29 December 2012 - 4 January 2013 (Vol. 2; No.1/13)

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Maritime PirateFence - A Unique Protective Solution Ask us how you can be a sponsor of this newsletter in 2013 - click here.

Feedback on the newsletter is welcomed too. MV Iceberg 1 Horror Stories & Another Asia Hijack - As the newly liberated crew of Iceberg 1 come to terms with regained freedom and the end of the spectre of abuse, a Puntland court sentences three pirates to 3 to 10 years in prison. Freed Ghanaians intend to sue Iceberg 1 shipping company. The physical and physiological trauma suffered is covered by various media. In Southeast Asia, a tug and barge are hijacked for the fuel and the crews are left marooned before being rescued; the pirates are apprehended 15 hours later and found to have changed the vessels names. Suspect pirates arrested by a Belgian warship, the second instance in two weeks, are set ashore due to lack of evidence. In many ways Nigeria is becoming the new Somalia it is said; the Nigerian Navy calls for the installation of security devices on all vessels, but a marine lawyer says they are "missing a trick," when considering the small tankers used to taken the stolen product. Bayelsa State Police are critical of Hyundai Heavy Industry for paying N30 million ransom for six hostages. Maldives government proposes an anti-piracy bill to curb concerns over territorial security. The Italian marines, having been granted Christmas furlough, are now back in India. Captain of China's escort fleet says, "pirates have finally appeared," as more approaches in the Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden occur over the last few weeks. Global money laundering laws should be strengthened to nab kingpins, not just foot soldiers; UNCLOS does not provide procedures and guidelines for international cooperation. The Commander of the Niger Delta JTF reviews the campaign against crude oil theft and the complicity of some foreigners. Following the instances of pirate 'capture and release' and the destruction of their respective skiffs, raises the question of different evidential grounds and standards of proof for prosecution, not to mention the possible liability for any loss or damage caused by such seizures without adequate grounds. MPHRP Chairman warns that industry should continue to boost efforts to counter piracy and armed robbery, whilst the British High Commissioner to Seychelles urges countries to be one step ahead in countering the scourge of piracy. President Michel of the Seychelles meets the islands' People's Defence Forces in a traditional New Year visit, including the Tazar unit created in 2009 as elite force against piracy. Contents: Regional Activity; Released by Pirates; Pirates in Court; Private Security; International Response; Piracy Cost; Seafarers' Plight; And Finally...; Piracy Incidents; Situational Map Ask us how you can be a sponsor of this newsletter - click here.

East Africa

AUTHORITIES in Somalia's northern autonomous state of Puntland have officially handed over eight former Yemeni hostages rescued by Puntland government forces on Dec. 23, following a raid on the MV Iceberg 1 hijacked vessel that resulted in the rescue of 22 multi-national hostages, Garowe Online reports - AllAfrica. Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, flanked by a number of Puntland ministers and senior military officials, received a diplomatic delegation on Friday in the Puntland port city of Bossaso. The delegation, led by Yemeni Ambassador to Somalia Ahmed Omar, came to Bossaso to attend the official handover ceremony of the eight former hostages of MV Iceberg 1 from Yemen. Puntland government officials, religious clergy, traditional leaders, and commanders of Puntland security forces attended the event held at Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) compound in the western outskirts of Bossaso. PMPF officers presented the 14-day events of the MV Iceberg 1 operation to the visiting dignitaries, with officers lauding the operation strategy designed by the PMPF commanders and the comprehensive intelligence gathered prior to the launching of the successful multi-terrain operation.

ON THURSDAY 27 December at 11:30 local time (8:30 Belgian time), the Belgian frigate Louise-Marie again intercepted a skiff and three suspected pirates were arrested -OCEANUSLive. This action, the second arrest in two weeks, took place 400nm off the Somali coast. Aboard the skiff, a small craft with powerful engines, the boarding team found several fuel barrels, but once again no weapons. During the boarding action, a Belgian soldier was accidentally wounded in the leg. He was treated in the infirmary, where all the necessary medical personnel and equipment was available Following review of evidence, the suspects were landed on a Somali beach. Image - Photo: EPA

West Africa

THE NIGERIAN Navy (NN) has called on the Federal Government to direct the relevant agencies, especially the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to enforce the installation of latest security devices on all vessels plying Nigerian waters to stem the tide of pirate attacks, writes Udeme Clement - Vanguard Nigeria.

