Pirates are not terrorists?

Opinion Article.

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The IMO Commends India, Greece

Commending the role of Indian navy in fighting pirates at the Gulf of Aden, the world's maritime controlling agency has awarded a special certificate to the forces.

A special 'Certificate of Commendation' was presented to the navy, which had deployed twelve ships off the coast of Somalia till July 2009 by the London-based UN agency, International Maritime Organisation.

Commodore P K Banerjee, Naval Adviser in London and also the commanding officer of one of the warships, which took part in international anti-piracy patrols received the award from E E Mitropoulos, IMO Secretary General at a ceremony held here.

Nalin Surie, the High Commissioner of India to UK, Georg Boomgaarden, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany and President of IMO Assembly, were among dignitaries present on the occasion.

Indian naval ships have escorted about 700 merchant ships, including 600 foreign-flagged vessels from over 45 countries, during anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008.

The award ceremony coincided with the inauguration of the 26th Regular Session of the IMO Assembly here.

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Greek naval officers were among the recipients of Certificates for Exceptional Services Rendered to Shipping and Mankind awarded by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) during a special ceremony in London on Tuesday night, held in the context of the organisation's 26th general assembly.

The Greek officers were honored for their participation in the international efforts to repress piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden.

Certificates were presented to the Commanding Officers, or their representatives, of navy ships from EU and NATO member countries and several other individual countries from various regions, namely from Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.

The Certificates for the Greek officers were presented to Greek Lt. Commanders Panagiotis Lymberis and Antonis Papaioannou, at a ceremony attended by Greece's minister for the economy, competitiveness and shipping Louka Katseli, who is representing Greece at the IMO general assembly that winds up on Wednesday, and Greek ambassador in London Vassilis Pispinis.

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Indian Navy deploys second ship in Indian Ocean to combat piracy

New Delhi, November 23 (PTI): The Navy has deployed a second warship in the Indian Ocean to combat piracy. While a larger warship has been deployed continuously in the general area of the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, a smaller vessel will now do patrolling around Seychelles and Mauritius.

The decision was taken after pirates shifted their operations to the East of Somalia, also referred to as the Somalia Basin and to the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of Seychelles and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Some of these attacks have taken place nearly 1,900 km from the Somali coast, making these waters dangerous for seafarers, thereby seriously affecting the safety of international trade and commerce transiting through these waters.The Navy will deploy INS Savitri, an offshore patrol vessel with a Chetak helicopter and marine commandos for the surveillance of EEZ of Seychelles and Mauritius from the end of this month till early next year. INS Savitri will be deployed in close coordination with the ships and aircraft of Seychelles Coast Guard and the Mauritian National Coast Guard to deter piracy in these areas.Over the past few years, incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia have increased considerably with over 174 piracy attempts, involving ships of various nationalities, have taken place in the last one year. To dissuade and prevent hijackings in the Gulf of Aden, the Navy was operating a warship in the Gulf of Aden since October 23 last.

Press Release: EU Atalanta anti-piracy escorts: ships should register for protection

EU anti-piracy escorts off Somalia have sunk ships, destroyed weapons, intercepted vessels and thwarted direct attacks. No escorted ship has been successfully attacked by pirates, but vessels should register before crossing the Gulf of Aden, EU Naval Force Commander Rear Admiral Peter D. Hudson told MEPs on Monday. MEPs called for more effective protection for European fishing vessels.

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BBC: Drones scour the sea for pirates

Sleek and sinister-looking, the latest weapon against piracy could have flown directly out of a science fiction film.

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How to fend off a pirate attack

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Manila Bulletin: IMO to assist Somalia in anti-piracy program

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Kenya to host forum on piracy

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By OLIVER MATHENGEPosted Friday, November 21 2008 at 11:46

In Summary

• President directs Foreign minister to convene summit.
• Piracy result of international community failure to deal with internal politics of Somalia.

President Kibaki is set to host an international conference in Nairobi to discuss the escalating incidences of piracy along the East African coastline.

Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang’ula has said that the president has instructed him to convene the meeting at the earliest opportunity.

“The President has directed me to organise an international conference where he will take the leading role on the issue of piracy along the Indian Ocean waters.”

He was speaking at Hotel Intercontinental, Nairobi where he hosted heads of foreign missions in the country for a consultative meeting.

Ambassadors from various countries including Britain and Germany attended the meeting. Also in attendance was Kenya’s Defence minister Yusuf Haji.

