Shipping Center at All Alerts:

Alert 243 / 201130/11/2011 14:05 12.3 44.05 Attacked
Attacked A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.

Date of alert : November 30, 2011
Alert type : Attempted Attack
Location : [243] GULF OF ADEN 1218N 04403E
Latitude : 12 18 N
Longitude : 044 03 E

---WARNING WARNING WARNING---

Alert number 243 / 2011.
***
NSC 15/1130/11/2011 10:55 11.98 45.11 Suspicious Activity
Suspicious Approach
At 1053Z 30 Nov 11, Merchant Vessel reported a suspicious approach in vicinity of 1159N 04507E, by 3 skiffs with 2/3 POB each skiff. Two skiffs approached from the stern closing to within 1nm and one from ahead closing to within 2nm. The skiffs did not attack and broke off and moved away from the vessel. The vessel is safe.

Alert 242 - WARNING WARNING WARNING29/11/2011 08:20 15.01 56.6
Attacked Alert 242 - WARNING WARNING WARNING
A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.
Date of alert : November 29, 2011
Alert type : Attempted Attack
Location : [242] Arabian Sea- Indian Ocean 1502N 05639E
Latitude : 15 02 N
Longitude : 056 39 E

---WARNING WARNING WARNING---
Alert number 242 / 2011.

At 0857 UTC / 29 NOV 11 / a merchant vessel is currently under attack by 1 skiff in position 15 02 N 056 39 E.

AMPLIFYING INFORMATION: Pirates attempted to board the vessel, and as of 290902Z Pirates ceased attack.

Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating within 100 nautical miles of the position given in this report and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously.

***VESSEL IS SAFE ***
*** PIRATE SKIFF IS STILL IN THE AREA***

Another Large U.S. Natural Gas Discovery?

2011-11-30T12:56:00.000-05:00

Geology.com asks, "Utica Shale - The Natural Gas Giant Below the Marcellus?":

The Utica Shale is a rock unit located a few thousand feet below the Marcellus Shale. It also has the potential to become an enormous natural gas resource. The Utica Shale is thicker than the Marcellus, it is more geographically extensive and it has already proven its ability to support commercial production.

It is impossible to say at this time how large the Utica Shale resource might be because it has not been thoroughly evaluated and little public information is available about its organic content, the thickness of organic-rich intervals and how it will respond to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, the results of early testing indicate that the Utica Shale will be a very significant resource.

Where is the Utica Shale?

The potential source rock portion of the Utica Shale is extensive. In the United States it underlies portions of Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. It is also present beneath parts of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and part of Ontario, Canada. ***

On the map above, I added a red box to the outline of the Utica play, with a blue arrow pointing to what I believe to be the line showing the estimated range. There's a nice map at the Geology.com link.

I think we are a lot more "energy independent" than most people believe.

Mystery Iranian Ship Off India Draws Protest

2011-11-29T12:10:00.000-05:00

Reported as Concerns grow over armed Iranian ship: (emphasis added)

Arrow points to Lakshadweep Islands
A mysterious Iranian ship, anchored for close to 30 days near Lakshadweep, has become a major cause of concerns for the government and coastal security agencies.
***

The ship has been anchored there for over a month and so far Iran has given no explanation to Indian authorities in this regard. The Iranian Ambassador to India was summoned last week and explicitly told that the vessel MV Assa needs to be shifted from its current location as the country faces grave terrorist threats from the sea.
***

Another area of concern for the coastal security agencies is the unclear status of several boats, which regularly visit MV Assa, drop cargo and return. Iran has been maintain a stoic silence on the issue and it later claimed that the vessel was headed to Singapore.

Contrary to it, the crew claimed they were going to Colombo, then China. However, the ship has not moved an inch since then.

India cannot press for answers as rules of the sea allow complete freedom of navigation within a country’s EEZ.
***

More here.

"They Hate Your Job"

2011-11-28T19:50:00.001-05:00

Fred Fry nails it with his post You're Not Going to Get Job Stimulus From Democrats - They Hate Your Job:

One of the hated jobs
Other than union jobs for private employers, all of the kinds of jobs that the Democrats like require the rest of us to pay taxes to that they have the money to pay the salaries for these workers. This is the heart of the problem. Government needs more private workers so that more tax revenue is collected to pay the salaries of Government employees. So it should be an easy task to pass a bill that will result in stimulating the creation of jobs. One problem, Democrats hate most kinds of private jobs.

Oh, you know those oil pipeline, offshore oil and gas shale jobs we could have? Those jobs are really hated by the crowd that is trying to "create" a market for more expensive "alternative" fuels - having failed to learn from the ongoing ethanol fiasco (in which, to be fair, the Republicans have played a large part).

Read Fred's post.

Monday Read: Border War

2011-11-28T09:45:00.001-05:00

The drug and illegal alien troubles on the border with Mexico are the topic of a disturbing post at Herschel Smith's The Captain's Journal "Border War". Then NBC News report is good and shows the use of boats to move large quantities of drugs.

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plan for the border here, from whence came the map above. That blue thing wandering the border is not a security zone, but an environmental planning area.

Logistics into Afghanistan

2011-11-27T21:14:00.000-05:00

Preceding the latest contretemps with Pakistan but after some discussions on Midrats about the difficulty of the logistic flow in the current war, a nice NPR piece, U.S. Now Relies On Alternate Afghan Supply Routes:

"This is the logistics challenge of our generation," says Vice Adm. Mark Harnitchek, deputy commander of the U.S. military's Transportation Command, and a student of military logistics history. "The challenge of my father's generation was escorting convoys across the north Atlantic when we didn't know how to do that very well. Convoys in 1943 would lose 16 of their 32 ships. The Army had their challenge supplying Patton in his race across France, keeping him resupplied. Supporting operations in Afghanistan is our generational challenge."

Logistics, always logistics.

Somali Pirates: Shipping Alerts

2011-11-27T11:57:00.017-05:00

Arrows point to areas of interest (NATO Shipping Center map, my arrows) (updated 28 Nov 11)

NATO Shipping Center alerts found here:

UPDATE: (Blue arrow) Alert 241 - Suspicious Activity 27/11/2011 17:00 -1.33
49.58 Suspicious Activity Alert 241 - Suspicious Activity A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.
Date of alert : November 28, 2011
Alert type : Suspect Vessel
Location : [241] SOMALIA BASIN 01 20 S 049 35 E
Latitude : 01 20 S
Longitude : 049 35 E
---WARNING WARNING WARNING---
Alert number 241/2011
At 1700 UTC / 27 NOV 11 / a Pirate Attack Group consisting of am other vessel and 4 skiffs was reported in position 01 20 S 049 35 E.