The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Amin Ikioda, who was represented by the Command Intelligence Officer, Commander Usman Bugaje, said this, during a paper presentation titled ‘Measures to Check Piracy and other Illegal Activities on Nigerian Waters’ at the sixth Ships & Ports Annual National Essay Competition and prize presentation ceremony in Lagos.

He went on: “Government should give attention to the coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea region to develop a robust regional maritime security strategy through capacity building, intelligence sharing and logistic support to enhance sea patrol and surveillance of territorial waters.

Image - Nigerian Navy

IN MANY ways Nigeria is becoming the new Somalia. Like the Somali al-Shabaab terrorist militia, Nigerian Boko Haram insurgents are unleashing a wave of religiously-motivated violence across the country - The Trumpet. Like the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, West African pirates are now terrorizing ships off the coasts of Nigeria and across the Gulf of Guinea. Although pirates have been attacking ships in the oil-rich Niger Delta since the 1980s, their attacks have increased in frequency and severity in the last three years. According to Foreign Policy magazine, between January and September of 2012, pirates attacked 42 vessels in the Gulf of Guinea—taking 168 crew members hostage. Just last month, a group of Somali pirates operating off the Nigerian coast looted a German oil tanker, taking five Indian sailors hostage.

Analysts are attributing this rise in piracy to the fact that the Nigerian coast is largely unregulated and without an adequate maritime police force. This was not always the case.

IN DECEMBER'S final two weeks, pirates raided three ships off Nigeria, a year-end burst of attacks in waters that are beginning to challenge those off Somalia as Africa's most dangerous place to sail - WSJ. On Dec. 17, skiff-borne gunmen climbed the three-story-high hull of a 387-foot oil tanker, ransacking the ship and taking five Indian crew members hostage, the International Maritime Bureau reported, in one of two attacks it recorded for that day. Six days later, machine gunners scaled the hull of an Italian pipe carrier nearby, the bureau said, sailing onward with four kidnapped crew members. [Requires subscription for full article]

PERHAPS the understatement of the Christmas period came in a paper by Rear Admiral Amin Ikioda of the Nigerian Navy who said that: “Nigeria waters is [sic] fast becoming very dangerous in terms of piratical violence….” That in the week that BIMCO (in conjunction with ICS, Intertanko, and Intercargo) issued Interim Guidelines for protection against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea which seek to apply the generic principles of BMP4 to West Africa, writes Stephen Askins of Ince & Co.

Risk assessments are key and hardening recommended, although there is a recognition that STS operations may make that more difficult. There is also the problem that pirates swarming over the daughter ship to get access to the main target are just about unstoppable. The Guidelines are a welcome initiative and go some way to remove the legal uncertainty as to the extent that BMP presently applies to west Africa. It also resonates with Admiral Ikioda's plea to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency that they should enforce installation of the “latest security devices” on all vessels in Nigerian waters.

He is perhaps missing a trick. Cargo theft in the Gulf of Guinea involves not only men in skiffs but also, critically, small tankers to take the stolen product. These tankers are more often than not registered locally. They are commercial craft with IMO numbers and not part of some shadowy pirate fleet hidden at anchor in small tributaries in the Niger Delta. Nigeria signed up to the LRIT (Long Range Identification and Tracking) system in 2008 and indeed were reported to have tested this extensively during an exercise in 2010. It is meant to identify all vessels in Nigerian waters and take a fix four times a day. Now if that was enforced then cargo theft would be just about impossible.

