Report on Somalia Detailed Weekly Piracy Report and On-the-Ground Analysis Piracy - At Sea - On Land - Domestic News - International Developments 24 hr Global Contact: +44 207 754 3555 www.msrisk.com Report on Somalia ~ SUMMARY June 18 - 24, 2012 (week 24) At Sea: • Despite the south-western monsoon season, pirate attacks have increased during this reporting period with 2 attacks on vessels being reported. There have been reports that one dhow has Key Statistics been hijacked by Somali pirates however unconfirmed reports have cited that the dhow was later released (Pages 3 - 4; Map Page 10). • Hijacks: 1 Updates: • Attacks: 2 • Releases: 0 • 23 June 2012 - According to reports, negotiations for the release of the Naham 2, a Taiwanese fishing vessel, may be completed soon. The vessel, along with its 15 crew members who are comprised of Taiwanese, Filipino, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Chinese sailors, was originally hijacked on 26 March of this year. The initial ransom demand was stated to have been US $ 4 million however unconfirmed reports have placed the ransom at US $2 million. News of a possible release will be monitored over the coming weeks. • 21 June 2012 - Defense Minister Hussein Arab Isse announced in a news conference held in Mogadishu that Deborah Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari have been released (Page 4). • 17 June 2012 - Reports have indicated that the Taiwanese fishing boat, the Shiuh Fu 1, has apparently been sighted by a security team onboard an MV this week (Page 4). • Updates on hostages still being held (Pages 4 - 5). Piracy Related News: • 22 June 2012 - The Human Cost of Piracy 2011, a report which details the plight of seafarers at the hands of Somali pirates was launched at a press conference at the Headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London, United Kingdom (Page 5). • Key Statistics for 2011: • 3,863 seafarers were fired upon by pirates • 1,206 hostages were held captive • 35 died, most while trying to escape during rescues • The average length of captivity increased by 50% • Levels of violence remained high Weather Analysis: • As the south-western monsoon season continues in the waters off Somalia, the weather conditions for the following week will continue to be less favorable for pirate activity. Water conditions will be unfavorable for small boats and skiffs along the coasts of Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania and the same conditions will remain further out into the ocean. Subsequently, any pirate attacks or hijackings to occur further our in the ocean will likely be done so by motherships however it is highly likely that pirates will remain operating in the Gulf of Aden as the region provides some shelter from the monsoon and allows small skiffs to operate more freely. Any vessels traveling through the Gulf of Aden are advised to exercise extreme caution as it is likely that attacks or hijackings will be concentrated in the area (Page 6). On Land: • Insecurity across Somalia has continued to occur throughout this reporting period as allied forces have continued to fight al- Shabaab in the southern region of the country (Pages 7 - 8). Domestic News: • 22 June 2012 - On 6 June of this year, the principals of Sterling Corporate Services (SCS), which sponsor’s Puntland’s Anti- Piracy Programme, were summoned to a meeting in the UAE in which it was announced that funding for the two-year programme would end and that all expatriates needed to leave Somalia by the end of June (Pages 7 - 8). • 20 June 2012 - Leaders from Somalia and Somaliland are due to start the first ever formal discussions on the future of the self- proclaimed Somaliland republic (Page 8). Domestic News: • 23 June 2012 - The United States has warned of an imminent threat of attack in Mombasa, Kenya, which is the second largest city in the East African nation (Page 9). 24 hr Global Contact: +44 207 754 3555 www.msrisk.com Report on Somalia June 18 - 24, 2012 (week 24) At Sea: • 20 June 2012 - A dhow has been hijacked in position 20:29N-059:03E, around 13 nautical miles north-east of Masirah Island, Oman. The dhow was attacked Key Statistics by 8 pirates aboard 1 skiff which was spotted near a mothership. The vessel, along with its seven crew members, was taken hostage. Vessels are advised to • Hijacks: 1 exercise extreme caution if in the vicinity. • Attacks: 2 • The Marshall Islands-flagged, US-owned M/V LNG ARIES was attacked by • Releases: 0 a skiff with 5 - 6 pirates on board in location 20:50N - 059:30E, just 35 nautical miles northeast of Masirah Island, Oman. The skiff had no visible ladders onboard however the pirates fired with machine guns approximately 400 - 600 yards away from the vessel. The vessel also