Via The New York Times:
A Coast Guard training exercise in the Potomac River near the Pentagon stirred alarm and confusion on Friday morning around the time and the place that President Obama was observing the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The president’s motorcade had just crossed the Potomac, on its way back to the White House after a ceremony at the Pentagon honoring those who died there, when chatter on a marine radio channel used by the Coast Guard and monitored by the media told of shots being fired on the river.
No shots were actually fired in Friday’s training exercise that appears to have been routine in everything except for the date on which it was conducted. But while the confusion lasted only a few minutes, it was enough to scramble F.B.I. agents and halt departures from Reagan National Airport near the river from 10:08 a.m. until 10:30, Diane Spitaliere, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told The Associated Press. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · Maritime Security Incidents, USCG
With piracy along the horn of Africa creating such a buzz in the media, it is a common misconception that the act is confined to this area where onshore conditions have forced many into a life of hijacking ships for ransom. In reality, a look back at the International Maritime Bureau’s Live Piracy Maps from previous years, it is obvious that piracy on the high seas is in fact a world wide occurrence and not confined to any one geographical area.
However, the recent disappearance of the russian-crewed Arctic Sea after transiting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes leaves experts scratching their heads and has forced an international search operation to be put underway. CNN has the story:
An international search operation was underway Wednesday for a cargo ship which vanished after being involved in what is feared to be an unprecedented incident of piracy in European waters. [Continue Reading →]
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Tags: · arctic sea, Maritime Security Incidents, piracy
In response to the uprise in piracy and recent attacks on U.S. flagged vessels, the USCG has issued the Maritime Security Directive 104-6 (rev. 2) issued under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2004. The revised Maritime Security Directive was signed on Monday by Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen and according to a press release from the USCG:
Maritime Security Directive 104-6 (rev. 2) issued by the Coast Guard under the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2004 provides the maritime industry with specific, risk-based measures to take to deter, detect or disrupt piracy. Prior to entering high risk waters, U.S. flagged vessels should establish an anti-piracy plan that includes the hardening of rigging and operating vessels in a manner to prevent attacks and subsequent boarding. Ships shall also use established transit lanes, erratic ships maneuvering, increased speed and cooperation with military forces patrolling the area. During transits through high-risk areas, it is the ship’s responsibility to maintain a vigilant anti-piracy watch and ensure all shipboard anti-piracy precautions are in force.
Additionally, ship owners of U.S. flagged vessels are required to submit security plans for approval by May 25 for vessels that operate in high risk waters and these vessels must have security protocols for terrorism, piracy, and armed robbery against ships that meet the performance standards in this directive.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral James Watson told shipping industry representatives at a maritime security meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that the directive will also allow ship owners to decide whether to use armed or unarmed guards and that the State Department was working with countries in pirate-plagued regions to learn what weapons laws apply in their ports in order to clarify the issue for U.S. mariners. Watson also said the new directive would not be publicly released in its entirety because it contained sensitive security information. (source: Reuters)
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Tags: · anti_piracy, Maritime Security Incidents, piracy, USCG
Capt. Richard Phillips, who has been held hostage by Somali Pirates since Wednesdays hijack attempt, jumped overboard in an apparent attempt to swim to the USS Bainbridge Thursday night. Unfortunately, the pirates were able to quickly follow suit and recapture Phillips. He was reported to be not harmed in the incident.
The naval warship, USS Bainbridge, has been shadowing the lifeboat, which is now a few hundred and in communication with the pirates to possibly negotiate the return of the captain. Two more warships, the USS Halyburton and USS Boxer, are currently en route to the area to assist with the situation.
According to the Associated Press, the pirates sought to reinforce their colleagues by sailing hijacked ships with other captives aboard to the scene of the standoff. Apparently the pirates fear being shot if they release Phillips and they hope to link up with their colleagues who are using Russian, German, Filipino and other hostages captured in recent days as human shields.
Meanwhile, the Maersk Alabama is making its way towards Mombasa, Kenya, with its 19-man crew and security detail 0n board.
