A warship with EU NAVFOR escorts a convoy of ships chartered by the World Food Programme. Since its inception in December 2008, EU NAVFOR ships have escorted over 770,000 tons of food-aid in 118 transits. Photo: EUNAVFOR

The following is a press statement from piracy watchdog, IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, regarding their 2011 Global Piracy Report released today.

Pirate attacks against vessels in East and West Africa accounted for the majority of world attacks in 2011, signaling a rising trend, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) global piracy report revealed today. Of the 439 attacks reported to the IMB in 2011, 275 attacks took place off Somalia on the east coast and in the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa.

The report showed  a slight drop in the total number of recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery  worldwide,  comparing the 439 recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery in 2011 to 445 in 2010. The falling numbers come after four consecutive years of increased piracy and armed robbery worldwide.

The 802 crew members taken hostage in 2011 also marks a decrease from the four-year high of 1,181 in 2010. Overall in 2011, there were 45 vessels hijacked, 176 vessels boarded, 113 vessels fired upon and 105 reported attempted attacks. A total of eight crew members were killed throughout the year, the same number as 2010.

Somali pirates remain greatest threat

Somali pirates continue to account for the majority of attacks – approximately 54%. But while the overall number of Somali incidents increased from 219 in 2010 to 237 in 2011, the number of successful hijackings decreased from 49 to 28.

The overall figures for Somali piracy could have been much higher if it were not for the continued efforts of international naval forces, IMB reports. In the last quarter of 2011 alone, pre-emptive strikes by international navies disrupted at least 20 Pirate Action Groups (PAGs) before they could become a threat to commercial fleets. The last quarter of 2010 saw 90 incidents and 19 vessels hijacked; in 2011, those numbers fell to 31 and four, respectively.

“These pre-emptive naval strikes, the hardening of vessels in line with the Best Management Practices (BMP) and the deterrent effect of Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP), have all contributed to this decrease,” said Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC), which has been monitoring piracy worldwide since 1991. “The role of the navies is critical to the anti-piracy efforts in this area.”

Although the number of vessels employing and reporting the carriage of PCASP increased in 2011, the regulation and vetting of PCASP still needs to be adequately addressed, Captain Mukundan warned. Until such time as a comprehensive legal framework is in place, owners and Masters should follow the International Maritime Organization and industry guidelines on the carriage of PCASP.

The IMB report shows that Somali pirate attacks were predominantly concentrated within the cross roads of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.  However, 2011 marked the first hijacking by Somali pirates of an anchored vessel from within the territorial waters of a foreign State – namely, Oman – highlighting the need for ports and vessels at anchorages in the region to be vigilant.

Other African hotspots

Elsewhere, Nigeria and Benin continued to be piracy hotspots. While 10 attacks were reported in Nigeria, including two hijackings, IMB warns that this number is not representative of the real threat of Nigeria piracy. Underreporting of attacks in Nigeria continues to be a cause for concern, and IMB states that it is aware of at least another 34 unreported incidents in Nigerian waters.

Also in 2011 a probable extension of Nigerian piracy into neighbouring Benin included 20 incidents against tankers, eight of which were hijacked and had cargoes partly stolen. Although the average length of captivity for ships taken off the coasts of Nigeria and Benin tends to be roughly 10 days, compared to six months in Somali hijackings, IMB warns that these attacks can be more violent.

Improvements in South East Asia, Indian Subcontinent

In South East Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, vessels in Bangladesh reported 10 incidents of armed robbery in the approaches to Chittagong. This is a significant reduction from the 23 incidents reported in 2010 and reflects the initiatives taken by the Bangladesh Coast Guard to curb piracy in their waters. Nonetheless, anchorages in the approaches to Chittagong remain an area of concern.

Indonesia has seen a rise in armed robbery for the second straight year. The incidents continue to be local and opportunistic, according to IMB, and usually against anchored vessels. The 46 reported incidents – up from 40 in 2010 – include 41 vessels boarded, two attempted attacks, and three cases of tugs and barges being hijacked whilst underway.

