Somali Pirates: Tanker Attacked Near India

Early reports of a tanker attack approximately 40 nm off India.

The tanker NS Century reportedly used onboard armed guards to fend off the attack.

NS Century seems to be in the fleet of JSC Novoship.

Details to follow as I learn them.

NS Century photo by Oldkayaker from Shipspotting.com.

UPDATE:

Red arrow points to attack location

More from ICC IMB's Commercial Crime Services IMB Piracy Map 2011: 

Three skiffs were noticed at a distance of 6.3 nm ahead of a tanker underway. A suspected mother vessel without AIS signal was also noticed via radar around 17nm ahead. The skiffs increased speed and headed towards the tanker. One of the skiffs increased its speed to around 20knots.There were 6-8 persons in each skiff. Master commenced evasive manoeuvres, alerted all crewmembers. The skiffs closed to around three cables and the armed security team onboard fired warning shots.

For those who wonder about such things, a cable is more or less 200 meters (219 meter U.S./185 Brit) or 660 feet +/-).

Crazy Stealth Guided Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles Fresh From Iran

Steeljaw has been having a little fun with the wild and crazy Iran Not-So-Republican Guards and their recent announcement, here, of a new wonder weapon - "IRGC Mass-Producing Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles":

"The IRGC's smart ballistic missiles are now in mass-production and this type of missiles can hit and destroy targets with high-precision," Jafari told reporters in a news conference here in Tehran on Monday.

"These new missiles enjoys supersonic speed and cannot be tracked or intercepted by enemy," the commander said, adding that missiles can hit targets 300km away with high-precision.
***
Elsewhere, Jafari also announced that the IRGC has just finished designing and developing long-range passive radars and will soon start production, adding that this new radar system covers within a 1,100km-radius.

Galen Wright of the blog Arkenstone has a post up analyzing the possible use of tactical ballistic missiles as anti-ship missiles. Might be worth a look.

As for the claims of stealth, accuracy and all that . . .

The point? I dunno, why would the IRGC be interested in threatening ships in the Arabian Gulf?

Somali Pirate Convicted and Sentenced to 33 Years - But Not for Piracy

Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, Somali Man Accused In Ship Hijackings Sentenced to Over 33 Years In Prison:

Muse pleaded guilty last May to hostage taking, kidnapping, hijacking and conspiracy and was sentenced to 33 years and nine months in prison on Wednesday.

Muse now is entitled to free cable TV, 3 squares a days, legal aid, education, books and a cot.

Which, not surprisingly,  is better than what he had in Somalia.

Except for that confinement thing.

Stone walls can a prison make.

Somali Pirates: Brits Take Down "Mother Ship", Rescue Hostages

HMS Cornwall in background as her boarding team investigates

From the Royal Navy's web site:

A request for assistance from a South Korean Merchant Vessel in the Indian Ocean on 10th February led to Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship HMS Cornwall securing the release of Yemeni crew of a pirated dhow from their 17 Somali captors and returning the fishing vessel to its rightful owners. Items found with the dhow confirmed that it was acting as a ‘mother ship’ for Somali pirates who had captured it on 11th November 2010.

HMS Cornwall is currently the Command Platform for Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, the counter-piracy mission of CMF. On 10th February Cornwall’s Officer of the Watch observed a dhow acting suspiciously and received a distress call from the South Korean Merchant Vessel Yong Jin reporting a potential pirate threat.

HMS Cornwall’s arrival on scene disrupted the attack, and the warship’s boarding teams, supported overhead by her Lynx helicopter, searched and secured the Yemeni-flagged dhow. An initial search found 22 people on board, three skiffs, powerful outboard motors and various items of equipment associated with pirates boarding merchant vessels, such as ladders, enabling the dhow to act as ‘mother ship’ for a group of pirates operating in the area.

Five of the people on the dhow were the original Yemeni crew who had been held hostage for 92 days.

HMS Cornwall’s commanding officer, Commander David Wilkinson, said:

“Our presence in the area has had a hugely significant effect on the lives of five Yemeni fishermen, who have been freed from over three months of pirate captivity and can now return to their families.

In addition we have restored a merchant vessel to legitimate use on the high seas and my highly trained team have conducted a very slick boarding operation which has ensured that this pirate vessel is no longer able to operate.

This demonstrates the reassurance and security offered by the presence in these waters of HMS Cornwall and other warships from Combined Maritime Forces“

 BZ Cornwall!

All photos from the Royal Navy.

Food prices at dangerous levels, says World Bank

BBC News - Food prices at dangerous levels, says World Bank:

The World Bank says food prices are at "dangerous levels" and have pushed 44 million more people into poverty since last June.

According to the latest edition of its Food Price Watch, prices rose by 15% in the four months between October 2010 and January this year.

Food price inflation is felt disproportionately by the poor, who spend over half their income on food.

