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.

Somali Parliament Votes Itself To Continue

Somalia's Tranisitional Federal Government (TFG) has voted overwhelmingly to extend their mandate by a further 3 years.

The parliament speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, stated to reporters that they had voted to extend their term by 3 years in a vote carried out last Thursday 3 Feb 2010. 435 members attended the session with 421 voting for the extension. In a country where the average wage may be between $100 to $400, depending on the research source, the 500-member parliamentarians receive $300 per month from the UN. 

The UN-supported TFG controls small areas of the capital, Mogadishu, backed by 8,000 African Union troops on peacekeeping duty. Surrounded by Islamist insurgents, they are frequently mortared. However, the TFG has failed to enact any laws in the last 6 years. A key law concerning piracy was recently thrown out. The biggest achievement to date: refurbishing the parliament building it has been claimed.

Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, made the following statement:
"I regret the unilateral decision taken on Thursday by the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament to extend its mandate by three years. The decision was taken hurriedly without appropriate consultations on the way forward.
This step risks weakening the credibility of the Transitional Federal Institutions, and of their leadership, in the eyes of the Somali population. I urge the TFIs to re-engage in a broad consultation process, as it is only through such an inclusive process that there can be a sound reform agenda for the transition and beyond, and thus contribute to peace for the people of Somalia.
Progress achieved in this process will help the EU to define the scope and the extent of its support to the present and future institutional set up." 

 So, what is the next step for the TFG? After 20 years of civil war that has hindered any progress; the curtailing of humanitarian support for the starving people; in view of the increase in piracy off the Somali coast, and the claims that the terrirtorial waters are being abused in terms of fishing and toxic waste dumping... elect a new speaker and deputy. The President is likely to re-elect himself, if he so wishes... according to reports.
The TFG has no influence over the other regions of Somalia - Somaliland, which considers itself independent and better governed; or Puntland which is reportedly the region piracy first sprung from - indeed, when Somaliland was stated as establishing a Coast Guard to combat piracy, trained by a private security company and funded by an unknown Arab state, the TFG tried to stamp authority on Somaliland to absolutely no effect.

Considering that almost every proffered solution to the problem of piracy off the Somali coast has been centred on resolving the problem ashore, namely Islamist insurgency and a starving population, it is difficult to see how there will be any effective progress in the near future. If the TFG cannot look after their own, or at least be seen to be heading that way, the question being asked is how can the UN funding be assured of being used for the betterment of the failed state of Somali?

Spanish Skipper's Evidence Following Release From Somali Pirates

Skipper of Spanish Fishing Vessel Alakrana, Gives Evidence (eitb.com)

FV Alakrana (Image: tunaseiners.com)

Speaking in front of the National High Court in Madrid, Ricardo Blach, stated that he told a soldier on board the Spanish warship Canarias that the arrest of two pirates would hinder the rescue mission.

Captain Ricardo Blach of Basque tuna-fishing vessel, the Alakrana, which spent 47 days seized by Somali pirates, confirmed that the accused Somali pirates, Raageggesey Hassan Aji and Cabdullahi Cabduwily, alias 'Abdu Willy', were two of the members of a group of pirates that hijacked the vessel on 2 October 2009.
Calmly delivering his statement, Blach stated the Alakrana  was fishing in international waters close to the Somali coast. He further stated that neither one of the accused pirates hit him at any point during their time on the vessel, but they had made threatening gestures. "All of them made gestures," he added, "suggesting they would cut your  throat" he went on to say.
Blach described the moment when the pirates first attacked the ship as it started to trail the tuna at dawn. 2 pirate skiffs with 13 persons onboard began shooting at the fishing crew before forcibly boarding the vessel: "At that point they gave me a tremendous beating," he said.
Holding Kalashnikovs to intimidate and cramming the crew together in the sailors' mess, to lie on top of the tables; and unable to rest, he stated.

Describing the arrest of the accused pirates, 'Abdu Willy' and Hassan Aji, by the Spanish warship Canarias, serving as part of the EU's NAval Force 'Operation Atalanta' (Headquarters based in Northwood ,UK), he said he used the time permitted by the pirates to call his family to make contact with the warship.
"I spoke with one of the military crew and asked him if he intended to go public; when he said yes, I told him. 'you've messed up'," explained Blach.
The skipper explained that when the remaining pirates found out about the arrest, they subjected the Alakrana crew to "a terrible night", only calming down when they realised their fellow pirates had been injured but not killed. 

The skipper went on to say how dreadful the experience was. He said he had "...spent 18 days in my pyjamas without a shower. I peed myself countless times because they wouldn't let me go to the bathroom."  He went on to say, "They were always on drugs; they would start in the morning and by night time they were all in a bad state. They were constantly fighting. We experienced constant danger," added the captain.
In relation to the paying of a ransom for their release, Blach said he did not see the pirates receive any money at any given point neither by helicopter nor by any other means.

