This report contains a detailed spatial analysis of the dramatic upsurge of pirate activity in 2009, focusing on changes in attack locations within the Gulf of Aden, changes in the attack success rate by month as well as on the unprecedented expansion of attacks in the Indian Ocean.
Somali pirates have shifted their operations from the Gulf of Aden to the Bab al-Mandab Straits, Yemeni news agency reported Tuesday, citing the Interior Ministry as saying.The following are recent ICC CCS reports of attacks in the Bab-al-Mandab area:
The ministry said that all measures have been taken to face the move, amid stepped pirate attacks in the region.
Since early June, pirates have attacked more than 10 Yemeni ships and oil tankers in the straits but all attacks were thwarted by the Coastguard and security onboard the ships and tankers, the center said.
Among reasons for such a shift would be the Summer Monsoon winds off Somalia as found at WeatherOnline:21.06.2010: 1359 UTC: Posn: 13:32.7N – 042:59.1E: Bab el Mandeb: Red Sea.Six pirates armed with guns in a skiff chased a bulk carrier underway. The vessel made evasive manoeuvres and enforced anti piracy measures. Pirates in the skiff opened fire on the vessel. Due to effective anti piracy measures the vessel evaded the attack.
18.06.2010: 1343 UTC: Posn: 13:23.6N – 042:44.8E: Bab el-Mandeb straits (Red Sea).Pirates in two skiffs chased and fired upon a general cargo ship underway with intent to hijack. They attempted to board the vessel using aluminium ladder. Vessel took evasive manoeuvres, mustered all crew and finally managed to evade the hijacking.
15.06.2010: 0530 UTC: Posn: 13:26N – 042:41E: north of Bab el Mandeb, Red Sea.Three skiffs with six pirates in each chased a tanker underway. The tanker increased speed, sounded ship’s horn and enforced anti piracy measures and warned all ships by VHF Ch. 16. Later pirates aborted the attack.
5. (U) Forecast for the Week of 17 Jun – 23 Jun 2010
(U) Weather is may still be conducive for pirate small boat operations in the Horn of Africa region but will continue to deteriorate due to the upcoming summer monsoon season. Overall pirate activity is expected to decrease during this time period. Weather conditions during the monsoon season will likely reduce the number of pirate attacks; however, pirates will continue to operate when and where weather conditions permit. Once it has become fully established over the Somali Basin and North Arabian Sea, monsoon conditions will persist throughout most of June, July and August. Winds up to 23-28 knots with gusts of 35 knots and sea states up to 20-24 feet are expected. Mariners should continue to maintain all counter-piracy measures when transiting the area. Mariners are strongly encouraged to contact UKMTO and all appropriate authorities when transiting the Gulf of Aden as well as make use of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). This week, ONI assesses the risk of pirate attacks is low in the Indian Ocean. Pirates will likely continue to operate in the Gulf of Aden where weather conditions are not as severe during the monsoon season. In addition, pirates may attempt to operate in the Southern Red Sea, off the coast of Oman and the Northern Arabian Sea until the monsoons moves into the area. Pirates may also attempt to operate near the Maldives and east of 075 longitude, which is less impacted by the monsoon season.
Command at Sea. What does it mean, how do you do it, what it takes to succeed - and more importantly - what are the responsibilities of Command at Sea? Join us for a wide ranging discussion with three present of former Navy and Coast Guard Commanding Officers on the nature of Command. Our guests will be; CDR E. A. Westfall, CDR, USCG, Commanding Officer of the USCGC ESCANABA (WMEC 907). CDR James H. Ware, Commanding Officer, VAQ-135. CDR Michael Junge, USN, former Commanding Officer of the USS WHIDBEY ISLAND (LSD 41).
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The Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers said it was shocked to hear about two Maltese seamen were injured in "a vicious and unprovoked attack by the Sea Shepherds".As usual, the SS has a different version, but since they lie so routinely, there is no point in quoting them here. Go to the link to see how they attempt justify their dangerous antics. Photos show SS vessel engaging in dangerous action against smaller fishing tug and a SS diver damaging a fishing net.
