More Than Just Interesting...

It has been a while since I've had something to say, but with all the travelling and keeping up on the latest counter piracy news, it is time to rejoin the information fray.


Momentous news in many areas in the last few weeks, none more momentous than the reported "bringing to justice" of OBL - Osama Bin Laden to many.
The navy, albeit the US Navy through their highly skilled SEALS, has achieved something George Bush set out some years ago now. On hearing the news he called it a "momentous achievement."

OBL (source: BBC.co.uk)

President Barack Obama announced Bin Laden was killed following a 'firefight' in a ground operation 62 miles outside Islamabad, Pakistan, based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.
Following his death, OBL's body was taken by US forces, and breaking news stated that the body had been buried 'at sea'. How whether this affects a Muslim considering that in Afghanistan, dead Muslim are handed over to their family and friends for appropriate burial, as it is customary to bury the dead with 24 hours of death. Allied forces went to great pains to not offend in this manner, so the fate of OBL's body may become another standpoint issue for the remaining, dispirited followers. In the short-term, US, and other allied countries, will brace for possible revenge attacks, however, some commentators claim the Arab world may find it all rather irrelevant as they have their minds focused on the recent uprising.
Whilst the death of OBL may well strike at the "morale of the global jihad," says Roger Hardy in a BBC article, "it is unlikely to end it." Read more at BBC News. Incidentally, oil and stocks have reacted positively to the news. Now do the same for piracy and we could be on to an economic recovery, of sorts.


Now, back to piracy off Somalia. Let's try to keep this brief.
Somali pirates had a bit of a spring clear out of tankers over the last couple of months, making room for the next batch. They have returned to taking dhows traversing the region which have been used as motherships. The Indian Navy has made such inroads on capturing pirates (61 captured in one incident alone) that they have taken the step to renege on releasing crew following the payment of a ransom. Allegedly, it is in response to the holding, and killing, of their brothers by the Indians. The MV Asphalt Venture was released early April but 7 of the 15 crew were kept hostage. Yet another 'game-changer', amongst many. Yes, this does change the position for negotiating any future release of vessel and crew, but importantly, it changes the view of the insurance companies who have been quite happy to accept the increased premiums paid by the shipping industry for the relatively small payouts. If the ransom payment cannot guarantee their release then there will clearly be a reluctance to pay out. Where will that leave the seafarer? The Indian Seafarers Union held a series of marches in 8 cities across the country to protest against the scourge of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
There have been many rescue operations, mainly by non-EU and non-NATO countries, with varying degrees of success. The resultant deaths on the Beluga Nomination were a tragic consequence, but there has been successes (which I am sure you will have read about). Most recently, the Seychelles coastguard carried out a rescue only 1nm off Denis Island; claims that naval units closer to the coast of Somalia have enabled the rescue of a number of hostages on land have surfaced, but no one is claiming 'responsibility' for such successes. Odd in itself as it is an opportunity to declare to the pirates of the intention to stifle their operations. Even the Iranian navy foils pirate attacks, including a recent attack off the Pakistan coast.
A few of the recently released merchant vessels have limped away from their Somali anchorages with engine trouble of some sort or another, requiring them to be towed to a safe port (Mombasa in Kenya), so it is of concern that attacks are 'trending' off Mombasa over the last couple of weeks. There is a new dynamic - one that pleases some but alarms others - where a vessel was released following a ransom drop. The pirates were counting their ill-gotten gains for the hijack of Sinar Kudus (hijacked 46 days ago with 20 Indonesian crew) when they came under fire from Indonesian forces. 4 pirates were killed, but a spokesperson for the Indonesian military said “We thought there would be more tasked to collect the ransom. But we were wrong.” Jakarta Post. Now that is a game-changer. What will be the response? It may well be similar to the threats to Indian seafarers following the Indian Navy successes. Indeed, the shipping industry has called for greater action from governments to take more action, even at the cost of seafarer lives. It may affect future negotiations to a degree not yet seen. Whether it deters the pirates is doubtful. Replacements from the interior of Somalia are always ready to grab their piece of the pie to escape the humanitarian and religious insurgency problems.


Finally, Senator Mark Kirk visited the semi-autonomous region of Puntland recently. He spoke to the Puntland President Abdurrahman Mohamed Farole, and even met a famous pirate being held in prison on an 8-year sentence for piracy. Sen. Kirk is known for his hawkish stance on anti-piracy and was conducting a whirlwind tour of the region as part of the review of NATO and US efforts. Sen. Kirk was the man who took the Illinois seat vacated when President Obama was elected, and has served in many theatres including Afghanistan and Kosovo See Somalia Report.


So, it is more than just interesting to see one global menace be negated, when will the menace of piracy off Somali be negated? Hopefully, it does not take as long as it did in OBLs case. Either way, 'GO NAVY!' 

Shipping World And Social Media

It may seem like this blog is mashing together two disparate issues, but bear with me as I attempt to bring it all neatly together.


Issue 1: The Joint War Committee has expanded the geographic area in the Indian Ocean, subject to higher insurance premiums, due to the widening scope of attacks on shipping by Somali pirates, extending the area further east, reports Lloyd's List recently. The premise of the article is how the higher insurance costs and risk of hijack continues to plague not only the shipping industry, but by simple extension of cost, also the consumer, as world economy and trade will eventually bear the burden of those costs; or at least that's what it 'could' be saying if you paid for a subscription to Lloyd's List.