A Basque trawler from Bermeo, Biscay, the Alakrana was hijacked by Somali pirates on October 2nd, 2009, in international waters of the Indian Ocean. A month before, the ship had not long seen off another hijack attempt.
The crew of the Alakrana was comprised of 7 seamen from the Basque region; 9 from the Spanish Galician region; 2 Malaysian; 3 Senegalese; 4 Ghanaian; 2 Ivorian; 8 Indonesians and 1 Seychellois when the vessel was captured 350 miles off the Somali coast. At that time the area in which they were hijacked was outside of the joint operations area of the EU's Op Atalanta, which was launched in December 2008, to deter and disrupt piracy and armed robbery off the coast fo Somalia in according with UN regulations.
Prior to the attack, it was claimed the crew of the Alakrana had 7 minutes in which to raise the alarm and establish contact with other shipsin the area. Having taken the vessel to Somalia, the pirates allowed the crew to call the ship-owner "at least once a day," mostly likely to put pressure on them to make a ransom payment. However, initially, the Spanish government said it would not pay the pirates any ransom.

In the two days following the hijacking, two suspected pirates, Raageggesey Hassan Ajiand Cabdullahi Cabduwily, were captured by the Spanish frigate Canarias as they navigated a small boat in the vicinity of the Alakrana. Spanish High Court Judge Baltasar Garzón opened legal proceedings against the men.
On 5 October, Garzón imprisoned the two pirates. In all, they were accused of 36 crimes of false arrest, 1 count of illegal assembly and another for robbery with violence and the ues of weapons.
The remaining pirates involved in the hijack of the Alakrana stated they would not release the trawler unless the detainees were returned to Somalia. Skipper, Ricardo Blach, stated the situation was simple: "If the arrested pirates were allowed to return to Somalia, everything would be fixed; that's what they want," he told Basque public radio.
The pirates continued to press for the release of their two men; The families of the fishermen met with Spanish President Zapatero to ask that the two Somali pirates be extradited to Somalia. When the hostages were released, the two Somali suspects remained in custody in Madrid. On 16 October they were formally charged with kidnapping and related charges.

It is claimed that the release of the Alakrana crew was achieved following a promise by the then Spanish Ambassador to Kenya, Nicolás Martín Cinto, giving his word as a man of honour that the two Somalis would be repatriated immediately - a promise which was further claimed to have been broken. As a consequence, it is said to have made the release negotiations relating to the FV VEGA 5 extremely difficult.

More recently, it is estimated that at least 2 fishing vessels are being used for mothership operations, a development Alakrana was fortunate to avoid during the time of her capture.

Source: Medeshi Valley 

IMO - Piracy: Orchestrating the Response

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) during the Sub-Committee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping (STW 42), held a workshop entitled "Piracy: Orchestrating the response”: Workshop on piracy, on 26 January. A Speech by Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, the Secretary-General of IMO, was given in which he stated the workshop was to "kick start the action plan to keep piracy at bay."

He gave some statistics, which he said "make very unpleasant reading" as follows:

• In 2010, 253 ships were attacked by pirates resulting in 61 ships hijacked and 1072 seafarers taken hostage; 

• To date, 30 ships and 730 seafarers are in the hands of pirates, of which 7 ships, totalling 109 seafarers, were hijacked since the beginning of the year.

The statistics most regularly quoted for 2010 are those from the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC). Using the statistics from IMB would most likely have delivered more unpleasantness than those the Secretary General mentioned, but it would indicate more lucidly the impact on the seafarer in these dangerous waters around the world. The IMB statistics, available in their annual report (free but a donation is welcomed), are as follows:

• In 2010, 445 attacks were reported, up 10% from 2009;
• In 2010, 53 ships were hijacked;
• In 2010, 1181 hostages were captured by pirates - 8 were killed;
• To date (29 January IMB), 33 ships and 758 seafarers are held by Somali pirates, showing 7 ships and 148 seafarers were taken in 2011.

Those statistics are quite hard-hitting. The IMB has gathered such data for some time now. The IMO stats could have been cross-referenced to ensure an accurate picture is delivered to the maritime community. However, the main point here is that the plight of the seafarer has not improved, hence the workshop and as the Secretary general said, "...very much with seafarers, and those who sail in piracy-affected areas in mind that the IMO Council decided that this year’s World Maritime Day theme should be “Piracy: orchestrating the response”.

The fact the IMO has been dealing with piracy issues for over 30 years - 80's Gulf of Guinea; 90's and early 00's South China Sea, Malacca Straits and Singapore, and the more recent, high profile, Horn of Africa/Indian Ocean - arms them with experience in reducing the effect of piracy. But to use that experience gained and the successes achieved "...requires an orchestrated and coordinated response."

