NAVY NEWS WEEK 47-3 28 November 2017 Seychelles: 6 Suspected Somali Pirates Transferred to Seychelles for Possible Trial Six suspected Somali pirates have been transferred to Seychelles after they were caught attacking a container ship and a fishing vessel in the Southern Somali Basin, officials said. The suspects were apprehended by an Italian navy frigate, ITS Virginio Fasan, after they attacked a Seychelles-flagged 52-tonne container ship and a fishing vessel last week. The incident took place over a 24-hour period from Friday, Nov. 18 to Saturday, Nov. 19. The acting superintendent of prisons, Raymond St Ange, said the pirates have been transferred to Seychelles based on an agreement with the European Naval Force Operation Atlanta (EU NAVFOR). "The agreement allows us to initiate prosecution during any act of piracy. But prosecution will depend on evidence analysed by the office of the Attorney-General," said St Ange. The suspects arrived in Seychelles, a group of 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, on Thursday morning at the Port of Victoria. St Ange said that a delegation from Somalia will also arrive in the country to discuss the issue of piracy. There are 15 Somali detainees in the Seychelles' main prison facility at Montagne Posee. In an article in the online navaltoday website, the EU NAVFOR Somalia said, "the pirates launched a number of rocket-propelled grenades against the container ship during their attack." "All crew on both attacked ships are safe thanks to adherence to BMP4 (Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia), the presence of a security team on one of the vessels and good seamanship," the article quoted the EU NAVFOR as saying. The Seychelles' archipelago -- 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean -- has been on the forefront of the fight against piracy since 2005, when the scourge began expanding, adversely impacting the nation's tourism and fishing industries. Despite the decline in pirate attacks off the vast coastline of Somalia from 236 in 2011 to two reportedly unsuccessful attacks in 2014, Seychelles has remained on the alert and St Ange had said last year that recent intelligence suggests that pirates threats still exist. More recently, the Seychelles' chair of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), Ambassador Barry Faure, said seafarers should bear in mind pirates will always be there as long as there is no stability on the grounds in Somalia. Source: Maasmond Maritime Malaysia says vessel carrying 4.5 mln USD palm oil robbed in waters near Indonesia The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said on Friday that a vessel carrying about 3,700 ton of palm oil had been robbed in the waters near indonesia. mmea said it received report by a malaysian company that Ever Omega , a barge it owned, was hijacked in the waters near Indonesia on Wednesday The barge, along with tugboat Ever Prosper, was sailing from Bintulu in the eastern Malaysian state of Sarawak to Penang off the Malay Peninsula when it was robbed by a group of machete-wielding pirates in wee hours, said the statement. The six crew members on the barge and the four crew on the tugboat were tied up by the robbers, who took away the barge but left the tugboat behind. The crew on the tugboat later managed to free themselves and sailed the ship toward water off Malaysia‟s southern Johor state, the statement said. MMEA said it had since requested assistance from the Indonesian authorities and was informed on Thursday that the barge Eve Omega had been found, but the cargos on the ship worth around 18.5 million ringgit (4.5 million U.S. dollar) were believed to be robbed. Based on the record, it is the fourth time that the ships owned by the company were robbed, said MMEA, adding that around 5,449 tons of palm oil were robbed in two incidents in 2016. Source: Xinhua 'Chennai Six' found not guilty, according to supporters Six Britons jailed in India on weapons charges while working as security guards on anti-piracy ships have won their appeal. 18:39, UK, Monday 27 November 2017 The so-called "Chennai Six" - former British soldiers jailed in India on weapons charges - have won their appeal, according to supporters. Thirty-five men were imprisoned in October 2013 while working as guards on anti-piracy ships in the Indian Ocean. According to a supporter's post on social media, a decision by the country's Appeal Court found all 35 men, including the six Britons, not guilty of those weapons charges. The men are: :: John Armstrong, 30, of Wigton, Cumbria :: Nick Dunn, 31, of Northumberland :: Billy Irving, 37, from Argyll and Bute :: Nicholas Simpson, 47, of Catterick, North Yorkshire :: Ray Tindall, 42, of Chester :: Paul Towers, 54, of Pocklington, East Yorkshire Supporters said: "The Appeal Court has today found all 35 men NOT GUILTY we now wait to hear as and when the men will be allowed home to their families. "This may take some time whilst the authorities decide whether they agree with the outcome or wish to appeal. "If they wish to appeal the men might be released from prison but not allowed back to the UK," the supporters' post said. Sentenced to five years in 2016, the men had consistently denied the charges - which had initially been quashed and then later reinstated by the Indian courts. They were arrested while working aboard the MV Seaman Guard Ohio, a vessel owned by an American company offering armed protection services to ships travelling between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Indian authorities arrested the men after finding weapons and ammunition aboard the vessel, which they claimed had not been properly declared. The charges were overturned when the men showed papers for the weapons had been issued by the British government and that they were lawfully held for anti-piracy security. However, a lower court in India reinstated the charges against the men, leading to their conviction in January 2016. "The families are understandably delighted that finally common sense and justice has prevailed," the supporters' group continued. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said word of their successful appeal was "fantastic news" and that he hoped the men would be able to return home "as soon as possible". He added: "The FCO has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to reunite these men with their families. The importance the UK Government places on their case cannot be understated. "The men, their families and their supporters, who have campaigned unrelentingly, must be overjoyed. I share their delight and I hope they can return home as soon as possible." Source: https://news.sky.com HMAS Darwin sails into Sydney Harbour for final time HMAS Darwin flies her decommissioning pennant as she sails toward Fleet Base East for the final time as a commissioned ship. Photo: Australian Navy Twelve former Commanding Officers have sailed onboard Royal Australian Navy frigate, HMAS Darwin, today as she transited through Sydney Heads into her home port for the last time. Darwin was escorted through Sydney Heads by Navy‟s newest ship HMAS Hobart for a traditional “cheer ship” as she passed the fleet before being welcomed alongside Garden Island by former sailors, officers and support staff. The Adelaide Class frigate is scheduled to be decommissioned at the end of the year to make way for the Navy‟s new fleet of Hobart Class Guided Missile Destroyers. Darwin‟s Commanding Officer, Commander Phillip Henry, said the significance of the final passage was not lost on the ship‟s company. “Darwin has a proud history of 33 years of service and every member of the crew both past and present have contributed to that,” Commander Henry said. “We all want to see her fare welled in a manner fitting this significant occasion. “It will be sad to see her go but it is time to make way for the newer and more capable Destroyers.” Twelve former Commanding Officers, including Captain Martyn Bell, joined the ship in Jervis Bay for an overnight steam to commemorate the end of her long and distinguished career in the fleet. “It’s fantastic to be back in this ship. It was the highlight of my Navy career to be the Commanding Officer of Darwin,” Captain Bell said. Darwin was commissioned on 21 July 1984 and in the course of her duties has steamed more than a million nautical miles across the globe. She has deployed to operations in Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands as well as seven times to the Middle East region. On her most recent deployment to the Middle East for Operation MANITOU in 2016, Darwin and her ship‟s company completed three seizures of heroin worth $800 million of the coast of Africa. Darwin will decommission in a traditional Navy ceremony on December 09th. Source: Naval Today LPD-17 San Antonio Class: The USA’s New Amphibious Ships Nov 27, 2017 04:58 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff LPD Flight II click for video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI5GFP_b7kQ November 27/17: Contracts BAE Systems has been awarded a $8.7 million US Navy contract modification to complete the fitting out availability process for the USS Portland (LPD-27) and for continued efforts associated with the post shakedown availability for the USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26). Work on the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships will take place at BAE‟s San Diego facility in California with work on the USS John P. Murtha scheduled to be completed by February 2018, followed by the USS Portland in October 2018.