Do not misconstrue, LL provide a plethora of information relating to the shipping industry. It is one of the foremost commentators on shipping. Granted, there is much to be said for 'paid content', as some online daily newspapers have adopted, but when the matter of seafarers posting on social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, not to mention the profusion of blogs (yes, like this one!), websites and forums, the article in LL with the headline "Social media shock for shipowners" neatly demonstrates the complexity of the issue. Let me elaborate...


Issue 2: The LL article states "SHIPOWNERS ignorant about social media and its influence are largely unaware of private material crews have posted on Facebook, Twitter and other freely available websites, waiting to surface at inopportune moments". The problem within the shipping community is the vast, disparate, some areas dated, but varied aspects of the industry. No one organisation has the ability to adroitly manage the huge companies, operators, owners, charters etc in how to run social media. It seems that loose lips (keyboards and keypads) do not exactly sink ships, but they can bring shipowners into discussions they would much rather not bring out to the general purview.

It just does not work like that. The shipping industry wants the public to be more aware of the influence shipping has on the world trade and economy. Sharing information to raise awareness of the pressures, dangers and importance of the industry is a two-way channel. The public, at home with access to social media easily to hand, is reflected in the seafarers who wish to do the same at sea. The increase in social media usage is a worldwide phenomenon. The whole world is talking. Looking at the uprisings across the Middle East, the disasters which have struck Japan and New Zealand, for instance; all covered via Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. The maritime community cannot remain resolutely detached from social media. Ignorance, like in law, is not an excuse.

It is time to move on. Yes, sensitive information should be safeguarded, it makes sense, but information is a way of everyday life. This is not a data protection matter either, just the issues that affect the safety and well-being of those serving at sea. Whether work-related or personal, the seafarer has greater connectivity than ever before. Remember using Morse code, radio telephone calls, telegrams, snail mail once in harbour, then email (quickly becoming snail-like)? They are either past it or are becoming passe.

Social media provides instant access and rapid exchange of views. No company or organisation can escape being talked about, no matter if it is the general public, the customer, or the staff. The beast is too big to be controlled (unless it is Google, Facebook, Microsoft or Apple). Take a look at some of the stats surrounding social media. A 2010 study mentioned a somewhat surprising stat: "75% of employers say their business has no formal policy instructing employees on the appropriate use of social networking sites on the job." The study "Employer Perspectives on Social Networking" compiled from 34,000 businesses in 35 countries, is covered in greater depth by Brian Solis article 'The Rules of Social Media Engagement' (www.briansolis.com). As Brian says "Social Media represents the democratization of information and the equalization of influence", the problem is the confusion of effective engagement with everyday chatter. Assigning the task of social media (if the company is aware of its existence) is usually to a junior staff member, because they understand how to use it.

In the maritime industry, the junior staff coming through have grown up with the ever present Internet and see it as a natural extension of their life. In fact, access to the Internet is now a human right in some European countries. The Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said governments must "regard the Internet as basic infrastructure - just like roads, waste and water" (BBC News). So to remain resolutely ignorant, or choose to ignore social media in such a huge industry as shipping, is not exactly an offence, but could be in some countries.



As Brian Solis goes on to say "In order for businesses to maximize the opportunity present within social networks, we must place engagement in the hands of those representatives qualified and trained to do so effectively and strategically."

 
If you need more evidence of why social media is important, whether you like it or not, see what Erik Qualman has to say on his site Socialnomics - its bigger than you think. If the shipowners are shocked at what their employees are saying, they are in for a far greater shock to see what is being said by everyone else who has moved on. "It's a people driven economy stupid" (Equalman).

If seafarers are worried about sailing across pirate infested waters, they are most certainly going to talk about it, whether with their families and therefore the public, and/or their fellow seafarers. Social media at sea is growing and will only get bigger. Does that mash it together?

UN Concerned Over 'Grave Threat' of Somali Piracy

Original from Beijing Today Blog

The U.N. Security Council expressed its deep concerns about the “grave threat” caused by piracy in Somalia on Thursday, the same day an attempt by Somali security forces to free a Danish family from a pirate gang failed when would-be rescuers were ambushed.

The Security Council’s day-long open debate on Somalia was organized weeks ago by China, which holds the council’s rotating presidency. The council condemned the ongoing violence, including hostage taking, murder and other violent acts.

A senior official in Somali’s autonomous region of Puntland said five soldiers were killed and vehicles were burned on Thursday when pirates ambushed government forces trying to rescue the Danish couple, their three children and two crew members.

The family was kidnapped two weeks ago after pirates seized their 43-foot (13-meter) sailboat. In another failed rescue attempt two weeks ago, U.S. forces hoping to save four American hostages later discovered that pirates had killed all the captives.

A pirate told The Associated Press that the Danish hostages were safe and still being held.

The Security Council said it “recognizes that the ongoing instability in Somalia contributes to the problem of piracy and armed robbery” and stressed the need for a “comprehensive response” to tackle piracy and its root causes.

The 15-member body charged with helping ensure the world’s peace and security called on U.N. member states for urgent donations to support the U.N. mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM. It also called for the full deployment of 4,000 more peacekeepers to deal with the increasing violence.

Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, an attempt to rebuild national institutions after civil war, needs to speed up reconciliation among differing groups and complete a constitution before the transitional period ends in August, the council said.

Somalia has not had a functioning government in two decades. Piracy flourishes off the coast, with ransoms recently climbing into the millions of dollars and pirates holding hostages for longer periods.

The Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, told the UN Security Council debate that Somalia faced "two evils, the scourge of piracy and the plague of terrorism", and stated that "Not only are these two ills working in tandem, bu they are learning from each other." He gave a stark warning that there is the potential for the hijacking of tankers to be used "as deadly weapons" by al Qaeda's agents in Somalia, along the lines of September 2001 terror attacks in America (Reuters).

There is a great deal of tragic news going around right now; more than is usual, but the plight of the seafarers held hostage, both ashore and at sea, must not be forgotten in all of this. Recovery from disaster, no matter how devastating, does happen and people continue with their lives. The daily threat of being harshly treated, or even killed, is an ongoing torture that few have to face. In your prayers for those affected by global disasters, remember those held against their will by pirates, and the families who rarely, if at all, hear from those taken when going about their work. Where is the aid for them?

Shipping Campaign Calls on 'People Power' Against Somali Piracy

It has taken off very rapidly and has spread globally, so who are we to omit it from our blog...

Press briefing

1 March, 2011

Shipping chiefs call on ‘people power’ to pressure governments to crack down on Somali pirates now throttling vital trade routes

Ship owners and seafarers are calling on ‘people power’ to push their governments to act now and show the political will to resolve the growing Somali piracy crisis before it strangles world trade and before more innocent seafarers are tortured and murdered.

The SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign, launched today by BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Shipping Federation (ISF), Intercargo, INTERTANKO and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), is aimed at encouraging millions of people around the world to heap pressure on their national Governments to crack down on piracy. They are calling on YOUR help.

The Somali piracy crisis affects you and every one of us worldwide. The dramatic recent extension of the pirates’ operating area right across the Indian Ocean** means that there are now no alternative routes to avoid the Somali pirate gangs, especially for tankers coming out of the Gulf. Ship owners and seafarers are re-evaluating their current determination to ensure that these vital trade routes remain open, and are going to have to choose whether to trade through this area or not.

Merchant ships are being attacked daily, running a gauntlet of gunfire and rocket propelled grenade attacks from armed gangs of Somali pirates. Over 800 seafarers are currently held hostage on their hijacked ships. Subjected to physical and psychological abuse for months at a time, they are held ransom for millions of dollars.

Yet even when caught red handed by naval forces, 80% of pirates are released to attack again. Why? Because the world’s politicians don’t realise the severity of this critical situation. The governments give the orders. The governments hold the key to resolving this crisis. But they seem unwilling to face reality and act. Their brief to the naval forces is simply to deter and disrupt, unless it involves a national interest.

Enough is enough. The Round Table of international shipping associations (RT) and the ITF are placing hard-hitting advertisements in key major international newspapers on 1 March to kick off the SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign which highlights the plight of seafarers and, with six specific requests, brings pressure to bear on governments to show more political will and fewer legalistic excuses in dealing with Somali piracy.

Six specific requests

We are specifically asking for governments to recognise the threat to our seafarers and the world economy, and take the necessary steps to eradicate piracy at sea and ashore by:

• Reducing the effectiveness of the easily-identifiable pirate motherships.
• Authorising naval forces to detain pirates and deliver them for prosecution and punishment.
• Fully criminalising all acts of piracy and intent to commit piracy under national laws in accordance with their mandatory duty to co-operate to suppress piracy under international conventions.
• Increasing naval assets available in this area.
• Providing greater protection and support for seafarers.
• Tracing and criminalising the organisers and financiers behind the criminal networks.

SOS Save our Seafarers

The RT and the ITF have launched a new website for the SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign  http://www.saveourseafarers.com/. Just two clicks and supporters can send a pre-prepared letter, signed by them, to their chosen heads of government. The website will also have up-to-the minute information on the piracy situation, and an SOS TV page with film clips and pictures.

Piracy is out of control – background**

As pirates use hijacked merchant ships (so-called motherships) to extend their reach almost to India’s coast some 1,500 miles from Somalia, the lawlessness has spread right across the Indian Ocean through which half the world’s oil supply passes. Tankers coming from the Gulf and the Middle East can no longer avoid the pirates – and a hijacked tanker with 2 million barrels of oil represents 20% of daily oil imports to the USA.

In addition to the human cost, piracy is strangling key supply routes and costing the global economy $12 billion a year.

We rely on freedom of the seas for the safe delivery of 90% of our food, fuel, raw materials, humanitarian aid and manufactured goods. Shipping serves international trade and assists economic activity and therefore regional stability in neighbouring countries. This freedom to serve world trade is threatened.

Quotable quotes

“It’s time for Governments across the world to take firm action against the pirates that attack and hijack our ships. The current practice of releasing apprehended pirates without trial is a disgrace to our seafarers and to the international conventions. The upholding of international law and order is being grossly neglected.”

BIMCO President, Robert Lorenz-Meyer  

“Pirates are getting stronger, more violent and richer every day as a result of inertia by Governments. On behalf of all the major shipping organisations, we’re calling for help from Governments to tackle this human and economic terror being inflicted upon innocent seafarers. We hope that by working together and encouraging support from the global community we can ease the current crisis of Somali piracy.”

ITF General Secretary, David Cockroft

“Piracy is out of control. The pirates’ extended reach through the use of hijacked merchant ships (so-called motherships) means that for tankers coming from the Gulf, there is no longer an optional route to avoid the risk of hijacking – and one captured tanker with 2m barrels of oil represents one fifth of U.S. daily oil imports. Governments need to protect the world’s shipping lanes by showing political will, not political indifference.”