So, with that said, the Secretary General  stated the IMO's position.  Extracting from his speech, the IMO has "developed, in co-operation with the shipping industry, seafaring representative organizations and other stakeholders, an action plan to maintain and, indeed, strengthen our focus on anti-piracy endeavours of all kinds and to facilitate a broader, global effort. We have identified six prime objectives that we hope all stakeholders will espouse  and take action on during 2011 and beyond, if necessary. They are:

• one: to increase pressure at the political level to secure the release of all hostages being held by pirates;
• two: to review and improve the IMO guidelines to Administrations and seafarers and promote compliance with industry best management practices and the recommended preventive, evasive and defensive measures ships should follow;
• three: to promote greater levels of support from, and coordination with, navies;
• four: to promote anti-piracy coordination and co-operation procedures between and among States, regions, organizations and industry;
• five: to assist States to build capacity in piracy-infested regions of the world, and elsewhere, to deter, interdict and bring to justice those who commit acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships; and
• six: to provide care, during the post-traumatic period, for those attacked or hijacked by pirates and for their families.

In clarifying the IMO's position, the Secretary General pointed out that a solution to the Somali problem needed engagement at the political level. It is "...a matter for the United Nations to pursue and neither IMO nor the maritime community have any substantive role to play in it."

Calling "...the world’s attention to the unacceptable plight of the innocent victims of pirates...", the IMO "intend to promote further co-operation between and among States, regions and organizations in reducing the risk of attacks on ships through information-sharing; coordination of military and civil efforts; and development and implementation of regional initiatives, such as the IMO-led Djibouti Code of Conduct."  There should be no respite in their efforts whilst at the same time "promoting even greater levels of coordination among navies, above and beyond the unprecedented degree of co-operation that has already characterized the international naval response."
In the case of Somalia, the IMO seeks to contribute, including "the potential development of a coastal monitoring and law-enforcement force," and will " work with Governments and the industry to ensure that released seafarers and their families receive care during the post-traumatic period."
The Sec gen went on to mention the work of the UN Contact Group for Piracy off the coast of Somalia; the Djibouti Code of Conduct efforts in establishing information-sharing centres in Yemen, Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as a regional training centre in Djibouti. However, in view of the bleak statistics, mentioned above, the IMO are neither proud of, nor content with, the results achieved so far, and subsequently, this year, are resolved to redouble their efforts and, in so doing, generate a broader, global response to modern-day piracy. More needs to be done, by them and others.

If only sharing such information was more widely publicised. There has not been much in the press, either paper, digital (social media) or television.

People are using social media to speak their mind, state their position, express opinion, raise awareness; you name it, they are willing to say something about it. Look at the recent events in Tunisia, Algeria and Eqypt...even the U.S. State department issued guidance via social media, reaching more than just a televison broadcast ever could. This is information-sharing; this is another powerful forum the IMO and other authorities and organisations can utilise to get their message across in support of the seafarers. Make it so!

Full speech available here; courtesy of IMO.org

Somali Piracy Dynamics Change Almost Daily

The pirates were steering the captured ship to port after the shoot

Source: BBC News

Sailor dies in clash with pirates north of Seychelles

In an article published by the BBC News website (follows below), the almost-daily changing dynamics of the piracy situation in the Horn of Africa and Indian Ocean regions, has led to a tragedy. The game-changer was the rescue missions carried out by South Korea and Malaysia. However, the calls for action following such frustrations relating to Beluga Nomination, seems to have encouraged an attitude of 'daring rescue' by some within the shipping industry. But at what cost? Any rescue action must be carefully thought out with due consideration of the welfare of the crew, and the vessel; the cargo may be dangerous as well as valuable (although Beluga Nomination was carrying luxury yachts and speedboats). The big three military authorities have stated their position. They are not operating under a single governments control, therefore, the EU, NATO and CMF decision-makers have to follow their mission mandate. Any departure must be authorised, and that is not easily done.

Here is the BBC...

A German ship-owner has confirmed the death of a sailor during a failed bid to free a cargo ship seized by Somali pirates off the Seychelles last week.

A Seychelles patrol ship opened fire while trying to free the Beluga Nomination on Wednesday, the head of Bremen-based Beluga told German media.
One pirate was killed and the others shot dead a crewman in retaliation, Niels Stolberg said.
Mr Stolberg described the response to the hijacking as a "disaster"
Somali pirates have made millions of dollars in recent years by capturing cargo vessels in the shipping lanes around the Horn of Africa, and are currently reported to be holding 29 ships, along with hundreds of crew members.
It is unusual for pirates to shoot a captive and navies patrolling the region to protect shipping are reluctant to use force because of the risk to captured crews.

