15 - 21 February 2014 (Vol. 3; No.8/14) This Week's Newsletter :

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Deaths on Maersk Alabama; assault; "Pirates of the Mediterranean"; Indo- Italian relations worsen - Unlucky ship? Hijacked, attacked, subject of a movie and now the discovery of two dead security contractors due to drug abuse (not confirmed by police until autopsy carried out),Maersk Alabama hits the headlines once more. Militants in Somalia attack the Somali presidential palace and threaten further deadly attacks. The President reiterates improving security across the country is key to prosperity and will "in no way be deterred by today's attack." More than 20 died. A luxury French yacht, Armageddon, was attacked by four armed "pirates" off Corsica with three captives set adrift in the yacht's lifeboat; French authorities underline it is not a case of piracy. The case of the two Italian marines held in India continues to descend into farce. Italian envoy to India is recalled to Rome, Supreme Court asks the Government for clarification of law to be used in the case, and the Indian Embassy in Rome received threats including a bullet. Also in India, Seaman Guard Ohio crew has custody extended until 25 Feb. Yemeni authorities foil an attack on Aden oil refinery by suspected al-Qaeda militants, arresting 27. Trans-regional states told to stay out of Iranian territorial waters. Mozambique to boost maritime security by increasing military resources and training whilst Somaliland announces the countries Coast Guard will be armed with a warship. An alleged pirate leader claims four Thai hostages from MV Albedo are to be released unconditionally and not for ransom, however, Albedo crew had no Thai seafarers listed. UN Security Council is unlikely to fully restore the arms embargo on Somalia, despite weapons diversion concerns. The big business of Somali piracy investment bears profit for diasporas, such as , despite over 1,400 pirates held in 21 countries. Three seafarers from FV Golden Wave held by Somali pirates relate their story of time in captivity. The growth of West African criminality in oil theft and kidnap and ransom is highly organised. "Cargo is insured, life is not." It is one of the best-kept secrets; Governments never reveal whether a ransom had been paid when a hostage is freed. West African Defence Chiefs make increasing calls for improved security and domain awareness. BIMCO issues guidelines for using GUARDCON. Apart from reading this newsletter, we recommend reading 'Oil Thieves of the Niger Delta' by Alexis Okeowo for BloombergBusinessweek - we don't do that very often. Northern Sea Route along Russia's northern coast considered as a potential alternative to avoid Indian Ocean piracy. Kenya plan for a Fisheries Enforcement (or Coast Guard) is long overdue. Lake Victoria, Kenya, fishermen bargain with those queuing up to buy their catch, but the transaction between them and women is rarely financial; the practice of 'sex for fish' is rife. A new documentary charting a journey into Somali piracy in the "Last Hijack". Residents in a flooded village in the UK are warned of 'pirate' burglars using boats to raid evacuated houses. And finally; Maersk Alabama start and finish - Barkhad Abdi, who played a Somali pirate in the drama "Captain Phillips", wins the best supporting actor in 2014 BAFTAs.

Contents: Regional Activity; Released by Pirates; Pirates in Court; Private Security; International Response; Piracy Cost; Seafarers' Plight; And Finally...; Piracy Incidents; Situational Map

East Africa/Indian Ocean

A CAR bomb has exploded at the gates of Somalia's presidential palace, followed by an attack by gunmen, police in Mogadishu say - BBC News Africa. A fierce gunfight is now said to be underway inside the compound. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called the UN envoy to Somalia to say he was not harmed during the attack, envoy Nick Kay has tweeted. The UN-backed government is battling al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab for control of the country. Senior police officer Abdikadir Ahmed told the Reuters news agency the fighting was going on in the house of a military commander within the presidential compound, near the palace. "The car bomb hit and exploded and other al-Shabab cars with armed men drove inside the palace, and heavy fighting is still going on," he said.

Al QAEDA-linked militants al Shabaab attacked the Somali presidential palace compound on Friday, blasting through a gate with a car bomb and engaging in a fierce gun battle with African peacekeepers, police said - Reuters. Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on the heavily fortified compound in Mogadishu, known as Villa Somalia, but the Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was unharmed. "President just called me to say he's unharmed. Attack on Villa Somalia had failed. Sadly some lives lost," U.N. Special Representative Nick Kay wrote on his official Twitter feed. It was not immediately clear how many people were killed. In the past few weeks, Mogadishu has been hit by a series of suicide bomb attacks claimed by al Shabaab, who were pushed out of the city in mid-2011 but have continued to wage a sustained guerrilla campaign. Friday's battle took place at the house of Somalia's top military commander, General Dahir Aden Indha Qarshe, located in the same compound and near the presidential palace building, Abdikadir Ahmed, a senior police officer, told Reuters. "The al Shabaab fighters who attacked the palace were about ten men in military uniform and the red hats (worn by the palace guards)," Hussein Farah, a senior police officer at the scene, told Reuters. THE PRESIDENT said: “My first duty is to send my condolences to the families of those killed or wounded in today’s disgusting attack. They include people who have dedicated their lives to making Somalia a better place and those who gave up successful careers in other countries and returned to Mogadishu to help a nation on its knees.” - RBC Radio The President warned against overestimating the strength of the terrorists. “I would remind everyone that all our misguided enemies will achieve are short-lived media headlines, here one day and gone the next. What they will not achieve, however, is any noticeable impact on the work of our government as we seek to rebuild Somalia after decades of war.” “Our mission is very simple but challenging: to continue improving security across the country, rebuilding a federal Somalia and providing the economic foundations for a more prosperous nation. All this important work is progressing well and will in no way be deterred by today’s attack.”

RESIDENTS IN Mogadishu say that hundreds of families are fleeing the Somali capital after a spike in the number of clashes between militants and pro-government troops - The Washington Post. Dozens of vehicles piled high with belongings headed to the outskirts of Mogadishu on Thursday. Mumino Jama, a mother of five, said her family is leaving because the fighting is “scary.” Mohamed Ali, another resident, said heavy clashes have included mortar fire that has landed on civilian homes. Ali said he knows of four people killed in the clashes. The clashes follow a rise in assassinations by gunmen. The latest violence is a setback for the Somali capital, which is trying to move past decades of war. Mogadishu has seen relative stability since the ouster of Islamist rebels from al-Shabab in 2011.

YEMENI AUTHORITIES have foiled an attack on the oil refinery in Aden and arrested 27 suspected al-Qaeda militants linked to the operation, Agence France-Presse reported police as saying on Monday - Focus Information Agency. Security forces in the southern port city foiled "a terrorist attack by members of Al-Qaeda," at dawn Saturday said Aden police deputy commissioner Najeeb al-Mughalas in a statement published on the defense ministry website, 26sep.net. Al-Mughalas said police and army units captured six gunmen who were headed for the refinery in a car, before making other arrests. "In total, 27 terrorists were arrested, including some leaders of the Qaeda network," he added.