So, what's driving these food price increases? There are some thoughts here:

The prices of wheat, corn and soyabeans have hit 30-month highs over the past few days after bad harvests, export restrictions, extremely low inventories and soaring demand in emerging countries and for bio-energy in the US and Europe.

Ah, the demand for "bio-energy."

As warned about here:

We are witnessing the beginning of one of the great tragedies of history. The United States, in a misguided effort to reduce its oil insecurity by converting grain into fuel for cars, is generating global food insecurity on a scale never seen before.

The world is facing the most severe food price inflation in history as grain and soybean prices climb to all-time highs. Wheat trading on the Chicago Board of Trade on December 17th breached the $10 per bushel level for the first time ever. In mid-January, corn was trading over $5 per bushel, close to its historic high. And on January 11th, soybeans traded at $13.42 per bushel, the highest price ever recorded. All these prices are double those of a year or two ago.

As a result, prices of food products made directly from these commodities such as bread, pasta, and tortillas, and those made indirectly, such as pork, poultry, beef, milk, and eggs, are everywhere on the rise. In Mexico, corn meal prices are up 60 percent. In Pakistan, flour prices have doubled. China is facing rampant food price inflation, some of the worst in decades.

In industrial countries, the higher processing and marketing share of food costs has softened the blow, but even so, prices of food staples are climbing. By late 2007, the U.S. price of a loaf of whole wheat bread was 12 percent higher than a year earlier, milk was up 29 percent, and eggs were up 36 percent. In Italy, pasta prices were up 20 percent.

So, it isn't bad enough that millions of people around the world have died from malaria due to a DDT ban that may not be justified (see here), we now seem to be helping to starve people.

And we may not be helping the environment all that much. See also Ethanol to take 30 pct of U.S. corn crop in 2012: GAO.

Stuck on stupid.

Colombia Grabs Big Drug Submarine

Looks like a real U-boat - Colombia nabs fully submersible drug submarine :

Colombian soldiers have for the first time seized a fully submersible drug-smuggling submarine capable of reaching the coast of Mexico, authorities announced Monday.
***
Previous drug-carrying vessels found in Colombia were only semi-submersible, meaning part of the structure always remained above the surface.

But the sub discovered Sunday can operate completely underwater, Col. Manuel Hurtado, chief of staff of Colombia's Pacific Command, told The Associated Press. He estimated it could hold eight tons of drugs.
***
The 99-foot-long (30-meter) fiberglass boat has room for a crew of six and is powered by two diesel engines and has an air-conditioned interior, Hurtado said. He said it can submerge up to nine feet (three meters) deep and is equipped with a 16 1/2-foot (five meter) periscope.

"The engines were already fully installed and ready to go," Hurtado said.

The sub had "the capacity to sail totally underwater and the ability to travel to the coast of Mexico without surfacing," he added. He said such a trip would take eight to nine days.

Looks like interesting stuff in that "periscope" bubble:

Is that an IR capable unit?

India: Major Coal Player

As set out in this Platts article "India emerging as a major force in the global coal market":

Replacing Europe as the main consumer of Richards Bay coal, a major customer for Indonesian material and with huge power projects about to come online -- India is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.

The largest coal mining company in the world, Coal India Limited is putting the finishing touches to a long-term coal supply contract framework that could see it purchase tens of millions of tons of imported thermal coal from Australia, Indonesia, South Africa and the US from a list of pre-selected coal suppliers for delivery starting in April, according to sources in the Indian market.

Importing coal means more ship at sea carrying coal.

Part of Richards Bay Coal Terminal

Questions regarding the environmental impact of coal should be addressed to the government of India.

UPDATE: U.S. exports of coal are on the rise - see here:

Asia's appetite for coal to generate electricity and bake into coke for steel making could make 2011 a banner year for U.S. exports. It could boost business for railroads and shipping ports that transport coal, industry observers say.
Continued demand and supply limitations that caused surging U.S. coal exports to China and India last year are expected to increase exports to 86.5 million tons, up from 79.5 million tons in 2010, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency said 2009 shipments fell to 59.1 million tons, a result of the recession, from 81.5 million tons in 2008.
"Exports will be at the highest level ... in decades," predicts James Thompson, editor of U.S. Coal Review, a trade publication in Knoxville, Tenn.

 Richards Bay Coal Terminal is "the single largest export coal terminal in the world"

Richards Bay is located in South Africa:

Situated at Longitude 32º 02' E and Latitude 28º 48' S, Richards Bay, South Africa's most northernmost and easterly port, is 87 nautical miles (160 km) northeast of Durban and 252 n.miles (465 km) southwest of Maputo.