(Yellow arrow) alert 240/11 26/11/2011 10:10 -2.87 48.62 Approached Alert 240/11 A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre. Date of alert : November 26, 2011
Alert type : Suspect Vessel
Location :
Latitude : 02 52 S
Longitude : 048 37 E

---WARNING WARNING WARNING---

Alert number 240/2011

At 1010 UTC / 26 OCT / a Pirate Action Group consisting of one whaler and one skiff was reported in position 02 52 S 048 37 E.

Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating within 100 nautical miles of the position given in this report and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously.
***
(Red Arrow)NSC 14/11 Suspicious Approach 26/11/2011 06:00 12.62
43.43 Approached NSC 14/11 Suspicious Approach
NSC has received reports of a single skiff approaching a vessel in the Bab al Mandeb, in position 12 37N 043 26E. it approached to 0.5nm before breaking off and is believed to be loitering in the area. The skiff is reportedly white with a red stripe, and is carrying 6 persons on board.

Somali Pirates: Counter-Pirate Forces Short of EU Ships - Budget Issues

2011-11-25T09:09:00.000-05:00

Too expensive to use for the designed purpose

Reported here:

The European Union(EU)’s anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia is plagued by a shortage of warships due to budget cuts, the bloc’s top military officer said on Tuesday.

"I can imagine that there are many different reasons for this, but one is of course economy and also the budget cuts," said General Hakan Syren, chairman of the EU Military Committee.

EU’s Atalanta operation requires a minimum of four to six ships, but the number would fall "below the red line" in December, the general said after a meeting of military chiefs from the bloc’s 27 member countries.

"We are all aware of that. We are near the end of Novermber now. I think it is no repairable in this short time. But in March, we will above the red line again," he said.

"When it comes to this kind of assets, I can imagine that member states have felt a bit insecure about the situation in the Mediterranean Sea connected to the Arab Spring and the Libyan crisis, but primarily it is a question of resources," he said.

EU nations contributed about 10 warships to the Atalanta operation when it was launched in 2008 to fight against pirates off the coast of Somalia.

However, there are only six or seven EU warships that are taking part in the operation, which has been extended until the end of next year.

Given all the stirring resolutions about fighting the pirate menace, I guess it just a matter of priorities and "All hat, no cattle," as the Texas saying goes.

I suspect private security companies will fill in part of the security gaps caused by this issue.

Photo of the ship? Old U.S. Navy battleship.

Take the Day Off, It's Time for Giving Thanks

2011-11-24T01:12:00.000-05:00

All of us have something to be thankful for, even it sometimes seems that we carry heavy burdens in hard times.

Count your blessings. If you are reading this, you are breathing, able to read and have access to the internet.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen

Somali Pirates: The Past 30 Days

2011-11-22T09:11:00.000-05:00

From the NATO Shipping Center All Alerts. The most recent incidents:

Arrow points to Alert 239 (NATO map, my arrow)
ALERT 239 21/11/2011 05:35 -4.6 43.3
Attacked WARNING WARNING WARNING
AT 0536 UTC 21 NOV A MERCHANT VESSEL WAS ATTACKED BY 2 SKIFFS IN POSITION 0404S 04302E. THERE WERE 3 POB EACH SKIFF. WEAPONS WERE FIRED.

***THIS VESSEL MANAGED TO EVADE HIJACK***
*** THE VESSEL IS SAFE***
***THE PIRATE ACTION GROUP IS STILL IN THE AREA***
VESSELS ARE ADVISED TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN NAVIGATING WITHIN 100 NAUTICAL MILES OF THE POSITION GIVEN IN THIS REPORT AND MAITAIN MAXIMUM CPA WITH ANY SHIP ACTING SUSPICIOUSLY
***
EU NAVFOR Photo
NSC 13/11 19/11/2011 14:20 22.6 59.85
Approached WARNING WARNING WARNIG
VESSEL WAS APPROACHED BY A SKIFF WITH 3 PEOPLE ON BOARD, IN POSITION 2204N 05951E. SKIFF WAS TRAVELLING AT A SPEED OF 21 KTS. CREW SHELTERED IN THE CITADEL AND BMP4 MEASURES WERE IMPLEMENTED. THE SKIFF ABORTED THE APPROACH. VESSEL IS REPORTED SAFE.

VESSELS ARE ADVISED TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN TRANSITTING THIS AREA.

NSC 12/11 19/11/2011 06:00 12.48 43.53
Approached Suspicious Approach
A merchant vessel reported a suspicious approach by 2 skiffs in the area 1229N 04332E. Vessel is safe

ALERT 238 18/11/2011 04:50 12.55 43.55
Attacked WARNING WARNING WARNING
AT 0450Z 18 NOV A PIRATE ACTION GROUP CONSITING OF 1 SKIFF WAS REPORTED IN POSITION 1233N 04333E. MORE THEN ONE MV REPORTS BEING ATTACKED.

*** THE VESSELS MANAGED TO EVADE HIJACK***
*** THE VESSELS ARE SAFE ****

VESSELS ARE URGED TO OPERATE AT A HEIGHTENED STATE OF READINESS, IMPLEMENT SELF PROTECTIVE (DEFENSIVE) MEASURES IN ACCORDANCE WITH BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 4.

NSC 11/11 16/11/2011 07:40 -11.733333 42.6666667
Approached Suspicious Approach
Vessel reported a suspicious approach in the Northern Mozambique Channel. 1144S 04240E. The vessel was approached by 3 skiffs. Vessel is safe. Masters are advised to exercise extreme vigilance while transiting this area.

Winds off Kenya, Northern Mozambique Channel

Looks like the winds are up to over 10 knots in much of the northern pirate operating areas, so that my account for some slowing of piracy. Along with the escorts and armed guards and the like, of course.

Wind and waves seem more amenable to small boat operations in the Northern Mozambique Channel as shown in the nearby map from WeatherOnline. See also WeatherOnline info in the right column.

Strait of Malacca Maritime Security: DoD-funded Integrated Maritime Surveillance System

2011-11-21T15:09:00.017-05:00

An announcement from the U.S. Department of State DoD-funded Integrated Maritime Surveillance System:

Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 18, 2011

From FY2006 to FY2008 the U.S. Government provided approximately $57 million via the National Defense Authorization Act Section 1206 to support Indonesia’s establishment of an Integrated Maritime Surveillance System (IMSS) strategically located to cover Malacca Strait, Sulawesi Sea, and Moluccas Strait.

The fully operational IMSS enhances Indonesia’s ability to detect, track, and monitor vessels passing through territorial and international waters. This capability is crucial to combating piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling, and terrorism within and around Indonesia’s maritime borders. The IMSS helps achieve Indonesian and U.S. maritime security goals and exemplifies bilateral cooperation under the Comprehensive Partnership, along with setting conditions for increased multilateral collaboration with Malaysia and the Philippines.