reported sighting an RPG. No casualties were reported in the incident. The vessel has a citadel onboard and razor wire and fire hoses were rigged. The vessel increased its speed and separated 4 nautical miles from the skiff before the pirates ended their pursuit. The USS VICKSBURG was approximately 200 nautical miles northeast of Masirah, Oman at the time of the incident. It has been confirmed that the M/V LNG ARIES, along with the crew members on onboard, is safe. • 18 June 2012 - A bulk carrier was approached in position 12:19N - 043:57E in the Gulf of Aden. Six skiffs with 4 - 6 pirates in each skiff approached the bulk carrier while underway at 25 knots from the starboard bow. The Master of the vessel raised the alarm, increased speed, altered course and sent a distress message. The skiffs attempted to approach the vessel from the starboard beam and starboard quarter while another one of the skiffs approached the vessel from the port bow. The onboard security team fired eight warning flares however the pirates continued their approach. Weapons and ladders were also seen in the skiffs. After 40 minutes, the security team fired six more warning shots and the pirates aborted the approach. A navy ship arrived at the scene for assistance. • Activity off the coast of Somalia has been relatively quiet for Somalia’s pirates in recent weeks. Poor weather conditions, due to the start of the south-western monsoon season, a lack of investment from wealthy backers and the recent anti-piracy activities of the Puntland Marine Police Forces (PMPF) have all been cited as reasons for the lack of pirate activity in recent weeks. 4 May of this year was the last time pirate groups planned confirmed operations in order to hijack vessels at sea. At the time, pirates from the Haradhere area, in Somalia’s Mudug region, set out in three speed boats with nine armed pirates in each craft. Since then there has been little in the way of organized pirate activity in the region. Haradhere has become the pirates‘ capital in the last several years as well as being the city in the heart of pirate operations in the region. Groups of Somali pirates who are based in the Haradhere area have claimed that there are a variety of reasons as to why their operations have been reduced. The first is a lack of investment while the second is poor weather. Investors have stopped investing in the operations after a high number of attacks were unsuccessful, as a result, these investors have lost a lot of money and now they do not want to invest in those pirates who operate in the area. The poor weather has also prevented pirates from going out to sea as weather conditions have been unfavorable for small skiffs. Although the helicopter strikes employed by EU forces on 15 May of this year on a pirate base on a beach in Handulle, located around 11 miles from Haradhere, has caused some pressure on pirate activities to continue, the majority of the issues are related to internal reasons, amongst which the main is a lack of investment. Due to the fact that not many vessels have been released, there is no ransom money available for new operations to commence. Even with the recent release of the MT Liquid Velvet, it is unlikely that the situation will change. Furthermore, there have been very few high profile, successful pirate hijackings over the last few months. Figures released by EU NAVFOR for the month of May indicate that just seven incidents and two attacks occurred in May, one of which resulted in the successful hijacking of the MT SMYRNI by pirates belonging to the gang run by Isse Yulux. Those Somali pirates who are in the Haradhere area usually use different bases when they are planning new attacks. The best known being the beaches of Haradhere, Handulle and another small village which pirates settled in, close to where 24 hr Global Contact: +44 207 754 3555 www.msrisk.com pirates are holding the Malaysian - flagged MV ALBEDO. Those Somali pirates who operate in these areas mainly belong to clans from southern Somalia. Pirates are operating in Haradhere freely, without any fear of interdiction. The city is out of the control of Galmudug and the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), as such, militants from al-Shabaab and pirates control the area locally. The second largest pirate base can be found in Hobyo which is located in the southern Mudug region. Hobyo is another important base for operational planning, however pirates in the area have also been hit by similar issues which have affected their operations at sea. Kismayo, in Somalia’s Lower Jubba region, is another pirate hot spot. Many groups have used the area to launch attacks at sea and also to kidnap hostages from neighboring countries such as Judith Tebbutt and Marie Dedieu.