Fearless Navy Bloggers on the Air

Okay - always another adventure as a trio of Navy bloggers (all opinions our own and not affiliated with the management of the U.S. Navy) take on BlogSpotRadio with a call in show "Midrats."

Yes, CDR Salamander, Galrahn of Information Dissemination and I will take to the internet "broadcast" world to have fun with yapping about maritime topics.

Trust me, we are not professionals so there may be some - um - errors as we work kinks out. On the other hand, you will be able to call in and pin our ears back - add to the discussion, I mean. Click on the thingie below or over on the side bar for details.

First show on 3 Jan 10 at 1700 Eastern (2200 GMT?).



Listen to Midrats on Blog Talk Radio

Somali Pirates: Another ship grabbed in Indian Ocean

Reported here:

Authorities say Somali pirates have hijacked a British-flagged cargo ship transporting cars and a chemical tanker from Singapore (see here).

Officials say pirates seized the cargo ship Asian Glory and its 25-member crew late Friday in waters about 1,000 kilometers east of Somalia.

A spokesman for the European Union task force in charge of battling piracy off the Somali coast says the seizure took place outside the mission's patrol zone.

Ship photo by Ron van de Velde from Shipspotting.com and used as allowed by the terms of that site.

UPDATE: It appears that the target ships are chosen randomly and that the pirates are inside the protective force OODA loop.

Somali Pirates: Start New Year with Ship Capture in Gulf of Aden

Reported as Singapore-flagged ship seized in Gulf of Aden:

The M/V Pramoni, a chemical tanker of 20,000 dead weight tonnes, was hijacked when it was headed for Kandla in India, EU Navfor, based at Northwood, near London, said in a statement.
***
The ship's master reported by radio that the ship had been hijacked and all the crew were well, EU Navfor said.

Ship photo by Malte Wulf from Shipspotting.com and used in accord with terms of use therein.

UPDATE (2 Jan 10): Per comment below, reported site of capture

New Year's Log Entry

Navy tradition is that the mid-watch (that's the midnight shift for you lubberly types) log entry on New Year's Day be written in verse, usually by the quartermaster.

Not having a quartermaster handy, it's time for the old navigator to take up the challenge:

This old place is moored as before,
Christmas wreaths still on the door.
Were we to get underway it would be a story
Since we are a house and not a dory.

SOPA* now gets retirement pay,
His hair and ID card both gone gray.
Though no longer the seas he plies,
One son's a ROTC middie, the other a Navy helo flies.

Both daughters in California abide,
Clear across the country wide.
Commander of Home Forces is nested near,
Memories of all 4 kids quite clear.

The dogs are snuggled in as the frost cuts fine
We say goodbye to 2009.
As years go I'm glad it went
And pray for 2010 to be of better bent.

Our course and speed we may alter,
But time and tide never falter,
Here's to all that we hold dear
and to a very Happy New Year!

*Senior Officer Present Ashore

Somali Pirates: 2009 A Record Year

NPR notes A Record Year For Pirate Attacks with a silly opening line:

Despite a year of beefed-up patrols by the world's strongest navies, piracy continues to be alive and thriving around the Horn of Africa and far out in the Indian Ocean. Analysts say the pirates appear to be better funded, organized and equipped.

Until every ship is either armed or escorted and captured pirates are punished instead of being released nothing at sea will slow the pirates down much. And the "world's strongest navies" are particularly ill-suited to engage pirates in small boats lurking in wait for ships to pass by. If it wasn't for the helicopters they carry, the pirates would have captured even more ships.

More patrol vessels are needed. Broken record that I am,






I have proposed a way to get some more patrol ships on the cheap. See Department of Cheaper Pirate Fighting.

As Secretary of Defense Gate said earlier this year: "... [Y]ou don’t necessarily need a billion-dollar ship to chase down a bunch of teenage pirates. "

You want a few high speed boats (35 kts) on the cheap? Look here. 20 knots? See here. Give me a couple of young officers and a small crew and we can go hunt pirates with a squadron of these things. I am willing to bet that 50 boats could be out there (25 on patrol, 25 being serviced/crew rest) in a couple of months for under $100 million total, including some sort of mother ship. I like an amphib with a well deck and a small fuel tanker with some blivets for fueling the boats. Crew rest? Here's an idea.