Attacks in the South China Sea fell from 31 in 2010 to 13 in 2011. This included nine boarded vessels, three attempted attacks, and the hijacking of one tug and its barge.

The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) is the world’s only manned centre receiving and disseminating reports of piracy and armed robbery 24 hours a day, across the globe. As part of the ICC, it is an independent body set up to monitor attacks, free of political interference. IMB strongly urges shipmasters and owners to report all actual, attempted, and suspicious piracy and armed robbery incidents to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre. Transparent statistics from an independent, non-political organization is vital to encouraging authorities to allocate resources to tackle piracy firmly.

IMB offers the latest piracy reports free of charge. To request a PDF version of the report by email, please visit: http://www.icc-ccs.org/requestreport

Latest attacks may also be viewed on the IMB Live Piracy Map at: http://www.icc-ccs.org/livepiracymap

The M/V Montecristo (pictured) was boarded by pirates off the coast of Somalia in early October, but with the crew locked in the the ships citadel, naval forces in the area were able to safely board and retake control of the vessel.

As world piracy hits a new high, more ships are escaping Somali pirates, says IMB report

Piracy on the world’s seas has risen to record levels, with Somali pirates behind 56% of the 352 attacks reported this year, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) revealed today in its latest global piracy report. Meanwhile, more Somali hijack attempts are being thwarted by strengthened anti-piracy measures.

“Figures for piracy and armed robbery at sea in the past nine months are higher than we’ve ever recorded in the same period of any past year,” said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) has monitored piracy worldwide since 1991.

Demanding millions of dollars in ransom for captured ships and their crews, Somali pirates are intensifying operations not just off their own coastline, but further afield in the Red Sea – particularly during the monsoon season in the wider Indian Ocean. With unprecedented boldness, this August pirates also boarded and hijacked a chemical tanker at anchor in an Omani port, under the protection of coast state security.

But although Somali pirates are initiating more attacks – 199 this year, up from 126 for the first nine months of 2010 – they are managing to hijack fewer vessels. Only 24 vessels were hijacked this year compared with 35 for the same period in 2010. Hijackings were successful in just 12% of all attempts this year, down from 28% in 2011.

Naval action

IMB credits this reduction in hijackings to policing and interventions by international naval forces, correct application of the industry’s latest Best Management Practice – including the careful consideration of the crews’ retreat to a ‘citadel’ – and other onboard security measures.

“Somali pirates are finding it harder to hijack ships and get the ransom they ask for. The navies deserve to be complimented on their excellent work: they are a vital force in deterring and disrupting pirate activity,” said Captain Mukundan. “The number of anti-piracy naval units must be maintained or increased.”

Human cost

So far this year, pirates have taken 625 people hostage worldwide. They have killed eight people and injured 41. Pirates are often heavily armed, using automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades.

Benin a new hotspot

The West African coast off Benin is seeing a surge in violent piracy, with 19 attacks leading to eight tanker hijackings this year, up from zero incidents in 2010. A pattern has emerged where armed pirates board and hijack the ship – sometimes injuring crew – then force the Masters to sail to an unknown location where they steal the ship’s properties and cargo, and let the vessel free.

In response, Benin has begun joint naval patrols with neighbouring Nigeria, another piracy hot spot.

Captain Mukundan said: “Cooperation between the Nigeria and Benin navies to curb piracy is a positive step. However the real deterrent will be the capture and punishment of these criminals under law.”

Asia improves

Piracy and armed robberies in Asian waters, including the Indian subcontinent, are down from 106 in the first three quarters of 2010 to 87 in the same period this year.

The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre is the world’s only office to receive reports of pirate attacks 24-hours-a-day from across the globe. IMB strongly urges all shipmasters and owners to report all actual, attempted and suspected piracy and armed robbery incidents to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre. This first step in the response chain is vital to ensuring that adequate resources are allocated by authorities to tackle piracy. Transparent statistics from an independent, non-political, international organization can act as a catalyst to achieve this goal.