Arrow points toward Richards Bay, RSA

 According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency,

India also has been increasing its imports of coal while facing ongoing coal transportation challenges. Its improvements in infrastructure include the expanded use of smaller ports to satisfy increasing demand for coal imports. Like China, India increased its coal imports in both 2008 and 2009 (although preliminary data suggest that the growth in 2009 was much less than that in China). In 2035, India's coal imports in the Reference case are four times the 2008 level, spurred by rising imports of both coking and steam coal.

The large coal-fired electricity plants planned for India's coastal areas will be fueled by imported steam coal. The country is faced with domestic coal supply and quality issues and, while it is building new plants, its demand for coal imports continues to grow. Unfortunately, delays in meeting established construction schedules are commonplace in India, and transportation infrastructure issues abound. For instance, in 2009 India had difficulty handling coal imports at its river port of Haldia because of an unexpected loss of water depth. In order for tonnage to be handled at the port, larger ships have been diverted to deeper ports, where their coal cargos are transferred to smaller ships for delivery to Haldia.

India's planned infrastructure improvements include coastal port expansions at Goa and Paradip. Freight capacity at Paradip is expected to increase from about 55 million tons in 2009 to 77 million tons in 2012, but recent bottlenecks at the port must be overcome in order for that goal to be achieved. In addition, coal-handling capability at the port of Mormugao will be expanded from 6 million tons to 17 million tons by 2014. India completed the new port of Gangavaram in 2009, only one of two (the second being the Mundra port) capable of handling capesize vessels. Gangavaram already handled about 17 million tons of freight (not all of it coal) in 2009. In the long term, Gangavaram's owners would like to expand its freight handling capability to 221 million tons per year. The new port of Dharma, also capable of handling capesize ships, should begin operation by the end of 2010.

India has domestic resources of coking coal, but its quality is poor in comparison with foreign-sourced coking coal. India's long-term plans include expansion of its steel industry to between 165 and 198 million tons of raw steel output by 2020, up from about 62 million tons in 2008, with increased imports of coking coal supporting the expansion. Some plans for new steelmaking capacity, such as ArcelorMittal's new coastal steel plant in Orissa, appear to have been delayed by land acquisition difficulties and environmental issues and thus are unlikely to add to India's demand for coking coal imports until after 2014. Largely because of its imports of coking coal, India surpass Japan as the world's largest importer of coal by 2025 in the IEO2010 Reference case.

UPDATE: Speaking of ports for coal operations, the increase in demand for U.S. coal is also spurring people to look at our "coal ports" - see Port Strategy: "US ports may rise on Indian coal market ":

Some US ports could well be riding the “Indian Tiger” as talks have begun on possible exports of coal from the US to India, with officials from Coal India visiting the United States recently to meet with local producers.

The ports that may well benefit include Lamberts Point Coal Terminal at Norfolk, Virginia; the CNX Marine Terminal at Baltimore, Maryland, the Port of New Orleans, Louisiana; the Port of Mobile, Alabama; and the Port of Seattle, Washington. Coal exporters could also use the Port of Vancouver.

So, coal exports are fueling growth in exports, port operations and coal mining. All while various senior political powers in the U.S. are pushing programs to reduce coal production. See here:

The coal industry stands to lose nearly $2.6 billion in federal tax incentives over the next decade as part of the Obama administration's proposed fiscal 2012 budget released Monday.

The administration's proposal is identical to coal incentives cut in its budget last year. The White House is aiming to meet a G-20 climate change agreement from 2009 in which member countries pledged to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.
***Repealing the tax provisions would "foster the development of a clean-energy economy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change," the administration said in its budget message. The tax incentives equal less than 1% of the coal industry's revenue over the next 10 years, according to White House projections.

Under the budget proposal, coal companies would no longer be able to expense exploration and development costs; use percentage depletion for hard mineral fossil fuels; or claim domestic manufacturing deductions against coal production income. Royalties from privately owned coal blocks would be treated as regular income rather than capital gains for tax purposes, translating to a higher tax rate.

Sunday Ship History: Anti-Pirate Stingers

The U.S. Navy was fighting pirates in the 1820's - more specifically, the "pirates of the Caribbean."

Deploying ships from what is now Key West, Florida, the small navy took the fight to the pirates under the leadership of Captain David Porter. In addition to major ships, the fleet was equipped with various "barges" and "launches" with which to press the action. This has been discussed before. This post is meant to supplement that earlier post with respect to an action against pirates found at Sigaumpa Bay, Cuba (northern coast of the island).

In older nautical terms, a "barge" is not just one of those flat-looking cargo or garbage units now seen being pushed by tugs - they were larger boats rigged with two masts and a variety of sails or even galley-like sets of oars. They were generally flat bottomed to allow them to enter water too shallow for deeper draft ships. Often they were small enough to be transported to an area of interest by a larger ship.

Among Captain Porter's force were two such barges, Gallinipper and Mosquito named after stinging insects, quite appropriate for Porter's force, nicknamed the "Mosquito Fleet."