If you had another 25 patrol craft and a few helicopters, it might be a good idea to blockade known pirate ports and interdict all boats (especially potential mother ships) for inspection as they leave those locations. If you need help in finding them, these include the locations where the pirates "bank" their captured ships.

And, if you really want to stop piracy from Somalia, you are going to have to engage the pirates on the shore and wipe out their support system. That support system is getting more and more entrenched.

In the meantime, convoy and escort. Convoy and escort. Otherwise, 2010 will be even better for the Somali pirates.

Al Quaeda: "The War Goes On"

Al Quaeda Takes Responsibility for Terror:

Yesterday, al Qaeda's ascendant franchise in the Arabian peninsula saved Secretary Napolitano the trouble of plowing through all the layers of the national-security bureaucracy for an answer.

The terrorist organization put out a pointed statement not only claiming responsibility but also mocking the U.S.'s ability to stop them. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, they said, "dealt a huge blow to the myth of American and global intelligence services and showed how fragile its structure is."

What this means is that we have to think more broadly about jihad and the potential recruitment of terrorists anywhere in the world, including inside the United States. We and our European allies have to revisit the problem of fiery imams using mosques as recruitment depots for airline suicide bombers. The close call in the airspace over Detroit gives "probable cause" new meaning.

Al Qaeda has sent a message to the Obama Administration: You are in a war. Someone in our government needs to say clearly that they now understand the message.

A couple of hundred people here, a couple of hundred there, pretty soon you've got a body count that might just catch the attention of all the "talking heads."

Somali Pirate Activity: Winds and Waves

Pirate activity is picking up off Somalia and some part of that, as noted here before, is due to a decrease in winds and waves in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, making small boat operations more feasible

From here, wave information:



And winds for the pirate likely areas:







Wind information from Weathteronline.co.uk

Somali Pirates: Greek Bulker Hijacked in Indian Ocean

Reported here:

NAVIOS Maritime Holdings has confirmed that its 52,068 dwt bulk carrier Navios Apollon was attacked 800 miles off the coast of Somalia on Monday.
A spokeswoman for Navios in Greece told Lloyd’s List that it had lost contact with the vessel and the last contact from the ship was a report that armed men were boarding the vessel.

Photo of vessel by Michell from Shipspotting.com and used in accord with Shipspotting.com terms.

Somali Pirates: Brit Tanker Taken in Gulf of Aden

Reported here:

PIRATES have hijacked a UK-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden, EU NAVFOR said today.

The 13,294dwt St James Park was captured on 28 December while transiting the International Recognised Transit Corridor, said the piracy patrol force, which added that it contacted the ship after it received a distress message and was told the tanker had been seized.

The ship is now heading towards the Somali coast, Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers’ Assistance Program in Africa, told Fairplay today. It was carrying ethyl dichlorine loaded at Assemini and Tarragona, Spain, to Tha Phut, Thailand. The cargo is used in the manufacturing of plastics and is not dangerous in normal carriage conditions.

The ship's 26 crew members are from Bulgaria, Georgia, India, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, Mwangura said. It stopped for bunkers in Jeddah on 24 December.

Meanwhile, Navios Maritime Partners said the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Navios Apollon has also been hijacked.

The ship was taken by armed men in two speedboats at about 2010 on 28 December in the Gulf of Aden, 800 miles off Somalia and 180 miles north of the Seychelles, EU NAVFOR said today.

The 52,073dwt Handymax has 19 crew members: one Greek and the rest Filipinos. It had been transporting fertilizer from Tampa to Rozi, India, the company said.

Photo by Derek Lilley from Shipspotting.com and used in accord with the Shipspotting.com terms of use.

UPDATE: Report and map from here:

What the Coast Guard Was Doing for Christmas

It began with a 136-foot tug running aground on the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound. Yes, that's the same reef that the Exxon Valdez smacked into almost 21 years ago. Initial report:

Coast Guard personnel from Marine Safety Unit Valdez, Sector Anchorage and Cutter Long Island are responding to a 136-foot Crowley tug grounding on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound Thursday.