TURKEY GOVERNMENT denied a recent published news which said that their government has cut off the cash aid to the current Somali government led by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud - RBC Radio. As stated in the recent published news, senior official from Turkey Government said that the monthly financial aid to Somali government has ended in 2013 and “To resume the cash aid in 2014″ is not in their their agenda. The Turkey government closing eyes to this news clears that President Hassan has appealed for a monthly cash aid from Turkey last year, 2013 and they are planning to resume the cash bill in this year of 2014. The former Managing Director of the Central Bank of Somalia commenting on the amount of the Turkey’s cash aid to Somalia says that its as much as 4.5 million Dollar monthly During his seven months in he office. Press release from Turkey’s ministry of Foreign Affairs puts a signature on the renewal of turkey’s financial aid to Somali government in 2014.

PIRACY IS still imposing a heavy cost on the small island states of the Indian Ocean, exporters in Mauritius said yesterday - IHS Maritime 360. Lilowtee Rajmun, director of the Mauritius Export Association (MEXA), was quoted by Le Défi newspaper as saying: "All our exports to Europe are shipped by sea, passing through the area where pirates operate. That is why all these ships are armed, and this has a cost. In addition, insurance premiums have not decreased." Imports are also affected, said Jean-Claude de l'Estrac, secretary-general of the Indian Ocean Commission, noting that freights accounts for 40 50% of the local cost of goods.

A THREE day workshop for 28 senior members of the Somaliland Coast Guard, including the Commander, Deputy Sector Commanders from all 3 regions, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Judiciary and Counter Piracy Coordination Office concluded today in Hargeisa, Somaliland - OCEANUSLive. This workshop was the first successful step in the cooperation between SL authorities and EUCAP Nestor in the field of maritime security and will be followed by further workshops and law drafting events. Somaliland CG Training Workshop Photo: Courtesy of EUCAP Nestor

SOMALILAND MINISTER of Interior Hon. Ali Mohamed Waran Ade on Monday has announced that the country’s Coast Guards will be armed with a warship which has been suggested by the current government headed by incumbent president Ahmed Silanyo -Somaliland Informer. Speaking at the ceremony held for kick off of training session of the country’s coast guards in which they are educated about the international laws and ways and means that Somaliland coastal guards have the necessary capabilities to protect and defend its territorial waters. The aim is to produce robust coastal guards that can effectively combat any threat be it piracy or terrorism in her territorial waters. The minister told the trainees that the last time they met was when the EU and the UK provided you training in the Warships and to discharge this duty that the nation is of in need. The minister further added that they are aware of the fact that the Horn of Africa region is plagued by piracy and much illegal things are happening in the region. He added that one of main purposes of receiving the training is to make country’s territorial waters safe from any threat be it piracy and terrorism where the international vessels can safely travel. The minister has said that to reach this goal is to build robust coastal guards where the government gives priority with the help of her friends. Image - Somaliland Interior Minister

“TRANS-REGIONAL countries have a presence in Open Seas; but, we do not allow their entrance into our territorial waters,” Sayyari told reporters in the Northern Iranian port city of Bandar Anzali on Thursday - FARS News. The Iranian Navy commander reiterated that Iranian Naval forces do not violate the territorial waters of other countries, and said, “World countries are entitled to have their forces sail on High Seas.” The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen. According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates. The Gulf of Aden - which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea - is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.

THE U.N. Security Council is unlikely to fully restore a decades-old arms embargo on Somalia, despite concerns about the possible diversion of weapons to al Qaeda-linked militants, but may extend eased restrictions on government purchases, diplomats said -Reuters. A year ago, the 15-member council agreed to partially lift the arms embargo on Somalia, allowing the government in Mogadishu to buy light weapons to strengthen its security forces to fight Islamist groups. However, a confidential U.N. monitors' report obtained by Reuters last week, warned of "systematic abuses" by Somalia's government - which the monitors say has allowed the diversion of weapons that Somali authorities purchased after the Security Council eased the arms embargo last year. "Given the concerns about the way the suspension has been operated, we're thinking of ... continuing the suspension but for a more limited period with some very strict criteria," said a senior U.N. diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

ANOTHER CONTRIBUTION to the evolving "Somali Pirate" movie canon - Indie Wire Shadow and Act . This one is a documentary titled Last Hijack, described as a journey into the world of a Somali Pirate from his POV, exploring how and why he came to live that particular kind of life. That's certainly encouraging - that the filmmakers opted to tell the story from the point of view of a Somali man, instead of the expected and typical opposite. The film is also somewhat unique thanks to its combining animation (for sequences involving dreams, memories, and fears) with documentary filmmaking (for scenes documenting everyday life) hybrid approach in exploring how one Somali pirate named Mohamed, came to live such a dangerous existence. Image via indiewire.com Last Hijack - SXSW 2014 Accepted Film

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THE UNITED Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) in Somalia and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today handed over a new set of uniforms to the Somali Custodial Corps in a ceremony held inMogadishu - UNSOM. The uniforms donated by the United Kingdom were handed over to the Custodial Corps by UNSOM and UNODC. Speaking at the handover ceremony, UNODC Regional Coordinator, Alan Cole, reaffirmed the support of the United Nations in the development of Somali justice and reform institutions. “This donation is part of our long-term support to the Somali Custodial Corps and the Ministry of Justice,” said Cole, who expressed optimism that continued partnership between the UN and the Custodial Corps would build the capacity of correctional officers, instilling them with the confidence and competence to carry out their important work.

MOZAMBICAN PRESIDENT Armando Guebuza warned on Thursday that the country is facing new threats to its sovereignty such as piracy, human trafficking and the pillaging of natural resources - AllAfrica. Speaking at the inauguration of the Higher Institute of Defence Studies (ISEDEF), located at Infulene, in the southern city of Matola, Guebuza insisted that military training remains necessary “to deal with these multiple challenges and threats, and to guarantee the defence and consolidation of our sovereignty and the pursuit of our national agenda in the struggle against poverty”. “It is unthinkable, and our self-esteem would never consent to it, that the defence of our sovereignty could, at any time, be entrusted to third parties” stressed Guebuza. “That would be a negation of our condition as a sovereign state, as a people who knew who to struggle to be lord of its own destinies”. This duty, he added, “requires a substantial increase in our military resources and military training is fundamental in this regard”. The new institute, Guebuza said, “is an unequivocal restatement of the government’s will to respond to the challenges posed by the new threats to our sovereignty”.

West Africa

THE POLICE in Rivers State Wednesday paraded 11 suspected armed robbers and two kidnappers arrested in different operations in Port Harcourt - This Day Live Nigeria. While parading the suspects at the headquarters of the state police command, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunde Ogusakin, told journalists that a gang of suspected armed robbers opened fire on a police patrol team at 1.45pm, on Friday, February 14, at Ogbunabali Area, by St. Patrick Hospital. According to him, “This prompted the police to immediately engage them in an exchange of gun fire. The gang was, however, overwhelmed by the superior fire power of our men who displayed their resilience in the course of the gun exchange.”