INTERTANKO Chairman, Capt Graham Westgarth

“Politicians don’t realise the severity of this crisis. Escalation affects our seafarers first and foremost, but the potential effect on world trade and regional stability will affect us all. Governments can no longer afford to simply to deter and disrupt the pirates.”

Intercargo Chairman, Nicky Pappadakis

“We are drawing to the urgent attention of governments and inter-governmental organizations the recent deeply concerning shift in the modus operandi of Somali pirates, particularly where torture and murder of innocent seafarers is involved. The impact of this growing crisis on the welfare of seafarers and on trading patterns has to be understood by politicians and the public alike.”

Chairman of ICS/ISF, Spyros M Polemis

Contacts:

The Round Table of international shipping associations:

BIMCO  Peter Grube  pg@bimco.org  Phone +45 44 366800

ICS/ISF  Simon Bennett  simon.bennett@marisec.org Phone +44 20 7417 2857

INTERCARGO  David Jones  david.jones@intercargo.org Phone +44 20 7977 7035

INTERTANKO  Bill Box  bill.box@intertanko.com   Phone +44 20 7977 7023

ITF Sam Dawson  dawson_sam@itf.org   Phone +44 20 7940 9260

Memoirs of 8 Months with Somali Pirates

The following tale is an account of being held captive by Somali pirates. The Vietnamese seafarers' experiences at the hand of the notorious Somali pirates includes how they were used as a mothership to rob other vessels, and tellingly, how the crew managed to be released from pirate control. 

Sailor Tran Van Tri

VietNamNet Bridge – “While we were dropping an anchor, we saw a high-speed canoe approaching. Somali pirates holding machine-guns got close to the ship, overpowered the captain and other sailors,” Tran Van Tri, 22, who has just returned home after eight months seized by Somali pirates, recalled.

Tri, from Quynh Long commune in the central province of Nghe An, became a fisherman after leaving junior secondary school. In September 2009, his parents borrowed money from a bank to cover labour exporting fees for him. Since then, Tri was recruited as a sailor of Tai Yuan 277, a tuna fishing boat of Taiwan.

 In May 2010, while fishing tuna in the Indian Ocean, Tri’s vessel was seized by a group of Somali pirates. “Several minutes later, another group of Somali men appeared with machine-guns. They forced all sailors to go to the board and searched through the boat to take all cash and assets. The pirates told the captain to steer the ship to Somalia. The ship was ordered to land in a closed and wild sea, where many other fishing boats were detained.

“In Somalia, the pirated classified sailors into Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, etc. and forced them to do different works. They beat anyone who opposed and threatened to kill them,” Tri recalled.

The pirates allowed the captain to get contact with the Taiwanese ship owner but they could not contact the owner. The pirates were very angry and they asked the captain to seek way to get contact with the owner to ask for ransom. As they could not contact Taiwan, the pirates used the ship and sailors to rob other ships. Two months after the arrest, Somali pirates permitted sailors to call home for three minutes.

“I was crying on my bed when I heard a strange phone call. I had a feeling that this was my son’s call. We talked for three minutes but I cried for two minutes,” said Tri’s mother, Tran Thi Hue.

On January 20 2011, after robbing a big fishing ship in the Indian Ocean, the pirates asked the captain to steer the ship to its dock. While the ship was running, the chief mechanic told the pirates that the ship was out of fuel. Five pirates searched the ship but they didn’t see any oil can left. They thought that the ship was out of oil so they released the ship and all sailors.

“When the pirates left  the big ship that they had just robbed, we embraced each other for happiness. All of us cried because they were released by the pirates unconditionally,” Tri said.

After a while, all sailors were very worried because the ship was out of fuel but the Chinese chief mechanic laughed and told sailors that there were over ten tons of oil hidden in the ship. “We hurriedly supplied fuel for the ship and run to Sri Lanka,” Tri continued.

The ship landed in Sri Lanka 12 days later. The captain got contact with the Taiwanese Consulate in Sri Lanka. Sailors called home and they were assisted with their journey home. On March 3, Tri and two other Vietnamese sailors from Ha Tinh and Kon Tum provinces arrived home safely.

Tri’s father, Tran Van Uon, said: “I heard that my son was captured by pirates. I though that he would not return but I still had to encourage my wife and my mother. We prayed for him everyday and he has returned”.

Nearly 1000 young people in Tri’s commune – Quynh Long – work as sailors on foreign fishing ships. Tri said that Somali pirates don’t kill or maltreat Vietnamese hostages because they know that Vietnamese sailors are very poor. He said that hostages were also supplied with rice and water.

Source: VNE

There May Be Trouble Ahead...

A Somali pirate, Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, the surviving pirate from the attack on the MAERSK ALABAMA in 2009, is sentenced to over 33 years in prison by U.S. Federal court in New York only last week. The pirate was involved in the kidnap of Captain Philips where two of the fellow pirates were killed by U.S. Navy snipers. During the same week of Muse being sentenced, a report via the Associated Press stated that Somali pirates claimed there would be retaliation against Americans for the sentencing with" regrettable consequences."

US Yacht Quest Hijacked Off Oman

Only a few days after the imprisonment of Muse, the implication that US vessels and citizens would suffer may indeed come about through the hijack of the yacht, SY QUEST, with four US citizens onboard on January 18.


