Meet the newest maritime security toy; Kongsberg’s C’Inspector UUV. Not sure what a UUV is? Well neither did we but we quickly discovered the acronym stands for Unmanned Undersea Vehicle. Looking like a torpedo with an eye, this device will certainly be a featured star if they ever decide to remake James Bond’s undersea thriller Thunderball.

What  could be the need for such a device? I’ll let Kongsberg explain:

C’Inspector is a flexible, low-cost and efficient multi-purpose Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV). With standard sensor-configuration it can be used for inspection, interactive threat identification and interception. The vehicle can be equipped with different sensors to cover a wide range of missions.

The vehicle has a modular design which makes the system flexible and easy to maintain and moves fast through the water carrying its own energy source. It is controlled by a portable or fixed operator-station. Only a thin optical-fibre connects the vehicle with the operator station. The fibre cable can be expendable or reusable and more than 4,000m in length. Read More…

Here is a more information about how the Mumbai terrorist attack developed, provided by UK based Warship magazine. That the boat carrying the terrorists was boarded and the boarding officers captured and killed without alerting the authorities should reaffirm the importance of supporting and keeping track of our people. Hopefully this would not have happened to a USCG team. (Via Chuck Hill @ CGBlog.org)

Without question, piracy off the soast of Somalia is a problem that is costing time, money, headaches and lives. As of right now there is really no end in sight. Many shipping companies are taking extreme measures, like re-routing their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, in order to avoid the possibility of being hijacked. Broken down, this means that the costs associated with avoiding Gulf of Aden (i.e. fuel, daily charter rates, longer transit times of cargo) are less than the of the risk associated with a vessel being hijacked and held for ransom.

Last week we reported on the attempted hijacking of two cruise ships holding hundreds of passengers, one of which was even fired upon withing the UKMTO Transit Corridor. Now, one cruise line company is deciding to take measures to protect its civilian passengers from any harm. AFP reports:

The MS Columbus cruise ship will drop off its 246 passengers before the ship and some of its crew sail through the Gulf on Wednesday, the Hamburg-based company said in a statement, without saying exactly where they would disembark. It said the passengers would take a charter flight Wednesday to Dubai and spend three days at a five-star hotel waiting to rejoin the 150-meter (490-foot) vessel in the southern Oman port of Salalah for the remainder of a round-the-world tour that began in Italy.

The company said it was sending its passengers on the detour as a “precautionary measure,” given rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia that recently has targeted cruise ships as well as commercial vessels, including a Saudi oil tanker and a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and other weapons.

For this company, the costs of detouring the passengers through the area far out-weigh the risk of any harm or inconvenience done to them. Now void of any tourists, we will just have to see how the MS Columbus fares in the dangerous waters.

In fact, it would be interesting to see the analysis that these companies are doing before making the decision to avoid the area.

The United States Coast Guard is trying to remind mariners and the American public in general to remain vigilant.  They have a short journal entry concerning the America’s Waterways Watch program on their Coast Guard Journal.  It reads:

YOU can help the Coast Guard keep America’s waterways safe and secure.  In light of the tragic terrorist attacks in Mumbai it is important to remember that all Americans play a vital role in homeland security.  Whether you live, work or recreate near the waterways of the United States you can assist the Coast Guard by remaining vigilant and reporting suspicious activity.

With this in mind, I would like to remind the public of the America’s Waterway Watch program.  America’s coasts, rivers, bridges, tunnels, ports, ships, military bases, and waterside industries may be the terrorists’ next targets. Though waterway security has been increased greatly in recent years, with more than 95,000 miles of shoreline, over 290,000 square miles of water, and approximately 70 million recreational boaters in the United States, the Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies can not do the job alone.

Please do your part and report: unusual surveillance of vessel or waterside facility operations, unattended boats near bridges, unusual diving activities, unauthorized vessels operating in restricted areas, or other suspicious activities.  Call the National Response Center at 1-877-24WATCH or radio the Coast Guard on marine channel 16.  Use 911 or marine channel 16 to report immediate dangers to life or property.  For your safety, I recommend boaters do not approach or engage anyone acting in a suspicious manner – call for help.

For more information on the America’s Waterways Watch program please click here.