Mr Wetang’ula said that he will request the envoys to organise for representation from the highest level of their governments to attend the conference.

He noted that the piracy situation in the Indian Ocean was as a result of the international community’s “collective failure” to deal with the internal political issues facing Somalia.

“The plot has been thickening day by day and has now turned into a major international enterprise affecting all of us,” he said.

He added that the fact that the pirates were now hijacking ships from as long as 800 kilometres from the shore showed that the problem was bigger.

Lauding a decision by India three days ago to destroy one of its hijacked vessels, Mr Wetang’ula said that all countries must now prepare to act tough on the pirates.

He said that Kenya would sanction Somali leaders and their families noting that they would not be allowed to stay in the country unless they sorted Somalia’s internal problems.

“Sometimes we must take decisions that are harsh as for the sake of humanity they are justifiable. We must stop this menace and hard decisions have to be taken.”

He added that Kenya does not support countries that are paying ransom for the release of their vessels and cargo noting that this amounted to paying off criminals.

Late last month, President Kibaki called on Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) member states to work with the international community to draw up a joint anti-piracy framework.

Indian warship destroys suspected pirate ship off Somalia

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The Indian Navy ship Tabar is shown escorting another vessel in this file photo.

India says the military vessel opened fire after coming under attack and that some of the pirates escaped on high-speed rafts as their boat sank.

By Borzou Daragahi
7:40 AM PST, November 19, 2008

Reporting from Beirut -- An Indian warship patrolling the treacherous waters off the Horn of Africa destroyed a suspected pirate ship late Tuesday, at least the second time in a week that India's armed forces have unleashed military force to combat piracy amid a surge in maritime lawlessness.

According to a news release issued today by the Indian Defense Ministry, the Tabar opened fire on a pirate ship after it came under attack Tuesday evening, leaving the burning vessel to sink. There was no mention of rescuing or capturing its crew.

Along with the U.S., Russia and European nations, India is among the naval forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping lane between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Concern over piracy surged after audacious bandits Saturday hijacked a gigantic 1,000-foot tanker loaded with at least $100 million worth of crude oil and moored it near a pirate's haven off the coast of Somalia.

The pirates aboard the tanker, the Sirius Star, today demanded money in exchange for the $120-million ship, its crew and cargo.

"Negotiators are aboard the ship and on land," a suspected pirate calling himself Farah Abed Jameh, described as one of the bandits who hijacked the Saudi tanker, said in an audiotape aired by the Arab-language Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite news channel.

"Once they agree on the ransom, it will be taken in cash to the oil tanker," he said, without specifying an amount

On Tuesday, pirates off Somalia's coast seized an Iranian-owned and Hong Kong-flagged freighter carrying 35 metric tons of wheat and a crew of 25, a Greek freight ship with a crew of 23 and a Thai fishing boat and its crew of 16. The ships, crew and cargo are typically anchored off the Somali coast and ransomed for huge sums of cash.

The scourge has become a major headache for shippers facing increased insurance and security costs. Already a major Norwegian shipping firm announced that it would no longer sail through the Gulf of Aden, directing its freighters and tankers to take a circuitous route around Africa to avoid the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the oil-rich Arabian peninsula.

The move would incur "significant" extra costs, which would be passed on to customers and consumers.

"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," Terje Storeng, the president and CEO of Bergen, Norway-based Odfjell said in a news release. "Odfjell is frustrated by the fact that governments and authorities in general seem to take a limited interest in this very serious problem."

The U.S. military said it could take only limited steps to intervene and thwart pirates. Maritime experts say international law on jurisdiction regarding pirates is murky, with naval forces clearly permitted to attack pirates only when a commercial ship is under assault.

But New Delhi has apparently taken a different approach. Last week, Indian marine commandos on a helicopter swooped in on the scene of a hijacking to fend off pirates assailing an Indian commercial ship. Two suspected pirates were killed in a shootout with British commandos defending a Danish vessel this month.

In the latest incident, New Delhi said the Tabar tried to stop a suspected pirate vessel about 300 miles southwest of the Omani city of Salalah on Tuesday evening. Instead of allowing the sailors to inspect the ship, the alleged pirates threatened to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her," the statement said.

"Pirates could be seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket-propelled-grenade launchers," the statement said.

The pirates opened fire, the news release said, and the Tabar, a 400-foot warship, fired back. Fire and explosions erupted on board the suspected pirate ship, possibly the result of ammunition going off, the military said.