The fleet used these smaller vessels to extend the fleet's reach and as auxiliary fighting platforms. They proved instrumental in subduing the pirates. The official U.S. Navy history of the actions undertaken by the barge Gallinipper can be found here:

The barge Gallinipper was one of five ship's boats equipped with sails and double-banked oars in January 1823 for duty with Capt. David Porter's West India Squadron, known as the "Mosquito Fleet," fitted out under an act of Congress approved 20 December 1822 to cruise in the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico for the suppression of piracy.
***
In July, 1823 Gallinipper, Lt. W. H. Watson in command, with the aid of Mosquito, captured the pirate schooner Catilina and a launch near Sigaumpa Bay. Catilina, commanded by the celebrated pirate Diaboleto, lost about one-third of her crew of approximately 75 in the running fight. The barges pursued the schooner to the village of Signapa; as they closed to board, the pirates fled to their launch. A volley of musketry directed at the launch drove them into the sea where the boats cut off the retreat of all but 15. Even of these, 11 were killed or taken prisoner by the barges' men who landed in pursuit, and the remaining 4 were apprehended by the local authorities. Lt. Watson was highly commended by Captain Porter for his brilliant victory over a superior force without the loss of a man, and recommended to the Department for promotion. ***

A more intimate description of the action at Sigaumpa Bay can be found in news accounts which quote from Captain Porter's report to the Navy Secretary here:

Sir: Having had the honor to report ihe circumstances attending the cruise of the division under my orders, prior to our separation off St. John de los Remedios, I have now to communicate, for your information, my subsequent proceedings in the barges Gallinipper and Musquito.

After a strict examination of the coast and islands, from Cayo Francis to Cayo Blanco, in the vicinity of Point Hycacos, whilst cruising in Siguapa Bay, we discovered a large top-sail schooner, with a launch in company, working up to an anchorage, at which several merchant vessels were lying. Being to windward, I bore up with the Gallinipper, for the purpose of ascertaining their characters, and when within gun-shot, perceiving the large vessel to be well armed, and her deck filled with men, I hoisted our colors; on seeing which, they displayed the Spanish flag, and the schooner, having brailed up her fore sail, commenced firing at the Gallinipper. I immediately kept away, and ran down upon her weather quarter, making signal, at the same time, for the Musquito to close; having much the advantage in sailing, they did not permit us to do so, but made all sail before the wind, for the village of Siguapa, to which place we pursued them, and, after short action, succeeded in taking both vessels, and effecting the almost total destruction of their crews, amounting, as nearly as could be ascertained at the time, to 50 or 60 men, but, as we are since informed, to 70 or 8O. They engaged us without colors of any description, having hauled down tbe Spanish flag after firing the first gun; and, on approaching to board, (our men giving three cheers, and discharging their muskets), the pirates fled precipitately, some to their launch, (lying in shore, from whence a fire was still kept up), whilst others endeavored to escape by swimming to the land.— A volley of musketry, directed at the launch, completed their disorder, and drove them into the sea; but the boats going rapidly through the water, cut off their retreat, with the exception of fifteen— eleven of whom were either killed or desparately wounded, and taken prisoners by our men, who landed in pursuit: and the remaining four apprehended by the local authorities, and sent to Matanzas. The larger vessel was called the Catalina, commanded by the celebrated pirate Diaboleta, taken some weeks since from the Spaniards, between Havana and Matanzas, carried to Siguapa Bay, where she received her armament; had captured nothing, this being the commencement of her piratical cruise.

I cannot close this communication without performing a most pleasing task in reporting the active gallantry and good conduct of my officers and men, none of whom sustained the slightest injury in the action, the result of which, I trust, is sufficient to satisfy you that all under my orders did their duty, particularly when it is considered that we had but twenty six men, opposed to a force of piratical vessels, well supplied with arms of all kinds, amongst which was one long nine and two six pounders. I have much pleasure in naming, as my associates, lieut. Inman, acting sailing master Bainbridge, Dr. Babbit, midshipmen Harwood and Taylor; and Messrs. Webb and Grice, who obeyed and executed all orders and signals with a promptitude and zeal which could not be exceeded.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. H WATSON,

No hand-wringing, no waiting for approvals from higher command - just taking his units into combat and applying enough force to secure victory. A key to how pirates were swept from the Caribbean.

UPDATE: If the topic of the U.S. Navy fighting pirates in the Caribbean interests you, let me recommend you read James Fenimore Cooper's  History of the Navy of the United States of America available on Googlebooks and as a pdf download. See especially pages 578- 583 of the pdf (pages 23 - 27 of Volume II of the work).