BAYELSA State Police Command is now at loggerheads with Korean construction and engineering giant, Hyundai Heavy Industry over the payment of N30 million as ransom for the release of six management staff of the company - four Korean and two Nigerians by kidnappers in the Niger Delta - This Day Live (Nigeria). The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kingsley Omire, who said police investigation had arrested some suspects prior to the payment of the ransom, said he was angry that the ransom was paid without the consent of the command.

The kidnapped Korean workers Joon Suk, Jing Kim, Hi Kim, Doo Lee and Austin Giwa were released on December 21 along Azikoro Creek in Yenagoa Local Government of the state, after the payment.

Omire said suspects linked with the abduction of the construction workers on December 17 were Romeo Egbo, Goodnews Amabebe, Dito Ologbo and Digiteme Itua (Alias Seko).

Southeast Asia A TUG boat and a fully loaded Olympus 99 oil barge were hijacked by pirates in Nenek Strait, Batam, Riau Islands at 3 a.m. on Monday. Both crews were then marooned on an island - Jakarta Post. The hijackers changed names of both boats before they were apprehended by Batam Marine personnel and Riau Islands Water Police 15 hours later. Commander of Batam Marine Col. Nurhidayat told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the boats were en route to Guntung, Riau, after taking on 150 tons of diesel and 10 tons of premium fuel from Pertamina's depot in Tanjung Uban.

NSTR

A COURT in Somalia's Puntland regional autonomy has sentenced 3 pirates on Sunday after being found guilty of holding the newly liberated MV Iceberg 1 and its crew hostage for nearly 3 years, Garowe Online reports - AllAfrica. The criminal offence court in Bari region located in the region's capital Bossaso, found Abdihakim Mohamed Jama, Abdikafi Abdul Dirie and Sayid Isse guilty of piracy and kidnapping, sentencing the men from 3 to 10 years. Judge Sheikh Adam Ahmed Mohamed gave the verdict on Sunday after days of deliberation. Sayid Isse was found guilty and sentenced to 3 years, while Mr. Dirie and Mr. Jama were sentenced to 10 years in prison each. The men were also fined for hijacking of the MV Iceberg 1 and its 24 member staff. Court documents revealed that the three pirates were arrested by Puntland government forces on Dec. 11 after a group of pirates attacked as the forces laid siege to the MV Iceberg 1 vessel. The judge also stated that the other individuals who took part in the hijacking were being sought out by authorities and if found guilty could face up to life in prison.

THE [MALDIVES] GOVERNMENT has proposed an anti-Piracy bill in an effort to curb rising concerns over the issue of security within its territorial waters and the wider Indian Ocean - Minivan News. The bill has been presented to parliament by government-aligned Jumhoree Party (JP) Leader and business tycoon Gasim Ibrahim. The stated purpose of the bill is to establish a legal framework to deal with piracy within the territorial waters of the Maldives amidst concerns at the growing risk of maritime crime in the Indian Ocean over the last few years. With the Maldives located at a strategic intersection of sea trade routes, a significant amount of global maritime traffic passes through or near the country’s northern atolls. The bill also seeks to outline legal procedures to deal with individuals suspected of committing acts of piracy within Maldivian territorial waters. such procedures do not presently exist in the country’s legal system. The acts outlined in the proposed bill would be considered as criminal offences. According to the bill, a person who is found guilty of an act of piracy would face a 25 year jail sentence. Meanwhile, if a suspect was found guilty of killing a person during a suspected pirate attack, they would be punished under Islamic Sharia to an additional 30 year custodial sentence. For any damage to property incurred through piracy, a punishment of 15 year imprisonment is prescribed. Those found guilty of conspiring to commit or assist in acts of piracy in the Maldives would face a punishment of 10 years imprisonment, according to the bill.