As the boat sank, some of the pirates escaped on high-speed rafts, the news release said.

More than 90 ships have been hijacked by pirates this year off the Horn of Africa. Since it arrived in the Gulf of Aden this month, the Tabar has escorted about 35 ships through the "pirate-infested" waterway, the Indian government said.

The piracy epidemic has captured the imagination of a public enamored with the romantic image of swashbuckling seamen of yore, engaged in swordplay and barking out orders to fellow buccaneers. But experts say today's pirates are tough young criminals armed with AK-47s and dressed in camouflage.

Storeng, the chief of the Norwegian shipping company, described modern piracy as "ruthless, high-level organized crime."

Daragahi is a Times staff writer.

India: Pirate 'mother ship' left in flames

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(CNN) -- An Indian warship has exchanged fire with a pirate "mother vessel" off the hijacking-plagued Horn of Africa, leaving the ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden, an official said Wednesday. A file photo shows the Indian frigate Tabar, which was involved in the skirmish. The skirmish took place Tuesday evening about 525 kilometers southwest of Oman's Salalah port when the frigate INS Tabar spotted a suspected pirate ship with two speedboats in tow, India's Defense Ministry reported. The pirate ship was badly damaged, said spokesman Nirad Sinha, but he could not confirm reports it had sunk. "This vessel was similar in description to the 'Mother Vessel' mentioned in various piracy bulletins," the ministry said in a written statement. The battle follows a recent surge in piracy off the Horn of Africa, including the weekend hijacking of a Saudi-owned supertanker by pirates based in largely lawless Somalia. See where latest hijacking took place. » Three other vessels have been captured since then in what a London-based maritime official called a "completely unprecedented" situation. The Saudi owners of a hijacked oil supertanker carrying an oil cargo worth up to $100 million, which pirates Tuesday anchored off the Somali coast, said they were negotiating with its captors. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al Faisal said he could not confirm if a ransom had been demanded, but said the owners of the 300,000-ton Sirius Star were "negotiating on the issue," The Associated Press reported. In its clash with the pirate vessel, the Tabar's crew hailed the ship and demanded it stop for inspection, the pirates threatened to destroy the Indian ship, the ministry reported. "Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The vessel continued its threatening calls and subsequently fired upon INS Tabar," the ministry said. The Indian frigate returned fire, setting the pirate ship ablaze and setting off explosions on board, the statement said. Two speedboats in tow behind the ship fled; one was found abandoned after a pursuit by the Tabar. It was not clear Wednesday whether the mother ship sank after the fighting, naval spokesman Prem Raj Rawat told CNN. Michael Howlett, assistant director of the International Maritime Bureau in London, which tracks pirate attacks, said the recent upsurge in activity was unprecedented. "We've never seen a situation like this," he said. Watch Mersk CEO describe how "all ships are at risk" » On Tuesday, pirates hijacked a Thai fishing vessel and a Chinese-flagged Iranian cargo ship carrying wheat in the waters off the Horn of Africa. A third ship -- a Chinese fishing vessel -- was hijacked Saturday, but word did not reach authorities until Tuesday, Howlett said. Noel Choong, who heads the IMB's Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said 95 pirate attacks have taken place so far this year in the Gulf of Aden. Of those, 39 resulted in successful captures; 17 of those vessels and their crews -- a total of about 300 sailors -- remain in the hands of the pirates. But the seizure of the 300,000-ton supertanker Sirius Star took place well south of the gulf, in the Indian Ocean off Kenya. Pirate attacks are spreading farther north to the Gulf of Aden and farther south off the Kenyan coast, Choong said. "The risks are low and the returns are extremely high for these pirates," he told CNN. Pirates know that their chances of getting killed or captured during a hijacking are very low, he said.

Round the world racers to go on pirate alert

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Eight yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race round-the-world event will be kept closely briefed on piracy threats and monitored by warships as they approach the troubled waters of the Arabian Sea.

Into stormy waters: the Volvo fleet are threatened more than just heavy seas on the second leg to Cochin, India.

Currently on the second leg of the race, between Cape Town, South Africa, and Cochin, India, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet is attempting to avoid the worst of the pirate danger zone, heading south east of the Arabian Sea area where pirates seized a Saudi-owned crude tanker and 25 crew members on Monday.

The U.S. Navy confirmed that the vessel, Sirius Star, had been stormed by pirates and the crew held hostage.

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden region, particularly in the waters off Somalia, has soared this year with the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reporting more than 60 incidents in the first nine months of the year.