Somali Pirates: Busy Time

First, a report of a hijacked ship here:

February 12, 2011
Latitude: 19°26N Longitude: 063°29E
Alert number 091 / 2011.
***This vessel has been hijacked***
At 1931 UTC / 12 FEB 11 / a merchant vessel was reported hijacked by pirates in position above, 234T / 13 kts.

UPDATE: MSC(HOA) reports:

On the afternoon of 12 February, the MV SININ is believed to have been pirated approximately 350 nautical miles East of Masirah (Oman) in the North Arabian Sea.

The vessel, which has a crew of 23 (13 Iranian and 10 Indian nationals), sent out a distress signal, saying she was under attack, late afternoon on Saturday to which an aircraft from the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) immediately responded. The aircraft photographed 2 suspected pirate skiffs on board the vessel. There has been no communication with the ship since the distress signal was sent and the MV SININ has now changed course towards the Somali coast. There is no information on the condition of the crew.

The MV SININ is a Maltese flagged and owned Bulk Carrier. She has a deadweight of 52,466 tonnes and was on route to Singapore from Fujairah (UAE) when she was attacked. The ship was not registered with MSC(HOA) and was not reporting to UKMTO. EUNAVFOR is monitoring the situation.

MV Sinin may be one of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines suspect vessels. It does appear on the OFAC SDN list here. OFAC is the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) located in the U.S. Department of Treasury. What that means is:

As part of its enforcement efforts, OFAC publishes a list of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups, and entities, such as terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. Collectively, such individuals and companies are called "Specially Designated Nationals" or "SDNs." Their assets are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.

From the OFAC SDN list:

SININ Bulk Carrier 52,466DWT 30,064GRT Malta flag (IRISL); Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9274941 (vessel) [NPWMD]

Same IMO number as MV Sinin found at Vessetracker.com:

Type of ship: Cargo Ship IMO Number: 9274941 Flag: Malta MMSI Number: 256206000 Length: 183.0m Callsign: 9HOD8 Beam: 32.0m

See here for an earlier post on the IRISL ships.

Then a BBC report of a pirate mother ship being captured by a Danish warship here:

A Nato warship has captured a suspected pirate mother ship off Somalia, Nato's counter-piracy mission has said.

It said Denmark's warship fired warning shots on Saturday, forcing the vessel to stop and its crew to surrender.

Sixteen suspected pirates on board were then held and a weapons cache seized. Two Yemeni hostages were also freed.

HDMS Esbern Snare (NATO photo)

"These ships provide the pirates with a floating base. They pose a great threat to the merchant shipping," the chief officer of the Danish warship said.

"We have now eliminated one of these threats," Commander Haumann of HDMS Esbern Snare warship said.

Somali Pirates: 10 Feb NATO Warning Areas

Piracy Warning and Alerts:

February 10, 2011
Latitude: 12°51N Longitude: 043°15E
Alert number 089 / 2011.
Reference previous Alert number 088 / 2011.
At 0510 UTC 10 FEB a merchant vessel was reported under attack by 5 skiffs in position 12°51 N 043°15 E.
Skiffs had 5-6 POB, weapons and ladder partially hidden under green canvas.
***This vessel managed to evade hijack***
The Pirate action group is still in the area.
_________________________________________
February 10, 2011
Latitude: 12°51N Longitude: 043°15E
RED SEA, BAB EL MANDEB
Alert number 088 / 2011.
At 0510 UTC / 10 FEB / a merchant vessel is currently under attack by 4 skiffs in position 12°51 N 043°15 E.
Small arms sighted in skiffs. Skiffs still in pursuit.

Somali Pirates: Security Firms Dump Weapons to Comply with Law

Glug!

There are a lot of quirks in the legal systems of the world, but some of these quirks are having an effect on armed guards plying the waters where Somali pirates operate.

The story is reported by Bradley Hope as "Firearms an odd casualty of piracy":

Thousands of guns are being dumped in the ocean by private security companies hired to protect ships against pirate attacks, top security executives say.

As Somali pirates grow bolder and launch attacks further into the Indian Ocean, shipping companies and yacht owners are increasingly using armed security to protect their vessels.

Dumpable? TheAK-47- Accurate, Tough and Cheap

But there are varying laws and regulations about taking weapons into ports across the region, leading some security companies to cut costs and save time by getting rid of their guns before arriving in various countries' territorial waters.

"This is happening on a daily basis," said Richard Skinner, the Dubai director at the security company the Orchid Group. "I suspect there are literally thousands of semi-automatic and automatic weapons down there at the bottom of the Red Sea for fish to swim around."

These practices and others have led security companies and government officials to call for increased regulation of armed teams operating on the high seas. Rogue security companies could endanger the lives of their clients and innocent fishermen by failing to follow proper rules for using force against perceived threats.

Expensive? Less than the cost of complying with the law in most cases and eliminates the risk that the ship being protected might be seized by authorities for violation of guns laws. Much less than the cost of lawyers to fight weapons charges.