The Pathfinder crew had completed an ice survey and was heading back to its port in Valdez when the vessel struck the reef Wednesday evening. Vessel Traffic System Prince William Sound personnel received a radio call at 6:15 p.m. from Pathfinder’s master via VHF radio reporting the grounding.

The Pathfinder cleared the reef and proceeded to deeper waters at about 6:50 p.m. Anchoring just south of Busby Island, the tug’s six crewmembers reportedly deployed 200-feet of fuel containment booms around the vessel.

Two of the tug’s centerline diesel fuel tanks were reported breached with a potential spill of 33,500 gallons. The total capacity of the vessel is approximately127,700 gallons of diesel fuel. None of the crewmembers were reported injured.

The tugboat Invader and oil recovery boat Valdez Star are enroute to the location of the grounding to offer any possible assistance.

Two divers were tranported by the landing signal craft Alaska Challenge. Divers conducted an underwater survey of the Pathfinder’s hull at approximately 2:30 a.m. but have not provided a report yet. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak H-C130 Hercules aircraft is scheduled to conduct a overflight Thursday about 10 a.m.

Photo caption:

The Coast Guard Cutter Long Island, a 110-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Valdez, keeps watch of the anchored tug Pathfinder Dec. 24, 2009, after it grounded on Bligh Reef. The tug Pathfinder went aground on Bligh Reef Wednesday evening creating a light grey or silver diesel sheen spanning an area approximately three miles long and 30 yards wide approximately one mile east of Glacier Island. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Charly Hengen.

Map of portion of Prince William Sound with a red arrow pointing to Bligh Reef:


Unlike the crude oil carried by the oil tanker, the ruptured tanks on the tug carried diesel fuel, which tends to dissipate more rapidly than crude.

After lightering fuel off the tug, it was cleared from the reef and in now moored at the Port of Valdez. Photo courtesy of John Engles via USCG.

UPDATE: Some webcam shots from Valdez:

Merry Christmas!

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] (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
[3] And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
[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:)
[5] To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
[6] And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
[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.
[8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
[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.
[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.
[11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
[12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
[13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
[14] Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Christmas Wishes

Christmas away from home brings memories and, often, a taking stock of why you are where you are.

Memories and thoughts that were captured by Norman Rockwell:

Sailor's Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.
They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.
I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.
They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, once I saw clearly.
A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,
This was the United States Sailor today.
This was the hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.
Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.
The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear."
I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!
But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.
The Sailor says to our country "be free and sleep tight,
No harm will come, not on my watch and not on this night.

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,
I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night's cold chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.
The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,
Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Secure!"

Merry Christmas!



Poem from The Goat Locker.

Christmas Lights

Brought to you by sailors of the United States Navy!







U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel J. Taylor

Ships at Naval Base San Diego display lights for a holiday festivity. A panel of judges visited each ship to determine the best display. The winner in the large division was the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42), in the medium division the guided-missle destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) and in the small division the guided-missile frigate USS Jarret (FFG 33).

ONI SOMALIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report (Horn of Africa) for 17-22 December 2009

SOMALIA: Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (PAWW) Report (Horn of Africa) for 17-22 December 2009 from ONI:

3. (U) Projected Risk of Attack
A. (U) GULF OF ADEN: Over the next 72 hours weather conditions are less conducive for small boat activity in the Gulf of Aden with winds at 5-20 knots and associated wave heights of 2-6 feet (UK Weather Online).
B. (U) INDIAN OCEAN: In the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Somalia, weather conditions are now less conducive to small boat operations. Forecasts indicate wind speeds of 10-20 knots with associated wave heights of 4-8 feet (UK Weather Online).
***
5. (U) Forecast for Week of 23-29 December 2009