The IMSS is a tightly integrated network of ship and shore based sensors, communications devices, and computing resources that collect, transmit, analyze and display a broad array of maritime data including automatic identification system (AIS), surface radar, surveillance cameras, global positioning system (GPS), equipment health monitors and radio transmissions of maritime traffic in wide operating areas. Redundant sensors and multiple communication paths make the IMSS a robust and capable system.

The IMSS was officially handed over to the Government of Indonesia following an Operational Demonstration conducted in Surabaya on October 25, 2011. The IMSS is manned and operated by the Indonesian Navy, and consists of 18 Coastal Surveillance Stations (CSS), 11 Ship-based Radars, two Regional Command Centers, and two Fleet Command Centers (Jakarta and Surabaya)

The U.S. government remains committed to improving maritime domain awareness in the region and has allocated an additional $4.6 to ensure sustainment until 2014.

More on the IMSS from it's developer here:

Integrated Maritime Surveillance System (Techno-Sciences, Inc. photos)
Trident's Integrated Maritime Surveillance System (IMSS) is designed for governments and other appropriate authorities challenged with demanding Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and Common Operating Picture (COP) requirements.

The IMSS is a tightly integrated network of ship and shore based sensors, communications devices and computing resources that collect, transmit, analyze and display a broad array of disparate data including automatic information system (AIS), radar, surveillance cameras, global positioning system (GPS), equipment health monitors and radio transmissions of maritime traffic in a wide operating area. Redundant sensors and multiple communications paths make the system robust and still functional even in the case of a major component failure.

The clever open architecture and purposeful use commercial off-the-shelf components provides the customer tremendous flexibility in making performance-cost trade offs today and in making capability upgrades and additions tomorrow.

China and the Obama Pacific Front

2011-11-21T09:20:00.004-05:00

The revised United States Pacific approach, as announced by President Obama in his recent Remarks By President Obama to the Australian Parliament sounds tough and reassuring to our allies in the region:

Our new focus on this region reflects a fundamental truth -- the United States has been, and always will be, a Pacific nation. Asian immigrants helped build America, and millions of American families, including my own, cherish our ties to this region. From the bombing of Darwin to the liberation of Pacific islands, from the rice paddies of Southeast Asia to a cold Korean Peninsula, generations of Americans have served here, and died here -- so democracies could take root; so economic miracles could lift hundreds of millions to prosperity. Americans have bled with you for this progress, and we will not allow it -- we will never allow it to be reversed.

Here, we see the future. As the world’s fastest-growing region -- and home to more than half the global economy -- the Asia Pacific is critical to achieving my highest priority, and that's creating jobs and opportunity for the American people. With most of the world’s nuclear power and some half of humanity, Asia will largely define whether the century ahead will be marked by conflict or cooperation, needless suffering or human progress.

As President, I have, therefore, made a deliberate and strategic decision -- as a Pacific nation, the United States will play a larger and long-term role in shaping this region and its future, by upholding core principles and in close partnership with our allies and friends.
***
Let me tell you what this means. First, we seek security, which is the foundation of peace and prosperity. We stand for an international order in which the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all people are upheld. Where international law and norms are enforced. Where commerce and freedom of navigation are not impeded. Where emerging powers contribute to regional security, and where disagreements are resolved peacefully. That's the future that we seek.
***
My guidance is clear. As we plan and budget for the future, we will allocate the resources necessary to maintain our strong military presence in this region. We will preserve our unique ability to project power and deter threats to peace. We will keep our commitments, including our treaty obligations to allies like Australia. And we will constantly strengthen our capabilities to meet the needs of the 21st century. Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in the region. The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay.

Okay, so far, so good. This speech and all the diplomatic stuff that goes with it, helps to stiffen the spines of our allies. Australia, "rejects China concerns on Australia-US ties," the Philippines, a treaty ally of the U.S. says,

The U.S. presence “bolsters our ability to assert our sovereignty over certain areas,” Ricky Carandang, a spokesman for Philippines President Benigno Aquino, said Nov. 17.

China is reported to be taking two routes. First, it "plays down" freedom of navigation issues in the South China Sea while promising soft power as a counter to the U.S.:

China is “soft-talking to prevent more members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from joining the Washington-led containment policy,” Willy Wo-Lap Lam, an adjunct history professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said by e-mail. “Placatory gestures are being bolstered by dollar diplomacy: More developmental and infrastructure aid will be pouring into Asean countries, particularly those that have not fallen for America’s siren song.”

China is seeking to reassure countries in the region after its moves to assert sovereignty in waters that may contain oil and gas reserves provided Obama an opening to expand strategic ties in Asia. Over the course of a nine-day Asia-Pacific trip that began Nov. 11 in Hawaii, the president announced plans to advance regional trade talks that don’t include China and called on leaders of the world’s second largest economy to “play by the rules.”

China's Nine-Dotted Line Map

Second, reportedly China's fury building over Obama's new Asia policy:

Chinese scholars and commentators lashed out with barely repressed anger at President Obama's trip to Asia, complaining that his efforts to shore up U.S. influence in Asia were by implication aimed at containing China.

"The United States has alienated 1 billion Chinese. It's not smart public diplomacy," Shen Dingli, a professor of American studies at Shanghai's Fudan University, said Monday.

The English-language China Daily in its lead editorial on Monday accused the United States of "scaremongering" over the perceived threat of China's rise and a signed Op-Ed article on Sunday declared, "East Asia not U.S. playground."

"The aim of America's strategic move east is in fact to pin down and contain China and counterbalance China's development," echoed Jiefang Daily, a Chinese-language version of the official Xinhua news agency, in a commentary on Sunday.

Now, here comes this odd little kicker to the President's strong talk from a meeting with the Chinese Prime Minister, after all the other strong talk:

US officials have praised China's attitude on South China Sea territorial disputes after talks between Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and President Barack Obama.
***
The meeting came after spats between Beijing and Washington over trade, currency and territorial rights in the South China Sea.

The sea holds potentially vast reserves of oil and gas, and is an important shipping route.

China lays claim to the whole of the sea, while other South East Asian nations claim parts of it.
***
US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said the "informal meeting" between Mr Obama and Mr Wen focused mainly on economic issues.

He said the two leaders discussed "specific issues around business practices" as well as Chinese currency controls.

Mr Donilon said the United States did not have a view on sovereignty on the South China Sea, but wanted to see shipping lanes remain open.

"We don't have a claim, we don't take sides in the claims, but we do as a global maritime power have an interest in seeing these principles applied broadly," he said.