Source: International Maritime Bureau

Pictured: Pirates off the coast of Somalia. Photo via IMO

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) marked its annual World Maritime Day celebration today with a collective call-to-action to the United Nations, world governments, military forces and even shipowners and crews reminding them that they all play an integral role in helping rid the world of modern-day piracy on the high seas, especially off the coast of Somalia and Indian Ocean.

“Piracy: an orchestrated response”, actually, is the theme of this years World Maritime Day, now in its 34th year.  Suitable, considering so far this year a total of 346 attacks have been reported worldwide and Somali pirates currently hold 277 hostages according to figures released by the International Maritime Bureau.

“During 2010 alone, 4,185 seafarers were attacked by pirates using firearms – even rocket propelled grenades, 1,090 were taken hostage, and 516 were used as human shields. No fewer than 488 were reported suffering significant psychological or physical abuse,” said International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos after announcing this years theme in August.

In Mr. Mitropoulos’ World Maritime Day message, he stated: “To alleviate this unacceptable situation, no effort should be spared. Shipping companies must ensure that their ships rigorously apply the IMO guidance and industry-developed Best Management Practices in their entirety, so that, when venturing into the western Indian Ocean region, they comply with all the recommended measures: no ship is invulnerable, in particular those with relatively low freeboards and slow steaming speeds.”

He continued: “And Governments need to back up their oft-stated concern over the situation by deploying military and other resources commensurate, in numbers and technology, with the scale of the problem and with a realistic chance of dealing with it effectively.”

Despite a decrease in the percentage of successful attacks, piracy is still a real and growing problem.  A recent number of hijackings and attacks off West Africa, including the Gulf of Guinea, and off the coast of Southeast Africa in the Mozambique Channel, are a testament to the growing issue.  Furthermore, the use of violence against hostage seafarers is on the rise, with 15 killed so far in 2011.

Concluding his World Maritime Day message, Mr. Mitropoulos said: “More needs to be done, including the capture, prosecution and punishment of all those involved in piracy; the tracing of ransom money; and the confiscation of proceeds of crime derived from hijacked ships, if the ultimate goal of consigning piracy to the realms of history is to be achieved. We hope that our choice of the theme for 2011 will provide an appropriate rallying point around which all those who can make a difference can focus their efforts.

“In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers are with those seafarers, who, at present, are in the hands of pirates.  May they all be released unharmed and returned to their families soon.”

Italy will be hosting the 2011 IMO World Maritime Day Parallel Event with celebrations in Rome on October 13 and 14, 2011.

Read below the concerning report filed to the International Maritime Bureau’s Live Piracy Report regarding an August 6 attack against a bulker in the Red Sea.

06.08.2011: 1505 UTC: Posn: 13:07.2N – 043:04.9E, Around 20nm ENE of Assab, Eritrea, Red Sea.

Twelve skiffs with five to eight pirates in each skiff approached a bulk carrier underway. As the skiff closed guns and ladders were noticed. Warning flares were deployed by te onboard security team. the skiffs continued to approach the vessel at 17 knots. At a distance of around 300 meters, on th ecommand of the Master, the onboard security team fired warning shots resulting in most of the skiffs falling back and circling the vessel. Two skiffs continued to chase the vessel and returned fire. The skiffs and the security team exchanged fire and after 30 minutes and numerous approaches the skiffs aborted and moved away.

While we’ve heard of a multiple skiff attack in the past, this could be the first time we’ve seen 12 skiffs with more than 60 pirates organizing an attack against a single vessel.  Could this be a new trend or just an isolated incident?  We’ll just have to wait to find out.

Also to note, as the Eaglespeak mentioned in his blog post on the incident, the pirates’ continued pursuit after warning shots and an exchange of fire with a well armed security team is worrisome.