Italian Marines AFTER celebrating Christmas with their families, the two Italian Marines, facing murder charges in Kerala, are expected to reach the State tomorrow complying with the High Court directive - The Hindu Business Line. Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who were allowed to go home for two weeks by the court, will board a special flight for Kochi by around 9 p.m. tonight and arrive here by 8.30 tomorrow morning, according to their counsel P. Vijaybhanu. They will be leaving for Kollam court tomorrow soon after reaching here for surrendering their passports, he said. Personnel from Defence and External Affairs Ministries of the Italian government are accompanying the two here. The marines were arrested on February 19 last year for shooting to death two Indian fishermen — Ajesh Binki (25) and Jelestine (45) from onboard merchant vessel ‘Enrica Lexie’ off Alapuzha coast, ‘mistaking’ them for Somali pirates. Image - Photo Reuters/sivaram v

NSTR

THE LARGE presence of coalition forces in the Indian Ocean and Gulf waters has seen a significant reduction of piracy incidents, much to the delight of the combatants patrolling the extensive coastline - AllAfrica. The Royal Navy warship HMS Northumberland Commander Paddy Dowsett whose ship docked at the Dar es Salaam Port , told the 'Daily News' that incidents of piracy had dropped this year and calm has relatively prevailed. "The drop in piracy can be attributed to intensified presence of coalition forces but it could also mean that the operatives are working in smaller groups or regrouping," he said. Commander Dowsett also attributed the improved situation to the monsoon seasons in the Indian Ocean region and the good policing and convoy protection by shipping companies along the International Recommended Transit Corridor. He said other measures taken by the crew of HMS Northumberland include building a good rapport with fishing boats in the region which has proved to be an effective tool of intelligence gathering. "With the use of our boarding crew and especially for ships that have been at the area for so long, we take fruits and fresh water to them and from them we managed to gather intelligence information and occasionally excellent fish," he explained.

CHINA'S escort fleet in Gulf of Aden, Somali waters makes significant contribution - CRI English On March 25, one month after leaving Qingdao, Shandong province, Captain Wang Haijiang felt a bit more excited than usual. "Pirates had finally appeared," he recalled. "There were five batches of pirates harassing the fleet, but we, as part of the well-trained Chinese navy, were confident and would never be intimidated, even if war broke out," the chief of the missile destroyer Qingdao, from the North Sea Fleet, told China Daily. On Wednesday, the People's Liberation Army navy observed the fourth anniversary of sending escort fleets to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. Wang has every reason to be confident. From February to September, the 11th escort fleet, with three ships and a crew of 800 from the North Sea Fleet, escorted 184 vessels, and inspected and drove away 126 suspicious ships in the area. Over the past four years, the PLA navy has provided 13 groups with 34 warships, 28 helicopters and nearly 10,000 military men as escorts. More than 5,000 ships from China and the rest of the world were successfully protected. The escort helped China to increase its anti-piracy capability and helped make the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters a safer place, experts said. Image - Some officers and sailors of Chinese navy take pictures during a naval escort together with Chinese vessels crews being protected, who held up banners writing "The country stays with us." [Photo: Provided by the publicity office of the South Sea Fleet]

DESPITE fewer attacks last year, seagoing nations are being urged not to forget the hostages still held captive by Somali pirates, and to continue to support task forces fighting the raiders - The National. Appeals have been made to the international community by relatives of hostages and officials of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and the European Union Naval Force that help to protect the Arabian Gulf waters. To date, there are 119 people held hostage by Somali pirates aboard eight ships and another 23 sailors are being held ashore, according to IMB statistics. Among these is the Dubai-owned MT Royal Grace, hijacked in March last year, with 22 crew on board.

IN 2013, the United States will chair the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, a partnership of nearly 80 countries and international organizations that has been working since 2009 to turn the tide on maritime crime along one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors - US Dept of State. In a communiqué following their December 11, 2012 meeting in New York, the Contact Group noted continued significant reductions in attacks and hijackings and called for a renewed international commitment to combating piracy through military, law enforcement, and development activities.

INDIA and Mauritius, the strategically located Indian Ocean island nation on January 4 decided to intensify counter-piracy cooperation and explored ways to scale up bilateral trade and investment - IBN Live. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid called on visiting Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag and discussed a host of bilateral issues. Purryag, who is of Indian origin, on January 3 began a week-long visit to India.