Take a look at the maps. They both mark the Chinese South China Sea claims and the color map, in addition, marks the claims of those of the South China Sea littoral nations, including the very allies which Mr. Obama promised to support, including the Philippines, our "treaty ally" so comforted by the earlier speeches.

How the National Security Adviser can say, "We don't have a claim, we don't take sides in the claims . . ." is beyond me.

Those are the sort of words that lead to the invasion of South Korea 61 years ago. If we are drawing a line in the sands of the Pacific, it has to be a much firmer line than that.

UPDATE: Secretary of State Clinton on "America's Pacific Century":

And there are challenges facing the Asia Pacific right now that demand America’s leadership, from ensuring freedom of navigation in the South China Sea to countering North Korea’s provocations and proliferation activities to promoting balanced and inclusive economic growth. The United States has unique capacities to bring to bear in these efforts and a strong national interest at stake.
Now that’s the why of America’s pivot toward the Asia Pacific. Now, what about the how? What will this next chapter in our engagement with Asia look like? It starts with a sustained commitment to the strategy we have followed in this administration, what I have called forward-deployed diplomacy. That means dispatching the full range of our diplomatic resources, including our highest-ranking officials, our diplomats and development experts, and our permanent assets, to every country and corner of the region.
Specifically, we are moving ahead on six key lines of action, which I have previously discussed in depth. They are: strengthening our bilateral security alliances; deepening our working relationships with emerging powers; engaging with regional multilateral institutions; expanding trade and investment; forging a broad-based military presence; and advancing democracy and human rights.
***
The United States takes very seriously the role that our military plays in protecting the region, including more than 50,000 U.S. servicemen and women stationed in Japan and South Korea. As this region changes, we must change our force posture to ensure that it is geographically distributed, operationally resilient, and politically sustainable. A more broadly distributed military presence provides vital advantages, both in deterring and responding to threats, and in providing support for humanitarian missions.

Some background at China and the South China Sea: Back to the "Cow's Tongue" and the links therein.

The emphasis in the above quotes was added by me.

Midrats Episode 98 Tom Bowman with the Darkhorse in Afghanistan

2011-11-20T00:39:00.000-05:00

Join us Sunday, 20 Nov 11 at 5 pm (Eastern U.S.) for Episode 98 Tom Bowman with the Darkhorse in Afghanistan on Blog Talk Radio:

For those who listen to All Things Considered on NPR, earlier this month you caught an outstanding series on the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines – the Darkhorse Battalion — the Marine unit that suffered the highest casualty rate of any Marine unit during the 10-year Afghan war.

Our guest for the full hour is the journalist who brought the American people that story - Tom Bowman, NPR National Desk reporter covering the Pentagon.

In his current role, Bowman has traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan often for month-long visits and embedded with U.S. Marines and soldiers.

Before coming to NPR in April 2006, Bowman spent nine years as a Pentagon reporter at The Baltimore Sun. Altogether he was at The Sun for nearly two decades, covering the Maryland Statehouse, the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the National Security Agency (NSA).

The show link is here. You can also download the program there (shortly after we finish on air) for later listening. Or you can find Midrats on iTunes.

Truth to Power

2011-11-18T13:27:00.002-05:00

This is a blog that mostly deals with maritime and national security. However, in addition to sea piracy, there are people out there who hijack other people's money just as pirates hijack ships - and this hijacking has an impact on our national security in the economic sphere.

Here's a little look at one outraged former hedge broker who has a message. From BizzyBlog, "Thank You, Ann Barnhardt; We Need More People With Your Courage", which needs to be read in its entirety - but you should be aware of at least these words of Ann Barnhardt (her blog is here):

Everything changed just a few short weeks ago. A firm, led by a crony of the Obama regime, stole all of the non-margined cash held by customers of his firm. Let’s not sugar-coat this or make this crime seem “complex” and “abstract” by drowning ourselves in six-dollar words and uber-technical jargon. Jon Corzine STOLE the customer cash at MF Global. Knowing Jon Corzine, and knowing the abject lawlessness and contempt for humanity of the Marxist Obama regime and its cronies, this is not really a surprise. What was a surprise was the reaction of the exchanges and regulators. Their reaction has been to take a bad situation and make it orders of magnitude worse. Specifically, they froze customers out of their accounts WHILE THE MARKETS CONTINUED TO TRADE, refusing to even allow them to liquidate. This is unfathomable. The risk exposure precedent that has been set is completely intolerable and has destroyed the entire industry paradigm. No informed person can continue to engage these markets, and no moral person can continue to broker or facilitate customer engagement in what is now a massive game of Russian Roulette.

Why Mr. Corzine is not under arrest is a mystery to me. Arrest him for suspicion of theft and then sort the mess out. As the woman in the cartoon above knows, when a ship sinks, someone has to be called to task.

It does remind me of an old newspaper column by, I think, Mike Royko ( I could be wrong), in which the writer received one of those "invest with me - it's sure thing" calls from some broker or another. As I remember, the conversation went something like this:

The writer offered the broker a deal, "If I invest my life's saving with you, I only ask one thing."

Broker: "What's that?"

Writer: "If you lose my money, I get to kill you."

Broker: "What?"

Writer: "Look, my whole working life and the future lives of my wife and children are wrapped up in that money. If it is gone, my working life as been wasted. Don't you think it fair that in exchange for giving you my life's work, you should offer up something in exchange for me investing in your 'sure thing" - and I think your life would be a fair exchange."

The broker hung up the phone.

I'll try to track down the original column, but I think I captured the essence if not the quality of writing.

The bigger point is, however, that these money managers - who make money coming and going - need to have something real at risk - instead of just a sullied reputation. While execution may be too harsh, breaking rocks in the hot sun might not be.

So, while I may not have chosen all the words Ms. Barnhardt used, her speaking "truth to power" and in going "John Galt" is worthy of note.

Somali Pirates: The One Skiff Pirate Attack Group

2011-11-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

From today's NATO Shipping Center Alerts:

ALERT 238 18/11/2011 04:50
12.55 43.55 Attacked WARNING WARNING WARNING
AT 0450Z 18 NOV A PIRATE ACTION GROUP CONSISTING OF 1 SKIFF WAS REPORTED IN POSITION 1233N 04333E. MORE THEN ONE MV REPORTS BEING ATTACKED.

*** THE VESSELS MANAGED TO EVADE HIJACK***
*** THE VESSELS ARE SAFE ****

VESSELS ARE URGED TO OPERATE AT A HEIGHTENED STATE OF READINESS, IMPLEMENT SELF PROTECTIVE (DEFENSIVE) MEASURES IN ACCORDANCE WITH BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES 4.

Map is a portion the NATO alert map, with a red circle I added to highlight location.