With vessel attacks, hijackings and huge ransoms stealing the headlines in todays news, some flag states are concerned that acts of violence against seafarers by pirates is going unnoticed and underreported, perhaps causing piracy to lose its human element with the general public.  To address this concern, three of the world’s largest flag states have met in Washington to sign a declaration condemning these acts of violence, with a promise to pool information and report incidents to the International Marine Bureau.  Read below for the press release from the IMB:

Three of the largest flag states, accounting for around 40% of the world’s commercial shipping tonnage, have signed an agreement condemning the acts of violence against seafarers by pirates. The flag states agreed to pool information on the mistreatment of seafarers at the hands of pirates.

The flag states signed a Declaration in Washington on 3 August 2011, condemning the acts of violence against seafarers.  The  Declaration recognised that the increasing use of violence against captured seafarers was underreported and noted that there were significant sensitivities associated with such information.

The Declaration affirmed their commitment to provide  information on the levels of violence faced by seafarers to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) from reports received by them in accordance with their internal procedures.

The IMB will collate and disseminate aggregated data of the levels of violence. The reports will omit their names, the names of the vessels, owners, operators and flag states to protect identities and privacy.

The project is supported by the One Earth Future Foundation (OEFF) and the TK Foundation.

So far in 2011, there have been 176 attacks on vessels by suspected Somali pirates which resulted in 22 successful hijackings with 378 crew taken hostage. Taking into account those vessels hijacked in 2010 which remain unreleased, there are presently 20 vessels still held off Somalia with a total of 398 crew still held to ransom.

IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan commented: “This new initiative will help to publicise the human cost of piracy, which at times can go unnoticed amongst reports of hijacking and huge ransoms. Current figures for 2011 suggest that the number of worldwide piratical incidents is on course to match or surpass those for 2010- though currently, attacks off Somalia account for a greater percentage of worldwide attacks than in previous years.”

This agreement is a result of the OEFF’s Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) working group, which in June 2011 produced the Human Cost of Piracy Report. The OBP report found that thousands of seafarers were subjected to gunfire, beatings, confinement and in some cases torture, though these cases were underreported and misunderstood by the public.

Mr Mukundan continued: “Attacks reported off Somalia this year have been characterised by a greater degree of violence against crew than before. Also, there have been worrying reports of violent attacks on crew during hijackings of vessels in the Gulf of Guinea. These intimidating and sometimes brutal attacks on crew must end – hopefully we can bring these instances to wider public attention as a result of this Declaration.”

The total number of attacks worldwide stands at 304, with 31 successful hijackings.

IMB strongly urges all shipmasters and owners to continue to report all worldwide actual, attempted or suspicious piracy and armed robbery incidents to the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre.

Source: International Marine Bureau

More than 60% of the attacks were by Somali pirates, a majority of which were in the Arabian Sea area said the report, Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships. As of 30 June, Somali pirates were holding 20 vessels and 420 crew, and demanding ransoms of millions of dollars for their release.

“In the last six months, Somali pirates attacked more vessels than ever before and they’re taking higher risks,” said IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan. . “This June, for the first time, pirates fired on ships in rough seas in the Indian Ocean during the monsoon season. In the past, they would have stayed away in such difficult conditions. Masters should remain vigilant.”

In the first six months, many of the attacks have been east and north-east of the Gulf of Aden, an area frequented by crude oil tankers sailing from the Arabian Gulf, as well as other traffic sailing into the Gulf of Aden. Since 20 May there have been 14 vessels attacked in the Southern Red Sea. “It is necessary that shipboard protection measures are in place as they sail through this area,” said Mr Mukundan.

But although Somali pirates are more active – 163 attacks this year up from 100 in the first six months of 2010 – they managed to hijack fewer ships, just 21 in the first half of 2011 compared with 27 in the same period last year. This, the report says, is both thanks to increased ship hardening and to the actions of international naval forces to disrupt pirate groups off the east coast of Africa.

“It is vital that this naval presence be sustained or increased,” the report asserts.

Somali pirates took 361 sailors hostage and kidnapped 13 in the first six months of 2011. Worldwide, 495 seafarers were taken hostage. Pirates killed seven people and injured 39. Ninety-nine vessels were boarded, 76 fired upon and 62 thwarted attacks were reported.

