29 September – 5 October 2012 (Vol.1; No. 35)

Gulf of Guinea hijack for a day - reminder of dangers in Gulf of Guinea as oil thefts rise. SE Asia hijack for fuel cargo saw the bunkering attempt thwarted. Warning that vigilance is needed in the Gulf of Aden. Floating armoury Sinbad detained which raises more questions around the East Africa HRA. "You will definitely not like to see me again," said pirate negotiator according to seafarer in US court. Fingerprints on Chandlers' diary may see pirate kidnapper jailed (review of Chandlers' book reveals "Kill the bastards" comment). The legacy from private military operator leaving Puntland, amid UN criticism, leaves behind doubts and fears of new pirate pool. Maritime security market has low barrier entry and scant regulation, but price pressures may see lower standards. Intertanko endorses BIMCO Guardcon as a model contract to engage PMSCs. HQ carries article on the journey through the Gulf of Aden by BBC journalist. Private Convoy Escort Programmes nearer to commence trading. Kuwait stations security personnel on its tankers, whilst Romanian Navy provides first-ever warship to EU mission. Asian governments meeting stresses importance of security and safety of oceans. Meanwhile, Seychelles anti-piracy efforts are recognised and the island State becomes the newest member of CMF. Study shows hijacking situations by pirates creates problems between the seafarers company and the crew kidnapped. Seamen's Church study releases clinical report of the effect of piracy on seafarers, but long-term solution remains elusive. SKorean minister apologises for little progress in efforts to free four seamen held hostage in Somalia. Another video surfaces with Asphalt Venture crew in distressed appeal. Grave concerns as security guard interview states, "the sun's going down, it's about pirate time again," and that's the mildest term. Awards: Royal Marine Major receives UK award for counter piracy ops, and WISTA votes INTERTANKO MD as Personality of the Year. Contents: Regional Activity; Released by Pirates; Pirates in Court; Private Security; International Response; Piracy Cost; Seafarers' Plight; And Finally...; Piracy Incidents; Situational Map

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East Africa

Kenya's main port of Mombasa, East Africa's chief trade gateway, expects more business after an offensive that has driven rebels out of Somalia's Kismayo port and is therefore likely to reduce offshore piracy further, the Kenyan transport minister said, according to Reuters.

Attacks by Somali gangs on commercial cargo vessels destined for Mombasa and beyond had forced some companies to re-route their ships from the pirate-infested waters and pushed insurance and security costs sky-high.

On Monday, hundreds of Somali government forces and allied militia fighters deployed in the centre of Kismayo, a former stronghold of Islamist militant organisation al Shabaab, an army spokesman said.

The successful offensive, also involving Kenyan soldiers fighting under the banner of an African Union peacekeeping mission, is a blow to al Shabaab, which has contributed to conditions that let piracy flourish in and around Kismayo, located to the north of Mombasa along the East African coast.

"Mombasa port cannot operate efficiently if ships are avoiding the Indian Ocean because of piracy," Amos Kimunya, Kenya's transport minister said over the weekend.

Kenya said on Thursday successful capture of the Somali port of Kismayo by Africa Union soldiers and allied forces will significantly boost the growth of maritime industry in Africa, reports Coastweek. Transport Minister Amos Kimunya said the liberation of Kismayo by Kenyan contingent in the UN-backed Africa Union forces had put an end to piracy off the coast of Somalia that had posed a major threat to regional trade, forcing cost of freight to go up.

"With the eventual liberation of port of Kismayo by the joint forces we know that we have tackled piracy at source," Kimunya told the inaugural African Maritime Authorities meeting which is being attended by the CEOs from over 30 countries in Mombasa.

The minister announced that more shipping lines are expected to use the port of Mombasa and in return expand regional trade in Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Congo, with the diffused threat of piracy.

According to a leaked UN report on Somalia, Somalia’s President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed admitted to UN investigators that he had given “one of the most notorious and influential leaders of the Hobyo-Harardhere Piracy Network” a diplomatic passport -Marsecreview. As well as the fully predictable disappearance of the vast majority of the funds intended for development and reconstruction, the 198-page report, available on Maritime Security Review and due to be discussed by the Security Council, contains many other revelations.

West Africa

Pirates released a German-owned tanker off Togo on Friday, a day after capturing it, the International Maritime Bureau said as it warned of a rising number of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, News24.

Twelve pirates armed with guns boarded the Liberian-flagged tanker on Thursday off Togo's capital of Lome on Africa's west coast, said Noel Choong, head of the IMB's piracy reporting centre.

Keeping the crew under gun threat, they transferred the tanker's gas oil to their bunker barge and ransacked the ship. They later locked the crew in the master's cabin and stole their personal belongings before abandoning the ship.

There were no casualties among the 14 crew members, but a few of them had "light injuries", Choong said.

The Federal Government has expressed committed to ensuresafety and security of navigation within Nigeria’s territorial waters and her Exclusive Economic Zone -WorldStage News. Minister of Transport, Mallam Idris Umar, who gave the assurance at the 2012 edition of the annual International Maritime Organisation World Maritime Day in Calabar said, one of the challenges to safety of navigation was the threat posed by piracy and armed robbery in most territorial waters including Nigeria’s.

The minister noted that the government was worried by the increasing cases of piracy of the maritime industry and sea robbery both in Nigeria and across the global shipping community, but assured that it was making moves to address this challenge.

According to him, government would continuously place the safety and security of the maritime domain in the front burner.

He said in this respect, concerted efforts have been made to ensure adequate safety and security mechanisms in Nigeria’s maritime domain.

Piracy on the high sea, oil pipeline vandalism and attacks on oil companies by militants in the Niger Delta region recently necessitated the establishment of the various security outfits by the military to tackle maritime terrorism, writes AllAfrica. The most distressing of the crimes to policymakers is oil theft which over the years led to huge economic losses to the country. The Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Plc, Mr Mutiu Sumonu disclosed to the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) and Navy recently that Nigeria was losing 5 billion USD$ (equivalent of N780bn) annually to oil theft in the Niger Delta. Over 150,000 barrels of crude oil were being stolen every day by oil thieves, while the company lost 100 barrels daily between 2003 and 2004.