NICK DAVIS, CEO of GoAGT said: “The growing problem in West Africa is criminality and it is very well organised. Criminal gangs board ships, take them over, and then move them to a safe area where the cargo can be stolen. They then leave.” World Maritime News Recently the MT Kerala disappeared, its cargo was stolen and then it reappeared. Davis said: “This case of product theft shows one of two distinct threats to maritime security in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. The other is kidnapping and ransom. Both involve different gangs and groups that vary in nature and modus operandi. These criminal organisations are well armed and resourced, with speedboats to approach a target, people capable of operating an attacked vessel and engineers to pump out the product into a bunker barge, which can take between 3000 and 6000 tonnes. Each operation is meticulously planned”. Davis continued: “Attacks on tankers in West Africa have shown that there is immense organisation and an extremely good human intelligence matrix behind each ship that was temporarily detained for the illegal transfer of its cargo.” None of the attacks involving cargo theft is speculative. There is a very well organised machine behind these operations specifically targeting refined products such as Marine Gas or Diesel, which are easy to sell on the black market. Criminals receive details of all ships arriving and the cargo they are carrying to any terminal in the Gulf of Guinea from commercial agents who are put under pressure to disclose information. If the gangs are low on reserves of a particular product they will go after it. Once they know that a vessel carrying that product will be in transit through the Gulf of Guinea, they will position speedboats well in advance to be ready to intercept it and take it over. They will then make contact with the bunker barge and complete the transfer in 12 to 24 hours. Davis added: “There is no point in resisting these attacks. Crews need to be exceptionally well trained and understand that if they try to interfere with or stop the criminals, then things will get brutal. Cargo is insured, life is not.”

IT IS one of the best-kept secrets in the world. As freed hostages step on the tarmac after being released by terror groups in places like Mali, Nigeria or Yemen, no one dares to reveal whether a ransom had been paid to the kidnappers - DefenceWeb. Invariably, governments deny having handed over the huge sums requested by terrorists. Too much is at stake. Lately, more and more governments are advocating for a ban on such payments. Yet experts believe that, faced with a moral dilemma and pressure of public opinion, many governments still pay millions of dollars in ransom money to terror groups. As South Africans continue to wait for news of schoolteacher Pierre Korkie, who was kidnapped along with his wife in Yemen last year, analysts indicate that there is a worrying new trend of kidnappers increasingly targeting locals in the African countries where they operate. In its latest risk report, consultancy Control Risk Management cites Mali, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan as the having the highest risk for kidnapping worldwide. In Africa, Nigeria, Mauritania, Niger, southern Algeria, Kenya and parts of Sudan are also on the list of high-risk places where terror groups engage in kidnapping. Other studies also indicate that Nigeria and Mexico still top the list when it comes to the number of kidnappings for ransom that are carried out annually.

AKWA IBOM Government has assured the Nigerian Navy of maximum cooperation in its aggressive onslaught against oil thieves and sea pirates in the Nigerian waterways -Nigerian Tribune. Akpabio, who stated this on Tuesday when the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Rear Admiral Harry Ngonadi paid him a courtesy visit at the Governor’s Office, Uyo, noted: “You have many states under your command, but I want to assure you that this is one state that you will enjoy the greatest cooperation from.” The Governor commended the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval for the role he played as the pioneer Commander of Jubilee Naval Base at Ikot Abasi, saying, “When you came to Akwa Ibom as pioneer Commander of Jubilee, you helped us to fight bunkering and illegal refineries along the shorelines to a standstill. “You mobilised your men and brought that menace to an end. We are very proud of men in uniform that have been posted to Akwa Ibom State. We are happy the way you have cooperated to ensure the security of life and property,” he pointed out.

GHANA'S CHIEF of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral GW Biekro, is convening a conference of senior international Admirals and naval experts to find solutions to further providing security in the Gulf of Guinea - Sea News Turkey. Attending, the Coastal and Maritime Surveillance Africa (CAMSA) summit on 17-20 March in Accra, will include Ghana’s Vice President, Minister of Defence and Chiefs of all military services. Admirals from the EU, South Africa and other ECOWAS countries will also descend on Accra to discuss the threat of increased insecurity in Africa’s fastest growing region. Admiral Biekro said, “The increasing insecurity in this maritime common is of global concern…. Maritime Domain Awareness remains our major operational challenge in our effort to secure this large expanse of water…. This is where the relevance of the Coastal and Maritime Surveillance (CMS) Africa Conference and Defence Exhibition comes to the fore. We hope to learn new ways and identify new technologies and partners to deal with the problem of domain awareness in our waters.” The Ghana Navy has laid out plans to beef up its fleet and has already seen some remarkable results, Admiral Biekro was keen to impress the success of the recent anti piracy missions and one huge drugs bust: “Specifically, we arrested MT MUSTARD, which was observed collaborating with MT COTTON, which had been hijacked off the coast of Gabon. We also arrested MV ATTIYAH in November last year which was transporting over 400kg of cocaine to our shores.”

WEST AFRICAN defense chiefs will meet in Guinea Bissau on Tuesday to discuss bolstering security in the region in general, and in Guinea Bissau in particular, according to a high ranking official. The group already has 700 security officials in the country - News. Abdel-Fatau Musah, external relations director of the Economic Community of West African States, says during the three-day summit the defense chiefs will also discuss security cooperation between ECOWAS and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Heads of state from the two regions recently agreed to combat transnational maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. “They will be discussing broadly the situation in the region, and also certain specific measures related to initiatives like maritime security. [They will also] review progress of the ECOWAS military and security assistance to Guinea Bissau,” said Musah. “One of the central themes of the meeting is what the region is doing to stem piracy and other sea-borne transnational organized crime.”

FOLLOWING A period of close consultation with the International Group of P&I Clubs concerning the practical application of the BIMCO Guidelines adopted in November 2013, a Special Circular has been published. The Guidelines serve as a "health warning" to those owners contemplating using the GUARDCON contract for the provision of guard services in the Gulf of Guinea. National law in the affected countries prohibit foreign security guards from carrying firearms on board merchant vessels within their territorial waters. This has an important bearing on ships in the Gulf of Guinea which are generally "destination bound" rather than "in transit" (in contrast with Indian Ocean based pirate attacks). Effectively, it means the owner is required to employ local security personnel (commonly marine police or naval personnel) under strict agreements - BIMCO. GUARDCON was designed as a means of placing armed guards on board merchant vessels in transit on the high seas - chiefly the Indian Ocean. Its application to other areas of piracy, such as the Gulf of Guinea where vessels are within territorial waters and approaching their destinations, requires some additional and careful considerations. The Guidelines set out the main issues concerned with the recruitment of security guards in the Gulf of Guinea and highlights a number of caveats of which owners should be aware. If GUARDCON is used under the circumstances set out in the GUIDELINES then careful consideration should be given to the proposed recommended amendments to a number of GUARDCON's clauses. Clubs in the International Group of P&I Clubs are issuing a Circular to all their members giving further advice regarding approved amendments to GUARDCON for West African trades.