Ships, including oil and chemical tankers, are increasingly being attacked with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade launchers. Whereas five years ago pirates were just as likely to brandish a knife as a gun, this year guns were used in 160 attacks and knives in 35.

A surge in particularly violent and highly organized attacks has hit the coast of West Africa this year, says IMB’s piracy report, listing 12 attacks on tankers off Benin since March, an area where no incidents were reported in 2010. Five vessels were hijacked and forced to sail to unknown locations, where pirates ransacked and stole the vessel’s equipment, and part of their product oil cargoes. Six more tankers were boarded, mainly in violent armed robbery style attacks, and one attempted attack was reported.

In neighbouring Nigeria, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre was informed of three boardings, two vessels being fired upon, and one attempted attack. The crew were beaten and threatened. Ship’s equipment and crew’s personal effects were stolen. But IMB says that in reality, the seas around Nigeria are more dangerous than the official reports suggest. The organization is aware of at least 11 other incidents that were not reported to the Piracy Reporting Centre by ships’ masters or owners.

Overall, 50 incidents were recorded for Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore Straits and the South China Seas in the first two quarters of 2011. Three tugs were hijacked by armed pirates and 41 vessels were boarded.

The IMB PRC is the only manned centre to receive reports of pirate attacks 24 hours a day from across the globe. IMB strongly urges all shipmasters and owners to report all actual, attempted and suspected piracy and armed robbery incidents to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre. This first step in the response chain is vital to ensuring that adequate resources are allocated by authorities to tackle piracy. Transparent statistics from an independent, non-political, international organization can act as a catalyst to achieve this goal.

IMB offers the latest piracy reports free of charge. To request a PDF version of the report by email, please visit:http://www.icc-ccs.org/requestreport

Latest attacks may also be viewed on the IMB Live Piracy Map at: http://www.icc-ccs.org/livepiracymap

The International Marine Bureau’s ICC Commercial Crime Services explains how Somali pirates are influence by and adapt to seasonal changes in weather.

There are noticeable seasonal variations in the geographical attack patterns of Somali pirates during the north-east (winter) and south-west (summer) monsoons. Whilst the intensity of the monsoons varies from year to year, by season to season and even day by day, the monsoons play an important role in influencing the operational areas and periods of activity.

The SW monsoons normally commence towards the end of May / beginning of June and last until the end of August / early September.

There were no piracy incidents in the Indian Ocean reported as happening in June, July and August last year. Pirates, hampered by rough seas and strong winds, look for other hunting grounds. Increased activity was duly recorded in the Gulf of Aden and in the southern part of the Red Sea, where the prevailing weather conditions are not so intense. The first vessel successfully hijacked in the Red Sea was taken on 4 July 2010.

2011 has witnessed similar heightened activity in the Red Sea, with 15 incidents for the year – 11 of which have taken place since 20 May. This recent increase is a cause for concern.

Over the weekend of 10-12 June the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) received reports of three vessels targeted in the Indian Ocean approximately 450 NM east of Socotra. Two incidents took place on the same day, in almost the same position and within two hours of one another, suggesting the possible involvement of the same pirate action group. A bulk carrier was first fired upon, then a chemical tanker was targeted. The following day, a Panamax bulk carrier was fired on in almost the same position.

Reports from two of the Masters over these two days suggest that the seas were very rough when the attacks occurred. Winds were reported to be in the region of Beaufort force 7 (around 34 mph) with sea swells of approximately 4.5 metres. These are not normally conditions conducive to launching attacks from small attack skiffs.

The success ratio of hijacks to attempted attacks has decreased from one in every four and a half vessels targeted being hijacked in 2010 to one in just over seven vessels in 2011. This is attributed to more robust naval involvement and to increased ship protection measures. The number of overall attacks has however risen year on year. It may be that these recent Indian Ocean incidents are a sign of desperation on behalf of the pirates, or that there are many more Pirate Action Groups (PAGs) operating now than there were in 2010, particularly outside the Gulf of Aden. Robust action against the mother ships remains the only viable response to prevent further attacks.