Merchant ships in the area ought to run the skiff over.

Is Italy a Failing State?

2011-11-18T10:48:00.000-05:00

Given its economic situation, an interesting question posed in The End of Italy - By David Gilmour at Foreign Policy

The government's political and economic failures are not the only cause of the malaise that now threatens Italy's survival. Some flaws in the national structure were inherent in the circumstances of the country's creation. The Northern League -- Italy's third-largest political party, which suggested that the country's 150th birthday in March should be cause for mourning rather than celebration -- is not simply a bizarre aberration. Its attitude to the south, xenophobic and even racist as it sometimes is, demonstrates the truth that Italy has never felt itself to be a properly united country.

Worth a read, especially if you haven't thought about what a recent (relatively) construct Italy is.

What might happen if Italy falls apart? Revival of Piedmont, Tuscany, Lombardy, Venice and the kingdom of Naples?

Or might this current crisis cause the country, despite, Mr. Gilmour's words, to pull together or attempt to do so? Do the regions all hang together or wither separately? Go full Balkan or cobble together alliances?

Trend Lines

2011-11-17T10:50:00.000-05:00

Chinese Shipping company Freezing Payments.

Baltic Dry Index:

View the full BDIY chart at Wikinvest

Baltic Dry Index is a daily average of prices to ship raw materials. It represents the cost paid by an end customer to have a shipping company transport raw materials across seas on the Baltic Exchange, the global marketplace for brokering shipping contracts. The index is quoted every working day at 1300 London time. This index can be used as an overall economic indicator as it shows where end prices are heading for items that use the raw materials that are shipped in dry bulk.

Generally, a decrease in the BDI means demand is down for raw materials and that portends a decline in future planned production because of weak consumer demand. In the chart above, you will note a slight increase trend in the BDI in the past few days. In the last 12 months, the BDI has ranged from a low of 1043 (Feb 2011) to a high of 2261 (Dec 2010). Here's the last two years:

What's it all mean? Chinese shipping company not paying ship owners?

Is it because their demand is down and they don't need to be especially nice to the ship owners to ensure they can get ships in a tight market? Because they know there's too many ships chasing too few charters?

Glenn Reynolds gets an interesting question from one of his readers:

“Did the Administration punt on Keystone because there are more Solyndras out there dependent on high oil prices and Alberta oil threatens to lower the price enough to put more of them out of business?

"You don’t need a weatherman To know which way the wind blows," Dylan once wrote. How else do you create a market for overpriced fuels and products? Jack up the prices and costs of your competition. In private business it would be a violation of the law. Apparently, in government when the goal is "saving the planet" there are no rules. So we see the Department of the Navy getting into the "market creation business" for an unproven business (or, as the insiders put it, "investing in").

Of course, "investments" are always better when the fix is in. But, as Solyndra proves, sometimes the "fix" doesn't take. Which means, with private investors the investors take a bath. With taxpayer money? It was just "unexpected" that competition could drop the price model of Solyndra into the garbage pit.

Despite strong growth in the first half of 2011 and traction in North America with a number of orders for very large commercial rooftops, Solyndra could not achieve full-scale operations rapidly enough to compete in the near term with the resources of larger foreign manufacturers. This competitive challenge was exacerbated by a global oversupply of solar panels and a severe compression of prices that in part resulted from uncertainty in governmental incentive programs in Europe and the decline in credit markets that finance solar systems.

A "global oversupply of solar panels?" Surely, someone should have been monitoring the market before a ton of money was "invested?"

Half a billion here, half a billion there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

A Fighting Small Boat Swarms Idea

2011-11-16T11:43:00.003-05:00

Raytheon photo

Robert Wall, an Aviation Week reporter blogs from the Dubai Air Show on an approach to fighting small boat swarms here:

Raytheon and Emirates Advanced Research and Technology Holding (Earth), its UAE partner, see potential application of the Talon laser-guided rocket to take on small boats.

Raytheon's TALON Laser Guided Rocket site:

AH-64D Apache (Boeing photo)
TALON is a low-cost, semi-active laser guidance and control kit that connects directly to the front of 2.75-inch unguided rockets currently in U.S. and international inventories. It has been designed to fill the critical operational gap between unguided rockets and guided heavy anti-tank missiles.

TALON provides an effective weapon against soft to lightly armored point targets while reducing potential collateral damage. Moreover, its precision standoff range results in improved platform survivability.

Cessna Grand Caravan

These rockets were designed for the AH-64 Apache, but it seems that Raytheon and its partner are thinking it could work on other platforms, too, as well as being capable of targeting small boats instead of just armor and land stuff.

See here where the Cessna Caravan and the AT-802U Air Tractor are mentioned. The latter is an interesting aircraft for anti-small boat ops - long linger time, reasonable pay load. As the Air Tractor site say:

Air Tractor photo of AT-802U
Particularly well suited for force application and situational awareness roles in asymmetrical warfare theatres of operation, the AT-802U is both economical and effective. Like a truck, the aircraft is utilitarian in nature: tough, powerful, and configurable to simply get the job done. It can maintain very long endurance over target and can employ a wide range of weapons simultaneously, with a high degree of accuracy to minimize collateral damage.

With its balloon tires and rugged landing gear, the AT-802U is built to land and operate off unimproved airstrips – even dirt roads – providing unprecedented direct support and coordination with ground troops. The AT-802U can fly in extreme heat and dust conditions and with its massive fuel reserves, loiter over target to find, fix and finish when other fighters have to return to the tanker.

Pilot and sensor operator on the AT-802U. Wonder how they'd do off and on a small flight deck?

Advertising from Air Tractor (and no, I don't own any shares in it or Raytheon or Cessna):
Air Tractor At-802u Brochure

Defense Spending Questions

2011-11-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

Aviation Week notes a lot of hype about defense cuts, asks most of the right questions in its editorial on Defense Spending Debate Misses The Point , but here's the rub in its conclusion:

Our intent is not to point fingers. Our goal is to make it clear that these are large, complex issues that must be addressed with rigor, intellectual honesty and sophistication about the broader foreign policy and economic implications. Defense spending is not arithmetic, it is calculus—and it is hard.

Hard work is not what Congress is noted for, so the unasked question is whether or not there are enough grownups in DC with the highlighted skill set to make mature decisions and avoid the "business as usual" drill?

Is this a self-answering question?

Somali Pirates: 15 Nov 11 Alert

2011-11-15T09:24:00.001-05:00

From the friendly NATO Shipping Center

Attack off Oman - vessel safe
Alert 237 15/11/2011 04:30 15.85 55.11
Attacked Alert 237 Attacked, vessel safe
A piracy alert has been raised by the Maritime Security Centre.