The activities of pipeline vandals have complicated the free flow of petroleum products and crude oil supply to the pipeline system leading to a colossal cost of over N174.57 billion in product losses and repair of pipelines in the last 10 years. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) recently said though the combined working capacity of all the 21 Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) depots nationwide, excluding holding capacities at the refineries, can provide products sufficiency of up to 32 days for petrol, 65 days for kerosene and 42 days for diesel, the activities of the pipeline vandals have made it impossible for the facilities to function at full capacity.

Piracy has over the years been another major crime confronting navies at the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea and necessitated joint military operations between United States, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the countries around the Gulf including Cameroun, Ghana, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo, Benin Republic and Republic of Congo. The effort is to build the capacities of navies to tackle sea robbery and other crimes. Navy personnel on patrol recently rescued a Singapore-owned oil vessel, MT ABU DHABI seized by pirates in Lagos.

No fewer than 27 suspects are reportedly in military cells across the country following the onslaught on armed banditry on the waters of the west coast of Africa, particularly Nigeria, in recent times with oil vessels as prime targets - AllAfrica.

Vessels are attacked on high seas and diverted to other shores while the crew members are robbed of cash and other valuables. The unlucky ones get maimed or killed and their oil cargos emptied into other thieves vessels.

Refined imported petroleum products laden vessels are largely prime targets, but crude -carrying vessels are not spared either. Losses to oil thieves on high seas are put at several billions of naira by industry analysts with operators resigning to fate and putting a reluctant insurance sector under pressure.

Containing the pirates on Nigerian waters is a big challenge to the navy, the marine police, the Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Global West Vessels Specialists Nigeria Limited, a private concern.

The hijacking of MT Anuket Emerald, which cargo of oil was stolen, was a test case to stem piracy on the nation's waters. A vessel allegedly owned by a Nigerian firm with 16 armed pirates on board was said to be behind the attack on the foreign ship. They apparently siphoned the contents of MT Anuket Emerald into another vessel and heeded to Lagos to store the product in some tank farms in Apapa for distribution and sale.

The pirate vessel was reportedly impounded and now in the custody of the EFCC. A security source told Sunday Vanguard, last week, A report of the incident by the ICC-International Maritime Bureau (Piracy Reporting Centre), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, revealed the incident happened to the oil/chemical tanker carrying a Panama flag and laden with a total cargo of 3,450.443 metric tonnes on August 18, 2012 close to the port of Lome, Togo.

The pirates, who spoke French but were recognized to be Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Togolese nationals, were said to have aggressively attacked the ship for five days, bearing 16-20 sub machine and machine guns and AK47 riffles, which they actually used for the attack to cause extensive damage to the ship before boarding it with extended ladders.

IMB reports significant rise in violent incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, states Port Technology

The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has reported an alarming increase of violent piracy incidents in West Africa.

In the first half of the year there were 32 attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, which includes five hijackings, compared to the 25 recorded in the whole of 2011, according to IMB figures.

“Off Nigeria alone there were 17 reports, compared with six in 2011. Togo reported five, including a hijacking, but had none last year,” said the IMB.

The IMB also noted the severity of the attacks used against ships navigating the Gulf of Guinea, with as many as 20 incidents during the six-month period involving armed pirates in skiffs. According to the IMB, the majority of these attacks occurred some way from the shoreline suggesting that pirates were increasingly using fishing boats and other vessels to reach their target.

Alarmingly, during just a five-minute period in June three separate ships, including a container ship and tanker, were fired on 135 nautical miles off the coast of Nigeria’s oil capital Port Harcourt.

South East Asia

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Friday prevented an attempt by six pirates from syphoning off and selling bunker fuel from a hijacked vessel in the waters off Tanjung Piai in Pontian, Malaysia, the New Straits Times reports - Ship and Bunker.

MMEA southern region enforcement chief First Admiral Adon Shalan said they spotted unusual ship-to-ship activity between MT Scorpio and MT Sea Jade at 2.15pm and as a nearby MMEA patrol boat approached the two vessels, six masked men were seen fleeing in a wooden boat installed with a high-powered engine, which was next to MT Scorpio. Investigations onboard MT Scorpio indicated that the vessel had been hijacked, and all 12 crew members, which consisted of 10 Indonesians, a Chinese national, and a Sri Lankan, had their hands tied.

"Three of them sustained injuries after they were attacked by the pirates, who also took their cash and belongings, such as laptops and handphones," said Shalan.

"The pirates left six parang [machetes] onboard. They appeared to have ransacked the whole vessel. Investigation showed that one of the pirates was armed with a pistol and that they had hijacked the vessel at midnight on Thursday," he added.

Senior Southeast Asian foreign ministry officials are meeting in the Philippines to improve maritime co-operation amid sea disputes that threaten regional stability, reports The Australian.

Discussions during the three-day ASEAN Maritime Forum will focus on maritime security, sea piracy and ensuring "freedom of navigation" in the seas they share, the foreign department said in a statement on Wednesday.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"The Philippines would like to positively engage our partners to discuss cross-cutting maritime issues and explore ways and means to enhance activities aimed at bolstering maritime security and cooperation in East Asia," said foreign department spokesman Raul Hernandez.

He said a chairman's statement spelling out agreed cooperation efforts would be released on Thursday after the closed-door sessions.

NSTR.

It had been more than a year since Capt. Mahedo Makane turned his tanker away from the Somali coast and headed out to sea and freedom, says Washington Post. But when he took the witness stand in a federal courtroom in Norfolk earlier this year, the ordeal he and his crew had endured was vivid in the captain’s mind: Makane described how his ship had been hijacked on a muggy May afternoon in 2010 and how the mariners suffered through 10 months of stifling confinement, death threats and torture. The nightmare finally ended, the captain said, three days after Christmas. His company had parachuted in a $5 million ransom, and the pirates had divvied up their loot. As the final two pirates stepped from the deck of the Marida Marguerite, one turned to address the crew. He was Mohammad Shibin, a smooth-talking, English-speaking Somali who had acted as the pirates’ negotiator with the German shipping company. He had also helped keep the crew in line, often brutally. As Makane, a father of three in his 50s with thick black hair and large glasses, recounted that final meeting, he looked into the courtroom at the gray-haired Shibin, who was sitting pensively at the defense table. “You will definitely not like me to see you again,” the captain recalled Shibin saying as he left the tanker that December day. “If you see me, you will hate me.”