AS NIGHT falls on a recent evening in the maze-like creeks of the Niger Delta, several oil thieves plunge into the dense, green mangroves along the Nun River - Bloomberg Businessweek, by Alexis Okeowo. Above the forest, black coils of smoke rise to the sky. The river hums with outboard motors as skiffs carry residents to communities in the web of Nun offshoots. The boats halt at military checkpoints, barges manned by idle soldiers. Silhouetted passengers raise their hands to show they are unarmed and not transporting stolen oil. Daniel Sekibo leads the way. We are making our way to a camp near a Nigerian Agip Oil pipeline where he and his team, young men in their teens through thirties, refine stolen oil. The camp is a 15-minute walk from their village center, which is little more than a bar on a wooden deck a few feet above mud and water polluted with oil and trash. We met at the bar before setting out, and Sekibo introduced me to a friend of his, a 34-year-old who asked that his name not be published. (Sekibo’s name has been changed to protect his identity, too.) His friend said he’d been stealing oil for six years. The government, he said, needs to give everyone a basic salary of 70,000 naira a month (about $427); otherwise the theft will not stop. Although oil companies operating in the delta have paid villages reparations after especially bad oil spills, the region remains underdeveloped, with few roads, little electricity or clean water, and impoverished schools. The nearest hospital is two hours away. Several in the bar were wary of a visiting journalist, but Sekibo assured me, “I’ve explained to them why it’s important you watch us work. For people to know how we are suffering here.” The Chatham House report followed the findings of Nigeria’s Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force, which released the results of its investigation into the oil industry in 2012. Chaired by former anticorruption official Nuhu Ribadu, the task force found that from 2002 to 2011, no-bid oil licenses, unpaid royalties and bonuses, informal contracts with oil traders, and other questionable practices had caused the government to lose billions of dollars in revenue. “The problem with Nigeria is that the underlying issues are structural: poor governance, poverty, and illiteracy—unless those issues are addressed by the government, the result is always going to be oil theft,” says Energy Aspects’ Sen. Ribadu led Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from 2003 to 2007. Today he says he’s disappointed at the commission’s inability to indict government and military officials involved in oil bunkering. The EFCC has targeted hundreds of low-level oil thieves, yet no high- profile prosecutions have occurred. “There has been a loss of steam,” he says. During Ribadu’s term, he was hailed as an anticorruption crusader, securing numerous convictions of individuals committing oil theft. The list included officers in the armed forces. He visited refineries that bought stolen Nigerian oil in countries such as Brazil. When he started his position, 100,000 to 150,000 barrels a day were being stolen. He says that amount went down to fewer than 10,000 barrels by 2005. Although he says he doesn’t put it past oil companies to overstate their losses, he blames the government, army, and navy for looking the other way. “There are only about eight exit points in the Niger Delta where you could take something out of Nigeria into the sea. You could stop them; there are just eight,” he says.

LONRHO PLC will start building a $600 million port in Ghana as a hub to service oil rigs in West Africa, where Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell Plc pump 60 percent of Africa’s crude, in the second half of the year - Bloomberg. The port will be built in 25 months and the government will take a 10 percent stake in the Atuabo Freeport, Steven Gray, development manager, said in an interview on Feb. 10. Ghanaian companies will own about 35 percent and Lonrho and other foreign companies will have a 55 percent stake, he said. London-based Lonrho, which operates hotels and ports, hired Africa Finance Corp. to secure financing before the end of the first half of the year, he said. “It’s strategically located to be able to support the growing oil and gas industry in the West Africa region to as far as Mauritania,” he said. The port “will help cut the cost of repairs to rigs which takes up to 20 days to travel from West Africa to ports in South Africa.”

Southeast Asia THE CONTROVERSIAL construction of a People's Liberation Army port along Hong Kong's historic Victoria Harbour has been approved, amid growing unease about China's role in the former British colony - The Telegraph. The military port was "unanimously" passed by Hong Kong's planning board, China's state broadcaster, announced. The port, which would be the PLA's first in Hong Kong, was first discussed in 1994 as part of pre-handover talks between London and Beijing, CCTV claimed. However, CCTV made no mention of widespread opposition to the plans, which have added to concerns over Beijing's vision for the former colony. Around 19,000 formal "comments" about the construction of the PLA port were submitted to city planners, of which only 20 – around 0.1 per cent – were favourable, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper.Photo: Alamy

FINALLY, THE Hong Kong government is to focus more attention on shipping. A new maritime bureau, which will include port development as well as shipping services, will be established, the South China Morning Post reported - Sinoship News. Hong Kong has seen its preeminence in Asian shipping fade over the past decade with many in the industry constantly urging previous administrations under Tung Chee-hwa and Donald Tsang to act. CY Leung, the current head of Hong Kong, has been, by far, the most proactive leader to promote Hong Kong’s shipping strengths since reunification with China in 1997. "What we should do now is to upgrade Hong Kong to be on par with London as an international shipping service hub," lawmaker Miriam Lau Kin-yee said, adding that it was important to focus more on services than the boxport as neighbour Shenzhen was taking box traffic away from the former British colony.

South America/Caribbean

NSTR

Other

ARMED PIRATES struck in the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Corsica this week, when they stole a luxury French yacht [Armageddon]. The boat’s terrified owner, wife and friend were tied up for several hours before being set adrift in a life boat - Easy Branches. French police were hunting for four armed pirates who stole a luxury yacht in waters off the coast of Corsica on Sunday. The 17-metre-long boat was taken from its owners by a gang of masked and armed pirates as they sailed in the beautiful waters off the idyllic south-western coast of Corsica, which is a popular yachting destination. No one was hurt, but the owner, his wife and a friend were tied up by the pirates who snuck up on the yacht, named Armageddon, in a motor boat, Europe 1 Radio reported. The group had been sailing near the Îlots des Moines, north of Bonifacio, when they were taken hostage. After holding the terrified trio captive for three hours in a cabin, the pirates loaded then them into one of the yacht’s life boats and set them adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. They eventually washed ashore near the tiny village of Campomoro, which is north of where they were attacked, at around midnight. Authorities said that type of attack was rare, but it will no doubt leave a few boat owners concerned about sailing in an area that is popular with private yachts and pleasure cruise boats. A yacht trafficking ring that sent its plunder from France to Tunsia was busted at the end of the 2000s.

RECENT REPORTS of an act of piracy near Corsica are inaccurate and sensational in nature, designed in part to attract readers, fascinated by accounts of piracy, according to a representative from the French authorities - Dockwalk. The story emerged earlier this week after an incident that occurred in French territorial waters but close to a small Corsican island on February 16. According to the police report filed by the boat’s passengers, late on that day, four masked and armed robbers boarded their boat, a French- flagged 17-meter yacht called Armageddon built by Garcia Yachting, and forced them out. The passengers (a couple and skipper) boarded a small RIB and eventually found their way to shore. They filed a complaint with the Ajaccio police. The passengers and the skipper told police they were on their way from Porto Vecchio to La Grande Motte, on the French Coast and were doing some sightseeing in between. While most news reports use the word “pirates” and report the passengers were held, if not sequestered, for several hours, a spokesman says they are distorting the facts. “This was not piracy,” said Capt. Yann Bizien, spokesman man for the Préfecture Maritime de la Méditerranée, one of the organizations charged with marine safety and the incident investigation. “They were no ransom demands.” He told Dockwalk that acts of piracy (as defined by article 101 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also known as the Montego Bay Convention) occur in high seas.