(U) Weather conditions continue to worsen in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden as the winter monsoon season sets in. The winter monsoon season is expected to bring weather likely not suitable to small boat operations in the Horn of Africa (HOA) region. However, it is likely that a few groups will still get underway and try to hijack ships. Mariners are warned that though we do expect a decrease in overall pirate activity in the HOA region, the possibility of pirate attack is still great, and mariners should continue to maintain all counter-piracy measures when transiting the area. Somali pirates currently hold fewer vessels for ransom than they have shown the ability to hold. This week, ONI assesses the risk of pirate attacks is moderate in the Indian Ocean with increased risks in the areas noted in red on the map below. Please note pirates south of the equator in the Indian Ocean have demonstrated the ability to operate in the capability range of Medium. Prevailing currents are significant between latitudes 1 degree north and 5 degrees south and tend to flow in an easterly direction with speeds up to 3.5 kts. Therefore, increased risk of attack exists due east of the Somali coast out as far as 1000NM (Past 62E longitude-Greater than 500NM northeast of Port Victoria, Seychelles) between these latitudes. While there has been a decrease in overall activity in the Gulf of Aden, it remains a prime operating area for Somali pirates.
***
A. (U) Summary of the Week
(U) There are two incidents to report in this period. Both incidents occurred last week but came to light this week.

1. (U) Vessels Hijacked
1. Dhow (NAFEYA) hijacked on 16 December 09 at 1700 local time while underway near position 02:45S – 42:37E. Dhow has a crew of 13 Indians on board. Dhow is now underway likely conducting pirate mothership operations.

2. Dhow (LAXMI SAGAR) hijacked on 10 December 09 while underway near position 06:00N – 51:00E, approximately 115NM southeast of Garacad, Somalia. Vessel was controlled by armed men for approximately five days before being released. Reportedly no ransom was paid. Armed men stole crew belongings and money before disembarking the dhow (IMB, LM: AFRICA NEWS).

I have rearranged the order of the report for ease of reading.

Other ONI info from the ONI Weekly Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report (to 18 December 09):