The recent attacks have shown that, contrary to past experience, the threat of Indian Ocean piracy during the monsoon seasons continues. Masters are therefore advised to maintain a heightened status of readiness, to implement self-protection measures in accordance with Version 3 of the Best Management Practice, and to report all incidents, be they actual or attempted attacks.

Via ICC

(U.S. Navy photo/Released)

Over the first few weeks of 2011, several ship owners have reported receiving unsolicited messages from parties who claim to have been offered cargoes on board their vessels. Most often these cargoes are shipments of Nigerian crude oil that the senders say are being offered by mysterious middlemen. Owners immediately recognise these messages as fraudulent ̶ not least because the vessel is often in a different part of the world at the time.

Whilst ship owners are knowledgeable enough to disregard these messages, their vessel have sometimes been arrested by a victim of a fraud expecting the arrival of his cargo at a discharge port. Whilst the ship will eventually be released when the case is proved worthless, the owner will still pay in terms of time and cost.

IMB Deputy Director Michael Howlett commented: “The Bureau dealt with a number of these cases in its formative years. The recent upturn of these types of scam is of some concern, not least because there are very few practical measures owners can take to protect their vessels from being targeted in this manner. One step we advise is to keep written responses to a minimum, as in the past we have seen responses, sent in good faith, being adulterated to suit the purposes of a fraud scheme.”

The Bureau has also recently seen abuses of the chartering mechanism. Several ‘rogue’ companies claim to offer ships for charter (generally for the transport of crude oil.) IMB analysts quickly ascertained that the majority of the vessels offered had either been scrapped or were no longer operating under the names provided. In many cases the names and details of the vessel were taken from correspondence with the owners.

Scams of this kind can also affect banks, as fraudsters’ modus operandi often includes obtaining an advance fee, channelled through legitimate financial institutions. Banks can thus be open to charges of conducting improper due diligence, assisting fraudsters in processing the proceeds of a crime.

Mr Howlett continued “We urge companies tempted by attractive offers on commodities such as oil to undertake due diligence on all parties and to exercise extreme caution, particularly when an advance fee is requested. We urge banks asked to process such transactions to conduct background checks on all parties. For ship owners, it is important to report any such misuse of their vessels’ names to bodies such as the IMB. This allows data to be correctly recorded to help others avoid becoming victims of a scam. And if these cases do go to court the accumulated records can form compelling evidence against those seeking to manipulate the system.”

Source: ICC

Following this weekends hijacking of the Saudi VLCC loaded with crude, gCaptain has been flooded with numerous emails and phone calls from different news organizations trying to lock down information on the surge of world wide pirate attacks.

Want the lowdown? Well here it is. The following is a review of last weeks international Pirate attacks posted by the ICC Commercial Crime Service

Weekly Piracy Report

11 – 17 November 2008

Suspicious crafts

None reported

Recently reported incidents

• 16.11.2008: 0430 UTC: Posn: 04:08N – 006:50E, Bonny outer road anchorage, Nigeria.

Six robbers armed with automatic weapons opened fire at a refrigerated cargo ship at anchor. Robbers in a speedboat circled 4 times around the ship and left. No injury to crew.

• 13.11.2008: 1000 UTC: Mamonal ‘A’ anchorage, Cartagena, Colombia.

Robbers armed with gun and knives boarded a cement carrier at anchor. They tied up one crewmember and stole ship’s stores. Coast guard boarded vessel for investigation.

• 31.10.2008: 0000 LT: Bakasi Peninsula, Kole oil terminal, Cameroon.

Heavily armed pirates boarded an off shore supply vessel and kidnapped some crewmembers. Further report awaited.

• 15.11.2008: 0915 UTC: Posn: 12:50.69N – 046:42.86E, Gulf of Aden.

Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a chemical tanker underway. Further details are awaited.