A Volvo Ocean Race spokesman told CNN that the course had been changed to help dodge the piracy threat.

"If it went straight to Cochin they would get a lot closer to the danger area," he said.

Race organizers added a scoring way point below Mauritius, and an exclusion zone above the country to keep the fleet east and away from Somalia, he said.

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The crews were about a week away from getting close to the danger zone, and it was expected they would get no closer than about 600 miles from where attacks had been reported, the spokesman said.

They would be briefed on any potential dangers when they drew closer to the northern Indian Ocean, he added.

Before the leg began, teams were also briefed on the pirate threat by Graeme Gibbon Brooks of maritime intelligence service Dryad Maritime.

"There are places you are going to which could prove problematic. There are a places where a piracy threat exists and there are also challenges of avoiding other boats. The purpose of this briefing is advice on how to avoid a situation and what to do if you can't," he told the crews.

Ken Read, skipper of one of the race's main contenders, PUMA Ocean Racing, said before the second leg started: "It's a step into the unknown for all of us.

"The ocean arena we usually race in will now be the real world. We need to prepare right so we know what to do to avoid problems."

The position of the all the competing boats is also being monitored closely, the spokesman said.

The UK Maritime Trade Organization (UKMTO), based in Dubai, would be monitoring the positions of the boats and feed them into a database passed out to warships to assess.

If the crews make it through the second leg unscathed they then face another dangerous jaunt through the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, and the waters between west Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra on leg three.

Telefonica Blue led the eight teams on Monday as the boats headed east, away from the African continent.

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SKorea plans to send warship to combat Somali pirates

South Korea plans to send a warship to combat piracy in the lawless waters off Somalia

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SEOUL (AFP) — South Korea announced Monday it plans to send a warship to combat piracy in the lawless waters off Somalia, where five more Koreans were seized over the weekend.

The defence ministry will ask parliament to approve the deployment before its current session ends on December 8, said ministry spokesman Won Tae-Jae.

Once the mission is approved Seoul will send a 4,500-ton destroyer carrying missiles and other modern weaponry early next year, a senior official told Yonhap news agency last week.

The ship will join international efforts to combat piracy involving US and French warships, the official said.

Last week, the European Union launched an operation off the coast of Somalia to combat growing piracy and protect ships carrying aid deliveries. It is the EU's first-ever naval mission.

The foreign ministry said all the South Koreans aboard a hijacked Japanese cargo ship are safe. The 20,000-ton Chemstar Venus, with five South Koreans and 18 Filipino crewmen, was seized in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday.

"All our five crewmen... turned out to be safe," said foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young, confirming contact had been made with the kidnappers.

The spokesman refused to give other details such as whether a ransom had been demanded. The ministry says the Panamanian-registered ship is owned by a Japanese firm and its captain is Korean.

South Korean ships have frequently been targeted in the region.

Somali pirates seized a South Korean cargo ship and 22 sailors on September 10. The crew was released last month after the ship's owner paid a ransom.

Last year Somali pirates seized two South Korean vessels and 24 crew including four South Koreans.

The crew were released in November after six months in captivity. Local media reports said the pirates had demanded a ransom of five million dollars before reducing the sum to an undisclosed figure.

In April 2006 a South Korean tuna ship with 25 crew on board was hijacked. The ship and its crew were released after four months following the payment of a ransom.

The International Maritime Bureau reports at least 83 ships have been attacked off Somalia since January, of which 33 were hijacked. Of those, 12 vessels and more than 200 crew were still in the hands of pirates.

Baalu quick to claim credit for ship rescue

Link to Article MUMBAI: After the release of Stolt Valor by pirates, Union shipping minister T R Baalu's office was quick to issue a statement  to point out his interest in the matter. ‘‘Baalu has been personally monitoring the progress on a day-to-day basis to ensure that sufficient efforts were made for the release of the ship. The minister has expressed relief and happiness and conveyed his best wishes for a safe journey home to all crew members. He has also conveyed his best wishes to the family members of the crew who have been suffering through this ordeal,’’ the statement said.  With the sailors’ families and maritime unions holding public rallies calling for a boycott of seafaring in the area, and the Indian navy expressing its interest in chasing down pirates, two navy warships were sent to the danger zone last month. One saved an Indian ship from being boarded by pirates last week.  A naval official said, ‘‘Though we had no direct connection to the Stolt Valor episode, we are keeping a close watch on the waters off Somalia and patrolling the Gulf of Aden to deter pirate attacks on Indian merchant vessels.’’  A Nato fleet of around seven vessels is also in the Gulf of Aden to assist anti-piracy patrols and escort cargo vessels. But according to fresh data from IMB, attacks have increased in the past week, with at least five successful hijackings since last Friday.  Central Marine, the Japanse owners of Stolt Valor, issued a statement saying, ‘‘We would like to thank the government of India, the maritime authorities concerned and associations, the seafarers’ union and above all the hijacked seafarers’ families for being supportive and instilling faith in us.’’