      2.  NIGERIA:  IMB reports surge in violent attacks on vessels off Nigeria, 4 Dec 09.  The
ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has reported a number of violent attacks on vessels off
the Nigerian coast.  The attacks, the aim of which is usually to rob vessel and crew of money and
stores, are notable for the attackersí willingness to use violence against crew members. In all of
the most recent attacks reported to the IMBís Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) the heavily-armed
pirates, at the very least, threatened crewmembers with deadly weapons. The pirates are usually
armed with knives and automatic firearms.  On 24 November 2009 an oil tanker anchored off the
coast of Benin, by the Nigerian border, was boarded by eight or nine robbers, all armed with
guns and knives.  IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan commented: "Whilst Somalia is, rightly,
getting a lot of media attention for its piracy problems, a worrying trend is emerging off the coast
of Nigeria. We have noted a higher level of violence in attacks off Nigeria than any other region
in the world."  In another incident, on 30 October 2009, a product tanker was attacked off Lagos
by six pirates armed with knives and guns.  IMB urges all ship masters, owners and managers,
and others involved in the shipping industry, to report piracy or armed robbery incidents to its
PRC. The PRC is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is the only 24-hour manned centre able
to receive and process reports of attacks from around the world. This timely, first hand
information from ship masters enables IMB to identify high-risk areas to the governments
concerned and is the first essential step in the attack response chain. 
***
 H.  INDIAN OCEAN-EAST AFRICA:
.
     1.  GULF OF ADEN:  Tanker (NORDIC SPRITE) fired upon 7 Dec 09 at 0501 UTC while
underway in position 12:54N ñ 048:07E, approximately 120NM northwest of Bosasso, Somalia. 
Armed men aboard two skiffs fired upon the vessel with automatic weapons and RPGs. The
vessel used counter-piracy measures and was able to prevent boarding. No injuries were reported
(UKMTO, IMB, ONI, LM: Jakarta Post).
.
     2.  GULF OF ADEN:  Bulk carrier (RED SEA SPIRIT) reported suspicious approach 19 Nov
09 at 2200 local time while underway in position 13:37.9N ñ 047:41E.  A suspicious craft was
observed following the vessel until a distance of approximately 1.5 cables.  The vessel conducted
evasive maneuvers mustered the crew to the bridge.  The craft pointed a searchlight on the vessel
and fired a shot into the air, claiming to be the Yemeni Coast Guard.  The master contacted
coalition forces when the craft ordered the vessel to stop to conduct a search, for which the
master refused.  The men in the craft asked for information on the vessel and crew before
eventually leaving. Comment:  UKMTO assesses this was not a piracy incident, but indeed a
Yemeni Coast Guard craft, due to the bulk carrierís close proximity to Yemen territorial waters
(Operator, UKMTO, Reuters).
.
     3.  INDIAN OCEAN:  Dhow (LAXMI SAGAR) hijacked on 10 December 09 while
underway near position 06:00N ñ 51:00E, approximately 115NM southeast of Garacad, Somalia.
Vessel was controlled by armed men for approximately five days before being released.
Reportedly no ransom was paid. Armed men stole crew belongings and money before
disembarking the dhow (IMB, LM: AFRICA NEWS).
.
     4.  INDIAN OCEAN:  Bulk carrier (CORAL GLOBE) fired upon 7 Dec 09 at 1343 UTC
while underway in position 00:27N ñ 061:39E, approximately 977NM east of Mogadishu,
Somalia.  Armed men in two skiffs chased and fired on the vessel with automatic weapons and
RPGs. Vessel increased speed and was able to prevent multiple boarding attempts. Vessel deck
caught on fire but was quickly put out by the crew of the vessel. No injuries were reported.
(IMB, UKMTO, LL, ONI).
.
     5.  INDIAN OCEAN:  Fishing Vessel (SHAHBAIG) hijacked on 6 December 09 while
underway in position 11:52N ñ 62:36E, approximately 470NM southeast of Socotra Island.
Vessel reportedly has 29 crewmembers on board, all believed to be Pakistani. Vessel is
reportedly headed toward the Somali coastline (AP, UKMTO, EUNAVFOR, ONI).
***
K.  SOUTHEAST ASIA:
.
     1.  INDONESIA:  General cargo ship reported suspicious approach 11 Dec 09 at 0820 local
time while underway in position 05:15.9S ñ 123:25.1E, approximately 11NM east of Pulau
Buton.  Four men armed with a gun and spear in a speedboat chased the vessel.  The captain
conducted  counter-piracy measures and evaded the speedboat (IMB).
.
     2.  INDONESIA:  Tanker boarded 8 Dec 09 at 0325 local time while in position 06:13.62S ñ
108:28.29E, Balongan anchorage.  Four robbers boarded the vessel from the poop deck.  They
were spotted by the duty watchman who immediately informed the bridge duty officer.  The
alarm was raised and the crew mustered.  Upon seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped in
a waiting boat (IMB).
.
     3.  INDONESIA:  Bulk carrier reported suspicious approach 28 Nov 09 at 0900 local time
while underway east of the Ceram Islands.  Four persons in a white colored speedboat, flying the
Indonesian flag, approached the vessel.  The master raised the alarm and crew activated fire
hoses.  They noticed the men in the speedboat were waving a black cloth, but no contact was
made on VHF.  The master altered course several times to evade the approach.  The speedboat
made two attempts to get close and finally aborted the chase after approximately 25 minutes
(IMB).
***

Anti-piracy Armed Protection on a Transit Basis

Armed protection is available for merchant ships transiting the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as set out here through ISSG Holdings, Ltd.:

We have been able to overcome the obstacles that previously hindered the carriage of firearms in various ports and countries.In order to facilitate the provision of armed security, we now can place a team on board the vessel, as well as conduct an armed escort for the vessel at the same time. This method gives a much better defensive posture to the vessel while overcoming the various obstacles of port restrictions for firearms.

I am not employed by nor do I receive any compensation by ISSG Holdings.

Not that I am opposed to that concept. I like private enterprise.