In his discussions, Khurshid voiced India's keen interest in enhancing bonds with the Indian Ocean littoral through the interface of the Indian Ocean Rim for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC). The two sides also exchanged views on an Indian proposal at the IOR-ARC for Indian Ocean University, said official sources. They also explored new areas of cooperation, including anti-piracy measures in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius has established a court to try pirates. India has stepped up patrolling in the area and is committed to freeing from captivity more than 30 Indian citizens in the custody of pirates. Mauritius reiterated its support for India's claim for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Mauritius also indicated it was ready to consider the possibility of sharing tax- related information. Image - Mauritius is the single-largest FDI source for India, accounting for over 42 per cent of foreign equity flows.

THE COMMANDER of the Niger Delta Joint Military Task Force, code-named ‘Operation Pulo Shield,’ Major General Johnson Ochoga, in a chat with Osa Okhomina, reviews the campaign against crude oil theft, and the complicity of some foreigners and host communities in the illegal business along the creeks of the region - Leadership (Nigeria). Since the codename changed from ‘Operation Restore Hope’ to ‘Operation Pulo Shield,’ what has been the achievement of the force in the Niger Delta? You will recall that the Joint Task Force, formerly known as ‘Operation Restore Hope’ transmuted to ‘Operation Pulo Shield’ on January 9, 2012, with a mandate to curb oil bunkering, crude oil theft, pipeline [vandalism] and other acts of criminality that debilitate socio-economic life in the Niger Delta area. The transmutation occasioned the expansion of the area of responsibility to cover the nine oil producing states as well as the inclusion of other paramilitary security and civil agencies. JTF has responded with zero tolerance. Our robust patrol have resulted in the arrest of several suspects, the impoundments of barges, vessels, trucks and other tools used to perpetrate the crime as well as outright destruction of illegal refineries. In the last 12 months,7,585 anti- bunkering patrols have been conducted. A total of 1,945 suspects were arrested while 4,349 illegal refineries were destroyed. Also destroyed are 133 barges, 1,215 Cotonou boats,187 tanker trucks,178 illegal fuel dumps as well as 5,574 surface tanks. In addition,36,504 drums of illegally refined products,638 pumping machines and 326 outboard engines were seized and destroyed. Image - Major General Johnson Ochoga

GLOBAL money laundering laws should be strengthened to nab kingpins of maritime piracy, not just their foot soldiers - The Hindu Business Line. In recent years, piracy has emerged as a significant threat to global maritime interests. The International Maritime Bureau reports 223 acts of piracy in the year 2012, as of August 2012. While the incidence of Somali piracy has reduced, disproportionate increases have been recorded in other parts of the world, such as Nigeria, the Gulf of Guinea, Togo and South East Asia. Piracy is a growing industry. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) has established the legal definition of piracy in international law. UNCLOS does not, however, provide for investigatory or prosecution procedures or guidelines for international co-operation. It accords universal jurisdiction for piracy; any state is authorised to prosecute the crime of piracy committed on the high seas.