Smart business practice.

Somali Pirates: Capture Ship in the North Arabian Sea

EU MSC(HOA) report: MV IRENE SL pirated in the North Arabian Sea:

At approximately 1000Z on 9 February, the Very Large Crude Carrier MV IRENE SL was pirated approximately 350 nautical miles South East of Muscat in the North Arabian Sea.

The MV IRENE SL has a dead weight of 319,247 tonnes and is Greek flagged and owned. The vessel was on its way to Suez from Fujairah when it was attacked. At present there is no further information on the attack. She has a crew of 25 (7 Greek, 1 Georgian and 17 Filipinos). There is presently no communication with the vessel and no information regarding the condition of the crew.

Hijack area in red (click to enlarge)

NATO report:

February 9 2011
WARNING INDIAN OCEAN
Latitude: 21°27N Longitude: 063°18E
Alert number 086 / 2011
Reference Previous Alert 085 / 2011
At 0926 UTC / 08 FEB 11 / a merchant vessel was reported under attack by pirates.
***This vessel has been hijacked***

Somali Pirates: Source: EUNAVFOR Incident Summaries

Source: EUNAVFOR:
Pirated Vessels 08.02.2011a

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.

Somali Pirates: Indian Navy, Coast Guard capture another pirate ship, 52 arrested

Report that the Indian Navy, Coast Guard capture another pirate ship, 52 arrested:

Arrow points to Lakshadweep Islands

In the second major anti-piracy operation off Lakshadweep in 10 days, the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard today apprehended 52 men including 28 suspected Somali pirates on board a ship after a brief gun-battle near the islands.

The forces foiled a pirate plan to attack a Greek-flagged merchant ship and apprehended Prantalay-11, the sister vessel of fishing trawler Prantalay-14 that was also being used as the mother ship by the sea brigands and was sunk by the Navy in the Arabian Sea earlier.

INS Tir

"Naval ship INS Tir and Coast Guard ship ICGS Samar intercepted the pirates' mother ship Prantalay-11 within Indian waters after a gun-battle and forced the brigands to surrender. A total of 52 men have been apprehended of which 28 are suspected to be Somali pirates," Navy spokesperson Captain M Nambiar said.

Officials said the operation had started last evening when the Navy learnt that MV Chios was being attacked by two pirate skiffs some 100 kms off the Kavaratti island.

ICGS Samar

After receiving the input, Navy's western command here directed the INS Tir and the ICGS Samar, who are already deployed in the region for anti-piracy operations, to rush to the site and apprehend the pirates and their mother ship, they said.

"After locating the skiffs, the two ships asked the pirates to surrender but they fired back at us and fled to their mother ship. After the two ships tracked the mother vessel, they were fired upon again by the pirates," they said.

"The Tir and the Samar returned fire briefly after which the pirates raised white flags to surrender," they said.

NATO Photo of Prantalay 11/14

The pirates and the crew of the Prantalay 11 have now been brought to Mumbai for interrogation by police and intelligence agencies.

UPDATE: It gets better:
‘Stupid’ pirates caught after targeting coast guard ship by mistake:

A stereotypical depiction of a pirate would be incomplete without the trademark black eyepatch.

The Somali pirates who were arrested by the Coast Guard on Sunday might well have been wearing two.

The Coast Guard nabbed 28 pirates off the Lakshadweep coast in an operation that lasted more than 14 hours.

Their task was made much easier than they expected, after the pirates they were hunting down mistook the Coast Guard vessel on anti-piracy patrol for a merchant vessel and attacked it.

The pirates, riding high-speed skiffs, started firing at the Coast Guard believing it to be a potential target, but were neutralised by a joint team of Indian Navy and Coast Guard after high drama. They are now being brought to Mumbai to be formally arrested.

Well, not "stupid" perhaps, but certainly much mistaken . ..

Somali Pirates: Either They Hijacked a Chinese Ship in the Red Sea or the Iranian Navy Stopped It or Both or Neither or Something

Well, what to make of these stories:

1. Chinese embassy confirms hijack of Chinese-flagged ship by Somali Pirates off Yemen:

The Somali pirates hijacked a Chinese-flagged commercial ship off Yemen's western city port of al- Hudaida in the Red Sea, Chinese military attache to Yemen confirmed to Xinhua on Saturday.

The Chinese military confirmed that the Chinese-flagged commercial ship, which was registered in Hongkong, China, had been hijacked by the Somali pirates off the Yemeni coast, Chinese military attache to Yemen told Xinhua.

The ship was then moved by the pirates towards the Somali coasts, he added, without providing how many people were on board or the date of the hijack.

Earlier, Yemeni Interior Ministry said the Chinese ship called "Tien Hau" was attacked by the pirates some 11 nautical miles (20. 4 kilometers) off the Yemeni island of Al-Tair off the city port of al-Hudaida.