Date of alert : November 15, 2011
Alert type : Attempted Attack
Location : [237] Arabian Sea- Indian Ocean 1551N 05507E
Latitude : 15 51 N
Longitude : 055 07 E

---WARNING WARNING WARNING---

Alert number 237 / 2011.

At 0427 UTC / 15 OCT 11 / a merchant vessel is currently under attack by 1 skiff in position 1551N 05507E.

Warning area for possible Pirate Action Group
Attacked vessel reported possible mothership location 1548N 05507E. Unconfirmed.
**** UPDATE ****
**** Vessel is safe ****
**** Nato Shipping Centre is monitoring the situation ****

U.S. Coast Guard: Drug Sub Busts

2011-11-14T10:36:00.000-05:00

Footage of capture of crew of scuttled drug semi-submerisible from the USCGC Mohawk from Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk interdicts drug sub

Drug subs and semi-subs used to be a Pacific issue but recent months have seen their appearance in the Caribbean. First Caribbean drug sub bust:

Listen to Midrats Sunday: Episode 96 The Journalist at War

2011-11-13T10:59:00.001-05:00

Sunday, November 13, 2011, 5pm (Eastern U.S.) Episode 96 The Journalist at War 11/13 by Midrats on Blog Talk Radio:

They share the hazards, smell the smells; all that is needed so that those at home may understand what their countrymen are doing in the far reaches of the world on their behalf.

The best know that to tell a story, you have to be in it. Sometimes, the story catches up with them.

Our guest for the full hour will be Kimberly Dozier, foreign correspondent for CBS News Radio specializing in the Middle East from the disputed territories of Israel to the war in Afghanistan and the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

She reported on the war in Iraq from 2003 until she was injured by a car bomb in 2006. She recently returned to Afghanistan and Pakistan as an Intelligence/Counterterrorism correspondent for the Associated Press.

She is also the author of Breathing the Fire, the story of her recovery from her injuries in 2006.

Also you can listen on iTunes or BlogTalkRadio - Midrats or by downloading from either location.

Federal Stimulus Waste: Another "Green" Projecct Transferring Taxpayer "Green" into Private Pockets

2011-11-13T10:47:00.000-05:00

From my brother, Rone Tempest, at WoFile,

Two Elk Stimulus: Big paychecks but no new jobs

Over the past two years, the federal stimulus program paid the owner of a Colorado-based energy company and the company’s Wyoming representative more than $1 million in salaries and benefits for a Department of Energy carbon storage study in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, according to records obtained by WyoFile under the Freedom of Information Act.

Federal pay invoices show that Michael J. Ruffatto, founder and CEO of North American Power Group Ltd., based in Greenwood Village, CO, received $955,343.29, and Brad Enzi, NAPG’s Cheyenne-based representative and son of Wyoming US Sen. Mike Enzi, $128,394.73 for the Two Elk Energy Park Carbon Site Characterization project from September 2009, when the study began, through July 31, 2011, the last date for which records were available. According to the National Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, Ruffatto and Enzi’s compensation is nearly 20 percent of the total spent so far on the project.

Overall, the price tag of the Two Elk carbon site characterization project is nearly $10 million — $9,949,962.00. Its purpose is to determine if the sub-surface geology of the Powder River basin is suitable for storing CO2 produced by power plants and other industrial sources.

The project was awarded two grants from the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory. It is part of the Obama administration’s National Recovery Act stimulus package aimed at jump-starting the economy and creating new jobs.

However, in his most recent quarterly filing to the National Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, Ruffatto, a millionaire lawyer and philanthropist who heads the scientific project, reported that “no new direct jobs have been created for this project.”

Rather than creating new jobs, Ruffatto reported, a percentage of his and other North American Power Group employees’ wages were paid for with stimulus funds. He estimated that, in addition, 15 “indirect jobs” and 60 “induced jobs” have been created by the federal stimulus money.

Two Elk

The timing of the stimulus grants was particularly good for North American Power Group. The company had seen a series of setbacks to its ambitious – but long delayed — $1 billion, 320-megawatt Two Elk power plant project 40 miles southeast of Gillette.

North American owns four smaller operating power plants in California, but the Two Elk plant on 880 acres in Wyoming is to be its showcase project. At one point, Ruffatto told investors of plans to build seven power plants on the Two Elk site — biomass, coal and natural gas — to provide power to Colorado and the American Southwest.

Had the dream been realized, he would have commanded a sizeable private utility.

But before the first Two Elk plant could be constructed in Campbell County, a combination of financing, transmission and regulatory problems slowed the construction process to a crawl and then to a standstill. Local residents jokingly referred to the stalled project (in the works since the late 1990s) as “No Elk.”

The latest blow to Two Elk came this spring, when an IRS audit determined that not enough progress had been made on the plant for North American to continue to qualify for tax exempt status on the $445-million in Industrial Revenue Bonds the company holds. The bonds had been sponsored by Campbell County and approved by successive Wyoming governors — Republican Jim Geringer and Democrat Dave Freudenthal.

The bonds were issued in 2007 by Campbell County under a creative interpretation of the US Tax Code that classified the coal-fired Two Elk power plant as a “solid waste disposal and recycling facility” because the promoters, North American Power Group, said they intended to burn “waste coal” from the giant nearby Arch Coal and Peabody Coal mines.

“Waste coal” is coal that mining companies judge not worth the cost of interstate rail transport to power generators. It is generally reburied at the mine site.

Under the North American plan, the Two Elk plant would “recycle” the lower quality coal by burning it. (See earlier WyoFile Story for more details)

Because interest received by tax exempt bondholders is excluded from gross income, the bonds were originally a major selling point for the power plant project.

But in an April 14, 2011, letter to Campbell County officials, the IRS manager for Tax Exempt Bonds Robert E. Henn wrote that an agency examination “determined that the Bond proceeds were not sufficiently spent to provide a solid waste disposal facility as required by the Code. The issuer (Campbell County) and borrower (North American Power Group) asserted that such a failure was the result of unanticipated impediments in proceeding with the facility.”

As a result, Henn wrote, “the parties agreed to convert the tax-exempt bonds to taxable bonds.”

Ruffatto said that North American still hoped to convert the bonds, now taxable, to “tax exempt bonds at a later date.”

In his letter, however, IRS supervisor Henn wrote that Campbell County and North American Power Group “should strongly consider the appropriateness of any future tax-exempt issuances with respect to the project unless there is an imminently implementable plan to buy them back.”

Meanwhile, North American’s website and public statements no longer mention “waste coal” in connection with the Two Elk power plant. Instead, as Ruffatto wrote in an October 26, 2010 letter to the California Energy Commission, it now plans to burn “woody waste resulting from the removal of hazardous fuels in forests throughout the western United States due to an epidemic of mountain pine beetles.”