Somali Pirates: Update on tanker attacked off India

Updated report on attack discussed yesterday (see here) in a report from the The Times of India:

An Indian oil tanker, M T Maharaja Agrasen, dodged a suspected pirate attack in the Arabian Sea late Monday night. After a dramatic chase, which saw the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard swinging into action, the tanker managed to escape.
***
"The owners contacted the directorate and informed us that the vessel was under attack by eight unlit boats about 366 nautical miles (about 695 kms) west of Ratnagiri," said a DGS official.

If pirates are attacking ships 400 miles off your coast, your navy and coast guard ought to be scrambling.

Coast Guard has a gift list for12 nautical days of Christmas

Coast Guard's gift ideas for 12 nautical days of Christmas:

Among the Coast Guard's recommended nautical gifts are:

* A Marine GPS navigation system
* A 406 MHz EPIRB (make sure you register it after purchase, or rescuers may be delayed in reaching you!)
* A Coast Guard-approved life jacket (because they float, you don't...)
* A handheld VHF-FM radio
* A Boating Safety Course (boater education saves lives -- it's a fact)
* Vessel Safety Check (VSC) from the Coast Guard Auxiliary (it's free!)
* A Coast Guard approved fire extinguisher
* A first aid kit in a watertight container
* A seamanship book
* Nautical charts for the areas your favorite mariner frequents
* A signaling kit
* A life raft with a survival kit

Some of the most valuable gifts don't cost anything but time, such as scheduling a free vessel safety check with your local Coast Guard Auxiliary. For more information on scheduling a free vessel safety check visit www.safetyseal.net. To find a boating safety course in your area visit www.aboutboatingsafely.com.

Help make sure the sailor you love comes home. And have a Merry Christmas!

Somali Pirates: Indian Merchant Ship Evades Attack - Off India?

Reported here:

A Shipping Corporation of India vessel with 35 crew members on board was attacked by pirates in the Arabian sea, around 300 miles off the western coast, but it managed to escape, a top company official said today.

The hijack bid took place last night when the vessel 'Maharaj Agrasen' was on its way to Vizag from Kuwait, he said.

"The incident took place on Monday late night when a group of pirates in three speed-boats attacked the vessel with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. However, quick thinking by the ship's captain saved the crew members," National Union of Seafarers of India's General Secretary, Abdulgani Y Serang, told PTI here.

The Captain, after making an attempt to ram the ship into a pirate boat, changed the direction of the vessel and sped away, Serang said.

The 300 miles is from the west coast of India. This either shows a new pirate group or a further movement of Somali pirates to the east. [update - assuming this 300 miles off India is accurate]

UPDATE: Improved map to show 300 miles off India.
UPDATE2: Or, using the "Live 2009 Piracy Map" from the IMB, here's a rough drawing showing that the 300 miles off India, if accurate, is new territory for Somali pirates:



UPDATE3: One possible explanation - the waves. Look at the map below (from Oceanweather, Inc):



Note that the darker (hence smaller) wave heights are off India (yellow arrow), whereas the waves off Somalia are higher (red arrow). Lower waves make for easier piracy from small boats.

UPDATE4: Related here:

BRITAIN’S foreign secretary has warned the shipping industry that it must rely on its own devices to defend itself against Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean, admitting frankly that navies cannot provide the high level of support currently on offer in the Gulf of Aden.

Why not? Not enough patrol ships, that's why. I have a modest answer. And here. And even a low cost anti-pirate helicopter carrier here. With a good anti-pirate aircraft, too.


UPDATE5: What do you look for? A Portuguese naval vessel interdicted some potential pirates and the infrared picture looked like this:
There are such things as "fish ladders," but I am pretty sure that's not one of them in the boat.


Click on art to enlarge.

Crippled ship in North Pacific, APJ Suryavir, Now Under Own Power

For four days, the India flagged bulk carrier APJ Suryavir has been drifting in the the North Pacific fighting a fierce storm and being monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard. THe crew had contemplated abandoning ship. Now, as set out here, the ship has regained power and is heading for the U.S. coast:

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak HC-130 Hercules aircraft crew flies over the 740-foot India-flagged bulk carrier APJ Suryavir in the North Pacific Ocean Dec. 20, 2009, as it battles inclement weather conditions of 30-foot seas and winds in excess of 60 mph.