"At around 15.00 today the Steve Irwin attacked an Italian tug boat (Cesare Rustico) towing cages belonging to fish & Fish Limited. The tug was sailing in company with the Maltese flagged Rosaria Tuna as a support vessel. The fish had been caught legally by a number of purse seiners operating according to ICCAT regulations, and subsequently purchased by the Maltese farming company. Contrary to what has been stated by the Sea Shepherds the vessel Tagreft was not present," the federation said.
"The Steve Irwin approached the convoy with the intention of freeing the fish in the cages despite it being clear that the fish was caught legally. Though it was also obvious that the crew of the vessels would have resisted such a move it was an unequal struggle. The Steve Irwin was initially constructed as an offshore patrol vessel for the United Kingdom with a displacement of nearly 900grt. It is equipped with a helicopter and instruments designed to overpower fishing boats. On the other hand the tug and the support vessel are small boats each having a displacement of around 150 grt."
The federation said it was not true that those on the Steve Irwin acted in self defence.
"On the contrary those on board assailed the two vessels specifically to tear the cage and ruin the catch. They used rubber bullets to subdue the crew. They threw bottles, acid, ammonia and other stuff at the crew. They didn’t care that their actions were exposing people to danger. They didn’t care that the fish were caught legally. They in fact think they are above the law and can do as they like. They are more than irresponsible. They are armed, dangerous and bent on causing harm to private property."
The federation said it expected the intervention of the Maltese authorities. "Nobody has the right to take the law in his hands. This is a fundamental precept of our way of life and it is certainly not going to be unlawful threats and activities by so-called environmental activists that is going to change it."
Speaking to Defencemanagement.com before his departure, Rear Admiral Peter Hudson, then Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force operation Atalanta, said that while piracy has been reduced in the Gulf of Aden, piracy off the Somali coast was growing on an "almost industrial scale". Of the two areas that EU NAVFOR patrols, he describes the Gulf of Aden, through which 30,000 ships transit each year, as the most important.A look at the "trends" in piracy off the Horn of Africa here:
Increased use of firearms on all sides. The shoot-to-kill policy adopted by several navies has led to an increased number of direct fire exchanges. The use of armed personnel and military on fishing vessels has lead to an overall increase of aggression and violence.Taking the attacked vessel and crew immediately under direct fire during a piracy attack was in earlier years unheard of, but is now common. Likewise the the treatment of crews from countries, which have killed or arrested Somalis is declining.
The Council of the European Union agreed to extend the mandate for Operation Atalanta for another two years.Others assert that the EU effort is a "front" for allowing poaching of Somali fishing waters:
The council said it "notes with concern" the impact that piracy was having on regional economic and security issues.
However, critics of the operation suggest that its hidden mission is to protect European vessels accused by Somali seafarers and international organisations of another form of piracy: illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste, including radioactive material, in Somali waters.
One example of the EU’s protection of vessels fishing illegally in the waters of the Horn of Africa is the Spanish tuna fishing boat Alakrana.
In Oct 2009, Somali pirates seized the boat, arguing that it was fishing illegally in Somali waters.
Almost two months later, the Somali pirates released the boat for a ransom of some four million dollars after several attempts by the Spanish army to free the Alakrana had failed.
The Somali allegations that the Alakrana was illegally fishing in the Indian Ocean were never investigated.
Piracy has some direct consequences to the shipping companies who ply the waters, to the sailors whose lives are at risk (some 17 ships and 357 sailors are currently being held for ransom), and to the local economies who are reliant on secure and stable maritime environments. But there are also indirect and longer term consequences. Namely if the U.S. is unwilling or unable to effectively deter piracy how would we respond to another failed or failed state who threaten the high seas? Or, more importantly, if other organizations or states fail to learn from what is happening off Somalia...UPDATE: A look at the future from the ONIPiracy Analysis and Warning Weekly (Horn of Africa) report:
5. (U) Forecast for the Week of 17 Jun – 23 Jun 2010
(U) Weather is may still be conducive for pirate small boat operations in the Horn of Africa region but will continue to deteriorate due to the upcoming summer monsoon season. Overall pirate activity is expected to decrease during this time period. Weather conditions during the monsoon season will likely reduce the number of pirate attacks; however, pirates will continue to operate when and where weather conditions permit. Once it has become fully established over the Somali Basin and North Arabian Sea, monsoon conditions will persist throughout most of June, July and August. Winds up to 23-28 knots with gusts of 35 knots and sea states up to 20-24 feet are expected. Mariners should continue to maintain all counter-piracy measures when transiting the area. Mariners are strongly encouraged to contact UKMTO and all appropriate authorities when transiting the Gulf of Aden as well as make use of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). This week, ONI assesses the risk of pirate attacks is low in the Indian Ocean. Pirates will likely continue to operate in the Gulf of Aden where weather conditions are not as severe during the monsoon season. In addition, pirates may attempt to operate in the Southern Red Sea, off the coast of Oman and the Northern Arabian Sea until the monsoons moves into the area. Pirates may also attempt to operate near the Maldives and east of 075 longitude, which is less impacted by the monsoon season.
