Someone in Somalia Shoots and Hits an Italian Navy Helicopter - Was it 'Pirates?'

Well, the headline acts as if there might be some doubt as to the shooter's career choice, as seen at 'Pirates' fire on Italian navy helicopter from News24. Reuters (or perhaps The Star of Malaysia) goes with "Suspected Somali pirates fire on Italian navy helicopter":

Suspected pirates opened fire on an Italian navy helicopter on patrol off the east coast of Somalia, hitting a window and slightly injuring a pilot, the force said on Friday.

The attack from a small boat broke the window, spraying out glass that hit one of the pilots in the neck, the navy said.

The helicopter, which was taking part in a European Union anti-piracy operation named 'Atalanta', did not return fire to avoid endangering any possible hostages, it added.

It later returned safely to the Italian navy's ship San Giusto, said European Union Naval Force spokeswoman Jacqueline Sherriff.

Well, if not "pirates" - what?

I suggest "Thugs on a boat." You don't even has to use the word "suspected."

Is Italy a Failing State?

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?

Italy and Malta Tussle Over Eastern Mediterranean Energy Search

As you may recall, Israel has a big offshore natural gas find in the Eastern Mediterranean as set out here, which has created a row with its neighbor, Lebanon (some suggest Iran's hand is involved in this). In addition, drilling off Cyprus has Turkey doing its own "exploration" under armed naval escort. Tension is up, ugly words are spoken. Billions of dollars are at stake.

See Saturn 5's coverage at Bosphorus Naval News here and the links therein for more on the Turkey and Cyprus issue.

Greece also is looking at issuing exploration permits in its offshore areas, and,
well, now, there are new sparring partners, as little Malta issues permits for offshore exploration and Italy jumps in claiming rights to some of the same undersea zones. See here:

Interest in Mediterranean exploration has fostered great hopes but has also led to increased tensions in the region. US independent Noble Energy's large gas discoveries offshore Israel, have shed light on the potential of offshore acreage in the region. Investors are now looking to Cyprus, while Lebanon is planning its first offshore licensing round in 2012. On October 6, Greece also announced that it will put three blocks in the Adriatic on offer for exploration in 2012. Previously, Greece's development minister, Kostis Hatzidakis, said that the government had plans to start exploration for oil in the Aegean Sea.

However, this has proved to be a poisoned chalice with regard to diplomatic ties in the region. Turkey's relationship with Israel has disintegrated and it has opposed Noble's drilling plans off Cyprus, as it has yet to formally agree its maritime borders with the island-state. It has also threatened to place military vessels in the Mediterranean Sea to impede what it considers to be provocative exploration. In addition, the long feud between Greece and Turkey over maritime borders could make the situation worse, particularly in terms of exploration in the Aegean. Lebanon and Israel have similarly yet to agree on a maritime border.

In the case of Italy, tensions with Malta have risen following the island's publication of a tender for oil exploration in the Ionian Sea - in areas claimed by Italy. Meanwhile, Malta is also in dispute with Libya over its southern maritime borders. Furthermore, environmental concerns over a possible oil spill in the Mediterranean's closed sea could also hamper upstream activity in the region.

With recent discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean and further ongoing exploration already taking place offshore Italy, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro (and possibly Greece in the near future), we believe that exploration on Italy's side of the Ionian Sea is likely to attract significant interest. Nevertheless, this raises political tensions and a great deal of diplomacy will be required if serious disputes are to be resolved or avoided.

Oh, Libya, too.

Nice turf war you got there, fellas.

There's an element of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre in all this. Mixed in with international threats, of course.

Greed kills.

Somali Pirates: OIl Tanker Taken in Middle of Indian Ocean

EU MSC (HOA) reports Italian Oil Tanker Pirated in the Indian Ocean:

In the early hours of 8 February, the Oil Tanker MV SAVINA CAYLYN was pirated approximately 670 nautical miles East of Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean. The vessel was boarded after a sustained attack by one skiff with 5 suspected pirates firing small arms and 4 rocket propelled grenades.

The MV SAVINA CAYLYN has a deadweight of 104,255 tonnes and is Italian flagged and owned. The vessel was on passage to Pasir Gudang (Malaysia) from Bashayer (Sudan) when it was attacked. There is presently no communication with the vessel and no information regarding the condition of the crew of 22 (5 Italian and 17 Indian). The MV SAVINA CAYLYN had registered with MSC(HOA) and was reporting to the UKMTO. EUNAVFOR are monitoring the situation.

NATO report:

February 8, 2011
Latitude: 12°10N Longitude: 066°00E
Alert number 083 / 2011.
At 0427 UTC /08 FEB 11 / a merchant vessel was reported under attack by pirates from 1 x skiff in position 12°10 N 066°00 E.
1 Skiff, 5 POB, was fired upon with small arms and RPG. A mothership was sighted. The vessel was pirated.
The Pirate action group is still in the area.

A Shippping Container Full of Explosives

I wonder if anyone will come forward and claim the contents of a shipping container of explosives now being held by the Italian police?:

Italian police have seized seven tons of the powerful RDX explosive which they found in a shipping container they believe were likely destined for a terrorist organization.