76 Hours Per Week @ $214.38 Per Hour

Approved in 2009 and 2010, the federal stimulus grants to North American Power Group allowed Ruffatto to use federal funds to pay a significant portion of his own salary and that of several of his key employees, including Enzi, while waiting for conditions to improve for the construction of the Two Elk power plant.
A salaries and fringe benefits invoice for employees from the North American Power Group and North American Land & Livestock for the month of October. (courtesy of the Department of Energy — click to enlarge)

Ruffatto bills the government $214.38 an hour as “chief investigator” for the stimulus project.

Both he and R. Paul Detwiler, chief counsel for the National Technology Energy Laboratory that awarded the stimulus grants, defended the payments to WyoFile as being consistent with the nature of the work and qualifications of the North American Power Group employees. This includes Brad Enzi, a 1997 University of Wyoming journalism-communications graduate and former Washington, D.C., lobbyist, who is paid $80 an hour from the federal stimulus grant, DOE documents show.

Ruffatto, 65, said in a telephone interview that his hourly rates were worked out in advance with DOE and, in his case, represented a “discount” from his normal rate of pay as chief executive of a regional energy company with offices in Colorado, California and Wyoming.

In one month alone — October, 2010 — Ruffatto was paid $73,369.52 in salary and benefits from the stimulus funds, according to the invoices obtained by WyoFile. Ruffatto reported working 305 hours in that month — or 76 hours a week— for the stimulus project, while also performing his other duties as CEO of North American Power Group.

By comparison, the Wyoming median household income for an entire year is $54,400, according to the most recent census reports. Ruffatto received more in federal pay and benefits during the two-year period than President Obama, whose annual salary is set at $400,000 with a $50,000 expense allowance.

According to his company website, Ruffatto founded privately-held North American Power Group in 1992:

“Ruffatto has over 30 years in the gas, oil and energy trading and power generation industries, including both regulated and unregulated businesses, as a businessman and lawyer. Mike served as a Board of Trustees member of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council from 1999-2002.”

A company presentation prepared for investors in December 2006 reported NAPG’s annual revenues at $85 million, with total assets at $614 million and a net annual income of $20 million.

Accordingly, Ruffatto maintains an upper income lifestyle. Public records show he owns homes in Colorado and California. The Arapahoe County Assessor appraises Ruffatto’s 6,000 square foot estate on 10.7 acres in the affluent Cherry Hills Village suburb south of Denver at $9 million.
Michael Ruffato's home in Corona del Mar, California

Michael Ruffatto's home in Corona del Mar, California, is worth approximately $2 million. (Sarah Tempest/WyoFile — click to enlarge)
Public records show that Ruffatto also owns a smaller home that is valued in the neighborhood of $2-million in Corona del Mar, California, an extremely affluent Orange County beach community. In July 2009, the Orange County Business Journal reported that Ruffatto sold another, much more dramatic home in Corona del Mar for $12.1 million to Los Angeles Angels baseball team owner Arte Moreno.

Ruffatto is also a generous philanthropist and regular political contributor, primarily to Democrats, but also to Republicans.

In 2007, he and his late wife Joan gave $5 million to the University of Denver, where their daughter had attended college. Because of the gift, a building in the Morgridge College of Education is now named Ruffatto Hall. In 2009, Ruffatto was named in a Stanford University press release as a major donor to the university’s new $100 million Precourt Institute for Energy. The amount he gave was not disclosed.

Earlier this year, Ruffatto became engaged to prominent Orange County socialite Eve Kornyei. The couple is frequently pictured in charity newsletters and local newspapers attending fundraisers, particularly for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, in Orange County.

According to records at the Federal Election Commission, Ruffatto contributes to candidates of both major political parties, most recently $4,800 to the successful 2010 US Senate campaign of freshman Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet. But he has also donated in the past to conservative Arizona Republican US Sen. Jon Kyl. In 2007, he gave $2,300 to Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

Enzi’s Work

There is no record of any donations to Wyoming US Sen. Mike Enzi. Enzi is a staunch opponent to the Obama administration stimulus program, which in 2009 he called “bailout baloney.”

“I don’t think Mike Ruffatto has ever met my dad,” Brad Enzi, 36, said in a recent interview.

The younger Enzi, a 6-foot, 8-inch former University of Wyoming walk-on basketball player, said that he and his senator father have never discussed the North American Power Group stimulus grants.

US Sen. Mike Enzi with his son Brad Enzi (right). Brad told WyoFile he spent a majority of his working time on the stimulus project meeting with others to try to understand the public perception of carbon storage. (Photo from Sen. Enzi's Facebook profile)
“My dad and I have a very Chinese Wall relationship when it comes to what I do for a living and what he does for a living. We don’t even talk about energy policy … it’s always been a rule that my dad and I have, because it is one of those things you can look around and see abused on a constant basis,” Enzi said.

In another way, Brad Enzi — or at least his household — does benefit from his father’s position, as his wife Danielle Davis Enzi is a fund-raising consultant for Senator Enzi’s campaign fund and his leadership PAC, Making Business Excel.

According to the most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission, Danielle Enzi’s company, Enzi Strategies, which she operates out of the couple’s north Cheyenne home, received $70,910 in retainers and commissions from the Enzi political funds from July 2010 to July 2011.

The Federal Election Campaign Act permits such payments to family members as long as “the family member is providing a bona fide service to the campaign and the payments reflect the fair market value of those services.”

Regarding the North American stimulus grants, Brad Enzi said he was unaware of accounting details in the project, including how his $80-an-hour pay rate was determined.

He said he receives the same salary from North American Power Group that he did when he joined the company five years ago to promote and develop the company’s proposed Two Elk coal-fired power plant southeast of Gillette in Campbell County.

“I don’t mean to be obtuse,” Enzi said, “but I have no idea how the bills back out. I just turn in my time sheet to Denver. Project administration is handled through that office.”

With Two Elk power plant construction “at a slow point,” Enzi estimated that since August 2010 he has spent an average of 60 to 70 percent of his time on the federal stimulus project “meeting with different groups, landowners, industry groups just trying to get a feel what the public perception of carbon storage is.”

Federal records show that Enzi was paid as much as $17,363.72 in one month — August 2010 — for his reported 182.5 hours work that month on the stimulus project.

In an email response to questions from WyoFile, R. Paul Detwiler, chief counsel for the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Pittsburg, Pa., said that the Department of Energy conducted a budget analysis before North American Power was awarded the grants, as well as a subsequent review by contract specialists at the federal agency.

Detwiler said the budget specialists concluded that “the salary and benefits being paid to Mr. Ruffatto and Mr. Enzi are appropriate for their skill set and the work they perform.”