(U) In the above picture, green represents a reduced risk for small boat activity while red signifies areas with a high likelihood of small boat activity. The waters marked in yellow through red may represent an increased risk to vessels operating in the area and mariners are encouraged to avoid transiting these areas if possible. If necessary to transit these high-risk waters, mariners are warned to maintain a strict watch at all times.
A Dutch court has convicted five Somalis of piracy and sentenced them to five years each in prison in the first piracy case to come to trial in Europe.
The five were convicted of attacking a freight ship in the Gulf of Aden in January 2009.
Prosecutors asked for a seven-year sentence, but the judge said he took into account the difficult conditions in Somalia that led the men to piracy.
"It is a lucky coincidence that nobody was killed or wounded" in the attack, said judge Klein Wolterink.
Islamic miliants have executed two Somali football fans for watching Nigeria play Argentina on Saturday night.No word yet from other religious groups about executions they've conducted because of people watching the World Cup.
The deaths happened in Central Somalia which is under strict Islamic law and forbids anyone in the region from watching World Cup matches.
Militants from Hizbul Islam arrested 10 fans who were also part of the group.
A further 30 people were arrested for watching the Australia vs Germany game the following night.
Sheikh Mohamed Abdi Aros, a spokesman for the militants, said that, "We are warning all the youth of Somalia not to dare watch these World Cup matches." He said that the people of Somalia should focus on pursuing jihad and not, "watching mad men jump up and down."
Horizon Shipbuilding, Inc. is in final negotiations for a two-boat contract for 180-ft multi-role security vessels. This vessel is based on Horizon’s 170-ft and 182-ft fast crew supply boats delivered in 2008 and 2009. The MRSV will be constructed of aluminum and is envisioned to be powered by four Cummins Q-60 diesel engines driving four Hamilton waterjets. Armed with machine guns and a 25mm bow mounted rapid-fire cannon, the MRSV will patrol the waters surrounding offshore oil fields, protecting them from terrorists, pirates and other threats. Armor plating will envelop the house as well as vital machinery spaces to protect the vessel from small arms fire. The MRSV will be capable of speeds in excess of 28 knots and will accommodate eight passengers in addition to the crew.I don't know who the negotiations are with, but I think this is an excellent idea (as you might learn from visiting here, Multi-Purpose Offshore Patrol Vessels, Department of Cheaper Pirate Fighting, Department of Crazy Ideas: How about a cheap inshore fleet? and all the links therein).
When Naval Sea Systems put out a solicitation for these vessels last year on behalf of the Iraqi Government, specifications included that they be a steel mono-hull design with a hull length overall at water line of at least 55 meters but not greater than 65 meters with a draft: not greater than 5-meters (planned depth of water at low tide of the Umm Qasr pier. Range was specified at not less than 1,500 nautical miles, speed as 16 knots and endurance: not less than 15 days.
The OSV was to be capable of launching, recovering, refueling, and maintaining three 9-meter FABs and be capable of mooring, refueling, and providing potable water to a 35-meter Patrol Boat (PB),
Capability requirements included high hover helicopter vertical replenishment during day time
Deck space was to be provided for one 30 mm gun and four .50 cal machine gun weapons stations.