While the origin and destination of the contraband is still being investigated, police are convinced the huge amount of explosive was in transit, possibly from Iran to Syria.

Probably not.

Somali Pirates Going All Wimpy?

Somali pirates seemingly are going all wimpy because both NATO and the EU are stepping up their anti-pirate activity, a trend evidenced by this report Somali pirates release hijacked vessel after encountering Italian warship - Winnipeg Free Press:

Somali pirates abandoned a hijacked Iranian vessel and set its 19-man crew free Thursday after encountering an Italian warship just off the coast of Somalia, NATO said.

Shona Lowe, a NATO anti-piracy spokeswoman, said the SAAD1 transport was released near the port of Garacad on Somalia's Indian Ocean coast, where it was hijacked five months ago and had been anchored.

It was unclear why the pirates set sail on Sunday in their captured ship, but they encountered the Italian frigate Scirocco which was patrolling nearby. On Thursday, the hijackers abandoned the Iranian ship and returned to Garacad in a dinghy, Lowe said.

"Because our ships are there, the pirates no longer have the freedom they had in the past," she said. "There was no fire fight. It was the presence of the Italian ship that made them leave."

If it was just that easy - having a warship show up - Somali piracy could have be quashed a long time ago.

Somali Pirates: Another ship captured, one missed

The capture reported here:

. . . MV Al Khaliq, a Panama flagged bulk carrier (180m and 22000 tons) reported being under attack 180 nautical miles west of the Seychelles. In the last contact with the vessel it was said that two pirates were on board trying to access the accommodation.

On indication of the attack the second EU NAVFOR maritime patrol aircraft, operating from the Seychelles, was tasked to confirm the situation of the vessel and search for other pirate activity in the vicinity. A ship of the Seychelles Coast Guard is also proceeding to the attack position. Within the last hour, the EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft has confirmed that “the hijack of MV Al Khaliq, 6 pirates on board and two attack skiffs in tow. The mother skiff has already been taken on board with a crane”.

Al Khaliq photo from Hans Esveldt at ShipSpotting.com and used in accordance with ShipSpotting.com rules.

And the near miss here:

Italy merchant vessel, "Jolly Rosso", thwarted a pirate attack this morning 300 miles from Mombasa.
On board the Italian ship, no one was injured and the only damage that was caused was due to machine gun fire from the aggressors. The pirates seem to be a group of four, with light weapons. The group targeted the merchant vessel from a skiff.
The captain of the "Jolly" thwarted the attack by making several manoeuvres done normally under these circumstances and then by increasing the ship's speed. The Italian Navy has been informed of the incident.

More from the EU:

MV Jolly Rosso, an Italian flagged Ro-Ro Cargo ship (200m and 31000 tons) was attacked by two small skiffs. The pirates opened fire with automatic fire and also fired 3 Rocket Propelled grenades at the ship. The ship took appropriate evasive action, managed to evade the attack and is proceeding on her voyage. There were no casualties. Belgium EU NAVFOR warship BNS Louise Marie was ordered immediately to close and neutralize the pirate attack position in cooperation with NATOs USS Donald Cook of CTF 508. An EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft based in Seychelles has also been tasked to investigate the area in support of both ships.

UPDATE: See also here for more info on Al Khaliq incident. The ship is apparently Indian owned.
UPDATE2: CTF 508 is the NATO anti-pirate force operating off Somalia. Added photos of USS Cook (DDG-75) and Belgian firgate F931, BNS Louise-Marie.
UPDATE3: Reported position of Al Khaliq capture:

UPDATE4: Jolly Rosso reported attack location:

Position reports here.

Italy: Sunken Toxic Waste Ship

Off the coast of the "toe" of Italy: Mafia 'sank ships of toxic waste'

A shipwreck apparently containing toxic waste is being investigated by authorities in Italy amid claims that it was deliberately sunk by the mafia.

An informant from the Calabrian mafia said the ship was one of a number he blew up as part of an illegal operation to bypass laws on toxic waste disposal.

The sunken vessel has been found 30km (18 miles) off the south-west of Italy.

The informant said it contained "nuclear" material. Officials said it would be tested for radioactivity.

Murky pictures taken by a robot camera show the vessel intact and alongside it are a number of yellow barrels.

Labels on them say the contents are toxic.

The informant said the mafia had muscled in on the lucrative business of radioactive waste disposal.

But he said that instead of getting rid of the material safely, he blew up the vessel out at sea, off the Calabrian coast.

He also says he was responsible for sinking two other ships containing toxic waste.

Experts are now examining samples taken from the wreck.

More here:

About 30 ships containing radioactive and other poisonous refuse may have been scuttled off the Italian coast in an illegal Mafia operation to dispose of dangerous substances at sea.

Italy’s political opposition yesterday demanded an investigation after the wreck of a cargo vessel containing 120 barrels of potentially radioactive waste was found in waters off the southern province of Calabria. Environmental campaigners said that many more ships containing toxic and radioactive rubbish were believed to lie near by.

The discovery of the Cunsky, sunk in 1992, came after her location was revealed to anti-Mafia investigators by Francesco Fonti, a former member of the ’Ndrangheta, or Calabrian Mafia, who has become an informant. Mr Fonti claimed that the Cunsky contained radioactive material.