IN ONE of their latest reported joint anti-piracy operation, EUNAVFOR and Combined Task Force 151 announced the disruption of potential piracy attacks off the Somali coast. In November 2012, the Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand, under EUNAVFOR command, and Turkish warship TCG Gemlik, of Combined Task Force 151, apprehended nine suspected pirates at sea off the coast of Somalia - Piracy-Law. Earlier, a Swedish EUNAVFOR maritime patrol aircraft located the skiff at 420 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, an area known for pirate activities. At the scene, the TGC Gemlik sent a boarding team to intercept and search the suspected vessel, which for over an hour tried to evade capture. The suspected pirates were then embarked onto the ROS Regele Ferdinand for further questioning and evidence collection to assess the possibility of their prosecution. No fishing supplies were found on board, while it remains unclear whether the suspects were armed. Shortly after their apprehension, the suspected pirates were released onto a Somali beach for lack of sufficient evidence to proceed to their prosecution. According to EUNAVFOR, despite the strong suspicion that it was a pirate boat, it was determined that there was not sufficient evidence to build a case and prosecute the suspected pirates, as they were not caught actually committing any crime. In addition, building a case against the suspects would be too time-consuming and onerous. However, their skiff and other effects on board, including fuel and ladders, were instead destroyed. According to EUNAVFOR, this will prevent the suspected pirates from using the skiff to attack ships in the future. By means of example, this incident, by no means uncommon, raises the question of the different evidential grounds and standards of proof for the prosecution of suspected pirates and the destruction of boats and equipment belonging to them. While the destruction of a pirate vessel can prevent the perpetration of further piracy attacks, the sinking of a fishing boat, however small, might put a strain to the fishermen’s livelihoods. Article 106 of UNCLOS (and Article 110(3)) provides for the possible liability for any loss or damage caused by the seizure of a suspected pirate ship when effected without adequate grounds. Image - German frigate Hamburg sinks an abandoned skiff off the coast of Somalia Credit: Christian Bundeswehr – Reuters

BY THE time the 22 surviving crew of the MV Iceberg-1 were finally rescued last week, most had long given up hope of ever returning home - Telegraph. The ageing cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates nearly three years ago as it set off on a voyage to Britain with a cargo of electrical goods. And when the ship's owners refused to pay the $10 million ransom they demanded, the longest pirate hijacking in modern maritime history had started. As the pirates' frustration grew, the torture sessions began. Crewmen were whipped with electrical cable, thrown into the sea and shot at, or trussed up and left hanging upside down. The third officer went mad seven months into the ordeal and killed himself. Another who tried to drown himself was fished out and locked in a room alone for five months as punishment. At one point the pirates, desperate to find a way to make a profit from their prize, even threatened to sell the crew's kidneys. "We didn't think we were ever going to get out of there." said Jewel Ahiable, 33, the ship's Ghanaian electrical engineer, speaking to The Sunday Telegraph after being freed on December 23. "Now we feel like we have been reborn."

TWENTY-TWO hostages held for nearly three years by Somalian pirates arrived in Nairobi, Kenya, before being taken back to their own countries, reports EuroNews. Since being released eight days ago, after a two-week-long siege by maritime police, the sailors have been receiving medical treatment in a Somali hospital. The men from the Philippines, India, Yemen. Sudan, Ghana and Pakistan suffered signs of torture – two of them died in captivity. Ghanaian electrical engineer Jewel Kwesi Ahiable, who was one of the hostages, told of his relief when he was released: “We were not knowing who we were going to meet outside, we were taken in barges, the boat came three times and took all of us outside, we got to land for the first time in almost three years and in fact when we got there we fell on our knees to thank ‘Almighty God’ for saving our lives.” The Panama-flagged cargo vessel, Iceberg 1, was seized in March 2009, off the coast of Aden, before being taken to Somalia. Although more than 100 hostages are still being held captive by pirates, the number of hijackings of ships dropped to 7 this year compared to 24 in 2011. See the video with the released hostages on a UN aircraft (via Al Jazeera/YouTube) - Somali Pirates get caught

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MEMORIES of the brutality unleashed by Somali pirates and the trauma of seeing shipmates tortured and driven to suicide have left the 22 hostages recently freed from the MV Iceberg 1 with psychological scars, writes Ramola Talwar Badam of The National. There were 24 sailors on board when the Dubai-owned cargo ship was hijacked on March 29, 2010. Twenty two were rescued last Sunday by the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) following a 13-day siege of the ship. The freed hostages have told their rescuers harrowing stories of the physical and mental abuse they were subjected to. The crew said they were not allowed to sleep at night, often trussed up with ropes and left hanging upside down. One Yemeni sailor, suffering from depression, jumped overboard in October 2010 after being constantly taunted by the pirates. "They kept telling him they would take out his kidney and his heart," said Swapnil Jadhav, 25, a freed Iceberg seaman from western India. "He got scared and was depressed so when he saw a helicopter overhead, he jumped into the water and died." At the time, the ship's Yemeni owners had said the sailor died due to malnutrition. Image - Mohamad Abdalla Ali, a Yemeni sailor, whose ears were slashed by the Somali pirates. He is being given medical care and will need further treatment. Courtesy of Mohamad Abdirahman, PMPF director.