The retired American owners, Jean and Scott Adam, were en route to Salalah, Oman from India as part of their 8 to 10 year 'around-the-world' tour which began in December 2004. According to their website, svquest.com, they were on their way to the Mediterranean via the Red Sea. A competition had been run with the prize of a chance to join them on that leg of the journey, which may account for the fact that there were 4 Americans onboard at the time of the hijack.
The US couple had transited another pirate-rich area during their journey. They had passed through the Malacca Straits without problem, but then the Asian anti-piracy measures are more stringent in that area with the local States combining to reduce pirate activity through greater cooperation and military measures. Admittedly, the sea area is not as vast as the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

SV Quest (Img: svquest.com)

Some may ask why are yachts still sailing through the region, whilst others say they have every right to do so. Even travelling in convoys does not ensure safety. The military authorities patrolling the region have stated they cannot be everywhere, nor can they guarantee safety for all vessels going through the area.
Surely, the Adam's have the right to go about their business without fear of kidnap? As one of my earlier blogs "Getting away from it all" stated, being "forewarned is forearmed". The need for greater situational awareness continues to be demonstrated by such incidents as this one. However, it is not the sole means to increasing the safety of the seafarers; it is a supporting mechanism to increase cooperation and information exchange, including to the public. The IMO, supported by the UN Secretary General, has launched a new drive to "keep piracy at bay", but how does that work for the private yachts-people? The outrage expressed of late by shipowners is largely due to the effect on profit margins and the economy (oil, oil, oil), as much as it is for the plight of the seafarer. The 'convoys' that are conducted through the Gulf of Aden are aimed at commercial vessels, with those with low freeboard and low speed receiving greater attention as they are the most vulnerable. There is just no simple answer to the immediate problem of piracy, notwithstanding the 'go ashore' solution. The yachts that have been hijacked over the last few years are few, granted, but the fear those kidnapped will share with the other 800-odd seafarers already held is not something anyone wishes to contemplate.


The circumstance of the SV QUEST crew is not known at present, or at least not made public. The possibility of being held as long as the British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, is a real concern. The rescue that occurred with the MAERSK ALABAMA is unlikely to be undertaken again due to various reasons, no less the risk to the individuals kidnapped (remember the French yacht 'TANIT'?), but the outrage that will be expressed by the American vox pop will be the most vociferous. The declaration last year that the U.S. will not negotiate with pirates will be 'pressed to test'. Can the government stand against a family wishing to obtain the safe release of their loved ones by the only means they have available?
With reports surfacing about the harsh treatment of some of the hostages held by the pirates, should the Somali pirates decide to make good on their threats of retaliation against US citizens, the already troubled waters may see bigger storms approaching.

RNLI crew volunteers respond to shipping lanes collision

The value of the volunteer Royal National Lifeboat Institution service around the UK is demonstrated in the article below. They can be support in various ways. See here how you can do so. Much like the Coastguard organisations so many are used to, the RNLI are ready to help at a moments notice. The difference is that they are volunteers. The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. They provide a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK and Republic of Ireland, as well as a seasonal lifeguard service on many of the busiest beaches in England and Wales. Their dedication to helping others is clear in this article.

Salcombe All Weather Lifeboat: Nicholas Leach

The Salcombe all-weather lifeboat crew volunteers onboard the Baltic Exchange III were launched at 6.55pm on Friday night (11 February) to assist in the search and recovery of two fishermen thrown over board when their vessel was in collision with a large container ship 31 nautical miles south of Start Point.
The Admiral Blake, a large 22 metre fishing vessel was working within the busy English Channel shipping lanes, when she was in collision with the Container vessel. The Salcombe Tamar class all-weather lifeboat with her volunteer crew of seven was immediately tasked along with Portland Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 106.
Arriving on scene at 8.24pm the Salcombe crew found that the Admiral Blake had been holed below her waterline and was taking on water. The skipper was satisfied that the water tight bulkheads were holding. The decision was taken to place two lifeboat crew members onboard the fishing vessel to assist.
One fishing boat crew member, who had been thrown overboard, was recovered almost immediately by the fishing boat. He was assessed, and appeared to be comfortable and warm and no further treatment was required.
Meanwhile, the other man thrown overboard spent over an hour in the water while a fast rescue craft from the container vessel searched for him. He was recovered by the rescue craft and transferred to the helicopter. The casualty was then airlifted to hospital.
It was confirmed that both casualties had not been wearing lifejackets.
The vessel was placed under tow and the two RNLI crew members assembled a salvage pump and continued to pump water out of the Admiral Blake throughout the long journey to Plymouth. A low speed is required whilst towing a vessel, especially when the vessel is badly damaged.
On arriving in Plymouth just before 6am on Saturday morning, the tow was passed to the crew of the Plymouth all-weather lifeboat who secured the vessel at Victoria Wharf.
The Salcombe lifeboat arrived back at her moorings at around 6.55am.
Salcombe RNLI lifeboat duty Coxswain Kevin Favis explained:
‘It was a long call out for my well trained and experienced volunteer crew, who not only gave up their time for an all night rescue, but also dedicate many of their own hours to vital crew training.’

Author: Dan Ashton , Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer

How much outrage can we take?

By  Freelance Journalist Neville Smith (originally posted by BIMCO)

It has been an important fortnight in the fight against Somali piracy. The visit of UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon to IMO to jointly launch the IMO’s response initiative was the crowning moment, drawing the great and the good as well as the world’s media.

The timing could not have been more fortuitous given the terrible toll of attacks in 2010 and the recent escalation of violence, as naval forces and pirates become increasingly drawn into conflict, with seafarers caught in the firing line. The attacks, rescues and retaliation are a worrying development in an already ghastly situation, but in a way the upsurge in violence, coming as it did at the same time as an IMO piracy workshop and shortly before Mr. Ban’s visit, could prove to be a tipping point.