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Tags: · anti_piracy, Maersk Alabama, Maritime Security Incidents, piracy
Source: Maritime Information Center
The International Chamber Of Commerce tells us:
EUNAVFOR strongly recommends that merchant vessels conduct their passage within the UKMTO Transit Corridor (UTC). Westbound vessels should bias themselves to the northern portion of the corridor, and eastbound vessels to the southern portion. Vessels should avoid entering Yemeni Territorial Waters (TTWs) while on transit. This is for reasons of international law, as it is more difficult for EUNAVFOR ATALANTA and associated forces to be able to protect vessels that are attacked inside Yemeni TTW. To assist in this challenging counter-piracy task, we believe it is important that vessels communicate with EUNAVFOR ATALANTA through MSC-HOA as early as possible. MVs may be asked to make adjustments to passage plans to conform to our routing advice.
UKMTO Transit Corridor Group Protection
The organisation of vessels into a convoy system guarded by military assets can provide some additional protection from piracy. But this occurs at the expense of vessels which are not in the convoy, making them more vulnerable. Furthermore, there are insufficient military assets available for counter-piracy operations in the GOA to be able to establish a reliable and regular convoy system that would provide all MVs with close protection – experts assess this would need a force of more than fifty warships. This does not mean that we cannot exploit the additional protection gained from grouping vessels together. In fact, there is significant value in MVs being closely grouped for mutual protection. A steady stream of traffic through the GOA UTC presents a greater number of opportunities for the pirates to target vessels for hijack. Whereas vessels grouped together, transiting key threat areas at times known to us which are least favoured by the pirates, significantly increases our ability to provide protection.
UKMTO Transit Corridor Group Transits
We encourage vessels to conduct their passage through the UTC in groups based on passage speed. In order to achieve this, we will promulgate via the website, position, time, and speed for vessels to pass through a waypoint at the eastern and western limits of the UTC. This process will be known as “GOA Group Transits” (GOA GT).
GOA GT timings will be at various intervals through each 24hr period. Each GOA GT will follow a recommended navigation track (NAVTRACK) through the UTC at a published speed that will avoid high profile piracy danger periods and allow maximum coordination of military assets in support. Transit Groups will be coordinated to cater for the differing range of speeds. During your transit you should not expect to be permanently in company with a warship. But all warships in the GOA, whether part of EUNAVFOR or coordinating with us, will be aware of the GOA GTs and have the full details of vulnerable shipping.
The implementation of the GOA GT is designed to enhance your security as you transit through the GOA. We would welcome your input or comments on how this service could be improved.
P A Jones
Rear Admiral
Operation Commander
EU NAVFOR ATALANTA
Northwood
Read More…
Links:
US Maritime Administration Information Page
Maritime Security Center
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Tags: · Maritime Security Incidents, piracy
Earlier today gCaptain received reports from Australia that the M/V Athena was attacked by 29 pirate boats while transiting the Gulf Of Aden. This was the second cruise ship to be attacked and the first to witness an attack at this scale. The shear number of boats and the coordination of this many individual assets left us in disbelief. We spent this afternoon looking for the facts.
M/V Athena
Photo By Regin Torkilson
The M/V Athena is owned by Classic International Cruises and operated by World Cruise Agency, both of Portugal. According to Equasis the vessel was built in 1948 and operates under the Italian flag. The company provides us with an overview of the vessel:
Athena was originally built as a trans-atlantic ocean liner and in 1994 the vessel changed ownership and was virtually stripped to her hull and re-constructed and restored as a beautiful new premium rated contemporary cruise ship. With a handsome profile and a traditional walk around promenade deck, Athena is a medium to small sized cruise ship by today’s standards carrying about 550 passengers and offering a wide selection of well appointed public lounges and comfortable cabin accommodation spanning eight passenger decks serviced by two lifts.
In a phone call to World Cruise Agency we have been told the number of pirate vessels was 24. We are awaiting a reply from the company on details of the attack and will post then here once available.
Convoy
In researching the Athena attack we learned from multiple sources that just yesterday a convoy of merchant ships under the direct protection of an Italian Penne Class Destroyer was attacked by 20 boats while transiting the Gulf Of Aden.