PRESIDENT Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi received on Saturday morning the Yemeni citizens, who were freed from the ship hijacked by Somali pirates off the Yemeni coast, since March 29,2012 - Saba News. They were freed on December 23 by Puntland forces, in coordination and cooperation with the Yemeni government, after they have being held on the ship, which was on its way to Jabal Ali in the United Arab Emirates, carrying various goods. They expressed their appreciation and gratitude for this generous gesture by President Hadi and his care for them and their issue until their return home via a special plane, which transferred them from Somalia to Sana’a. The President directed to provide financial aid for them because of their difficult conditions. Image - Courtesy of Saba News

SANTOSH Yadav of UP’s Ballia district is among five Indians who have been freed from the captivity of Somali pirates after 33 months - Indian Express. Yadav, who reached Delhi on Saturday evening, spent Sunday meeting relatives in the capital city. On Monday, he will leave for home, where wife Reena and other family members are eagerly waiting. “I had never thought that I would ever return home. This is my second life,” said Yadav over the phone from Delhi. Yadav said he would never forget the torture he and his colleagues underwent at the hands of the pirates. “They used to beat us and sometimes refused to give us food and water,” he said. Image - Photo: Indian Express

THE FOUR Ghanaians who were aboard the MV Iceberg 1 vessel captured off the Somali coast by pirates in March 2010, have been finally freed - My Joy Online. They arrived in the country on Monday. 22 of the 24 crew members on-board the vessel were freed by the Puntland Maritime Police Force in Somalia after 32 months in captivity. They included Jewel Ahiable, Edward Kofi Asare, Francis Koomson Senior and Prince Agbo. The Somalia pirates were demanding $1 million from the shipping line which owns the ship for the release the crew members. Jewel Ahiable, who shared some of their experiences on the captured vessel with Citi News, revealed that he and his colleagues went treated in an inhumane manner. “Truly, nobody’s nail has been pulled out but I tell you that the Chief Engineer’s ears have been split into pieces and it’s just hanging like that. The Chief Officer before was stabbed, the captain was hanged; he was an old man who had a spinal problem, but he was hanged from the leg to a ladder and dragged on the floor. In fact, almost all the crew was beaten. In fact we went through a whole lot of things.” Image - Four released Ghanaians

Citifm Online reports that the four Ghanaians who were recently released from the captivity by Somalian pirates say they intend to sue the shipping company which owns the ship they were held hostage on. FOR THE year 2013, the shipping industry should continue to boost efforts to counter piracy and armed robbery, which will continue to be a threat, according to Peter M. Swift, chairman of the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) - OCEANUSLive. Pirate attacks and armed robbery operating in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean have remained a threat for the merchant shipping community, he said. The maritime community needs to ensure that best management practices are being implemented by shipping companies and manning agents for the welfare of the people, Swift added as reported by the Philippine News Agency. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) already warned that pirates are not taking their holiday and that the ships' armed personnel must remain on guard to repel pirate attacks. As of December 17, at least 110 crew are held hostage on board ships while 27 crew are hostage on land. Of the 27 crew detained in Somalia- 2 are Danish, 4 Filipinos, 7 Indians, 4 Koreans, 4 Thais, 5 Syrian and 1 Sri Lankan.

AS A business model, piracy is too lucrative to give up completely and countries countering the scourge should always be one step ahead, says the British High Commissioner, Lindsay Skoll, during a visit to the French counter-piracy frigate Surcouf -OCEANUSLive. British High Commissioner in Seychelles said this on Thursday morning in response to remarks that successful pirate attacks have dropped drastically. Image - British High Commissioner to Seychelles visits French frigate, Surcouf.