Rachel and Paul Chandler may finally see their Somali pirate kidnappers jailed after police find diary with their fingerprints on - Daily Mirror. The couple held hostage by Somali pirates for 13 months could finally see their captors jailed, The People can reveal. Rachel, 58, and Paul Chandler, 61, were kidnapped as they sailed their yacht off the Seychelles in 2009 and were only released after family members paid a £300,000 ransom. Now British police have discovered fingerprints belonging to one of the 30-strong gang on a diary kept by Rachel during the ordeal. Her brother Stephen, 61, said: "Paul and Rachel have been through a lot and it would be fantastic if this new lead could bring their hostages to account." Forensic experts at Scotland Yard have passed the new information to Somalian officials. It is the first breakthrough in the case since the couple, now living in Dartmouth, Devon, were snatched and held for 388 days. They released a book featuring extracts from her diary in 2011. Last month the couple resumed their round-the-world trip. Macleans - In December 2009, Somali pirates with AK-47s and rocket- propelled grenades interrupted the ocean idyll of a retired British couple on their dream boat, commentsMacleans. Paul and Rachel Chandler were taken from their 38-foot yacht to the bush of Somalia. Unfortunately for the pirates, their prey were less wealthy than expected, and more pugnacious. The pirates held out for monetary demands that could not be met by the two “elderly paupers” (the British government, apparently, really doesn’t negotiate with pirates) who had no qualms about screaming at the men with guns. In their minutely detailed account, the Chandlers do disappointingly little to provide context for their misadventure. Why are there so many Somali pirates, and what is their civil war about, anyway? The Chandlers spend more than a year in captivity, but expend little time understanding their captors, even in retrospect. They describe the Somalis as “irrational,” “mindless,” “inhuman”—in short, uncivilized “gangsters” who are too stupid to make good on their greed. The Chandlers descend from impatient hope to despondent despair. Often, they are simply bored. Their policy prescription for dealing with piracy, in their case and those that will inevitably follow, is rather simple: “Kill the bastards.”

The name Sinbad has long been synonymous with sailing – however, of late it has also been associated with floating armouries - Shiptalk. The vessel “Sinbad” has become a haven to store private maritime security company (PMSCs) weapons. However, the vessel which has been forced upon PMSCs by the Sri Lankan government has reportedly been held in Fujairah after automatic and semi-automatic weapons were found on board. Sinbad is a “multi-user floating armoury” and onboard are the weapons upon which the PMSCs depend. However, when the vessel was refuelling (either close to or actually inside the United Arab Emirates’ 12-mile zone) it was seized by the local coastguard. Rumours have it, that the vessel had indeed unwittingly strayed into the UAE, though these are not confirmed. [OCEANUSLive Note] Later reports indicate that Sinbad had been released from detention by the UAE Coastguard. No further comment was made.

INTERTANKO’s Documentary Committee has previously been involved in the work done by BIMCO on a standard contract for Private Armed Guards (GUARDCON) -Hellenic Shipping News. The Committee much appreciated the opportunity to comment on the early GUARDCON drafts and has been watching the development and use of GUARDCON with interest. GUARDCON has now been in use for some months. During this time the Documentary Committee has reviewed the GUARDCON wording and, as the use of private armed guards has proliferated, has considered it against a backdrop of other contracts for the use of private armed guards. The Committee found that private armed guard contracts vary in content and standard, with some being unclear and/or unfavourable to owners. In some, legal rights and obligations of the parties are ill-defined.

At the second Documentary Committee meeting of 2012, which took place in London on 12 September under the chairmanship of David Chapman of OSG Tankers UK Ltd, the Committee, on behalf of INTERTANKO, has therefore now endorsed GUARDCON as a model contract for use by shipowners who engage private armed guards.

Controversial SA-linked private military operator Sterling Corporate Services, aka Saracen International, has lost its anti-piracy contract in the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland - Independent Online. The termination comes in the midst of strenuous criticism by the UN’s Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group (SEMG) of SCS’s handling of its United Arab Emirates-funded contract to train a paramilitary Puntland Maritime Police Force of about 1 000 to tackle piracy on the Horn of Africa. While no final announcement has yet been made, Weekend Argus is reliably informed that US- based private military company Bancroft Global Development will inherit control of the maritime police force. There have been discussions with the UAE sponsors of the project – who will continue to fund it – to iron out the details. Bancroft is under contract to the UN’s Amisom mission in Somalia, and has been training and advising UN forces in the region. Several South Africans are employed by Bancroft in its Somali operations. Confirming the cancellation of the SCS contract, lawyer Wilna Lubbe, acting for Sterling and Saracen kingpin Lafras Luitingh, said the “contract was terminated by agreement as the Government of Puntland now has the capacity to proceed with its antipiracy programme”. Lubbe also confirmed that “Bancroft as subcontractor to the Amisom, will assist where necessary”. But it appears the decision was taken after what the authoritative Somalia Report’s Robert Young Pelton described as a “behind closed door deal” brokered between the UAE and the UN “to avoid… sanctions”. This, Weekend Argus has learnt, led to a meeting with Sterling senior executives in the UAE in early June where the plug was pulled on the project. Sterling was also told that all foreign operatives would have to leave Somalia by the end of that month. Then, in July, the SEMG published a 350-page report on the security situation in Somalia, sharply critical of the actions of Sterling and the maritime police under its control.