13. June 2010UPDATE: Wind pattern might help explain the locations of the recent attacks (click on the maps to enlarge):
WARNING Attempted Attack
Somali Basin, Indian Ocean, Latitude: 16 12N, Longitude: 059 57E
Alert number 380 / 2010
At 1301 UTC a merchant vessel was currently under attack by 2 skiffs in position 1612N 05957E
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13. June 2010
WARNING Pirate Attack
GOA IRTC, Latitude: 1324N Longitude: 04925E
Alert number 379 / 2010.
At 1234 UTC a merchant tanker was attacked by 1 white skiff in position 13 24N 049 25E.
The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials.So, now, will Code Pink tell us "it's all about lithium?"
The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe.
And now, here we are, a year after the “re-election” of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked those demonstrations calling for justice. Whatever the final shape of history’s arc, right now it is bending toward an Iranian nuclear bomb, and a rising Iranian-centered axis of trouble that extends not only to Syria, Venezuela and North Korea, but to Turkey and Brazil (with China and Russia arranging for their cut of the action). And what of the Iranian demonstrators who braved the beatings and bullets in the streets? After a year of terror, arrests and executions, there were still reports of sporadic demonstrations on Saturday, here and there in Iran. Try to imagine how much courage that must take. But the huge protests of last year have been smothered, thwarted, silenced. Obama talks about the increasing “isolation” of Iran’s regime, but — as I argue in a column on Iran’s Arc of Injustice – those who are genuinely suffering from isolation are not Iran’s rulers, but Iran’s dissidents.
To project power from the sea - you need a sustained presence that has the ability to project power ashore. The enemy gets a vote - how do we protect our sea based forces from threats above sea level?
Join us as we discuss 21st Century Anti-Air Warfare (AAW), Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), and Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) will all their permutations.
Our guest for the entire hour will be fellow blogger SteelJawScribe.
The seizure of the Russian-owned Arctic Sea timber carrier was ordered by an Estonian construction and oil services contractor. He hoped to bolster his failing business Somali-style, by extorting a ransom.You know, that makes more sense then the rumors that the ship carrying a secret cargo of missiles, space aliens or whatever....
As Turkey is changing, the old Turkey we used to know and understand is fading away. We (secular Turks, Islamic Turks and rest of the world including Sal) must find a way to deal with this change. We must also accept the realities of the new emerging Turkey.As a youth, I lived for a couple of years in Ankara and will always remember the simple kindness shown to me by the people of Turkey. I certainly wish them the best as they attempt to meet the challenges of the world to come.
Gee, I don't know exactly what may have made the San Jacinto team suspicious -- though that pair of brand new Yamaha motors on the stern of the "fishing" boat would have made me curious . . .GULF OF ADEN (May 31, 2010) Members of U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Detachment 406 and the visit, board, search and seizure team embarked aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) search a skiff suspected of participating in recent pirate activity. San Jacinto is part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, a multinational task force established to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Somalia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ja'lon A. Rhinehart/Released)
From Navy News Service - Eye on the Fleet:ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 7, 2010) Sailors assigned to repair locker 1 F fight a simulated fire during a general quarters drill aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Enterprise is conducting fleet replacement squadron carrier qualifications in preparation for the ship's 21st deployment. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jacob D. Galito/Released)
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy is totally prepared to escort Gaza-bound aid ships to protect them against Israeli attacks, the Supreme Leader’s representative in the IRGC Navy has announced.
“Enemies should be met head-on through a spontaneous international movement, and we should foil their evil plots,” Hojjatoleslam Ali Shirazi told the Mehr News Agency on Sunday.
“The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy is ready to escort the peace and freedom convoys that carry humanitarian assistance for the defenseless and oppressed people of Gaza with all its strength,” he added.
The IRGC follows Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s orders, and if he issues an order in this regard, the IRGC Navy will mobilize all its forces to provide security for Gaza-bound aid convoys, he stated.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that the act of the "cancerous tumor," i.e. Israel, against the Gaza flotilla denotes the beginning of the end of the Israeli regime, and attests to its weakness. In a speech in the city of Ilam, in western Iran, he said that Israel had attacked the ship with a missile fired from an airplane, killing 20.
Ahmadinejad warned Israel's supporters in the region and its allies to stop their support for this "professional assassin" regime, because their support had made them collaborators in the Zionists' crimes. He said that Israel "should be aware that this [action] will lead to its end," and added, "Someone asked me why I no longer say Israel must be torn down... I said because there is no (longer a) need to say [this] – as this regime is already in the process of being destroyed."