Lieutenant Tony Migliorini

Public Affairs (CG-0922)

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:

1. Under-Manning Of Vessels
2. Lack Of Specific Training
3. 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.

Just when we thought things couldn’t get any more chaotic in the Gulf of Aden, the ‘pirate mother’ ship that was sunk last week by an Indian Navy warship is now being reported to be a Thai fishing trawler.  CNN reports:

Fourteen sailors are still missing from a Thai trawler that was sunk last week by the Indian navy as a suspected pirate ship, the vessel’s owner said Tuesday.

One crewman was found alive after six days adrift in the Gulf of Aden, and one is confirmed dead, said Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, owner of the Ekawat Nava 5.

Last week, India’s navy reported that the frigate INS Tabar had battled a pirate “mother vessel” in the gulf November 18, leaving the ship ablaze and likely sunk. Wicharn said that vessel was his ship, which was in the process of being seized by pirates when it came under fire.

Indian authorities insisted that their ship had acted against a pirate vessel that had threatened to attack the Tabar.

“We fired in self-defense and in response to firing upon our vessel. It was a pirate vessel in the international waters, and its stance was aggressive,” said Commodore Nirad Sinha, a navy spokesman. He said the ship the Tabar fired upon was laden with ammunition.

The image above, released by India’s Defense Ministry shortly after the incident, is reported to be of the vessel that was left ablaze.

In light of the recent piracy news gCaptain has recieved a number of media requests to answer basic questions about piracy. Below you will find just a few of the questions we have been asked along with my answers.

Why Somalia?

Pirates need a few things to prosper: weak national security of a host state or political unrest, access to weapons, ships transiting close to shore, cooperative weather and an abundance of high value ships.

Somalia certainly meets the first two requirements but, like in real estate, it’s Location, Location, Location. As seen in the diagram of shipping routes below, somalia lies in the direct path of traffic transiting between Asia and the Suez canal. The manner in which Somalia just coupled with the amount of shoreline in close proximity to shipping lanes gives the pirates easy access to ships.

Why are pirates taking the risk?

Traditionally pirates attack specific ships after being tipped off to valuable cargo or a safe full of cash. Their mission was to get aboard, subdue the crew and leave both quickly and quietly.

Somali pirates have a different motive and target large ocean-going ships with few items of value aboard that are easy to transport and sell ashore. The recent hijackings are instead the result of millions of dollars in ransom demands being met by shipowners and brings the number of attacks off Somalia to 91 this year. These ransoms are paid to local warlords that have many ways to encourage the pirates to take the risk. The people planning these attacks remain shoreside and have very little risk of being harmed.

Where are other piracy hotspots?

Prior to the recent attacks in Somalia the most dangerous place for vessels was the Malacca Straight. The reason for this is again, Location. Situated between Malaysia and Indonesia, this 500 mile stretch of water is the shortest route for ships traveling from Asia to Europe and the Middle East. It is also narrow which allows pirates to get near vessels undetected.

Another piracy hotspot today is Nigeria. The country’s large reserve of oil offshore causes conflict between residents, the government and the oil exploring companies. Very few large vessels are pirated in Nigeria, rather, offshore instilations and smaller service vessels are often the target.

The following map shows pirate attacks worldwide in 2008. The interactive version can be found HERE.

How do pirates attack?

Pirates use small and fast boats to get close to ships transiting near shore.

Why don’t ships defend themselves?

Shipowners are hesitent in allowing weapons aboard ship for a number of reasons.

1. They fear mishandling by crews during inspection, testing and use.
2. The use of weapons will only anger well armed pirates not killed in the defense of a ship.
3. Insurance and local regualtions at port cities bring doubt.
4. A significant amount of training is needed to make a mariner proficient in the use of firearms. This training comes at an epense to shipowners.

The latest incident was over 250nm from land, can’t ships see the boats coming and avoid them?

In the last few decades ship operators have used new technology and operating proceedure to reduce the average vessel’s largest cost; personel. Most ships today operate with only one or two persons designated as lookouts while they are in open water. total compliment is usually less than 25 people. Compounding the problem is that small boats are difficult to see and often do not show up on radar. The boats can also travel at speeds much high than that of an average tanker (about 12 knots) or even a containership (25 knots)

By using boats to board large ships the pirates are bound by the range of such vessels. The more recent attacks however have taken place at distances up to 250 miles from the coast. There is evidence pirates extend the range of such trips by using mother ships. In the case of Somalia it is believed that pirates have control of a few large fishing boats that serve to ferry, house and resupply the smaller boats.

