Washington, DC – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today reminded mariners about the importance of taking necessary precautions and implementing best practices in the wake of recent attacks on the M/V Harriett and Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia.
“These ships’ successful defense against pirates should serve as a reminder to the maritime industry of the best practices that can keep crews safe on the seas,” said Secretary LaHood. “Mariners should heed the lessons learned from past attacks and review defensive measures so that they are prepared when traveling through high-threat areas. The U.S. government will continue to work with ship operators to protect U.S. citizens in regions where piracy still poses a serious threat.”
Last week, the M/V Harriett thwarted a pirate attack by outrunning the pirate ship. Yesterday, guards aboard the Maersk Alabama repelled a pirate attack using small arms fire. No casualties were reported in the incident, which took place 350 nautical miles east of the Somali coast.
This was the second attack by pirates against the Maersk Alabama this year. In April, pirates hijacked the ship and took Captain Richard Phillips hostage, holding him at gunpoint in a lifeboat for five days until he was freed by Navy SEALs.
A maritime advisory issued in September by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration warned vessels to avoid routes where attacks have taken place while also recommending that mariners demonstrate a willingness to defend themselves. Additional information can be found in the press release.
On the early morning of 18 November 2009, 350 nautical miles east from the Somali coast, pirates attacked MV Maersk Alabama, a US flagged, Danish owned, 155 meter long, Container ship.
Pirates fired automatic weapons on MV Maersk Alabama who responded with fire from an embarked Vessel Protection Detachment. The crew managed to repel the attack and no casualties were reported. The vessel was previously hijacked in April 2009.
An EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft from Djibouti was tasked to investigate the situation and the closest EU NAVFOR naval vessel was tasked to search for the pirate attack group and neutralise the area.
The Maritime Patrol Aircraft stationed in Djibouti takes part in the EU NAVFOR mission Operation ATALANTA. The main tasks of Operation ATALANTA are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.
The news story out this morning is that the US-Flag MAERSK ALABAMA has been attacked again by pirates. Surely that is news in itself. However, possibly the bigger story is news that the Maersk vessel had armed guards onboard who repelled the attackers.
Maersk Alabama attacked again – MAERSK Alabama evaded a pirate attack off the Somali Coast today, seven months after it was hijacked in nearby waters.
Pirates fired on the 1,098teu box ship with automatic weapons, but guards on the US-flagged ship returned fire and repelled the attack, a statement from EU NAVFOR said. There were no casualties.
An EU NAVFOR naval vessel is searching for the attackers.
During April’s hijacking, Maersk Alabama’s captain was held hostage before he was freed in a commando assault. Three pirates were killed in the operation.
In another incident near Somalia today, pirates have eluded a Spanish military fusillade and swum to freedom.
The pirates had held the Alakrana tuna trawler hostage for 47 days. They escaped to shore after turning over the 36 seafarer hostages, Spain’s defence ministry said.
Helicopters and other forces chased the last group of pirates to leave the trawler. At least one pirate craft was hit by fire but no casualties were reported, said the ministry of defence.
The trawler was freed yesterday after the reported payment of a $4M ransom. – Fairplay Homepage (Used with Permission)
At least in this case, having armed guards onboard did not escalate the attack. It ended it.
We’ve talked about Unmanned Aerial Vehicals (UAV’s) here before on gCaptain particularly associated with piracy off the horn of Africa. Here is a look at a new VTOL [Vertical Take-Off & Landing], UAV concept specifically targeted at urban, mountainous and maritime environments.
Moscow – There were no weapons being smuggled on board the hijacked “Arctic Sea” freighter according to the conclusions of a Russian investigation into the vessel, reported the Interfax news agency on Wednesday. Speculation has mounted ever since
the ship went missing on July 24, to be subsequently rescued by Russian forces on August 17, that it had not carried lumber, as stated in its manifest, but rockets destined for Iran.
Now, after weeks of Russian officials denying those charges, investigators say their research has backed up those denials.
The ship is scheduled to dock at Las Palmas on Spain’s Canary Islands where it will be handed over to Maltese authorities, since the ship was registered under Malta’s flag, said Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for Russia’s investigative service. According to official reports, the ship had been taken by pirates near Sweden. The accused pirates, primarily Estonians, are in custody in Russia. Most of the crew has been released after questioning in Russia, though four crew members remain on board the freighter while it heads to port. The four remaining crewmen are to fly home so a new team can man the freighter on its way to Malta.
More on this can be found via the Associated Press HERE
Between the 13th and the 14th of September, the Dockwise semi-submersible, heavy-marine transport vessel, Mighty Servant 1, was safely escorted by EUNAVFOR warships through the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden.
The Mighty Servant 1 is currently transporting the Hull of the North Sea Gjøa platform from the Samsung yard in South Korea to Norway. The EUNAVFOR Belgian warship Louise-Marie, participating in the European Operation Atalanta, was tasked to escort the vessel for two days before handing her over to EUNAVFOR Swedish warships K11, STOCKHOLM and K12, MALMO, which continued the escort.
Transport of the hull was given high priority due to its vulnerability and importance. The vessel is slow-moving and lies low in the water, making it easier for pirates to board.
In a September 9 keynote address to the ComDef 2009 defense policy conference in Washington, D.C., Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew J. Shapiro announced that later in the day, the United States will sign the “New York Declaration,” a non-binding political document committing ship registry states to promulgate internationally recognized best management practices for protection of their vessels against piracy. Shapiro praised the New York Declaration as part of what Secretary Clinton has called “a 21st century solution to the 17th century problem” of piracy.