AN ISLAMIST group claimed responsibility for a bus bombing that killed an Egyptian and three South Korean tourists, Egypt's state TV reported Tuesday - LA Times. The Al Qaeda-linked group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, or Partisans of Jerusalem, also warned tourists to stay away from Egypt after Thursday. "We recommend tourists to get out safely before the expiry of the deadline," the group said in a Twitter post written in English. The bus carrying the South Korean tourists was heading from St. Catherine's Monastery in the south Sinai Peninsula toward Israel, and the bomb was detonated at the border resort town of Taba. http://www.trbimg.com/img-53037f1e/turbine/la-fg-wn-islamist-responsibility-bus-bombing-e- 001/600 The wreckage of a tour bus that was targeted by a suicide bombing sits in the Egyptian resort town of Taba. (Khaled Desouki / AFP/Getty Images / February 18, 2014)

A FISHERMAN was airlifted for medical treatment to Salalah recently after being rescued off the Somali coast by forces attached to the EU Navfor counter-piracy mission in the region - Muscat Daily. The man was working on a Korean fishing vessel when he got injured by a stingray. The EU mission got to know of the incident after a distress call was relayed by the Korean Navy warship, Kang Gam Chang, to the EU flagship, FS Siroco. EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Herve Bléjean, sent a medical team by boat to assess the man’s injuries after which he was airlifted by helicopter to the FS Siroco, where his condition was stabilised. Shortly afterwards, he was transferred to FGS Hessen and to the waiting medical surgery team on board. The surgeon on board the German frigate operated on the wounded patient and then transferred him to a hospital in Salalah for further treatment.

AUSTRALIAN AND Pakistani navy ships have seized almost two tonnes of cannabis resin in a drug bust off Oman’s coast that officers described on Tuesday as a setback for extremist groups - Muscat Daily. HMAS Melbourne and Pakistan’s PNS Alamgir joined forces to intercept and board a dhow east of Masirah island, where they found 1,951kg of cannabis resin hidden in a secret compartment in its fishing hold. Estimating the haul to have a street value of US$102mn, HMAS Melbourne commander Brian Schlegel said its seizure would help funds going to extremist groups that rely on illegal drug shipments for income. “The 62 bags contain cannabis resin bricks, almost 4,000 bricks in total. Each brick is more than enough to buy an AK-47 or IED (improvised explosive device) components,” said Schlegel. “Removing the funding that flows from the sale of these drugs has a direct impact on a terrorist organisation’s ability to buy weapons in the future.”

A PIRATE leader has pledged the release of four Thai hostages which have been held for three years - Horseed Media. The hostages were part of the MV Albedo crew, a Malaysian-flagged container ship which was hijacked by the pirates in November 2010 when adrift. Last year, the vessel sunk in a rough sea whilst still in pirate hands. The Pirate gang who named himself Abdi Hassan said they would release soon the hostages without any payment or Ransom. But he declined to give out further details on their current situation. "We will release them so soon, so that they can reunite with their families. We cannot take care of their lives any more. we are running out of capital,’’ said the Pirate gang. The Government of Thailand had refused to negotiate with the pirates on release of its nationalities while the owner of the Ship went disappearing after the ship sunk. [OL Note: No record of Thai crew onboard Albedo has been found. Crew may be from Naham 3 or FV Prantalay 12 - 4 Thai crew held over from release of other crew members]

PIRATES IN COURT CHALK UP yet one more legal fiasco to Attorney General Eric Holder. Apart from failing to enforce Obamacare, immigration, and the drug laws, the administration continues to endanger national security with its catch-and-release approach to terrorists. In a preview of the consequences of its plans to close Guantanamo Bay, the Obama Justice department (DOJ) is starting to apprehend terrorists abroad and free them at home - FOX Nation. The story begins with the 2011 arrest of Ali Mohamed Ali, who took part in the pirate attack on a Danish vessel, the CEC Future, off the northern coast of Somalia three years earlier. Ali acted as a translator for the pirates and communicated their demands to the vessel’s owner, Clipper Group. After two months of holding the ship and its crew of 13 captive, the pirates eventually released them in exchange for a ransom of $1.7 million. The ransom payment was dropped onto the vessel by helicopter. As part of its efforts to suppress piracy, including the stationing of a naval task force off East Africa, the United States eventually captured Ali. For centuries, international law has considered pirates to be the ultimate war criminals and “enemies of all mankind.” As a crime of “universal jurisdiction,” piracy can be punished by any nation. But there is no requirement that it be tried in the civilian courts. Piracy is inherently a warlike enterprise, and in its present form off the Somali coast it has reached higher levels of violence than some wars do. In 2008, the year in which the CEC Future was taken captive, pirates seized 49 ships and held nearly 900 crew members for ransom worldwide. Somali pirates were responsible for 111 attacks that year. Although the incidence of Somali piracy has dropped since peaking in 2011, it is still a serious menace. But this administration, trapped by the ideology of its anti-war base, had no idea what to do with Ali. The Obama administration refuses to send any new detainees to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, because it cannot bring itself to admit agreement with Bush-era anti-terrorism policies. Instead, it prefers to kill terrorist leaders (and nearby civilians) with drone strikes rather than capturing them to gain intelligence. As a result, the Obama administration has failed to capture a single high- ranking terrorist leader in five years, and the most valuable pool of information — human intelligence — is drying up.

Italian Marines

THE SUPREME Court Tuesday asked the central government to categorically spell out its stand about the law under which to try the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen - Free Press Journal India. The apex court bench headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan said the government will spell out its stand in writing by next Wednesday, when the court takes up the matter for further hearing. The order came after Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati told the court that the law ministry’s opinion has been sought on the Suppression of Unlawful Act against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Law (SUA) being invoked for the marines’ trial. The law ministry is examining the home ministry’s opinion and that of the external affairs ministry which favours withdrawal of the SUA.

THE NEW turns in the case of the killing of two Indian fishermen off Kollam coast on February 15, 2012 – which drive the Indo-Italian relationship deeper into new troubles – do not bother families of the victims - DNA India. “We have already forgiven the marines. I won’t get back my husband if they are hanged. They shot dead my husband and his colleague mistaking them for Somali pirates,” said Doramma, 40, wife of Valentine Jelestine , 45, one of the victims. The two sisters of Ajesh Binki, 25, the other victim, living at Kuzhithurai, a nondescript Tamil Nadu coastal village nearly 150km from here, are not aware of the international impact of the incident. The siblings, the only legal heirs of Binki, too have pardoned the Italians. For their forgiveness, Italy has paid a price. Doramma got Rs one crore and her two children Rs 50 lakh each. This apart, Doramma, a resident of Kollam in Kerala, has been offered a job of a peon at the fisheries department by the Kerala Government to keep Christian fishermen community, a major vote bank, in good humour. Binki's sisters were also paid Rs one crore each. The deal was negotiated by the Rome-controlled Kerala Latin Church to which the victims and their families belong. But the owner of the ill-fated fishing boat which was badly damaged in the reckless firing by marine has not been paid any compensation by Italy despite his repeated request.