• 15.11.2008: 0723 UTC: Posn: 04:41S – 048:43E, 450 nm south east Mogadishu.

Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a tanker underway. Further details are awaited.

• 14.11.2008: 2134 UTC: Posn: 04:25.6S – 048:58.5E, off southern Somalia.

Pirates heavily armed with automatic weapons and RPG in two speedboats chased and fired upon a container ship underway. Master increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and crew activated fire hoses. Pirates aborted the attempted attack at 2256 UTC. Ship sustained damages due to gunshots and RPG fire. No injuries to crew.

• 14.11.2008: 0635 UTC: Posn: 13:21.3N – 047:18.86E, Gulf of Aden.

Pirates armed with automatic weapons in three small speedboats approached a chemical tanker underway. Master contacted coalition warship and took evasive manoeuvres. The speedboats spread out and approached the vessel at high speed. The pirates failed in their attempt to board the vessel.

• 13.11.2008: 0630 LT: Posn: 13:28.0N – 049:21.5E, Gulf of Aden.

Six pirates in a fast speedboat approached a bulk carrier underway. Master raised alarm, took evasive manoeuvres and crew activated fire hoses. The pirates ordered the ship to stop but master continued with the evasive manoeuvres. The pirates fired upon the ship with two rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons. Master called coalition warship and asked for immediate assistance. A coalition warship responded and came to the location in 15 minutes and chased away the pirate boat. No injuries to the crew or damages to the ship.

• 13.11.2008: 1245 UTC: Posn: 04:51.4S – 044:54.1E, Somalia.

Pirates armed with automatic weapons and RPG chased and fired upon a container ship underway. Because of the firing, fire broke out in the third officers’ cabin. The vessel increased speed and made evasive manoeuvres. The pirate boat came alongside on port side. Pirates tried to embark on board but were unsuccessful. Later they aborted. Vessel continued to her destination port.

• 12.11.2008: 1210 UTC: Posn: 12:33.6n – 045:10.6e, Gulf of Aden.

Armed pirates in two speedboats chased a tanker underway. Tanker took evasive manoeuvres and escaped from the pirates.

• 12.11.2008: 1405 UTC: Posn: 13:07N – 046:48E, Gulf of Aden.

Armed pirates attacked and hijacked a chemical tanker underway. Further details are awaited.

• 11.11.2008: 0415 UTC: Posn: 12:45N – 045:04E: Gulf of Aden.

Two speedboats with 3-4 armed pirates in each boat chased a bulk carrier underway. Evasive manoeuvres made and warship contacted. A naval helicopter arrived at the location and interrupted the speedboats. Speedboats aborted the attack. Later, a warship was sighted and established contact.

• 10.11.2008: 0030 LT: Posn: 01:11.09N – 103:52.10E, Singapore Straits.

Five pirates armed with long knives boarded a tug towing a barge underway. Pirates stole personal belongings and escaped. No injury to crew. Master informed port authority.

• 10.11.2008: 1005 UTC: Posn: 01:12.5N – 050:41.1; 250 nm east of Mogadishu, Somalia.

Two speedboats approached a refrigerated cargo ship underway. One boat approached from the stbd quarter and the other from astern. The pirates armed with guns and RPG’s started to open fire on the ship. Ship made evasive manoeuvres. The speedboats could not get closer due to the waves created by the evasive manoeuvres. Later the speedboats aborted the attempt. Ship sustained damages from gunfire. Crew safe.

• 10.11.2008: 1400 UTC: Posn: 13:27.6N – 048:26.8E: Gulf of Aden.

Pirates armed with RPG and guns boarded a chemical tanker underway and hijacked it. They are holding 23 crewmembers as hostage onboard and sailing the tanker to an undisclosed location in Somalia. Further details awaited

The number for the IMB Maritime Security Hotline can be contacted via telephone on +603 2031 0014 or e-mail on imbsecurity@icc-ccs.org.uk

Links:

ISPS Phone Line Announcement

Google map of piracy activity this year:
(Click on map for live view) <Telephone photo by slorp>