Written by Thomas Bennett, Protection Vessels International Limited in Maritime Executive

The number of companies offering armed protection for shipping transiting the Indian Ocean, depending on who you talk to, is between 120 and 320. Industry-wide regulation and enforcement is distant. Maritime security is a market with low barriers to entry and scant regulation. The commercial shipping market is recessed. Price pressure at every pinch point in the supply chain is forcing all in the sector to preserve cash and compete at previously unseen economies. Poorly provisioned businesses will wither; all businesses, small to large, retract, reorganise and reduce costs. Piracy attacks are down; piracy activity has reduced. The investment proposition to a Somali investor is very different when your $ investment in vessel hijack proffers scant return compared to the recent halcyon days. It is better to wait and sit it out. Somalia is unlikely to change, after all. The mix of commercial imperative and hijack risk facing the commercial shipping sector is stark. With fewer pickings, the business of piracy extracts a higher price and incarcerated seafarers suffer to force the issue. For a shipping company to look at the commercial bottom line, equate that with the latest pirate activity report and risk the HRA without security is, on the face of it, negligent. Legal actions will invariably follow. Then again, choosing armed guards is fraught. Glossy websites specifically designed to convey the impression of size and professionalism is the norm. So are horror stories. Untrammelled commercial imperatives are driving an unsafe environment for seafarers and armed guards; and it is only a matter of time before a vessel, nominally guarded, is taken.

A sharp (60 percent) decline in pirate attacks off Somalia has led to a similar decline in insurance rates - Strategy Page. Shipping companies have found that posting armed guards on ships moving near Somalia is cheaper than paying higher and higher insurance premiums. Over the last decade, the growing Somali pirate problem led to special insurance (marine kidnap and ransom coverage) that grew to be a $250 million a year business. A lot less of this stuff is being sold now that pirate attacks are down, and it's been noted that no ships carrying armed guards has ever been taken. Various additional costs (extra fuel for high speed travel, danger pay for crews, naval patrols, insurance and ransoms) related with Somali piracy has been costing some $7 billion a year. Only two percent of this was actually ransoms, so shipping companies have been looking for better solutions. Armed guards appeared to be it. The use of such armed detachments has increased from ten percent (of ships in Somali waters) in 2010 to over 70 percent now. For a long time the conventional wisdom (at least in most seafaring nations) was that armed guards would be counter-productive and just spur the pirates to be more violent. This was not the case, as security personnel on large ships had the advantage of height, better equipment and training (most were former military). The pirates respected lethal force and avoided ships known to be carrying armed guards. As is often the case, the conventional wisdom was wrong.

Frank Gardner (of BBC) writes for GQ (UK) magazine on pirates in the Gulf of Aden. On a moonlit night earlier this summer, a heli-borne assault was launched from European warships steaming off the Somali coast. In the space of just four minutes, machine-gunners had riddled five pirate attack boats, known as skiffs, as they lay beached on the sand. For the first time ever since Somalia's pirates burst onto the scene a few years ago, the EU's navies had struck the pirates' bases on land, raising the stakes in an unspoken war, which cost the shipping industry £4.5bn in 2011. At any one time there are usually more than a dozen ships held to ransom and more than 200 hapless seafarers held hostage just off the Somali coast. So what is it like to sail on a merchant ship through some of the most pirated waters in the world? It's close to midnight and there is a disturbing blip on the radar. "They've clocked us. I don't like it. We should alter course." This is Mark Eassom. He spent 25 years in the Royal Marines - leaving as a sergeant-major - and has completed 14 crossings of the Gulf of Aden, and had nine firefights with Somali pirates since then, and thankfully no injuries, so far. He is leading the four-man team from a private armed security company, one of the increasing number of British armed squads getting hired to shepherd commercial shipping through the dangerous waters off Somalia. So how to cover this as a journalist? To see first-hand how an armed team deploys a merchant tanker through the "high risk area" I needed to find a ship and a security team willing to give us unhindered access as they went about their work. Three months later, I'm pitching and rolling in the chop of Muscat harbour, getting ferried out to a truly massive tanker lying offshore ready for the ten-day, 2,640-mile voyage. The mountains of Oman are turning hazy blue in the late afternoon sun but the beauty of the scene is lost on me as I contemplate how the hell I'm going to get up the sheer eight-metre hull in these seas, given that I'm in a wheelchair. We draw alongside and I stare up in awe at this leviathan. The MT Sea Legend is so big it blocks out the sun. The captain sounds the ship's alarm and gets on the Tannoy to warn the crew. "Security alert! Suspicious pirate boat approaching. Code yellow, code yellow." This is not a drill. Frank Gardner is the BBC's security correspondent. You can watch his reports on BBC1 and the BBC News Channel and follow him on Twitter @FrankRGardner Originally published in the October 2012 issue of British GQ.

While armed guards have had successes both in terms of business growth and against pirates, there has long been a push towards vessels escorting - Shiptalk. The two major players have been from a company called, Typhon and JLT’s “Convoy Escort Programme”. Now Typhon, after claiming to have secured funding in Asia has stated that will start trading by mid November. This is actually a month later than originally planned. Even a month late will still push the Typhon scheme ahead of its rival.

Kuwait has stationed special security personnel aboard national oil tankers to safeguard the vessels particularly when passing through piracy-infested regions, effective today (Monday), a senior official announced - MENAFN.com. Bader Nasser Al-Khashti, Board Chairman and Managing Director of Kuwait Oil Tankers Company (KOTC), said in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the company had taken this decision after sensing "the risks and recurrence of the piracy operations in several regions around the world." The company has worked out contracts with "specialized parties to protect its tankers with trained and armed elements to deal with such dangerous incidents," said Al-Khashti, alluding to pirates' recurring attacks on oil tankers and other vessels passing through some regions off Somalia and other countries. The tankers had been secure, equipped with safety installations, to deter pirates, however, "this precautionary measure was taken for making full security for the tankers while sailing across the routes throughout the globe," he explained.

The Republic of Singapore Navy frigate, RSS Intrepid, will begin the second leg of counter- piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden on Monday - Singapore Today Online.

The warship, with 145 Singapore Armed Forces personnel on board, is currently docked at the port of Oman.

It left Singapore on September 4 and is on a three-month mission in the Gulf, off the coast of Somalia.