EU adopts joint action to launch “Atalanta” operation against piracy in the Somali coast

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The Official Journal of the European Union published on November, 12th, 2008, the Council Joint Action 2008/851/CFSP adopted on November, 10th, on a European Union military operation to contribute to the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. This action comes after the UNSC's and the Council's expressions of concern about the upsurge of piracy attacks off the Somali coast, which affect humanitarian efforts and international maritime traffic in the region and contribute to continued violations of the UN arms embargo.

Under this Joint Action the European Union will conduct a military operation, called “Atalanta Operatoin”, in support of Resolutions 1814 (2008), 1816 (2008) and 1838 (2008) of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Such operation will be consistent with actions permitted with respect to piracy under Article 100 et seq. of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea signed in Montego Bay on December, 10th, and by means, in particular, of commitments made with third States.

These actions will contribute to:

• The protection of vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP) delivering food aid to displaced persons in Somalia, in accordance with the mandate laid down in UNSC Resolution 1814 (2008).
• The protection of vulnerable vessels cruising off the Somali coast, and the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast, in accordance with the mandate laid down in UNSC Resolution 1816 (2008).

The forces deployed to that end will operate, up to 500 nautical miles off the Somali coast and neighbouring countries, in accordance with the political objective of an EU maritime operation, as defined in the crisis management concept approved by the Council on August, 5th, 2008.

“Atalanta” Operational objectives

• Provide protection to vessels chartered by the WFP, including by means of the presence on board those vessels of armed units of Atalanta, in particular when cruising in Somali territorial waters.
• Provide protection, based on a case-by-case evaluation of needs, to merchant vessels cruising in the areas where it is deployed.
• Keep watch over areas off the Somali coast, including Somalia's territorial waters, in which there are dangers to maritime activities, in particular to maritime traffic.
• Take the necessary measures, including the use of force, to deter, prevent and intervene in order to bring to an end acts of piracy and armed robbery which may be committed in the areas where it is present.
• In view of prosecutions potentially being brought by the relevant States, arrest, detain and transfer persons who have committed, or are suspected of having committed, acts of piracy or armed robbery in the areas where it is present and seize the vessels of the pirates or armed robbers or the vessels caught following an act of piracy or an armed robbery and which are in the hands of the pirates, as well as the goods on board.
• Liaise with organisations and entities, as well as States, working in the region to combat acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast, in particular the “Combined Task Force 150” maritime force which operates within the framework of “Operation Enduring Freedom”.

The appointed EU Operation Commander is Rear admiral Phillip Jones, and the EU Operational HQ will be located at Northwood, in the United Kingdom. Under the responsibility of the Council, the Political and Security Committee (PSC) will exercise the political control and strategic direction of the EU military operation.

The EU Military Committee (EUMC) will monitor the proper execution of the EU military operation conducted under the responsibility of the EU Operation Commander, and will periodically report to the PSC.

The Presidency, the SG/HR, the EU Operation Commander and the EU Force Commander will closely coordinate their respective activities regarding the implementation of this Joint Action.

10 kidnapped oil workers freed in Cameroon

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By SEPTIME MEUNIER – 19 hours ago

PARIS (AP) — Seven French and three African oil workers taken hostage from a tugboat off the coast of Cameroon last month were freed Tuesday.

French officials credited help from Nigerian authorities and Cameroon President Paul Biya for the oil workers release.

President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said he expressed his "relief" at the news and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner hailed the "happy ending" to the incident.

"This incident reminds us of the urgent necessity for the international community to fight effectively against maritime piracy," Kouchner said.

The 10 hostages, including two Cameroon citizens and one Tunisian, were in good health, according to Christa Roqueblave, a spokeswoman for the maritime services company Bourbon, owner of the Bourbon Sagitta tugboat.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier said the hostages were not freed by a military operation since their captors seized them for mostly political — not financial — motives.