ITALY HAS recalled its ambassador to India in a continuing dispute with Delhi over two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen - BBC News Europe. The foreign ministry said Daniele Mancini would fly to Rome immediately because of "yet another unacceptable, deliberate delay" in the courts. The Supreme Court was due to hear the case on Tuesday but it was postponed. Italy was already angered by an Indian decision to try the two men for the 2012 killings under an anti-piracy law. The marines said they mistook the fishermen for pirates. In a statement, the foreign ministry in Rome said: "The Italian government has decided the immediate recall to Rome of its ambassador to New Delhi, Daniele Mancini, for consultations." It condemned "the evident Indian inability to manage this issue" and said its main objective was the return of the two marines to their homeland.

INDIA HAS opposed security guards on ships saying it doesn’t want armies running amok on the high seas. But Indian crews are signing up for protection from mercenaries - The Hindu Late on the night of March 29, 2010, as the merchant ship Iceberg was just ten nautical miles from the port of Aden, a small boat pulled up alongside, almost invisible in the dark, carrying men with assault rifles in their hands. For the next 33 months, the men on board would be held at the Somali village of Gara’ad, as the ship’s owners, Dubai-based Azal, stonewalled ransom demands for its multinational crew and its multi-million dollar cargo of industrial equipment. The pirate cartel holding the ship wanted $8 million, and when they didn’t get it, started torturing the crew. “They started beating us, and denying us food and water,” recalled Mumbai resident Santosh Yadav, who had married just ten days before he shipped out. “We were allowed to sleep only for six hours over a few days.” His ship mate Wagdi Akram committed suicide. Now, as New Delhi and Rome engage in the latest of their periodic diplomatic skirmishes over the prosecution of two Italian marines charged with shooting dead two fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012, there’s an elephant in the room: how are at-risk merchant crews to be guarded? For the most part, a misplaced hyper-nationalism has coloured the Italian marines debate — the case wasn’t and isn’t about white men armed with guns shooting at brown men without them. Though governments across the world have been signing off on protecting crews with guards, India has resisted, in part, because of the public outrage provoked by the Enrica Lexie case. India has opposed security guards on ships, private or governmental, saying it doesn’t want armies running amok on the high seas. It has pointed to the risks of terrorists posing as private security contractors. For its part, the Indian Navy has flatly refused to station guards on ships, saying it doesn’t want to risk having officers prosecuted in foreign countries.

AN INDIAN government spokesman on Friday confirmed its embassy in Rome had received threats including a bullet linked to the case of two Italian marines facing trial in India for the alleged murder of two Indian fishermen two years ago. “We have asked Italian authorities to ensure the protection of diplomatic staff,” said Syed Akbaruddin. “We are sure our Italian friends will guarantee the safety of our diplomats,” he added - Gazzetta del Sud. Akbaruddin reiterated that “diplomatic channels are open at the highest level between the two countries” despite Italy’s decision to recall its ambassador to protest the latest delay in the drawn-out affair. India’s top newspaper reported Thursday that a package containing a bullet was sent to India’s embassy in Rome earlier this week. An anonymous letter contained threats on the marines case, said the Times of India, which with a circulation of over 3.14 million prides itself on being the world’s largest selling English-language daily. It said: “India-Italy stand off over the Italian marines case escalates with Italy now resorting to intimidation tactics in a bid to get the two Italian marines freed. “After arm twisting they have now come down to hate mails, with the Indian embassy receiving over 100 hate mails, threats and a parcel having live bullet”. Tensions have been rising over the drawn-out affair recently. On Wednesday premier-designate Matteo Renzi was said to be considering “new initiatives” after Italy recalled its ambassador to India over the case of the two anti-piracy marines held for two years without charge. While ambassador Daniele Mancini met with officials in Rome, Nicola Latorre, chairman of the Senate defence committee, said Renzi was considering new measures and Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said the new administration would maintain the Italian government’s commitment to the case. At the same time, Italian representatives to the United Nations raised the issue at the highest levels, sources said Wednesday. The meetings in New York were aimed at reinforcing Italy’s concerns about delays in the case with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who had previously suggested it was a bilateral issue. The sessions came on the same day that Bonino said that she is also urging the Speaker of the European Parliament to intervene in the case, to increase pressure on the government in New Delhi.

Seaman Guard Ohio Crew A LOCAL court in Tuticorin on Friday extended the custody of 35 men, including crew members of the detained US ship ‘Seaman Guard Ohio’, until February 25. Judicial Magistrate in Tuticorin C. Kathiravan passed the order after hearing arguments. Amidst tight security, the men including foreign nationals in detention were produced before the court - The Hindu. The US ship was apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Naikidevi’ on October 12, 2013. The vessel was detained on October 18 on charges of trespassing into Indian waters and possessing weapons. Charge sheet copies were handed over to each of the accused involved in the case. On December 30, 2013, the Q Branch, filed the 2,158-page charge-sheet against 45 accused, including guards, crew and diesel suppliers. In the court room, Siderenko Valeriy, a Ukrainian, the chief engineer of the ship, had swooned. Suddenly, the police, who went on escort, carried him away and he was admitted in an intensive care unit at Tuticorin Government Hospital. The 108 emergency service van arrived at the scene and transported the Ukrainian to the hospital. Before producing them before the court, the foreign crew was made to wait for about two and half hours in police vehicle on the premises of District Integrated court complex in Tuticorin. J. Silas Jeyamani, Resident Medical Officer of the hospital, when contacted, said condition of the Ukrainian national is stable. Other sources from the hospital said, he would be kept in the ward for one-day observation and discharged later. Earlier, Mr. Valeriy made a suicide attempt in Tuticorin after the arrest. Image - All 35 arrested crew members of US based ship Seaman Guard Ohio were given individual copies of charge sheet, at a court in Tuticorin on Friday. Photo : N.Rajesh

THE SEYCHELLES Police confirmed that Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy, two male US security officers on board container ship Maersk Alabama were discovered dead on the ship moored in Port Victoria late in the afternoon of Tuesday 18th of February -OCEANUSLive. Their bodies were found in Kennedy's cabin by a colleague who went to check on him at around 4.30 pm yesterday Both aged 44, Reynolds and Kennedy worked for Trident Security Firm USA. They were part of a ship crew of 24 members who arrived in Port Victoria on Sunday 16 Feb. The Maersk Alabama, a major merchant ship, was supposed to leave Port Victoria yesterday. A postmortem will be carried out this week in order to establish the cause of their sudden deaths while the Police investigates the possible circumstances which lead to these incidents. The case was reported to the Seychelles Police at around 5 pm yesterday by Maersk Alabama's shipping agents Hunt Deltel.