DURING his traditional New Year visit to the different units of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces, President James Michel also went to the L’Exile army camp at Sans Souci on Tuesday - OCEANUSLive. As this is a facility where media entrance is not permitted, photos were permitted to be published today of the visit. The L’Exile army camp is the base for the Special Forces, which includes the Presidential Security Unit as well as the ‘Tazar’ Force. The Tazar unit was created in November 2009 as part of this elite force for specialised commando operations, including anti-piracy operations. Image - Seychelles President Visits People's Defence Force Personnel

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Hijacks:  SE Asia - Pirates boarded and hijacked a tug and oil barge at 0300 LT Nenek Strait, Batam, Riau Islands. Both crews were then marooned on an island. Pirates changed names of both boats and fuel had been siphoned off before they were apprehended by Batam Marine personnel and Riau Islands Water Police 15 hours later. Reported 31 Dec.

Unsuccessful Attacks/Robberies (All regions):

 W Africa - LATE Report | Robbers armed with machine guns and knives boarded an anchored Panama-flagged chemical tanker, Madonna 1, and took the crew hostage at 0030 LT: Abidjan anchorage, Ivory Coast. They forced the Chief Engineer and Master to start the engines however as the engines had been disengaged by the crew the vessels could not sail. The robbers threatened and hit the crew and then locked the crew in the engine room while they ransacked the crew cabins. Prior escaping the robbers damaged some communication equipment and stole ship stores. Reported (via IMB) 23 Dec.  SE Asia - Robbers boarded an anchored Liberia-flagged bulk carrier, Sanko Mercury, while waiting to commence loading operations at 2300 LT in position 03:43.1S - 114:27.7E, Taboneo Anchorage, Indonesia. Robbers broke into the forward bosun store, stole ship properties and escaped unnoticed. Incident occurred between 2300 LT 29 Dec and 0400 LT 30 Dec. Was reported to the local agent and port authorities. Reported (via IMB) 29 Dec.  SE Asia - LATE Report | Duty crew on board an anchored Panama-flagged bulk carrier, Nord Discovery, found the lock of the forward store broken at 2320 LT: Posn: 03:44.3S - 114:25.6E, Taboneo Anchorage, Indonesia. Upon checking, he saw ship's stores lying on the deck and the robbers escaping in their two boats. Nothing stolen. Reported (via IMB) 29 Dec.  Indian Ocean - MV reported an incident involving four skiffs at 1130 UTC in position 02:18N - 046:02E, 42 nm Northeast of Mogadishu, Somalia and approx 7nm off the Somali coast. The vessel is safe and the incident is being investigated further. Reported (via NSC) 1 Jan.  Gulf of Oman - Two skiffs approached an Isle of Man (UK) VLCC at 1200 UTC in position 24:47.0N - 057:24.0E, approximately 95nm NW of Muscat, Gulf of Oman. The 2 skiffs approached from ahead at 28 and 20 knots respectively. The alarm was sounded and minimum crew of the vessel remained in the wheelhouse whilst the remaining crew were order into the citadel. Evasive manoeuvres were carried out but the skiffs approached to within 0.2nm of the ship before moving away. 3-4 POB sighted on both skiffs, but no weapons or ladders were seen. The vessel is SAFE. Reported 2 Jan. The VLCC had earlier reported sighting a single skiff at a distance of 7nm at 1015 UTC in position 24:40N - 057:29.6E, Gulf of Oman. The skiff approached at about 25 knots. The vessel carried out evasive manoeuvres as the crew prepared to enter the shelter. Reported 2 Jan.  Indian Ocean - Robbers boarded an anchored bulk carrier at 0400 LT in position 22:49N - 070:03E, Kandla port anchorage, India. Robbers broke into the forecastle store room, stole ship's stores and escaped unnoticed. Reported (via IMB) 3 Jan.

VESSEL and hostage numbers - IMB - vessels: 8; Hostages: 132; NATO states - vessels: 5 and Hostages: 114; UKMTO - 10 vessels (including dhows & FVs), 143 hostages.

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