During the first leg of the mission, the frigate responded to two distress calls from merchant ships. However, the second leg promises more action as pirate activities usually increase after the monsoon season at the end of September.

The crew in the frigate work on four hour shifts with an eight-hour break in between.

Seychelles Minister Joel Morgan answers The People newspaper’s questions on issues relating to his ministries, ranging from the congested streets of Victoria to a congested Prison at Montagne Posee - OCEANUSLive.

The People: We know this is a sensitive issue. But regarding our two fishermen held captive in Somalia, it appears that faced with a loss of business, the hostage takers are adamant about ransom payment. Recently, they executed a Syrian sailor, because they claimed that ransom payment - after two years, was taking too long. Can you state what the position is without jeopardizing our case by disclosing anything deemed sensitive?

Min. Morgan: The plight and suffering of our two brave compatriots have been a painful experience for everyone, but especially so for their loved ones. This is the burden that we bear, acknowledging of course that it is but a fraction of the suffering they experience each and every day of their time in captivity. We are not alone in this unenviable position of having to negotiate the release of hostages from despicable criminals who hold no value for life, except as a means to try to extort money for their release.

We have never wavered in our resolve to bring them back. Their situation drives us on, motivates our days and unites us as a nation, in our resolve to see them back home very soon. Our negotiating team is making headway, now that certain positive developments have taken place in the negotiations. We are optimistic for a breakthrough. We are doing everything that is in our power to bring them home safely and we are determined to achieve this goal.

Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand today joined the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) – Operation ATALANTA, combating piracy off Somalia - OCEANUSLive. In doing so she becomes the first Romanian warship to take part in the EU’s counter-piracy operation.

The warship was first commissioned in the Royal Navy as Type-22 frigate, HMS Coventry.

The Ministry of Transportation’s Ports and Maritime Affairs (PMA) conducted a three-day sub- regional training workshop in partnership with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which provided an excellent platform for Port Facility Security Officers (PFSO) and maritime professionals to learn about the latest advanced technology systems used to enhance maritime security via the Long Range Identification and Tracking of Ships (LRIT) System -World Maritime News.

The main objective of the workshop was to provide the attendees with the latest maritime security updates and train the PFSOs and maritime experts on how to make use of the latest advancement in the LRIT systems, including the LRIT architecture and its main components which will help bolster coastal security and maritime rescue operations. More than 50 participants attended the seminar which included representatives from the six GCC member states which was held at the Movenpick Hotel (Bahrain) from 24-26 September, 2012.

Image - World Maritime News

Amid rising instances of piracy, India and Austria are likely to sign an agreement to explore opportunities for collaborations across various segments, including coastal surveillance and inland water transport - Economic Times India. "The Shipping Minister and the Austrian government are likely to sign a pact for exploring collaboration opportunities in the sector," a source close to the development said.

Doris Bures, Austrian Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology is likely to sign the agreement tomorrow.

The areas which are likely to be the focus would be waterway management systems for control and monitoring of waterways, river information services and inland waterways management, among others.

For the first time, India hosted the Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) in Delhi on October 3 - The Diplomat. A forum which comprises 17 countries and one region, Wednesday’s HACGAM is the eighth meeting of the organization. It came into being in 2004 to forge a combined response by major Asian powers to the menace of piracy but has since widened its scope to several other security issues. Wednesday’s meeting was the first time that HACGAM was held in South Asia.

In his inaugural address, Indian Defense Minister AK Antony stressed the importance of South East Asia's governments taking swift policy decisions to ensure the security and safety of oceans. “I would like to reiterate that oceans are and can become a domain for goodwill interactions between nations, mutual cooperation to provide humanitarian aid, preserving [the] maritime environment and enforcement of law at sea. Nations must cooperate with each other to ensure everlasting peace and security. The Coast Guards have the potential to elevate the maritime status of a nation among littoral states,” Antony said.

While commercial shipping operators know by now that the end of the monsoon season will bring an iincrease in pirate activities, maritime authorities are letting the yachting world know that sailing yachts are still a tempting target for Somali pirates -Marine Log. In a joint statement issued today, the Maritime Shipping Center-Horn of Africa (MSCHOA), NATO Shipping Center, UK Maritime and Trade Organization (UKMTO) and MARLO say that their advice remains that sailing yachts should avoid transiting the High Risk Area (HRA) in the Indian Ocean for the foreseeable future.

The HRA is the bounded by Suez and the Strait of Hormuz to the north, and 10° S and 78° E.

With the end of the South West monsoon, the weather and sea states in the Indian Ocean and the Southern Red Sea will become more conducive to pirate activity. Despite the fact that attacks on merchant vessels appear to have decreased, the possibility of attacks and the successful pirating of sailing vessels remains likely due to their vulnerability and the reduction of revenue sources from merchant vessels.

To pirate groups, sailing yachts are an easy target and possible source of revenue.

"Sailing in large groups is unlikely to be a deterrent –groups of sailing yachts could be seen as a larger target and a bigger source of ransom," warns today's advisory.

The Sultanate’s support for anti-piracy operations has been commended by a top official of the European Union Naval Force tasked with combating Somali-based sea gangs targeting merchant shipping in and around the Indian Ocean, reports Oman Daily Observer. Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino, Force Commander of EU NAVFOR — Operational Atalanta, said Oman’s proximity to the Area of Operations patrolled by the task force, made it an important player in the fight against the menace. “Oman is a key state in the region, with Salalah in particular the city where our ships go every day because it is in the centre of our (area of) operations,” Rear Admiral Credendino said. “Today, we have excellent cooperation with the Omani authorities, in particular with the Coast Guard and Navy. When we call them, they are very responsive. We exchange information, and I have already met the authorities here in Muscat and Salalah. Indeed, Oman must remain a key part of the operation,” he stated at a press briefing aboard the Italian amphibious ship ITS San Giusto yesterday [2 Oct].