TRACES OF narcotics and hypodermic needles found with the bodies of two American security officers on the Maersk Alabama container ship suggested the deaths resulted from drug overdoses, a Seychelles government official told CNN on Thursday - CNN. Seychelles police identified the bodies found Tuesday as Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy, both 44. "A postmortem will be carried out this week in order to establish the cause of their sudden deaths," police said, adding that the investigation continues. According to the government official, who spoke on condition of not being identified, the presence of drug traces and paraphernalia "would suggest that their deaths were a result of drug overdose."

Maersk Line Ltd (MLL) has now confirmed that drugs were found in the cabin of two armed guards who died aboard the Maersk Alabama. The incident is likely to raise new questions about armed anti-piracy personnel as well as safeguards against drugs being brought aboard commercial vessels.

THE SEYCHELLES Police have reported that the autopsy on Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy is to be carried out early next week. It is expected to establish the cause of death of the two US security officers who were found dead onboard Maersk Alabama, while moored in Port Victoria, Seychelles, in the afternoon of Tuesday, 18 February -OCEANUSLive. The Police also said that, despite reports in international press that drugs were spotted in the cabin where the bodies were found, those reports are not from the official Police source. The Police added that they have never released any reports suggesting that the two former US SEAL officers may have died from drug overdose.

SOMALI PIRACY has become a big business that profits large criminal kingpins as well as small investors in the diaspora, even as international efforts have cut back on their earnings, according to European Union and US officials - eNCA. Overall, however, Somali piracy has dropped to the lowest rate in more than six years as merchant ships carry better protection on board, and as military vessels from NATO, the European Union, Russia, China and dozens of other countries patrol the Indian Ocean waters. In addition, 1,435 suspected Somali pirates or their financiers are now in custody or jail in 21 countries, sending an additional negative message to would-be pirates, said Donna Hopkins, coordinator for counter piracy and maritime security at the US Department of State, on Thursday. She joined Francois Rivasseau, deputy head of the European Union delegation to the US, in briefing reporters at the State Department's Foreign Press Center. The EU recently took over the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia from the United States. Most of the 80 countries involved in the Contact Group do so through their foreign ministries, but Italy also has its finance ministry involved, using its historic ties to Somalia to help track the money flow, Rivasseau noted. Some of that investment is coming from the successful Somali diaspora, such as that in Minneapolis, , which participates in an "informal but sophisticated" underground stock market "where investors can buy shares in hostage taking," Hopkins said, naming just one of the communities that has been identified. In November, a report from the UN office on drugs and crime, Interpol and the World bank, said as much.

THE CHIEFS of the [US] sea services discussed the future of the military at sea and defense strategy in the Asia-Pacific region at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association West Conference yesterday in San Diego - US Dept of Defense. In a town-hall meeting format, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James F. Amos, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Navy Adm. Mark Ferguson and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp discussed their visions and their concerns of defense at sea amid budget constraints. Ferguson noted the shift in the U.S. security environment since the last maritime strategy was published in 2007. “There has been a dramatic increase in the proliferation of weapons and technologies capable of denying access, or freedom of action, in the global commons,” he said. “The emergence of space and cyberspace has contested domains.” Increased political instability and conflict, Ferguson said, has created an uptick in demands for naval forces from the combatant commands. Ferguson emphasized the migration of al-Qaida from a centralized organization to a franchised global network, overlapping in many cases with criminal networks around the globe through “flashpoints and potential flash points” in the Asia-Pacific region. A new pressure that drives decision making since 2007’s strategy is today’s drop in defense spending, he added. “There’s tremendous pressure driving decision-making [in the] strategic environment,” he said. The United States has had to focus more on air-sea battle and how to fight using cross-domain capabilities, he noted. The shift from two land wars to the challenges in the combatant commands places a premium on partnerships around the globe, Ferguson said, adding that leaders of the services and the combatant commands must now focus on “a tight circle in a strategy of ends, ways and means.” With a military rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region, the Coast Guard’s Pacific presence must be reassessed because of a tightened defense budget and fewer major ships at hand, Papp said.

PERSONNEL FROM the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) met with representatives from the United Nations Somalia and Eritrean Monitoring Group (UNSEMG) to gain a better understanding of each organisations effort within the Somali region - OCEANUSLive. The visit by the UNSEMG to CMF was the first of its kind, and involved a two-day workshop where personnel from CMF headquarters and staff from Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 and 151 met with Dr Jarat Chopra, Mr Jorg Roofthoot and Mr Dinesh Mahtani, UNSEMG representatives. Commodore Daryl Bates, Commander of CMF’s Counter-Terrorism task force, CTF 150, said: “CMF and UNSEMG come at this challenge from different perspectives, but we both ultimately have the same aims, a stable, functioning Somalia. Like our recent meetings with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, these meetings have been a great opportunity for CMF to work with the UN to address the many challenges that plague the Horn of Africa.”

ONE OF the most frequent shipping routes in the world runs between Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and Yokohama, Japan. Normally, the 11,300-mile transcontinental journey would take 36 days from the North Sea to the Tokyo Bay via the Suez Canal - Fair Observer. However, as a result of global warming, polar ice has receded to record lows enabling trans- Arctic maritime transportation through the Northern Sea Route (NSR) along Russia’s northern coast, which is by far the shortest maritime connection between northern Europe and eastern Asia. Were a similar vessel to take the same journey from Rotterdam to Yokohama via the Arctic, 4,450 miles would be shaved from the voyage, cutting the traditional path by roughly 40%. The alternative shipping route would also allow companies to avoid well-documented piracy issues in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. This would also allow them to steer-clear of potential disruptions related to ongoing political instability in Egypt. In total, 17,225 ships passed through the Suez Canal in 2012, yet it is still home to some of the longest queues for passage in the world, while the potential risk of a total shutdown due to terrorism or government protest continues to loom.

Smuggling/Pirate Fishing

FISHERIES STAKEHOLDERS upbeat over plans by the Government to set up the Kenya Oceans and Fisheries Council as well as a Fisheries Enforcement Unit (equivalent of a Coast Guard) - Standard Media Kenya. Tuna Fisheries Alliance of Kenya (Tufak) Chairman Hadley Benny Becha said the move was long overdue. “We have a lot at stake as far as maximising full potential of the abundant but untapped resources on our ocean beds,’’ he said. Mr Becha added that while the council would act and offer an advisory role to the Government, the enforcement unit would bolster security of the coastline, monitor and curb illegal fishing. It is estimated that Kenya loses close to Sh10 billion in revenue annually as a result of illegal fishing activities within territorial waters.

THE SHORES of Lake Victoria in western Kenya bustle with business - wooden fishing boats competing for space, carrying in the morning catch of tilapia, perch or catfish - BBC News Africa. Under the scorching sun, the fishermen bargain with those queuing up to buy: mainly women, who hope to make a small profit at the local market. But in this deeply poor part of Kenya, the transaction between fisherman and female market seller is rarely a financial one. The currency is sex, not money: women selling their bodies in the hope of taking back a prize catch. The practice is known colloquially as "sex for fish" - or, in the Luo language of the area, "jaboya".