Not before time of course – this is a problem that has been allowed to fester by the lack of a co-ordinated response from the international community to the problems onshore in Somalia. The willingness of Somalia’s neighbours to prosecute pirates has also been undermined by prevarication and perhaps worst of all, ship owners continue to flout the basic anti-piracy precautions developed by their own industry.

For those of us who assume that the industry is “doing everything it can” the evidence to the contrary is shocking. At a workshop held during the STCW meeting two weeks ago, an EU NAVFOR commander denounced a compliance culture among flag states and shipping companies for undermining the efforts of the naval forces.

Colonel Richard Spencer excoriated the shipping industry for in many cases failing to take adequate self-protection measures or assist the co-ordinating naval bodies, even when they had advised authorities they were in the high risk zone. “NATO has taken to phoning up ships within 50 miles of a mothership sighting to warn them of the risk because ships are not ready the NAV warnings they put out. They are sailing blind,” he told delegates, including member states.

Col. Spencer acknowledged the inadequacy of the political response and the lack of naval resources available but said fewer attacks would succeed if ships could hold off the pirates for 45 minutes. “You’ve got to play the game [and] fight harder for your ships. I recognise they are civilians but if it were me in a choice between 45 minutes and eight months held hostage, I’m in for a fight.”

But while some flag states were registering ships for passage and providing LRIT information, their ships “as we watch them go by” were obviously not implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs), he said. “There is a reason why some flags consistently have the highest number of ships taken. I’m speechless as to why some flag states are not doing more. There are an awful lot of club class flights and conferences but are they meeting their responsibilities?”

Col. Spencer added that the number of “high risk” ships registered by flag states and owners for passage through the Gulf of Aden IRTC is falling, while registration of low and medium risk ships is climbing. Although registrations were growing overall, along with increased flow of LRIT data to MSC-HOA and MARLO co-ordinating offices, flag states were not applying enough pressure to owners to apply BMPs.

“What concerns me is the growth in registration of moderate or low risk ships while substantial or severe risk ships is falling off. I can’t understand that,” he said.

He said naval forces had “observed non-compliance” on the ships of the top four flag states, Liberia, Panama, Marshall Islands and Bahamas, despite their registration and submission of LRIT data. He said the navies received no LRIT data from India, Norway, Singapore and Hong Kong flags in 2010 but stressed that following BMPs remained “the best way to defend a pirate attack”.

Arsenio Dominguez of the Panama ship registry defended flag states from this criticism, telling the workshop that registers are sometimes only aware of pirate attacks from media reports and without better feedback from the navies and operators alike, flags could not learn and improve.

“It is difficult for the Panama Maritime Authority to know in all cases that its ships have been attacked. We have heard that 48 of 60 ships [in the EU NAVFOR sample] were not following BMPs but I don’t take that as a criticism, that is valuable information,” he said.

MSC-HOA UKMTO and MARLO should improve their communication channel to the flag states, he said not just in the aftermath of attacks but once vessels are subsequently released. In addition operators must take the advice of flag states seriously. “We do contact operators and make them aware they need to do their part but it is a difficult problem for us if we are contacting them for the second or third time when they are not fulfilling their obligations,” he added.

As if there was not enough to be done at sea, ashore the challenge is if anything greater. A lack of political will among developed nations is preventing regional states prosecuting piracy suspects according to the chairman of the UN Contact Group on Piracy’s Working Group 1.

Chris Holtby of the UK Foreign Office told the workshop that the region was still waiting for promised assistance. “This all rests on political will and by and large, that will is not there. This is a multi-faceted problem and needs a unified response.” He said the international community had “failed to build the prison capacity needed. Most of the countries in this room have not contributed.”

The Seychelles in particular, Mr. Holtby said, “would prosecute every suspect we give them” but no country (including Djibouti agreement signatories) had taken the political risk of investing in enforcement. “The EU has tens of millions of Euros ready to invest in regional action but is almost alone. Even when countries do contribute, they don’t want to tell you what they are doing,” he added.

Mr. Ban told last week’s press conference that he saw “heightened” political will to build capacity in the region and to focus on rebuilding Somalia as a long term deterrent to piracy. All the countries of the world that depend on the flow of good by sea should give him all the support possible to make that happen. In the meantime, ship owners must continue to put their own house in order.

The increasing flow of press releases expressing outrage at pirate tactics will fall on stony ground if it continues to be shown that owners are not doing everything in their power to deter piracy. Worse, in the decade or more that it might take to stabilise Somalia, they will lose the battle for political will that might finally end the problem once and for all.

Which all goes to demonstrate the fractious nature of the shipping industry. If it cannot self-regulate, then who is going to bring them together? Who has the answer?

The War At Sea Escalates

Taken from Strategypage.com. The views and opinions are theirs, but it makes good reading. See link for other military news, humour and photos.