The United States’ formal signature indicates its commitment to implement measures that it has already encouraged and followed through compliance with U.S. Coast Guard directives on ship security. U.S. shipping companies have been instrumental in creating and implementing these best practices, having adopted and documented self-protection measures against piracy as part of their compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. Examples of the best practices developed and implemented by all of the major international shipping industry organizations include increasing lookouts, ensuring that ladders are raised, and readying fire pumps to repel boarders.
The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs also leads U.S. Government participation in the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, an ad hoc diplomatic grouping of nearly 40 participating nations and international organizations that is coordinating international naval patrols and shipping self-protection, as well as efforts to discourage the payment of ransoms, and build the capacity and political will of countries affected by piracy to interdict and prosecute suspected pirates.
The New York Declaration was initially presented by four of the world’s largest ship registries – Panama, the Bahamas, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands – at the Contact Group’s May 2009 plenary session. The United States will be joined by China, France, and the United Kingdom, among other countries, in signing the New York Declaration on the eve of the Contact Group’s Fourth Plenary Session, to be held September 10 at U.N. Headquarters in New York.
The Department of State leads the United States Government’s participation in the Contact Group, in close coordination with the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, Transportation, Treasury, and other agencies.
The Maritime Administration today issued an advisory to mariners and ship operators that piracy is likely to increase off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean now that monsoon season has ended.
“We must apply the lessons learned from the crew of the Maersk Alabama,” said Acting Maritime Administrator David Matsuda, referring to the U.S. crew that escaped pirates last spring. “We are urging mariners to take defensive measures and not surrender at the first sign of a threat.”
The advisory not only warns vessels to avoid routes where attacks have taken place, but also recommends that mariners “demonstrate a willingness to defend yourself.” Today’s update encourages mariners to travel at “maximum sustainable speed” through “high threat areas” and to continually conduct risk assessments during their voyage. The advisory also gives mariners information on how best to check in with authorities and how to request escort service in a convoy.
The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration routinely issues advisories, which usually warn of possible hazards and inform ships at sea of the measures they can take to avert danger. The text of the advisory can be found at the Maritime Administration web site, www.marad.dot.gov. In addition to posting on the website, advisories are broadcast by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to all U.S. flag ships and to other maritime interests.
Somali pirates aboard a hijacked ship fired at a U.S. Navy helicopter yesterday, Navy officials said.
According to the Navy, the helicopter from the USS Chancellorsville was not hit, there were no injuries and the helicopter did not return fire.
The chopper received fire while on a surveillance flight over a Taiwanese-flagged vessel that pirates had captured in April. Footage taken from the SH-60B helicopter shows at least one pirate opening fire with what appears to be “a large-caliber weapon,” officials said.
Somali pirates hijacked the Taiwanese-flagged Win Far vessel April 6, and since have used it as a “mother ship” to conduct attacks, most notably on the U.S.-flagged Maersk-Alabama in April. The incident occurred in the Indian Ocean south of Garacad, Somalia, where the Win Far is anchored.
During the flight, the aircrew members observed pirate activity, but did not confirm they were fired on until their return to Chancellorsville and review of the infrared surveillance footage. The helicopter was about 3,000 yards from Win Far when it happened.
Luckily for the pirates, the aircrew members were not able to confirm they were fired on until a review was done of the infrared surveillance footage captured of the incident (shown above). The helicopter was about 3,000 yards from Win Far when it happened.
Three serious incidents have dominated the past week with the disappearance of the Arctic Sea, its cargo of timber valued at a little under $2m and its crew of more than a dozen Russian seafarers, garnering most of the bandwidth. That’s only natural, given the mysterious circumstances.
The trouble with speculating about what’s happened to the vessel is that there are simply too many options and not enough facts. Taken by the crew? Hijacked by the Russian Mafia or a disgruntled business interest? Suddenly sunk by a rogue wave? Taken by Somali pirates sporting long range tanks on their skiff outboards? Did she ever actually leave the Baltic? Take a number, but it certainly has got the attention of the security services: Arctic Sea passed through some of the heaviest traffic lanes and patrolled areas on the planet and vanished on the way. Or did she?
That story will run and run for a while but the fate of the Langeland and its six crew off the coast of Sweden as she sought a safe haven in bad weather has already faded from what limited attention it did get. Notably within days the wreck of the vessel was found an ROVs sent down to inspect her. A similar search for the missing m/v Rezzak has been a no-go because, we’ve been told, none of the concerned parties want to pay for sidescan sonar to find her.
Ferries in developing countries continued to take their toll in Incident number three: the sinking of the Princess Ashika off Tonga with more than 90 now missing. It is an enormous blow to the island nation.A Royal Commission has been set up to investigate the incident.
Somalia still gets the lion’s share of attention when it comes to piracy so it’s worth remembering that, out of the spotlight, it’s still continuing in the South China Sea with some seven vessels attacked since January, the most recent being the Singaporean-register tug Tahir on August 2.
Don’t be surprised to hear that the Danish Maritime Authority wants to tighten up, if that’s the phrase, on alcohol on ships after the report on the grounding of the Karin Schepers. ““He first realized that the ship was aground when a man he did not know came on the bridge…” says the DMA report on the incident, he being the chief officer who was asleep on the bridge, drunk and with the bridge watch alarm switched off and the ‘man he did not know’ being a pilot from a passing vessel. Read the report to brighten your day.
If you’re quick you might catch the BBC Radio 4 documentary on the British merchant navy, Under The Red Duster, which for once giving the seafarer a bit of the attention he deserves for keeping the world afloat. You can listen to it online.
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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