Why can’t the navy stop them?

While ship owners may welcome navy protection of vessels there are political considerations taking place. It has long been the US Navy’s mission to protect the US Merchant Marine but today very few ships (even those bringing cargo to and from the United States) fly the American flag. Most ships are registered in countries like Panama, Liberia and the Marshal Islands. These countries are refered to as Flags Of Convienece and are preffered by ship owners because of less stringent rules, allowance of multi-national crews and low tax rates. Besides the registry of a vessel, ships are often owned by entities of one nationality, insured by another, crewed with officers of a third and unlicensed personel of yet another. This combination of national interest complicates the situtuation considerably.

Another theory is that naval action will not fix the underlying cause of these attacks and will not motivate ship owners to take positive action to defend their vessels. It is not until ships are crewed with a sufficeint number of lookouts, their personel are well trained and they fully impliment the latest security technology that the problem will go away.

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Stay tuned for Part II of this FAQ

Incident Commanders’ Radio Interface

The Incident Commander’s Radio Interface is a system developed by C-AT to allow ‘bridges’ any two incompatible radio, cell, satellite, and landline phones, providing interoperability across frequencies. Developed to allow firefighters, police and other first responders to communicate together this device also has many uses aboard ship.

Having worked aboard a offshore drillship there were times, like during well testing, when half a dozen or more third party companies were working on deck. Each company operated a different type of radio broadcasting on a separate channel. This worked well during normal operations but during emergencies communication with these teams of workers became difficult.

How does it work?

After the emergency bells ring a representative for each party would bring a radio to the brige. The watchkeeper would plug each radio into the device and suddenly all radios in range can talk to each other!

The ICRI has one more killer feature… it serves as a repeater! The long cord on the wheel pictured above allows you to bring the unit deep within the hull of your ship but still maintain communication with the bridge.

ADASHI 3.0

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ADASHI stands for Automated Decision Aid System for Hazardous Incidents. James Genovese and a team of scientists at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical and Biological Research Center invented the ADASHI technology in 1999. The system is used to track assets and give emergency personel access to critical information like MSDS sheets, available emergency resources, sensor data…

Today this system can be used by shoreside emergency teams at your company’s headquarters to help direct response to a maritime incident but, as part of a custom solution, the software can be adapted to provide a vessel’s master to monitor both external and internal information during an emergency. The system is powerfull because it’s simple to use and touch screen. Information is displayed on an easy to learn menu screen that’s adaptable for many purposes.

VideoRay – MicroROV

The Coast Guard arrived at the event with a few trailers full of gear but he most impressive unit had on display was a VideoRay MicroROV. What’s amazing about this miniture underwater surveliance unit? The amazingly small form factor coupled with solid performance. How portable? One person can transport the tiny 8-pound sub, control box and tether. The Scout system weighs less than 70 pounds and packs neatly in one rolling Pelican case. All other systems fit in two Pelican cases that can be transported in a car trunk or helicopter, or checked as airline baggage.

Despite it’s size this video shows it’s ability to outperform the average ROV:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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This video shows the picture quality you can expect:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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LRAD 100 – Now Portable

Our favorite Anti-Piracy device, the LRAD, is now available in a lightweight, handheld device. In the LRAD 100, ATC is utilizing its new advanced higher output technology, which achieves even greater output for a given surface area than previous LRAD technology. The STINGER transducers are applied in a specialized, multi-structural, phased array to maximize the high intensity column of sound that is generated by the handheld device. These high-powered arrays are very efficient using comparatively little electrical power.

Not only is this unit protable but can be purchased for less than $5000 US. This is a steep reduction in price from ATC’s other units and contains the same means of deterence.

If your company has a large budget be sure to look at the LRAD-R, remote operated version. This version consists of an LRAD emitter head, pan/tilt system for precise audio targeting, integrated devices (cameras, infrared sensors, illuminators and other detection/deterrent devices) and an easy to use software control interface. The vision and positioning system allows users to locate, communicate with, and deter specific potential threats from the safety of the bridge.

Here’s a video of LRAD in use:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

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