Meanwhile, a security source at the ministry told Xinhua "the security operation room of the ministry received unconfirmed information that an anti-piracy international navy fleet might intercept the pirates and help release the Chinese ship."

"We are following up the situation to confirm the release of the Chinese ship, as coast guard boats were dispatched to track the ship and pirates," he told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

"The hijack took place early today, but we do not have exact information about the number of the ship's crew," he added.

Ship photos from Trans-Service Maritime Agency. More on a Hong Kong shipping company with a listing for MV Tien Hau at Fenwick Shipping Services Ltd. The call sign of that vessel is VRYK3.

2. Iranian Navy Fleet Foils Pirate Attack on Chinese Vessel in Red Sea :

The Iranian Navy fleet deployed in the Gulf of Aden thwarted a pirate attack on a Chinese trade ship with timely action.


According to a statement issued by the Navy's Public Relations Office on Saturday, the Navy's 12th fleet of warships initiated timely action after it received an alert message from the Hong Kong vessel and managed to thwart the pirates' attack after heavy clashes.

The trade vessel, namely VRYK3, with 32 crews onboard had started its journey from Italy to Australia.

So, either the Tien Hau has been captured or liberated or both or something.

More details as they are revealed.

UPDATE 6 Feb 11: Report that the ship was the victim of an attempted, but failed hijack attempt here.

Somali Pirates: U.S. Navy Ships Momsen and Bunker Hill Disrupt Pirate Attack

Reported as Momsen and Bunker Hill Disrupt Pirate Attack:

USS Momsen (DDG 92) and USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) disrupted a pirate attack on Panamanian flagged merchant vessel Duqm, Feb. 2 in the Gulf of Oman.

USS Momsen

While transiting in international waters, the merchant vessel reported that pirates were attempting to board the vessel. Momsen and Bunker Hill, which were in the vicinity, immediately responded to the Duqm's distress signal and caused two pirates skiffs alongside the vessel with ladders against its hull to flee the area.

USS Bunker Hill

Momsen and Bunker Hill tracked the skiffs movement and located the mothership that facilitated the attempted boarding of Duqm, towing the two empty skiffs. Consistent with the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on piracy and U.S. rules of engagement, Momsen destroyed the two skiffs to prevent their use for future attacks.

Photo of shot on towed skiff by Chief Hull Maintenance Technician John Parkin.

UPDATE2: Another photo added above -thanks Bryan! 
UPDATE3: All photos of incident by Chief Hull Maintenance Technician John Parkin. Here's a third:

VLCC Duqm

UPDATE: More on owner of VLCC Duqm here.

India: Warship Sinks Following Collision

INS Vindhyagiri goes down:

NS Vindhyagiri a Nilgiri class frigate which collided with foreign merchant vessel M V Nordlake on Sunday evening around 5 pm , and later the ill fated frigate also caught fire due to collision ,today around afternoon it sank off the coast of Mumbai .

All naval officers and sailors have been rescued safely and not causalities have been reported so far , According to an official, INS Vindhyagiri was returning to the dockyard while the merchant vessel was leaving Mumbai harbour when the two collided.

According to later reports, the vessel has settled in shallow water next to a pier.

Video of collision:

No one died, but . . .

Somali Pirates: Resistance Can Be Deadly

"BBC News" reports Sailor dies in clash with pirates north of Seychelles, referring to the attempt by a Seychelles patrol vessel to halt the attack. During the exchange of fire, some crewmen escaped and other tried to retake their ship. This proved deadly to one crewman:

A Seychelles patrol boat appears to have reached the hijacked vessel first, with a Danish warship from Nato's counter-piracy force only arriving after the fatal clash.

When the Seychelles boat opened fire the pirates "evidently lost control", Mr Stolberg told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper.

In the ensuing confusion, reports suggest the crew tried to overwhelm their captors, and two crew members managed to escape.

"The pirates shot dead one of our men, probably in a fit of anger," Mr Stolberg said.

Nato spokeswoman Lt Cdr Jacqui Sherriff told the BBC News website that when the Danish ship, the Esbern Snare, reached the scene, the master of the Beluga Nomination urged it to keep its distance because of the earlier clash.

Now there are number of voices being raised about whether the use of force will escalate the level of violence in what has been a relatively "safe" form of hijacking, crew kidnapping and hostage taking. See here, for example:

Despite acclaim for the Korean action, it could have undesirable consequences. It opens up questions whether violent assaults should be made on hijacked ships in circumstances when there are high risks of loss of life to the assaulting forces, the ship’s crew and the pirates themselves. Such actions could lead to an escalation of violence off Somalia. Already there are reports of the Somali pirates threatening revenge against South Korean ships and crews.