February 9, 2011: Shipping companies and shipping associations are calling on governments to be more forceful in dealing with Somali pirates. This includes calls for detachments of troops to be stationed on ships moving through the Indian Ocean. This hard line attitude has developed over the last year as it became known that the pirates were using more violence against captured sailors. Some of these seamen are being killed or wounded during the pirate attacks on their ships, while others are being beaten, starved or murdered while in captivity. Even worse, captured seamen on some ships, are being used as human shields. This happens when ships (usually fishing vessels) are used as mother ships, and attacked by navy or coast guard ships or helicopters. The UN is more concerned with the suffering of Somalis in the south (beneath Somaliland and Puntland). There, 30 percent of those eight million people are starving because of a long drought and Islamic radicals prohibiting foreign food aid, or stealing most of what is allowed in. About 15 percent of those southern Somalis are also refugees, having been driven from their homes by fighting, usually between clans, or because of Islamic radical groups enforcing harsh lifestyle rules.
India is alarmed at the increased Somali pirate activity off its southwest coast (near the Lakshadweep islands, about 300 kilometers off the coast). The pirates are getting out this far mostly by using captured sea-going fishing ships as mother ships. These "freezer trawlers" are up to 100 meters (310 feet) long and have freezer facilities on board to store hundreds of tons of frozen fish. These ships normally stay at sea months at a time and have crews of 15-30. The pirates don't get as large a ransom for fishing ships as they do for larger cargo and tanker ships. This is particularly true of the coastal freezer trawlers, which are often old and worth less than half a million dollars each. The owner cannot pay the millions in ransom the pirates often demand for these ships. These fishing ships are all over the Indian Ocean, between Africa and India, and the pirates realized that they could hide two speedboats on these vessels and the fishing crew could be used to operate the ship, in addition to twenty or so pirates. But now the Indians, and the anti-piracy patrol in general, are paying closer attention to all those fishing ships. If you know what to look for, and look closely, you can detect which ones are run by pirates. The names of captured fishing ships are known, and they are now being sought at sea. There is a sense of urgency with this, because it's been discovered that the pirates treat the fishermen much more savagely (starving and beating them, often to death). At least one group of pirates is using a small (95 meter ling)  tanker as a mother ship.
The violence continues in Mogadishu, with several hundred casualties a week. The cause is often local disputes. There is still some fighting between Islamic radical factions. Outside the city, there are still several clan feuds going on.
February 8, 2011; An Italian tanker was seized 800 kilometers off the Indian coast, and 1,300 kilometers from Somalia. The pirates were operating from a mother ship (captured fishing ship). These attacks, closer to Indian than Somalia, are alarming, as these are major oil tanker shipping lanes, and 40 percent of the world's oil tanker traffic passes through the Indian Ocean.
February 6, 2011: An Indian warship captured the second (the Prantalay-11) of three fishing ships taken by pirates ten months ago, and since turned into mother ships. The Indians followed the two speedboats back to the Prantalay-11, and attacked the ship when the pirates opened fire. The pirates quickly surrendered, and 28 were taken. In addition, 24 fishermen, used to operate the Prantalay-11, were rescued. Last January 28th, the Indians rescued the Prantalay-14, and sank it, after a similar battle in which fifteen pirates were captured, after ten were shot dead.
February 4, 2011: In the last year, Somali pirates have attacked 286 ships, captured 67 of them (along with 1,130 crew). Over a dozen of these vessels were high seas fishing boats, many of them turned into mother ships. The UN is calling for something to be done, as long as it does not involve an invasion of Somalia. That's the key problem. As long as the pirates have safe bases ashore, and are still getting ransoms, they have every incentive to keep at it. There are not enough warships to keep the pirates from seizing ships.
February 3, 2011: The TNG (Transitional National Government) parliament (435 of 500 members) met and 421 of them voted to extend the parliament for three years. The TNG parliament has passed no laws in the past six years, and serves mainly to enrich the members of parliament. Each is paid $300 a month by the UN, and can make more if they can steal foreign aid. The members of the TNG government receive some protection from 8,000 AU (African Union) peacekeepers, and an increasing number of Western trained TNG soldiers and police. But the TNG has proved unable to get the many clans of Somalia to unite in backing a national government. The U.S., and other Western nations that pay for most of this, want a new TNG parliament elected, when its current term ends in August. But the current parliament insists that there is too much violence in the country to run a fair selection process, and that the current legislators should remain. Arguing over this will continue until August, and probably after as well.

Getting Away From It All

Maldives (Img: treehugger.com)

What do you dream of?

Whenever you hear someone talking about winning the lottery, retiring, or just getting away from the rat race, one thing that continually pops up in their thoughts is a boat or a cruise. What will be the destination of that boat or cruise? If it's not the  Caribbean - too many hurricanes, thank you kindly - its usually the idea of a tropical island paradise, like those islands in the Indian Ocean. You know; Maldvies, Seychelles or Madagascar. Cerulean skies, azure seas, white sand, beautiful sunsets, pirates, palm trees... hold on. Did someone mention pirates?

The centuries-old scourge of the seas has seen a resurgence off the Horn of Africa in the last 4 years. The growth of Somali piracy, due in no small part to various reasons from the lawlessness following the failure of the state of Somalia in 1991, the outcry that foreign fishing vessels have encroached on Somali territorial fishing areas, to accusations of toxic waste dumping off the East African country. The UN-backed government holed up in Mogadishu, the capital, with African Union peacekeeping troops protecting the parliament from the Islamist insurgents surrounding them; the vast population to the South that are in displaced person camps and suffering from food shortages, with World Food Programme unable to provide direct humanitarian aid, the self-declared independent areas of Somaliland and Puntland all clearly demonstrates the dire position of the country. Ideal breeding ground for the increasingly violent pirates.
The popularity of piracy for young men with little or no food or livelihood is almost understandable. If your meagre annual income may be between $100-$300, the promise of a $10,000-$50,000 payout for jumping in a skiff (small rudimentary boat with a big outboard motor or two stuck onto it), take with you an AK-47, mobile phone, handheld GPS and a ladder, oh, and a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launcher for good measure, then attack, board and return to anchor off the Somali coast, it can be rather an attractive proposition for a young man looking for exciting prospects. If you are caught by any of the navies, providing it is not Russian, Chinese, Indian, South Korean or Malaysian, then you will be released as there is no appetite to prosecute you in the country of the arresting navy. Not a bad way to earn money with menaces.
Truth be told, it is the larger cargo and tanker ships that are targeted as they attract bigger ransoms payments both for the crew and the cargo. Fishing vessels are just as likely to be targeted but they are more useful as 'motherships', which are used to hunt down and board the larger vessels. Plus the crew can be used as 'human shields' when approached by the military forces. But where does that leave the dreaming sailor?