Image - Courtesy of EUNAVFOR

The threat of modern piracy remains serious, regardless of its seasonal variations and the fact that it is chiefly confined to the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Guinea and rather less frequently the waters of South East Asia. Statistically, the numbers of ships attacked and captured by pirates when compared to the number of vessels transiting the Indian Ocean remains small, but the nature of that risk tends to outweigh mere statistics, commentsBIMCO. It is simply unacceptable for ships to be captured and their crews subjected to confinement and unspeakable tortures at pirate hands, so the precautions that will reduce the likelihood of this capture must be taken.

As with any risk, both the probability and consequences must be considered and while the probability of a successful capture might be relatively small, the consequences are such that a mere “percentage game” with owners taking their chances would be irresponsible.

In the case of Somali piracy, the risks quite definitely vary with seasons, with the stormy monsoon period dissuading pirates from operations with their small skiffs, although there have been exceptions noted with the use of motherships. The temptation, during periods when attacks have been few, is to relax one’s guard and to stand down protection teams, but advice has been to the effect that this is a dangerous strategy, as the pirates may well be merely waiting for signs of such relaxation, before launching a fresh assault on shipping.

Seychelles Minister met with members of the Abu Dhabi press and answered questions about the orientation of Seychelles’ tourism in the region, visitor arrival figures, and future policies - OCEANUSLive.

In answer to questions about the modern scourge of piracy affecting Seychelles EEZ, Minister St.Ange said that it was time to speak of the phenomenon using new language and leave behind the misleading phrase “piracy,” which no longer actively describes Somali activity in the region.

By Sunil K. Vaidya Bureau Chief

Muscat: The decline in piracy in the last six months could be a lull before the storm, according to a naval chief - Gulf News.

“In the last year to six months, piracy attacks have reduced,” European Naval Force Commander, Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino, said on Tuesday during a media briefing on board Italian warship ITS San Giusto, which is anchored at the Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat.

He said that it was a technical success. “The key word is to try and stabilise the area,” the Italian Naval officer believes.

“We (EU NAVFORCE) [sic] are part of the process,” he said referring to the operation to deter piracy in the area.

However, while he agreed that piracy attacks had reduced in recent times, he warned: “Starting from October, the pirates are expected to come out.”

The Republic of Seychelles has become the newest member of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), this following meetings that were attended to by officers of the Seychelles Peoples Defence Forces when in Manama in the Kingdom of Bahrain - OCEANUSLive.

The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is a multi-national naval partnership, which exists to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 2.5 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

CMF’s main focus areas are defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and promoting a safe maritime environment, and are headquartered with the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Following presentations made to the High Level Committee on Piracy, chaired by Minister Joel Morgan, the Minister for Home Affairs and Transport, and with a letter of invitation written by Vice Admiral Fox of the United States Navy and Commander of the CMF, to Brigadier Leopold Payet, Chief of Defence Forces in the Seychelles Peoples Defence Forces (SPDF), the Government approved the invitation and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming the acceptance, moved to join the maritime force command.

Defence IQ talks to Brigadier General Wiseman Mbambo on the attempts to control an increasingly violent piracy and insurgency movement on the high seas. Find out more on this subject at http://www.defenceiq.com. See the video HERE.

Summer edition of the publication, 'Maritime Security International', features piracy, kidnap and ransom and much more.

New research shows that negotiation communication in an authentic pirate hijacking also has an impact on a hijacked crew’s well-being. In an authentic hijacking situation, it is used by pirates to create problems between the company and crew - Danish Maritime Magazine.

In 2010 maritime researcher Lisa L. Froholdt, PhD from Chalmers Technological University, published an article written based on two interviews with Per Gullestrup and Niels Mathiesen, both from Clipper Group, about their experiences at the company’s office in connection with the hijacking of CEC Future.

It was very clear that even though they physically were far from the events, the so-called 'response space' in the company was a place which nevertheless was close to what was going on.

The staff was influenced by what they heard. Insomnia and stress were typical reactions during the crisis. These reactions show that there are psychological threats in response rooms even thousands of miles from the Gulf of Aden.

Lloyd's List invites the shipping community to take part in a major research project about the impact of piracy on shipping. The purpose of this research is to provide discussion points for a piracy roundtable that lloydslist.com will host in November. Your insights about the private maritime security industry will enable other shipping professionals to learn from those with real- life experience.Please take 10 minutes to share your opinions in this confidential survey. To begin the survey click HERE.

While incidents of piracy decline off the Horn of Africa, an inestimable number of seafarers continue to bear the psychological impact of captivity by pirates - Seamens Church. To describe their condition and to advise the maritime industry on how to care for affected individuals, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), in collaboration with New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine, releases a report from its clinical study of the effects of piracy on seafarers. The first of two reports introduced in London last week describes the study and major findings from 154 seafarer interviews.

“During encounters with pirates, seafarers experience traumatic events that may lead to clinically significant emotional consequences,” SCI’s Clinical Researcher Dr. Michael S. Garfinkle states, “however no attempts to describe the emotional circumstances of seafarers currently exist to help in assessing and treating them.” SCI aimed this first report, entitled “The Psychological Impact of Piracy on Seafarers,” at giving persons in the maritime industry a direct look at the data from SCI’s clinical study and some of its implications. In discussions with shipowners, SCI hopes to stimulate Human Resources protocols for treatment. The second report, a scientific peer- reviewed paper, follows, with planned publication in early 2013.

Some of the highlights of the study’s findings include:

Most seafarers interviewed did not think that their job is unduly stressful under normal conditions.

From 2009 to 2011, overt concern about piracy increased along with anticipatory stress about transiting piracy zones.

The frequency with which seafarers expressed appeal for armed guards on board ships for protection increased during the study.

Of those seafarers held captive or attacked by pirates, most experienced clinically significant symptoms afterwards.

Less than 1/2 of these seafarers felt that they had received adequate follow-up care.

Seafarers cited concerns about disclosing private medical records and being blacklisted as barriers to receiving medical care.