Image source: BBC News

'Fit of anger'
The cargo ship, which is 9,775 dead weight tonnes, was captured last Monday by armed pirates using a skiff, 390 nautical miles (722km) north of the Seychelles.
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 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.
"We did not want to inflame the situation so we backed off," the spokewoman said.
Nato, she added, could not comment on the actions of the Seychelles patrol boat.
The Seychelles authorities are expected to make a statement on the incident later this week.

'Disaster'
Two members of the Beluga Nomination's 12-strong crew - made up of Poles, Filipinos, Russians and Ukrainians - managed to escape in a life boat and were picked up two days later by the Danish ship.

The German ship owner described attempts to rescue them as a "disaster".
"The crew spent two and a half days in a reinforced room but nobody came to help them," he said.
"The international community has failed. An absolutely uncoordinated intervention like that is totally incomprehensible."
Mr Stolberg added that the cargo ship's navigational equipment had been damaged in the shooting and the pirates had called out another captured ship, the York, to assist it in reaching the Somali coast.
Pointing out that the pirates had been exhausted and disorientated after the shooting, he criticised both the Nato force and EU NAVFOR, the EU's counter-piracy force, for failing to intervene.
The spokesman for EU NAVFOR, confirmed for the BBC News website that the MV YORK had drawn alongside the Beluga Nomination, and the two ships were proceeding north towards Somalia together.
But he stressed that both vessels had been hijacked and any attempt to intervene would put the lives of the captive crews at risk.

Hate to say "We told you so, but..."

In an editorial item on our parent site published in November 2010, we asked a question... Citadels; Safe? For How Long? Following the recent hijack of the MV BELUGA NOMINATION, once one delves past the confusion of what actually occurred over a 4 day period surrounding the capture, the article seems rather prophetic.
The incidents mentioned in the article related to the MV BBC ORINOCO where "the crew locked themselves in the ship's engine room and the steering compartment and communicated with their agents, UK MTO Dubai via email"; MV MAGELLAN STAR - 'rescued' by US Marines; MV GO TRADER - pirates abandon vessel; MV BELUGA FORTUNE - 'rescued' by Royal Navy frigate. That's right; another Beluga vessel had used their citadel, successfully.

BELUGA NOMINATION, however, saw the Bremen-based owners stating their frustration over the lack of response from the counter-piracy warships in the Horn of Africa region. The BELUGA NOMINATION, carrying luxury yachts and speedboats (may be useful to a pirate chief) had been reported attacked on 22 January. The crew had gone into the citadel and remained there for over 2 and a half days, having sent out a distress call. Compounded by the confusion over 4 days of information concerning the incident, such as being reported to be 390NM off Seychelles, or 800NM depending on which report is to be believed. Moving on. The fact that the crew was holed up for days, as opposed to hours, gave the pirates more than enough time to work on breaching the citadel; which they eventually managed to do through the ceiling, which would indicate that the citadel was actually somewhere within the housing!. Imagine the growing fear of the crew as they await rescue, listening to the pirates working at prying their prey from its shell...

The nearest warship was over 1000 nautical miles away, reported to be awaiting an humanitrian aid vessel on its way to Somalia. The Seychelles Coast Guard was somewhat closer, but the bad weather precluded any opportunity to render assistance. Read more in the blog, Manu's News. As stated throughout the counter-piracy operations by the various coalition forces, warships "can't be everywhere", much to the annoyance of the Beluga shipping company who accused NATO, the European Union and the responsible coastguards of a breakdown in communications and operations.Spending millions each year on training, equipment and insurance, only for another of their vessels to be taken, is clearly galling. The company is now a leading voice in asking the German government to deploy armed naval personnel on German-flagged and -owned vessels transiting the dangerous shipping lanes.


But back to the citadels. The differing standards, if any are actually applied, in the provision of citadels can be such polar opposites it is hard to see how this can be properly governed. It's like the 'recommendations' in the Best Management Practice book, just recommendations. The different vessels, security plans, national and/or flag state regulations are too diverse to see BMP enforced, so how can citadels be enforced. BELUGA NOMINATION and MV LEOPARD a few weeks earlier, have seen confidence shaken on that score.


OCEANUSLive believes in the viral diffusion of information. If the ships had a secure, real-time, information exchange capability with various authorities, Company Security Officers and the like, the chances of being left for so long would become very slim. As part of a layered defence mechanism, OCEANUSLive supports the process of registration with MSC(HOA) and reporting to UKMTO. It's better if the vessel whereabouts is known by the authorities when transiting high threat environments. Even better when you can communicate in real-time!


If any CSO would like to discuss how to create compartment lockdown throughout a vessel, so that access can be controlled at every door or compartment (much like high security prisons, government complexes, and even oil platforms), we are in a position to provide a security consultant to listen to your needs. Why cede the whole ship to the pirates if they get on board when you can lock their access in a layered defence approach? Send us an email at team@oceanuslive.org .