Get your TIVO’s ready…. In a new, featured, television show The Discovery Channel looks to find out the very real story behind the story of the Maersk Alabama incident and subsequent lifeboat hijacking. They tell us: [Continue Reading →]

UPDATE: Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse has been plead not guilty to a total of 10 charges for his role in the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama.

Eight of the 10 charges carry a maximum of sentence of life in prison.  They are piracy, possession of a machine gun while seizing a ship by force, hostage-taking, conspiracy to commit hostage-taking, possession of a machine gun during hostage-taking, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and possession of a machine gun during kidnapping.

The remaining two charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. They are seizing a ship by force and conspiracy to seize a ship by force.

Muse pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment this morning in United States District Court, Southern District of New York.  You can download the indictment detailing all 10 counts below. [Continue Reading →]

Last week the USCG issued its Maritime Security Directive 104-6 (rev. 2) that, among other things, calls for security personnel and added piracy watches when operating in high risk waters.  While the USCG did leave the decision of whether or not to allow armed guards up to the ship operators, the IMO warned Monday that arming sailors is no answer to piracy and that armed crew or mercenaries on board ships would only escalate violence and create a “legal minefield”.

Delegates at an international conference on piracy said the aggressive approach would create a high-seas “arms race,” and recommended non-lethal measures like fire-hoses and electric barriers to prevent boarding.

“We are against the arming of seafarers in the fight against pirates. We are also against armed private security guards,” said Pottengal Mukundan, director of the London-based International Maritime Bureau.

“We think it can be counter-productive,” said Mukundan, whose organization monitors piracy worldwide and has urged greater international efforts to combat a spate of attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden.

“Pirates will upgrade their weapons. Only a few ships will have armed security. The vast majority are unlikely to do so,” he told reporters.

The conference was also attended by Tim Wilkins, Asia-Pacific manager for ship owners’ association INTERTANKO, who said that arming vessels would increase fatalities which until now have been low despite the large number of attacks: [Continue Reading →]

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)

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a subcommittee hearing on Piracy on the High Seas: Protecting our Ships, Crews, and Passengers.  The goal of the hearing was to examine ongoing efforts to combat piracy on the high seas.  The subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., heard testimonies from, amongst others, Philip J. Shapiro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Maritime Corporation,  Rear Admiral Brian Salerno, Assistant Commandant for Marine Safety, Security, and Stewardship for the U.S. Coast Guard, and Captain Phillips and Michael Perry, master and chief engineer of the MV Maersk Alabama.

Philip Shapiro, who’s company was recently victimized by pirates off the Somali coast in the April 14th attack on the M/V Liberty Sun, said that U.S. cargo crews should be allowed to arm themselves in response to the rising hijacking threat stating that although an 1819 statute gave ships the right to defend themselves, they still were subject to laws and inconsistent port rules governing whether armed vessels could dock.   [Continue Reading →]

UNOSAT, the UN Institute for Training and Research’s (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme, has recently released a report focusing on a geographical analysis of piracy in 2009.  The UNOSAT program delivers satellite solutions to relief and development organisations within and outside the UN system to help make a difference in the life of communities exposed to poverty, hazards and risk, or affected by humanitarian and other crises.

The report contains a detailed spatial analysis of the dramatic upsurge of pirate activity in 2009, focusing on changes in attack locations within the Gulf of Aden, changes in the attack success rate by month as well as on the unprecedented expansion of attacks in the Indian Ocean.

KEY FINDINGS: [Continue Reading →]

Sen. Frank Lautenberg has released this video showing the U.S. flagged M/V Liberty Sun escaping Somali pirates back on April 14.  The cargo ship, which was bound for Mombasa, Kenya with a crew of 20 Americans, managed to escape the attack but sustained some damage when the pirates fired rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the vessel.

[Continue Reading →]

The short answer is yes. Running piracy ring in Somali can prove to be a very successful and profitable business for everyone involved. A recent segment on NPR’s program “All Things Considered” takes a unique look Behind The Business Plan Of Piracy, Inc, by walking through the steps of a piracy ring startup.  Oddly, it’s not much different than your average small business owner looking to launch a coffee shop or boutique. [Continue Reading →]

Spiegel Online has a pretty good photo gallery of the pirate attack on the MSC Melody cruise ship over the weekend. Click on the image above to go to the collection of photo’s.

The Melody, carrying about 1,000 passengers and 500 crew, was en route from Durban, South Africa to Genoa, Italy, on a 22-day luxury cruise when pirates in skiffs opened fire late Saturday. The cruise ship’s security detail returned fire, startling the pirates, who gave up and turned around.

Nine suspected pirates believed to be behind the attempted hijack have been arrested. The cruise ship wsa about 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) north of the Seychelles when the attack occured.

Here is the Today Show’s exclusive interview with Captain Richards Phillips of the Maersk Alabama.  Video courtesy of Hulu.com. NOTE: This video only available to U.S. viewers.

April 28: In an exclusive interview, Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, tells TODAY’s Matt Lauer about being held hostage by Somali pirates and being freed by Navy SEALs in a dramtic rescue.