Comparison To UW Carbon Storage Project

The University of Wyoming's carbon storage study, seen here, is similar to the Two Elk project. Both receive federal funds to search for and study suitable reservoirs for carbon sequestration, but the UW project focuses less of its funding on leadership salaries. (Photo by Meg Ewald and the Carbon Management Institute — click to enlarge)
However, the pay rates are much higher than those of a similar, federally funded ($9,975,000.00) University of Wyoming carbon storage study underway in southwest Wyoming.

The principal investigator of that project, retired University of Wyoming professor and former state geologist Ronald C. Surdam, receives his $210,000 annual salary from state funds, as director of the UW Carbon Management Institute. Surdam, a nationally-recognized expert on carbon sequestration geology, receives no pay from the stimulus grant.

Nor does Surdam’s chief deputy in the project, Shanna Dahl. Dahl said the employee who gets paid most highly with federal stimulus dollars is a PhD research scientist who makes about $110,000 a year in salary and benefits. Dahl said the project is in the process of hiring another scientist to be paid with federal stimulus dollars at about the same pay rate.

The UW project is different from the North American Power Group carbon storage characterization project in that the bulk of the money spent by UW, over $8 million, went directly to the university’s main contractor, the Houston-based drilling company Baker Hughes, Inc., to drill a 13,000-foot deep well near the Jim Bridger Power Plant in southwest Wyoming.

According to Baker Hughes vice president for communications Teresa Wong, the drilling company donated an unspecified portion of its services to the project in kind. “We believe this is a great project for Wyoming and if it is successful, it will help facilitate and grow the CO2 storage industry in Wyoming, assist the coal industry to meet future CO2 targets and will thus create and preserve local jobs,” Wong said.

The Baker Hughes well was completed in August. Now the project is hiring scientists to determine if the Rock Springs Uplift and Moxa Arch deep saline reservoirs there are suitable for permanent CO2 sequestration.

The North American Power Group project is at a much more preliminary stage, with researchers collecting existing subsurface data for the important coal mining area surrounding Gillette. The North American Power Group project hired Montana State University, which helped Ruffatto write the proposal for the stimulus grant, and Stanford University, where Professor Sally Benson, like Surdam at UW, is a leading scientist in the area of geologic storage of CO2 in deep underground formations, as subcontractors.

According to the most recent quarterly report on the project ending June 30, Montana State had received $168,793.39 in stimulus funds since fall of 2009; Stanford had been paid $175,245.43 over the same period.

Employees work the drill at the site of the University of Wyoming's carbon storage study. Since the well was completed in August, the project is now hiring scientists to determine if the Rock Springs Uplift and Moxa Arch deep saline reservoirs are suitable for permanent CO2 sequestration.(Photo by Meg Ewald and the Carbon Management Institute — click to enlarge)
Following enactment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory picked 10 proposed carbon storage site characterization studies, including the two in Wyoming, to receive a total of $70 million in funding. A year later, the ten projects nationwide were awarded an additional $5 million each.

“We were very fortunate,” said Ruffatto, a political science graduate of Stanford University and law school alum of the University of South Carolina, “to be chosen among a number of other projects throughout the United States, each one of which is obviously looking at different features, different geologies, the end result of which is going to be to add to the knowledge base and data base that the Department of Energy and others have been trying to promote and hopefully commercialize.”

— Frequent contributor Rone Tempest is a former national and foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. From 2008-2010 he was WyoFile’s editor. He lives in Lander. Also contributing to this story from Orange County, Ca., were Ray F. Herndon and Sarah Tempest.

— If you enjoyed this investigative report and would like to see more quality Wyoming journalism, please consider supporting WyoFile: a non-partisan, non-profit news organization dedicated to in-depth reporting on Wyoming’s people, places and policy.

Salaraies and Fringe Benefits Document (available on WyoFile here).

Republished in accord with WyoFile's republishing guidelines.

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Dutch Government Minister Warns Private Armed Guards On Dutch Ships Could Be Legal Violation

2011-11-12T08:49:00.000-05:00

Reported as Armed guards on ships could be an offence, says minister:

Shipping firms which place private armed security guards on ships passing areas where pirates operate risk criminal prosecution, justice minister Ivo Opstelten said on Thursday evening.

Jumbo Shipping from Rotterdam and Vroon Shipping based in Breskens have both said they will carry armed guards while sailing under the Dutch flag.

Just one more complication in the battle against Somali pirates.

No wonder the Jolly Roger has a smile on his face.

Turkey: Ferry Hijacked, Hijacker Killed By Commandos

2011-11-12T07:21:00.000-05:00

VOA reports Turkish Forces Kill Ferry Hijacker :

Authorities say Turkish commandos stormed a hijacked ferry Saturday and killed the lone hijacker.

Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu told reporters Saturday that the crew and passengers were all safe, and the identity of the hijacker is still being determined. Earlier reports said up to five suspected Kurdish militants armed with explosives carried out the hijacking.

The ferry Kartepe was carrying 18 passengers, including five women, along with four crew members and two trainees. It ran out of fuel Friday after sailing from Izmit and dropping anchor in the Sea of Marmara, where it was reported commandos boarded the vessel.

Turkish media reported that the ferry was traveling between Izmit and the town of Golcuk in Kocaeli province Friday evening when the vessel was seized by militants.

Somali Pirates: Indian Navy Throws Them for a Loss

2011-11-11T10:58:00.001-05:00

Reported at The Hindu : Navy foils Somali pirate attack off Gulf of Aden:

The Indian Navy patrolling the Gulf of Aden on Thursday thwarted a multi-boat attack by sea brigands on merchant vessels, apprehending 26 Somali pirates and confiscating arms and ammunition, in the fifth successful anti-piracy operation since September.

At 9.25 a.m. on Thursday, navy personnel aboard warship INS Sukanya spotted a group of five suspicious boats speedily approaching the merchant vessels of her group.

“The warship immediately altered (its direction) towards the suspicious vessels and challenged them. On seeing the resolve evident in the warship’s action and probably mindful of the reputation for resolute action that the Indian Navy justly enjoys in such deployments, the pirate skiffs reversed course and tried to flee the area,” Captain Manohar Nambiar, Chief Public Relations Officer, Defence, said.

While two of them managed to escape, INS Sukanya successfully intercepted the remaining three boats and, in a well-practiced and professionally executed boarding-and-search action, nabbed 26 Somali pirates with six AK 47 rifles, 12 magazines and about 300 rounds of ammunition.

This is the fifth successful anti-piracy operation conducted by INS Sukanya in the course of her ongoing patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden that commenced in September, the Navy said.

More on the Sukanya-class of offshore patrol vessels here.