Ahmadinejad added: "The absolute track of history is the elimination of oppression and arrogance. Accordingly, it is best that the supporters of the Zionist regime distance themselves from it. This is friendly advice. History shows that if they do not take this advice, the force of the nations will put them in their place."
The budget axe points to sea; the nation suffers sea blindness; a non-traditional actor challenges a fundamental exercise of naval power. Join milbloggers "CDR Salamander" and me as we look at the return of familiar challenges to making the Navy effective.
As our guests we will have two Midrats regulars; Bryan McGrath and Claude Berube.
To discuss “The Navy Under Siege—SECDEF and Naval Preponderance” and "Sea Blindness" will be Bryan McGrath, CDR USN (Ret.) the Founding Director of Delex Consulting, Studies and Analysis (CSA), a division of Delex Systems, Incorporated, headquartered in Vienna, Virginia. Bryan spent 21 years on active duty including a tour in command of USS BULKELEY (DDG 84), a guided-missile destroyer homeported in Norfolk, Virginia. His final duties ashore included serving as Team Lead and Primary Author of the US Navy’s 2007 Maritime Strategy “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower”. He also hosts his own BTR format radio show and blog by the same name, Conservative Wahoo.
Claude Berube, LCDR USNR will follow up with a broad discussion of NGOs at sea. Though the recent incident off Gaza brought the issue to the front - his recent article in the Small Wars Journal outlines that there is a lot more out there involving aggressive civilian entities from NGOs to advocacy groups using the maritime domain to pursue their larger goals. Claude is a Visiting Fellow for Maritime Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He has taught at the U.S. Naval Academy, and worked on Capitol Hill, at the Office of Naval Intelligence, and for a defense firm. He's been mobilized several times including a deployment with ESG5 in 2004-05. In addition to many articles, he has co-authored two books. His next book will be published next year on maritime security companies (Eagle1 is a contributor). For the past year, he's served as the President of American Independent Writers.
Today at 1010 local time, the hijacked Libyan owned merchant vessel RIM reported that the crew had successfully retaken control of the ship. One of the crew members was seriously injured during the incident.In other parts of the "pirate area" Hijacking of MV QSM Dubai in the Gulf of Aden:
The incident took place south east of Garacad, off Somalia’s northern coastline. The closest EU NAVFOR warship, the SPS VICTORIA, was immediately tasked by the Force Commander Jan Thörnqvist, to meet up with MV RIM in order give medical assistance. SPS VICTORIA launched her helicopter immediately.
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There were however, pirates in the vicinity who were attempting to impede the EU NAVFOR operation by utilising another hijacked vessel the MV VOC DAISY. When SPS VICTORIA’s helicopter approached the MV VOC DAISY she changed her course – no warning shots were fired.
It is believed that some of the pirates were killed during the incident; the ship is now under the control of the crew.
In the early hours of 2 June it was reported by the owner of the MV QSM Dubai that a group of armed pirates had boarded the ship and taken control. USS COLE from CTF 508 (NATO) first reported that they had seen a person with an RPG on board. A coalition Maritime Patrol Aircraft was tasked to investigate the situation and reported that the ship was hijacked.According to this:
The MV QSM Dubai, a Panama flagged general cargo ship with dead weight of 15,220 tonnes and a crew of 24 comprising Egyptian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Ghanaian nationals, was in bound from Brazil when hijacked in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor.
Security forces from Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region stormed a hijacked cargo vessel early Thursday and outgunned the pirates holding it after they fatally shot the ship's Pakistani captain, authorities said.I think there is some irony in this last report somewhere.
Authorities decided to try and free the Panama-flagged ship by force after pirates refused pleas to surrender and instead killed the captain, said Said Mohamed Raage, who is the minister of marine transport and ports in the region.
"We can't afford letting pirates capture Somali-charted ships. If we don't act so decisively they will continue hijacking all Somali-bound cargo ships," Raage told The Associated Press.