The cruise ships have avoided the region by altering their route, mainly by going around the Cape of Good Hope at the very South of Africa, but also employing faster transit through the most dangerous areas. The recent stories in the newspapers about the 'attack' on the cruise ship 'Spirit of Adventure' (great name for the banner headlines) off Zanzibar brought it nearer to the public purview. The drama of it all as the passengers were having dinner (they all seemed to be at the Captain's table tucking into lobster thermidor and chilled Sancerre wine) when the alert was sounded and they were ordered to lie down or even go to the middle part of the ship. The ship then zig-zagged and increased speed, standard evasive measures, but the pirates realistically had very little chance of boarding the ship. They are much faster than the cargo vessels they have more success against. That's why you have not heard of a cruise ship being taken. But the excitement that the passagengers will miss out on as the cruises stop going through the Indian Ocean. The tourist industry is failing for Kenya, Tanzania and all those on the usual route for luxury cruises.

What about those on their dream yacht or motor boat? That is a different matter entirely. There have been a few notably newsworthy cases. The French yacht, 'Tanit'; the British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler; the French luxury yacht 'Le Ponant' all hijacked by Somali pirates. The issues that distinguish these three cases are:

Tanit (Img: Reuters/Marine Nationale)

'Tanit' - the skipper was killed in the rescue attempt by French forces, whilst his family was onboard, including his young son;
The Chandlers, who set off from the Seychelles towards Tanzania in their yacht 'Lynn Rival'. Taken hostage and released after payment of a ransom in the region of $750,000 after 388 days in captivity;
'Le Ponant' crew of 30, on the way from the Seychelles in 2008, were rescued from pirates following a French forces operation.

Le Ponant (Img; FoxNews)

The latest yacht to be taken was the South African yacht 'Choizil'. The skipper refused to play along with the pirates and was left to fend for himself before being picked up by a warship. Meanhwile, his fellow crew, a couple Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz, were taken hostage off Tanzania. They are still being held with a recent ransom demand of $10 million.

The situation, in general terms, has worsened as the pirate fleet grows, the motherships enable them to circumvent the cessation of attacks that used to occur when the monsoon season strikes, and carry out attacks much farther afield as far as North off Iran, and deep to the South off Madagascar. Quite frankly, if you venture out without proper investigation and reporting of your route, you may be asking for trouble. The actual percentages involved in being attacked are very small, when it is taken into consideration that between 20,000 to 35,000 merchant vessels pass through the Gulf of Aden every year. Less than one percent, according to some reports, are attacked but no one wants to become a statistic. With over 750 seafarers held in Somalia or on motherships (those that are known), becoming a commodity but treated more violently and even starved as a weapon to hasten payment of ransoms, is a fearful prospect. Furthermore, bear in mind that the military naval patrols cannot be everywhere. The operations area is over 2 million square miles with possibly 30 warships to patrol the region, at an estimated cost of $2 billion, it is easy to feel that you could be left to your own devices.
Even sending your yacht via a freight vessel is no guarantee it will arrive. The tragic case of the Maltese-flagged, German-owned Beluga Nomination, recently hijacked carrying luxury yachts and speedboats, saw 3 of the crew killed. One shot in retaliation for an attempted rescue; one shot in the process of escaping, and one drowned having escaped during the confusion. Two managed to escape in a lifeboat and were rescued by a Danish warship, but they were lucky. The rest of the crew are not necessarily going to be treated leniently. The call for armed guards on German-managed ships is growing and looks like it will come about in a few cases. Many authorities, organisations and associations are against private security company armed guards being deployed (international law and port regulations mean they cannot always enter with weapons onboard) which brings about other problems (see link). For the yachting community, guidance on anti-piracy recommendations and travelling in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden is available from the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) here.

Regional Piracy Attacks - 2010

Piracy is more of a global problem than many people realise. In the International Maritime Bureau annual report (free of charge on request from the IMB website) it stated that there were 445 attacks in 2010. The breakdown by regions is seen here, which accounts for 75% of all the attacks.

The prospect of travel in these regions being severely restricted is clearly increasing. There is a mass of information available but it is not always collected in one place to make it simple intelligence that is relevant to the seafarers, whatever the vessel size. OCEANUSLive seeks to resolve that element at least, and is developing the system in view of the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) recent 'new' drive to 'keep piracy at bay' - see "Piracy: Orchestrating the Response" speech by the IMO Secretary General (also reiterated by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon). It is better to be aware through greater maritime situational awareness; 'forewarned is forearmed'.

PS the hijack of two oil tankers in 2 days (Italian SAVINA CAYLYN and Greek IRENE SL ($200 million worth of oil onboard)) this week, demonstrates the determination of the pirates to continue to prey on the seafarer.