Image - Courtesy of Seamens Church

Horror of a pirate hostage: He was staring at the barrel of an AK-47 assault rifle as gunmen forced him to his knees. They angrily demanded: "Ash hadu Allah? Ash hadu Allah?" To any Muslim, these words are the start of a phrase frequently recited during prayers and it means: "I testify there is no God other than Allah and that Muhammad is his Prophet". Malaysian Lister James couldn't recite the Islamic creed - he didn't know the words, says Asia One. Mr James, then a 26-year-old second officer on board the Malaysia-flagged MT Bunga Melati 5, a petrochemical tanker, tried to explain to his increasingly impatient Somali captors that he was not a Muslim. Brandishing their weapons, they pressed him again: "You Malaysian? How come you don't know Ash hadu Allah?" This was just one of many close calls that forced Mr James and his shipmates to think about death almost daily as the hostage of Somali pirates. The ship's crew of 41 - 36 Malaysians and five Filipinos - were held captive for a month after pirates stormed the Bunga Melati 5 off the coast of Yemen, near the Gulf of Aden, on Aug 29, 2008. This is the first time Mr James, now 30, is sharing his harrowing story. Image - Mr Lister James and a friend (left) who were recently in Malaysia. Mr James was taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2008.

Seafarers have become the center of many initiatives to protect them from capture, torture and murder at the hands of pirates. Yet a long-term solution remains elusive -Maritime Executive. writes Wendy Laursen in Part 1 of the article.

Young deck cadet Sergey recalls being excited about his first transit of the high-risk waters off Somalia: “To be honest, I don’t fully recognize the whole danger of all of this, maybe because I’m still young.” Sergey’s transit was uneventful. On board Stena Suéde, he had the protection of best management practices, a team of security guards and, as a last resort, a purpose-built citadel.

Twenty-one-year-old trainee Dipendra did not have such support when his vessel was hijacked: “They kept us in a state of terror. We were beaten constantly with metal poles. I managed to avoid the worst violence, but I saw my crewmates being thrashed with sticks and having electric probes attached to their genitals, and one man was suspended by ropes from the ship’s mast for several hours. Even when I could not see the torturing, I could hear the screams. I can still hear the screams to this day. I don’t know why I wasn’t hurt more – maybe they thought I was too young and unimportant.”

It may be an industry, but what piracy hasn’t become is war. A lot of pirates are just teenagers, says Ahamed Kibria, CEO of United Marine Security. “They are aggressive. They will do anything to hijack a vessel. They’ll throw RPGs, but you cannot compare a Navy SEAL with pirates.” Many are very young. A Seychelles court recently pardoned and returned Abdulqadir, 12, and Burhan, 11, to their parents as they were deemed too young to convict of piracy.

Nor are seafarers soldiers. “A lot of it is looked upon as a military exercise and not criminal activity, and because of that you are almost trying to make seafarers become military-minded. That just doesn’t work,” says Lieutenant Commander (retired) Glen Forbes, founder of piracy intelligence service OCEANUSLive. “That’s not what seafarers are there for.”

Read Part 2 Here.

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan apologized Friday for little progress in the government's efforts to free four South Korean seamen taken captive by Somali pirates since April last year - Yonhap news. The four Koreans, who were among 25 crew on board the 21,000-ton vessel MT Gemini, operated by Singapore-based Glory Ship Management, have been held captive by the pirates for 525 days as of Friday. Somali pirates hijacked the vessel on its way to Kenya from Malaysia.

"I am sorry for no results in efforts" to release the Korean seamen, Kim told lawmakers during an annual parliamentary audit session where the minister was grilled over what some lawmakers call an "ineptness" in handling the case.

Kim maintained the government's policy of not negotiating with pirates, but said his ministry is making every effort to secure their safe release.

Image - Courtesy of Yonhap News

It's not unusual for Somali pirates to use video footage of their hostages to apply pressure on governments and relatives in order to secure ransoms, but this particularly heartfelt appeal from the crew of the MT Asphalt Venture is hard to watch. We can't be certain when this was orginally filmed, but the upload date is last week, states Neptune Maritime Security. This may well be an old video, but that doesn't detract from the content.

The MT Asphalt Venture was hijacked on September 28th, 2010 and the crew's last known whereabouts where Haffuuda village in Harardhere in July this year.

See the Video (Youtube).