The Ticonderoga class guided-missile cruiser, USS San Jacinto (CG 56) rescued five Yemeni mariners from suspected pirates May 26, while conducting routine counter narcotics operations, 68 miles southeast of Ras Fartak, Yemen.San Jacinto then got the double:
San Jacinto dispatched a boarding team, in two rigid hull inflatable boats, to perform an approach and assist visit on the Yemeni dhow, Al Jawat, and conduct a routine inspection.
When all of the personnel were mustered on the bow of the dhow, the team discovered one person hiding under a blanket and a hidden cache of four AK-47 assault rifles and four rocket-propelled grenades during a search of the ship.
Upon conversation with the master of the vessel, the team learned 13 suspected pirates were on board, attempting to blend in as part of the crew. The master identified the suspected pirates and the team detained them on the dhow without conflict. The crew and suspected pirates remained on the dhow as Yemeni authorities were contacted.
The Yemeni Navy dispatched a patrol boat from Al Mukalla, Yemen, to take custody of the suspected pirates and spoke with the crew members to investigate the incident. The master stated his dhow had been under pirate control for one day only.
USS San Jacinto (CG 56) disrupted nine Somali pirates from attacking a Maltese-flagged motor vessel May 31, bringing the cruiser's weekly total to 22 pirates interdicted.An alert reader took note that the description of the location of Garacad in the article about the retaking of a ship by its crew was not exactly right so I fixed it.
San Jacinto responded to a distress call from the M/V Avenue Beauty, which was transiting 90 miles north of Somalia when she reported that she was under attack by pirates. Upon hearing gun shots, the vessels master sounded the general alarm and directed the crew to execute counter-piracy measures which caused the pirate skiff to call off their attack and speed away.
San Jacinto quickly responded to the attack and followed the pirate skiff with her helicopter, Proud Warrior 433. Aboard the aircraft, Aviation Warfare Systems Operator 2nd Class Casey Halliwell tracked the pirate skiff on radar as it headed south toward the Somali coast at a high rate of speed. The skiff, with nine pirates aboard, failed to comply with Proud Warrior's order to stop. Aviation Warfare Systems Operator 2nd Class Corey Whittle fired warning shots across the bow and stern of the skiff, compelling the pirates to stop their vessel.
In the early morning of June 1, San Jacinto sent a boarding team with U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment and San Jacinto Sailors to the pirate skiff. The boarding team quickly took control of the vessel and searched the skiff and pirates, who had previously thrown their weapons, ammunition, and pirate paraphernalia overboard. The pirates were released in the skiff after the boarding team confiscated one engine and several gallons of fuel, ensuring they could reach shore while limiting their ability to continue piracy attempts.
Pressure on Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza increased further last night as the UN Security Council demanded a probe into the deadly attack on civilian aid ships in international waters. A Turkish charity in Gaza said that 19 people were missing; Israel put the death toll at 9.While criticism of the vigor of the enforcement of the blockade may or may not be appropriate, any comparison to "piracy" is totally wrong. As the widely signed UN Convention on the Law of Sea indicates:
As outrage grew over Israel’s attack on the flotilla of mostly Turkish aid vessels bound for Gaza, Security Council members, who had broken off from their spring holiday to hold an emergency session called for a “prompt, impartial, credible, transparent” investigation into the incident, and the release of all civilians being held by the Israelis.
Israel was called on to explain its use of “disproportionate force” against the humanitarian workers and Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General, said that he was shocked by the killings and demanded answers urgently.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer, called the attack on unarmed civilians on board foreign ships in international waters a “war crime,” and said it would not stop more ships from attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.
“Those fleets, one after the other, will be coming until the unethical blockade is put to an end and the suffering stops for our people,” he said.
Article101No "private ends," no piracy. The rules of blockade are covered by the law of war. See here for a summary.
Definition of piracy
Piracy consists of any of the following acts:
(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:
(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;
(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;
(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;
(c) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b).
Be It Resolved:
That the next naval vessel should bear the name USS John William Finn in recognition and honor of his selfless devotion to duty and the preservation of freedom.
We The Undersigned:
Call upon the Congress of the United States to draft a resolution supporting the naming of a United States Navy Ship the USS John William Finn.
Call upon the Secretary of the Navy to support this petition of the tax-paying people of these United States of America and name the next naval vessel to be constructed the USS John William Finn.
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