The vessel’s crew reported Monday it fixed the engines and was able to continue its voyage to Portland, Ore., after nearly four days without sufficient engine power.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Hans Solum.

Good news.

A Fable from Aesop

The One-Eyed Doe

A DOE blind in one eye was accustomed to graze as near to the edge of the cliff as she possibly could, in the hope of securing her greater safety. She turned her sound eye towards the land
that she might get the earliest tidings of the approach of hunter or hound, and her injured eye towards the sea, from whence she
entertained no anticipation of danger. Some boatmen sailing by saw her, and taking a successful aim, mortally wounded her.
Yielding up her last breath, she gasped forth this lament: "O wretched creature that I am! to take such precaution against the land, and after all to find this seashore, to which I had come
for safety, so much more perilous."

Moral: Trouble comes from the direction we least expect it.

Where's your blind side?

Somalia: Messy and Dangerous

Very nice summary of all the mess that is Somalia from StrategyPage here:

The UN has been unable to muster much direct support (as in peacekeepers, trainers or even a lot of cash) for the Transitional Government. Memories of the hostile experience UN peacekeepers had in the early 1990s are still quite vivid. And the current problems AU peacekeepers are having in Mogadishu simply reinforces those 1990s memories. All the UN has been able to do is deplore the continuing violence. There has been lots of deploring.

Efforts to halt the flow of Iranian weapons from Eritrea to Islamic radicals in Somalia, have failed. Threats of UN sanctions apparently do not bother Eritrea (which is currently run by a paranoid dictator), which blames everything on the United States. Iran denies any involvement, and also blames everything on the United States. The U.S. is supplying most of the food aid for Somalia.

Ah, those Iranian fingers a poking into a lot of pies.

Saab. Sob!

Saab closure tragic but expected, Swedish media says
I had a V-4 Saab wagon with freewheel.

Odd looking.

4 on the steering column.

Paid $300 for it, used it two years, sold it for $75. It was some Yankee's car and was rusted out from New Hampshire road salt. No idea how it ended up in Charleston, SC. Ugly barely describes it.

Used it to go to work, take the dog to the beach, frighten small children, lower property values in the neighborhood.

It was a great car.

Saab



No, that's not me driving.

Comments

For years I have used Haloscan for comment collection and, when necessary, weeding.

Due to a change at Haloscan now Echo), I have given the option to move out or start paying for what had been a valuable, albeit free service. While the fee is not that high, you might note that I charge not one red cent for reading my blog (Thanks, Blogger!) though there are fees associated with the domain name, etc. I am movin out of Haloscan.

In any event, I have exported all the older comments from Haloscan and hope to figure out how to put them back where they belong soon.

In the meantime, keep commenting and I save those, too.

UPDATE: Or, maybe I'll convert to Echo. Any suggestions?

Winds Are Up, Piracy Down

The winds affecting the waters off Somalia are up, as you can see in the maps below and in the "live" wind maps off in the right hand column.






Usually when the winds are up, piracy decreases.

Keep an eye on the winds off Somalia.

U.S. Coast Guard: 2009's Top Videos

Top 11 videos of 2009 highlight Coast Guard's 11 missions:

The Coast Guard selected 11 videos to remind people of the service's 11 statutory missions.

In 2009 America's Coast Guard:

* Screened more than 248,000 commercial vessels and their 62 million passengers and crewmembers before arrival in U.S. ports, identifying nearly 400 individuals in a person of interest watch list.
* Maintained a contingent of six patrol boats and 400 personnel to enforce United Nations sanctions in the Arabian Gulf, train Iraqi naval forces and protect Iraqi critical maritime oil infrastructure.
* Kept 352,862 pounds of cocaine and 71,234 pounds of marijuana from reaching the United States, while nabbing 322 suspected smugglers.
* Saved more than 4,747 lives and responded to 23,555 emergencies.
* Issued 73,168 merchant mariner credentials to qualified mariners
* Conducted more than 14,000 inspections of U.S. flagged vessels
* Investigated nearly 3,600 pollution incidents
* Conducted 49,276 armed patrols to protect critical infrastructure or key resources
* Maintained a 98 percent rate of availability for 50,000 short-range aids to navigation that helped mariners more safely navigate our nation’s 95,000 miles of coastline, 25,000 miles of waterways and 12,000 miles of inland waterways that comprise the U.S. Marine Transportation System.
***
The top 11 video compilation includes:

* The rescue of a paraglider pilot who crashed on the shoreline of Cape Lookout near Tillamook, Ore., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
* The capture of suspected pirates from a response to a vessel distress signal from Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment Team 409 while operating under Combined Task Force 151.
* A medical evacuation of a crewmember from a U.S. Navy submarine off the coast of Wash., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
* The simultaneous pursuit and interdiction off two drug smuggling boats 80 miles of the coast of Guatemala by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf.
* The rescue of two crewmembers from a fishing vessel on fire 10 miles off the coast of Long Beach, Wash., by the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Active and aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
* The rescue of two people from a burning boat near Corpus Christi, Texas, from an aircrew from Sector Corpus Christi, Texas.
* The rescue of six people from their capsized vessel two miles from the Columbia River, Wash., by a boatcrew from Cape Disappointment, Wash., and an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
* The response to US Airways flight 1549 emergency landing in the Hudson River near Manhattan, N.Y., by boatcrews from Sector New York.
* The rescue of a man whose canoe flipped in heavy surf in the Necanicum River near Gearheart, Ore., by an aircrew from Air Station Astoria, Ore.
* The dewatering of the fishing vessel Blue Diamond 90 miles east of Atlantic City, N.J., from the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Sailfish.
* The rescue of three people, their cat and dog during the Red River Valley floods from an aircrew from Air Station Traverse City, Mich.

"Operation Christmas Drop" begins for 2009

The tradition continues. A little history here. 2009 kickoff reported here:

Guam - Today kicked off Operation Christmas Drop, an annual project where the men and women of the United States Air Force fly over the outer islands of Micronesia and play Santa from the sky. "We'll have an opportunity to bring much needed supplies and hope to people in the Micronesian islands," said Colonel Mark Hicks.

It's a long-lasting tradition ongoing for the last fifty-eight years. During Tuesday's push ceremony at Andersen Air Force Base, Brigadier General Phil Rhulman announced that the Air Force plans to make fifty-one drops to over fifty islands, bringing with them over 25,000 pounds of food and supplies. Said, Rhulman "In the spirit of Christmas is obviously behind what we do.

More here:

The first flight of Operation Christmas Drop will head to four islands in northern Chuuk. Murilo, Ruo, Fananu and Nomwin are mere dots in the Pacific, Bruce Best said. Best is a University of Guam radio station manager who sends news to the islands every morning.

These four islands lie so low against the ocean that rough weather can easily push waves over the surface, killing the taro crops and salting the soil, Best said. Bananas and breadfruit trees grow on the islands, but there isn't enough soil to support much fruit.

"They have been calling in on this radio requesting food (for six months,)" Best said. "... They are so hungry so the timing of the Christmas Drop is good."

Over the next four days the mission will drop 10 tons of gifts to 51 islands, starting with these four. Some of the islands have 1,000 residents and some have only a few hundred.

Murilo, Ruo, Fananu and Nomwin have between 300 and 700 residents each, Best said.

Last year's Christmas Drop reached about 68 islands and was the largest delivery in the event's 58-year history.

Click on images to enlarge.

Relief Supply Stockpiles

UN ReliefWeb map of storage sites for certain types of relief supplies:
Click on map to enlarge.

You might note there are some areas (China, southern South America) not well covered.

Ships will carry much of this stuff where needed.

Somali Pirates seize Indian dhow

Reported asPirates seize Indian dhow off Somalia:

Pirates have seized an Indian dhow off the coast of Somalia in the third such incident in a week, a regional maritime official said on Monday.

Andrew Mwangura of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said his group was seeking more details on the vessel, which he named as the Laxmi Sagar.

"It was taken, I think, yesterday. The crew is Indian ... we don't know how many they are, but the dhows have always got more than 10 people (on board)," said Mwangura.