The international shipping community remains generally opposed to employing armed security guards onboard vessels passing through high risk piracy areas. Reasons for this include fears about the risks of escalating violence and of injury to the crew and damage to the ship, as well as the uncertain legal implications. Similar considerations apply to military assaults on the pirates holding hijacked ships. Following the Samho Jewelry incident, the European Union Naval Force operating off Somalia said it would not follow suit in storming ships to secure their release for fear of endangering hostages.

And, as seen here, the pirates have threatened that future captives of force-using countries (in this case, Korea) will be executed in a form of "revenge killing" and deterrent against future rescue efforts.

Most rescue efforts have been undertaken when the ship's crew was known to be in a "citadel," essentially a "safe room" on a ship. NATO has provided guidance regarding the use of citadels on ships (from here):

• The use of a CITADEL DOES NOT guarantee a military response. Before owners, operators and masters commit to a policy that recommends the use of a citadel, it is important to understand the criteria that military forces will apply before a boarding to free the ship can be considered:

• 100% of the crew must be secured in the CITADEL.

• The Crew of the ship must have self-contained, independent, 2-way external communications. Sole reliance on VHF communications is insufficient.

• The pirates must be denied access to propulsion.

The following points should also be taken into consideration when preparing CITADELS:

• All emergency equipment in the CITADEL should be fully and regularly tested for functionality.  The communications system should have a power supply for a minimum of 3 days, based on a continuous open line1

• A full list of emergency contact numbers including UKMTO should be held inside the CITADEL.

• At least 3 days of food and water provisions for all the crew should be available in the CITADEL.

• Medical supplies, including medication for the treatment of physical trauma, and sanitation should be made available.

The cautionary point made above the the use of a citadel does not guarantee that there will be a military response is important. The area covered by the Somali pirates is vast, the number of warships relatively small given that expanse and the number of trained teams able to insert themselves onto a merchant is also a small number.

This was discussed on our internet radio show, Midrats last Sunday when we interviewed Capt. Alex Martin, the leader of the U.S. Marine team that successfully retook the merchant ship Magellan Star (about 29:55 on).

Listen to internet radio with Midrats on Blog Talk Radio

Somali Pirates: Starting the Week with a Bang

As of Sunday, reports of Pirate Action Groups and attacks from here put on a map:

In case you missed it, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard sank a pirate mother ship and rescued some hostages as well as arresting several pirates. See here and here (reporting a 12 hour "battle" between the pirates and the Indian forces).

India has now announced a "zero tolerance" for pirates "messing" in Indian waters, see here:

The Navy's sinking of a pirate 'mother vessel' off the Lakshadweep Islands will send a "strong message" to the sea brigands that India will not tolerate their nefarious designs anywhere near its waters, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma told TOI on Sunday.

"There is no question of anybody messing in our waters or area... it's absolutely unacceptable to us," Admiral Verma said.

This comes after naval fast attack craft INS Cankarso sank Prantalay, a hijacked Thai trawler being used as a mother vessel by Somali pirates to carry out attacks for the last nine months, after a hot chase on Friday night. In the well-executed operation, the Navy apprehended 15 pirates as well as rescued 20 Thai and Myanmar nationals who had been taken hostage on board Prantalay. "The pirates are being interrogated... they are being brought to Mumbai for legal proceedings," Admiral Verma said.

In the meantime, an attack off the coast of Iran is the northernmost reported attack by Somali pirates to date (see here). New reports are that an Iranian frigate helped break up the attack. See Vesseltracker.com report:

Star of Abu Dhabi from Shipspotting.com by Dragec (used iaw terms of Shipspotting.com)

Star Of Abu Dhabi was attacked 30-JAN-11 .....19.6nm SW of Chabahar Port, Iran . . . by a PAG consisting of 2 skiffs with 3 pirates in each . . . The PAG broke off their attack when an Iranian Warship arrived in the area. The vessel was enroute . . . to Port Khomeini in Iran.

SAS Mendi

It appears that the South African Navy may soon deploy one of its new ships to assist in fighting East African piracy -see here:

. . . [O]ne of the navy's new frigates, the SAS Mendi, headed for Durban a week ago in anticipation of the signing of an agreement aimed at protecting Mozambique against piracy.

UPDATE: The South Koreans did a perp walk with the 5 Somali pirates captured by ROK forces when they retook the Samho Jewelry (see here and here):

RMN photo

Malaysia, too, has its captured 7 pirates (see here for post on their capture) in custody as reported by the "BBC" in its article titled (and scare quoted) as Seven Somali 'pirates' held in custody by Malaysia:

Seven Somali men accused of being pirates have arrived in Malaysia where they could face prosecution.

AFP Photo

They were captured by the Malaysian navy 10 days ago as they allegedly tried to hijack a tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
Legal experts in Malaysia are now studying whether they can be charged.