My friend Stephan is a freelance boat captain and owns his own boat charter business in the Seychelles. It's a pretty amazing gig, all things considered - Vice.com. A couple of years ago, however, Stephan was asked to be Master of the Vessel on a ship sailing from the Seychelles to an island near Somalia. (That title is essentially the same thing as "Captain," by the way, which means he was basically in charge of getting the boat from point A to point B without any hiccups.) The thing about Somalian waters is that they have this irksome little pirate infestation— I'll excuse you if you didn't know already, it's not like it's been in the news much for the past half- decade—which Stephan got to find out about first-hand. I called him up on Skype and got him to tell me about all the fun he's been having with the Somali pirates of the Arabian Sea. VICE: Hey Stephan. So, tell me how you got yourself into this pirate situation. Stephan: Well, in August of 2010, I was recruited by some Russians to take an old, wooden square rigger—this beautiful old ship built in 1928—from the Seychelles to Socotra, a small island just off the Somali coast. They were really vague about the travel plans, though, and five days into the trip, I was suddenly told, really casually, that, "Oh, it's actually Montenegro we want to go to now," which is a lot further than Socotra. Who's "they"? We had a guy named Valim, who was the owner's nephew, Fyodor Konyukhov, this famous Russian sailor who was also a preacher and looked a lot like Jesus, and a Russian diplomat, as well as some of his staff. It was him who pulled the strings to let us bring firearms onboard, actually. Why did he want to bring firearms with him? Because of the pirate threat? Yeah, purely because he knew we'd be sailing past the Somali coast. We already had three Spetsnaz—Russian special forces—on board as well, and they were all armed to the teeth. Anyway, we eventually reached Socotra and had to make a load of repairs because the engine was a complete mess by that point. Then you remember there are pirates who also have guns. Exactly. The next morning, when we were coming up close to Yemen, this little boat came up on our port side, armed with Kalashnikovs, a couple of AKs and, apparently, one guy with a sniper rifle, so we all put our body armour on. We weren't allowed to shoot to kill, but we opened up towards them with Gail, and all the bullets hitting the water created this huge column of water in front of their boat. I've never seen anyone hit the deck of a boat and pull a U-turn that quick. I bet that was kind of exhilarating. Yeah, I mean, I never thought I'd get close enough to pirates to actually be able to see the whites in their eyes, you know? And I'm not being a dick here, but you're not scared at any point in that kind of situation. There's no drug in the world that can give you that kind of rush. OK. Yeah, I used to sit there and look at my watch, waiting to get another fix, like, "The sun's going down, it's about pirate time again." Image - Vice.com A Birstall-born Royal Marine whose ship chased down a pirate mothership in the Gulf and captured more than 30 pirates has been awarded a Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS), reports Maritime Executive. Major Adam Whitmarsh, aged 33, was based on Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship Fort Victoria as the chief of staff for the UK's counter-piracy task group, and was part of the team that freed a Pakistani dhow and Italian merchant vessel in October 2011. Both crews were liberated by Royal Marines boarding teams, with the pirates captured and sent for prosecution in Italy and the Seychelles. Major Whitmarsh said: "The job satisfaction from this deployment was immense - we went out there to chase down pirates and keep the sea lanes safe and that is exactly what we did. "As part of my job on board RFA Fort Victoria I was in charge of planning the operations against the pirates, so to see it all come together and also see them sent for prosecution was a real highlight." [OCEANUSLive Note:] OCEANUSLive asked the Commanding Officer of the Task Group heading the mission, (Captain) Gerry Northwood RN, for comment. He said, "I am thrilled that the successes of the UK counter piracy task group have been publicly recognised through an OBE for my Flag Captain, Shaun Jones, a hugely well deserved QCVS for Adam Whitmarsh and CJO"s Commendations for 3 other members of the team. This is very important recognition for over 400 sailors and Marines from 3 different nationalities who were part of the task Group and dedicated themselves to the task of protecting merchant vessels from Somali piracy. For the Marines and aircrew, this was accomplished at significant personal risk". Image - Major Whitmarsh Receives The Award - Photo: Maritime Executive

Katharina Stanzel, MD Intertanko, was voted WISTA Personality of the Year 2012. OCEANUSLive would like to add our Congratulations, along with the many that will unbdoubtedly be expressed by others. Women's International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) is an international organization for women in management positions involved in maritime transportation business and related trades worldwide. WISTA aims to be a major player in attracting more women to the industry and in supporting women in management positions. With networking, education and mentoring in focus we can enhance members' competence and empower career success. WISTA is growing and currently counts over 1.500 individual members in 34 National WISTA Associations (NWAs).

Hijacks:

 Malacca Strait - LATE Report | Robbers boarded Tuvalu tanker, MT Scorpio at 1415 LT in position 01:14.84N - 103:27.94E, approx 3nm off Tanjung Piai, Malaysia. Coast Guard boat received a call to inspect the tanker during a routine patrol. Upon approaching the tanker closer, robbers were noticed descending into a speed boat tied alongside the tanker. The speed boat departed from the tanker and headed towards Karimun Island, Indonesia. There was another ship (MT Sea Jade)tied alongside the tanker suspected to be stealing cargo. The Coast Guard boarded the tanker and found the 12 crew members with their hands tied up. he Coast Guard released them and upon investigation the crew members informed that the robbers stole money and crew personal belongings. The crew did not know about the tanker that was alongside. Reported (via MMEA) 14 Sep.  Gulf of Guinea - Liberia-flagged, German tanker boarded and hijacked by 12 armed pirates on 4 Oct in position 04:49N - 001:25, off Ghana. 14 crew held hostage whilst fuel cargo transferred to bunker barge. Vessel ransacked and belongings stolen prior to pirates escaping. No crew casualties, light injuries sustained. Vessel released 5 Oct. Click map to enlarge.

Unsuccessful Attacks/Robberies (All regions):

 Malacca Strait - LATE Report | Robbers boarded the accommodation barge,Pacific Installer, while being towed by tugboat Lady Cynthia in vic Buffalo Rock light, Malacca/Singapore Strait in position 01:09.14N - 103:48E. They escaped unnoticed with cans of paint and ship stores. The internal door on the port side and store container were forcibly opened. No crew injuries sustained. Reported (via ReCAAP) 6 Sep.  Malacca Strait - LATE Report | Eight men, armed with machetes and a gun, robbed the crew of commercial vessel Mongolia-flagged MT Bintang in the waters off Tanjung Piai, about 0.1 nautical mile from the Malaysia-Singapore border waters at 2230 LT. The robbers attacked staff of the engine room before tying up the vessel's crew (comprising 14 Myanmars and 2 Sri Lankans) and escaping with their cell phones, laptops and cash. MMEA sent a vessel to track down the eight robbers who escaped in a wooden boat. MMEA officials state the group of robbers were also linked to an attempted robbery on Sept 13, also in the Tanjung Piai waters, involving commercial vessel MT Scorpio. Reported (via MMEA) 22 Sep.  Malacca Strait - Three robbers armed with knives boarded an anchoredPanama-flagged chemical tanker, Fairchem Colt, via the forecastle at 1930 LT around Belawan Anchorage, Indonesia. They held the duty A/B at knife point and tied him up and stole ship’s stores. D/O raised the alarm upon sighting the robbers and crew mustered. Seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped in their fishing boat with the stolen stores. Port control informed. Reported (via IMB) 29 Sep. The number of vessels and hostages held by pirates are: International Maritime Bureau (IMB) figures at 30 August: Vessels: 11; Hostages: 188. NATO Shipping Centre states 7 merchant vessels and 177 crew held hostage; UKMTO - 13 vessels (including dhows & FVs), 205 hostages.

An interactive version of this situational map is available through registration of verified access to OCEANUSLive

OCEANUSLive.org permits the reproduction of this image providing source and link are published (Map ToU) Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai (Email UKMTO or Telephone+971 50 552 3215) and on entering the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) bound by Suez, 78E and 10S.

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