Naval Technology provides insight on the capabilities of this naval asset:
The Durand De La Penne Class destroyers were built by Fincantieri for the Italian Navy. The first-of-class ship, MM Luigi Durand De La Penne (D560), and the second, MM Francesco Mimbelli (D561), were commissioned in 1993. The ships were constructed at Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso shipyard.
The Durand De La Penne destroyers are 5,000t multi-role warships able to perform anti-air defence for protecting task forces and convoys, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare operations, assistance during landing operations and coastal bombardment.
The ship is equipped with a helicopter deck and a hangar with facilities for two helicopters such as the Agusta Bell AB 212, the Sea King SH-3D or the EH-101. More Information…
gCaptain will be reporting on this breaking news as more information becomes available. Regardless of the upcoming details the coordination of pirate assets is deeply troubling. We consider this an elevation of the current threat and ask you to pass this new information to all mariners transiting the region.
gCaptain is also working towards a solution to the problem. We have coordinated efforts with an outfit that provides rescue services to mariners and travelers worldwide. The underlying problems in Somalia are:
- Under-Manning Of Vessels
- Lack Of Specific Training
- Political Instability In The Region
While we have little ability to change the political situation in the country itself we believe new ideas are needed to harden potential targets and assure the safety of mariners transiting the region. Increasing the number of watchkeepers and providing on board training and advice is within our capabilities. If any companies or mariners are planning on transiting the region in the coming days/weeks please contact us directly, otherwise, stay tuned for breaking developments on this story and our plan to coordinate the maritime community’s efforts to protect our shipmates.
UPDATE:
Classic International Cruises Australia has changed their account of the M/V Athena attack. The Australian reports:
A spokeswoman for Classic International Cruises Australia, which owns the Athena, said the boats had turned out to be local fishing vessels whose crew were “very friendly”.
“Precautions were taken when the boats were sighted but there was never any suggestion that the boat was going to be attacked,” Classic Cruises sales and marketing manager Ann Hope said.
She said water cannons were dropped from the side of the ship as a standard measure, but were not used at any stage.
Ms Hope said the company had exchanged emails with the Department of Foreign Affairs and had sent a message to all its travel partners to inform them there was no piracy attempt.
“We would like to advise you that Athena has not in any way been under attack by pirates or even under direct threat and the current situation on board is as it was at the beginning of the cruise,” the email said.
This is in stark contrast to the phone conversation gCaptain had with Classic International Cruises just yesterday. Also of note, the company promised to send us a maritime advisory drafted after the attack. This email never arrived and the company representative has been unavailable for a follow-up conversation.
UPDATE 2:
gCaptain received the following report from a maritime security group working in the area. They write:
The on-again/off-again, it happened/it didn’t happen, attack on the Australian cruise ship ATHENA did, in fact, happen, and we should no longer doubt the extraordinarily large number of pirate skiffs involved, originally reported by eyewitnesses as about 30 to ATHENA’s port side and 12 to starboard. When the press heard eyewitness accounts from passengers onboard, the cruise line acknowledged the attack initially, only to deny it 24 hours later, referring instead to passengers who were mistaken about the “very friendly” fishermen whose boats surrounded the ship (but nonetheless prompted the crew to deploy fire hoses). Companies have their reasons for saying things, and the cruise line wishes its passengers aboard ATHENA a “memorable cruising experience.” It is not the company’s fault that pirates tampered with the memories of her Gulf of Aden passage December 2nd.
The latest version of the corporate story has compelled Portuguese Captain Antonio Morais to explain to passengers that the “very friendly” fishermen his cruise line first described in version 2.0 were, version 3.0, pirates on a recce/training mission. Doubtless, Classic International Cruises should award the captain a medal for saving his ship and her souls (not to mention a judge’s spot on “Dancing With The Stars” for the deft corporate waltz he was compelled to perform).
Nevertheless, the facts remain: after two and possibly three boarding attempts, pirates mounted a full-on effort to capture his ship. Fortunately, Portuguese mariners rock, and speed kills, sometimes thankfully: Captain Morais and ATHENA outran their attackers.