"From one problem to even a bigger problem," describes Festus Andang'o of the FV Golden Wave after his release from pirate captivity left him and his crewmates without any wages or support. Somali pirates held the ship's crew at gunpoint for over four months, beating and torturing some men within an inch of their lives - Seamen's Church. Festus Andang'o of FV Golden Wave - Seafarer Voices on Piracy

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Frederick Omondi, oiler on board the FV Golden Wave, describes the capture of his vessel by Somali pirates, who subsequently used the ship to chase down and hijack other vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden. Frederick says he struggled to make sense of circumstances in the surreality of life on board. Frederick Omondi of FV Golden Wave - Seafarer Voices on Piracy

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Sammy Tarbu of the FV Golden Wave and his crewmates lived at the mercy of Somali pirates for months on board their vessel in the Indian Ocean. Sammy's family saw news reports of the attack but—because he wasn't allowed to contact them—they had no idea if he was dead or alive. Sammy Tarbu of FV Golden Wave - Seafarer Voices on Piracy

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To learn more about piracy and its effects on real people, visit Seamen's Church

Aid Workers' Plight

NSTR

RESIDENTS OF the flooded village of Sandhurst are being warned that "pirate" burglars are using boats to raid evacuated houses - The Telegraph. Under the cover of darkness, men in boats have been seen near to empty properties in the Gloucestershire village, much of which is now underwater. Neighbours believe the nocturnal boaters are out looking for an opportunity to plunder. One resident, who lives with his father and partner, has been cut off from the outside world for four days. "We feel like an island state here, we are totally cut off an very vulnerable," he said. "We saw a boat with around four men in it at around 9.30pm on Thursday. They were about 100 yards from the evacuated properties. "They were not looking to help anyone and had no reason to be there at that time of night. When I shouted at them to ask what they were doing, they shouted abuse back and started swearing. "It was then I called 999. The police said they would be sending someone out, but no one came. "It makes us even more determined not to leave now, if not just to protect our property. Image - Flooding continues to blight the country as some are too afraid to leave their homes for fear of looting Photo: PA

BARKHAD ABDI, who played a Somali pirate in the drama Captain Phillips, takes the best supporting actor, beating the likes of Michael Fassbender and Matt Damon - The Guardian. The 2014 Bafta for supporting actor has been awarded to Barkhad Abdi for his performance in Captain Phillips, who received huge cheers as he ascended the stage. Abdi played a Somali pirate captain in Paul Greengrass's film, starring . He thanked Bafta, Paul Greengrass "for believing in me before I believed in myself", and Hanks, as well as his fellow actors, saying "We came from nothing and we have this". Image - Barkhad Abdi (left) in Captain Phillips. Photograph: Hopper Stone/SMPSP

Hijacks:

 NSTR. Unsuccessful Attacks/Robberies (All regions):

 Gulf of Guinea - Six pirates in a small boat approached a Liberia-flagged oil product tanker, Masters Force II, under way and tried to hook on a boarding ladder at 0345 UTC in position 03:57N - 005:18E, 26nm SW of Pennington Oil Terminal, Nigeria. Alarm raised and vessel immediately started taking evasive manoeuvres. The pirates tried to hook on the ladder several times at different positions along the port and starboard quarters. The on board armed security team fired warning shots resulting in the pirates aborting the attempt and moving away. Reported (IMO) 19 Feb.  Arabian Sea - Dhow reported coming under attack at 0830 UTC in position 11:13N - 056:31E, Arabian Sea. Dhow with 14 POB sent a distress signal and stated the crew had been released without food. fuel and water. Military unit responded and on arrival at the scene, assessed the event as a false alarm. Vessel and crew safe. Reported (UKMTO) 17 Feb.  SE Asia - Duty A/B on routine rounds on board an anchored container ship at 2030 LT in position 05:59.9S – 106:55.6E, Jakarta Roads, Indonesia noticed an unlit small wooden boat quickly leaving the stern of the ship. The A/B immediately informed the bridge and the Master raised the alarm. On searching the vessel it was found that engine room stores had been stolen. Reported (IMB) 14 Feb.  SE Asia - LATE Report | Four robbers boarded a Singapore-flagged chemical tanker, Verity, at berth at 2000 LT in position 03:47.27N – 098:41.77E, Belawan port, Indonesia. Alert duty AB noticed the robbers and raised the alarm. Crew mustered and proceeded towards the forward store. Seeing the ship’s crew the robbers escaped with ship’s properties. Port Control informed. Reported (IMB) 7 Feb.  SE Asia - LATE Report | Seven robbers armed with knives boarded a Singapore-flagged general cargo ship, Kota Intan, under way at 0630 LT in position 01:05N – 103:33E, Singapore Straits. The robbers entered the engine room and tied up the electrical officer. They then stole the engine spares as well as the electrical officers mobile phone. The electrician managed to untie himself and informed the bridge. Ship’s alarm raised and distress message sent out. The robbers escaped with stolen ship’s spare parts. Reported (IMB/ReCAAP) 6 Feb.  SE Asia - LATE Report | Five robbers armed with knives boarded a Singapore-flagged general cargo ship, Kota Berkat, under way at at 0615 LT in position 01:03N – 103:36E, Singapore Straits. The robbers entered the engine room and aggressively approached the duty crew who immediately left the engine room and informed the bridge. Alarm raised, all crew mustered on the bridge and SSAS activated. Later a complete search of the vessel was carried out. Reported (IMB/ReCAAP) 6 Feb.

Other Incidents:

 NSTR. Suspicious Activity

 Gulf of Aden - Singapore-flagged container ship reported sighting suspicious vessel towing 3 skiffs at 0630 UTC in position 13:33.5N - 050:04E. Reporting to CP warship via VHF, the vessel was heading north. Reported 20 Feb.

IMB - Vessels: 0 Hostages: 57. (as at 21 January). Worldwide Incidents 2014: 12 reported incidents Somalia - NATO & EUNAVFOR state Vessels: 0; Hostages: 50; UKMTO - 2 vessels (including dhows & FVs), 64 hostages.

VESSELS are reminded that the coalition forces' warships may not be in the vicinity of a pirate attack, subsequently, it is emphasised that seafarers can greatly reduce their chances of being pirated if they follow precautions as recommended in the Best Management Practices, increasing speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks. BMP version 4 is available at the link above; a high resolution version can be downloaded here.

VESSELS are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of any reported positions of attacks and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally, registration of vessel movement with MSC(HOA) prior to transiting the region is recommended.

A change of regional map in light of the increase in pirate activity off West Africa over Horn of Africa. An interactive version of this situational map is available through registration of verified access to OCEANUSLive

Reported incidents in the HoA/IORHRA. OCEANUSLive.org permits the reproduction of this image providing source and link are published (Map ToU)

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