And the number of boats makes sense. Two to four boats (nominally as many as 24 combatants) capture tankers and freighters with crew of 20 or so. Some 40 boats with 200 combatants, pirates figure, can take and hold a defenseless cruise ship with hundreds of passengers and crew.
Despite the cruise line’s denials, this attack was evaluated by our people, and others with a stake in the game, as totally authentic, and it involved the approximate number of boats initially reported by ATHENA passengers. I also believe it figured solidly behind a German cruise line’s decision to pull passengers and much of the crew from the cruise ship COLUMBUS December 8th, fly them to Dubai and put them up in a five-star hotel to await that ship’s arrival, all at considerable expense.
I also believe SECSTATE Rice and/or our people at the UN referred to ATHENA to build support for the U.S. initiative circulated at the UN to go ashore, if need be, to pursue pirates (full Security Council vote slated for December 16th). If and when we go ashore in Somalia, it is very much game-off for pirates and a most serious game-on for President-elect Obama, our Navy, Marines and special forces, and the international forces fully committed in the region. It also represents a unique challenge to General William E. Ward, U.S. Army, first Commander of U.S. Africa Command.
Perhaps it’s a sign, too, that pirates made a grave error by targeting a ship named after the Goddess of Wisdom.
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Tags: · ISPS Code, Maritime Security Incidents, piracy
This was originally posted on July 2, 2008 but with more and more pirate attacks in the news I have updated it and think it deserves another look. This comes in response the recent hijack of a Malaysian ship in the Gulf of Aden and is the fourth attack in the area this month.
Piracy has long been a problem in the Gulf of Aden, where one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, connecting the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, passes by lawless Somalia, which has been without an effective central government since 1991.
IMB live piracy map 2008
This map is brought to us by the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, a division of the International Marine Bureau. It is compiling a live Google map mashup of all reported pirate attacks for 2008. So far this year Nigeria has seen the most pirate incidents fallowed by Indonesia and Bangladesh.
What is the IMB?
IMB’s main task is to protect the integrity of international trade by seeking out fraud and malpractice. For over 20 years, it has used industry knowledge, experience and access to a large number of well-placed contacts around the world to do this: identifying and investigating frauds, spotting new criminal methods and trends, and highlighting other threats to trade.
The information gathered from sources and during investigations is provided to members in the form of timely advice via a number of different communication routes. It lists the threats and explains how members can reduce their vulnerability to them. Over the years, this approach has thwarted many attempted frauds and saved the shipping and trading industry many millions of dollars.
What is the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre?
A major part of the IMB’s work to make shipping safer involves assisting in the suppression of piracy and armed robbery against ships around the world.
In 1992, the escalating number of piracy incidents led to the establishment of a Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its job is to raise awareness of piracy hotspots, detail specific attacks and their consequences, and investigate incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea and in port. Another role entails working with national governments on a range of initiatives to reduce and ultimately eradicate attacks against ships.
The Centre, managed by the IMB, has enjoyed considerable success over the years and has made huge strides towards meeting its objectives to reduce piracy and in increasing general awareness of the problem.
Past Years Maps
2007: Google maps mashup of pirate attacks
2006: Google maps mashup of pirate attacks
2005: Google maps mashup of pirate attacks
IMB also has a Weekly Piracy Report that can be found HERE.
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Tags: · google_maps, Maritime Security Incidents, mashup, piracy, pirates
The NY Times reports on unfortunate news from the ship I’d most like to sail on, the Hospital Ship Mercy. They write:
Though countries in Southeast Asia have, with American help, been making some headway against terrorist groups in the region, as Eric Schmitt reported in The New York Times today, there are also “worrisome signs that the threat could rebound quickly,” Mr. Schmitt reported.
Right on cue, then, comes the news today that the United States Navy is calling a halt to a humanitarian mission in Mindanao in the strife-torn southern Philippines because someone shot at and hit one of its helicopters.
The Associated Press reports that the helicopter had flown inland from the U.S.N.S. Mercy, a hospital and relief ship, to pick up 11 passengers, and when it returned to the ship, mechanics found two holes in it:
“The holes appear to be an entry and exit point from a single bullet,” said Cmdr. Jeff A. Davis, a Navy spokesman.
It is unclear if the bullet struck while the passengers were on the helicopter, he said. There were no injuries, and the aircraft’s commander was unaware of any bullet striking the aircraft during the flight, Davis said.
Who would shoot at a helicopter on a humanitarian mission? Continue Reading…
While the ship is owned by the United State’s Military Sealift Command (the civilian branch of the US Navy) and the hospital is staffed primarily by Navy personel the ship itself is run by civilian mariners. In a previous post we write:
The Hospital Ships Comfort and Mercy are maintained in reduced-operating status (ROS), at their homeports, on standby to sail within five days of notification. While on ROS, the ships have only small crews. The Comfort, for example, has 58 Navy personnel and 18 civilian mariners on board, explained her civilian captain, Master Mariner Dean Bradford, in a tour of his vessel.
A full description of the ship’s mission can be found HERE.
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Tags: · Hospital Ship, Maritime Security Incidents, MSC, philippines
For those curious how the editors at gCaptain research maritime incidents like the Cosco Busan’s allision with San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, here are some of the websites that provide excellent reference material.
Our first stop in researching any maritime related topic is our own Maritime Industry CSE. It’s a powerful resource since it provides search results with the aid of google’s powerful search database and algarithims. Actually the only difference between it and google.com is the fact that our tool narrows the results down and only displays sites that pertain to large ships.
*Tip: Try the “incidents” refinement to narrow down the results even further.
If you are looking for trusted information on incidents as they happen then MAC should be your first stop. Be sure to visit their podcast section as well as their links page which contains a list of the best maritime resources for incident prevention.
For those looking for data that specifically pertains to Container Ships, head over to Searates’ Container Ship Reference Book. Not only is it full of Web 2.0 eye candy, it also has some great hard data.
*Tip: Its shipping lines section has links to both Cosco and Hanjin. By visiting Cosco’s site you will quickly learn they have removed their official “Cosco Busan” statement from Nov 11th.
For breaking news your first stop should be our Maritime News Discoverer but a close second is our Maritime News Mash-up which is automatically updated with the industry’s most trusted news sources.
*Tip – Also take a look at our gCaptain News and Maritime Blog Mash-ups
For those looking for expert opinion from Ship Captain’s we hope you contact us… but your next stop should be CAMM. Contact them directly for contacts from the Maritime Expert Database.
Traditional media is know for making small errors when reporting maritime incidents. To obviate this problem subscribe to MAREX’s FREE weekly newsletter. It is published every Thursday and is written by professional journalists with maritime backgrounds. For past articles click HERE.
*Tip: If you are more interested in weekly blog postings check out Fred Fry’s Maritime Monday
_______________
If you have a reference site of interest please submit it to our Maritime News Discoverer under the category “Links“
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Tags: · contact, container_ship, container_shipping, container_ships, cosco-busan, cosco_busan, custom_search_engine, expert_database, Fire Incidents, gCaptain, google, hanjin, incident_prevention, Lifesaving Incidents, Marine Incidents, Maritime Expert, Maritime Security Incidents, maritime_industry, maritime_news, maritime_resources, MARPOL Incidents, Master Mariner, master_mariners, refrences, San Francisco, shipping_lines
The IMB reports on a sharp increase in the number or piracy attacks. The BBC tells us:
The increase is in large part because of a jump in incidents off the west and east coasts of Africa – with Somalia again a key source of concern.
The IMB advises merchant ships to stay at least 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast.
The UK-based global watchdog, which comes under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce, says the pirates appear to be using “mother vessels” to launch smaller boats well out to sea. Read More…
The numeric rise in incidents is not the only problem. EagleSpeak reports on acts of cruelty being perpetrated by Somali pirates (LINK). What’s being done about the problem? NATO has considered active protection of ships near Somalia and France has offered to protect the Word Food Program’s ships in the area. Otherwise, not much.
Links;
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Tags: · ISPS Code, malacca-straight, Maritime Security Incidents, piracy
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