"The French state did not pay a ransom," he said. "There were talks between authorities in Cameroon and the hostage-takers."

A Cameroon militia group took the oil workers hostage Oct. 31 off the West African nation's coast, and threatened to kill them if demands for autonomy talks with the government were not met.

Days after the hostage-taking, Ebi Dari, a leader of the militia said one of the hostages was killed in a failed rescue attempt by Nigerian marines, an allegation later denied by French officials.

Dari heads the Cameroon-based Niger Delta Defense and Security Council, an umbrella group for several militias that have operated in Cameroon's Bakassi Peninsula for years. The militias want autonomy and development for Bakassi.

Associated Press writers Cecile Roux in Paris and Edward Harris in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

Navy saves Jag Arnav from Somalian pirates

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NEW DELHI: The Navy on Tuesday foiled attempts by Somalian pirates to hijack an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden, infested by heavily-armed pirates.

The warship patrolling the area detected the cargo vessel’s SOS and set off a swift operation to rescue the merchant vessel and escort it to safety.

Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Co’s Jag Arnav, a 38,000 ton bulk carrier, had crossed the Suez Canal when it was attacked by pirates who surrounded the vessel in small boats. The Indian warship, INS Tabar, sent “an armed helicopter with marine commandos... to intervene and prevent” the hijacking, a statement by the Indian Navy said.

In its first counter-piracy mission, India had decided to deploy a ship in the region to rescue vessels in distress in troubled waters which provide a vital trade route. The move was prompted by the hijack of a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden and a spate of attacks by pirates from Somalia, which is caught up in Islamic insurgency, and other African countries. A Japanese-owned merchant vessel carrying a 22-member crew, including 18 Indians, was hijacked by Somali pirates last month in the Gulf of Aden. This followed protests by the sailors’ families. The defence ministry had said the warship was being sent to instil confidence among sailors. More than 90% of India’s foreign trade by volume and 77% by value is shipped through the region, mainly through the Suez Canal. Tuesday’s attack took place at 10.30 am, when the ship was 60 nautical miles east of Aden, according to reports at the Mumbai-headquarters Western Naval Command (WNC). However, the statement did not specify how many crew members were aboard the vessel or their nationality. According to the International Maritime Bureau, 199 incidents of piracy or attempted piracy have been reported world-wide from January to September this year of which 63 were in the busy Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast. As many as twelve vessels remain the in hands of pirates along with over 200 crew. While NATO had sent three ships to the Gulf of Eden, the European Union has dispatched at least four warships backed by aircraft which will begin patrolling in December.

Guarded shipping corridor limiting Somali piracy

Guarded Shipping Corridor Limited Somali Piracy

By JASON KEYSER – 2 hours ago

In this photo released by the U.S. Navy on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008, the crew of the hijacked merchant vessel MV Faina stand on the deck after a U.S. Navy request to check on their health and welfare, at sea off the coast of Somalia Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008. The commander of a multinational naval force off Somalia's coast says a shipping corridor patrolled by warships is helping protect merchant vessels from a surge in pirate attacks. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Jason R. Zalasky)

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — A multinational force of warships has carved out a narrow shipping corridor off the coast of Somalia that is helping protect merchant vessels from pirate attacks, the force's commander said Monday.

Ninety percent of ships transiting the perilous Gulf of Aden are using the guarded corridor and there have been no hijackings inside the zone since it was set up on Aug. 22, said Danish Commodore Per Bigum Christensen.

In a telephone interview from his East African base in Djibouti, Christensen said coalition naval forces were also having success using planes, helicopters and drones to find and track suspect vessels until they can be boarded and searched.

Pirate attacks off the Somali coast have surged 75 percent this year, as bandits lured by million-dollar ransoms have pushed farther out to sea in search of bigger prey among the 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden each year.

There have been 81 attacks this year, and 32 ships have been hijacked, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Eleven vessels remain in the hands of pirates along with more than 200 crew — most notably the Ukrainian freighter, the MV Faina, loaded with tanks and weapons, seized Sept. 25.

The multinational force created the shipping channel to better focus its patrols in the vast area. The zone is about 600 miles long and just three to six miles wide. It runs roughly north-south, allowing ships to safely bypass the Somali coast on their way to and from the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

Most commercial ships enter the zone on their own, but others group together in convoys with a warship escort.

A few larger and faster ships less vulnerable to attack still move outside the zone, as do "some crazy yachters," Christensen said. Luxury yachts have been among the pirates' targets this year.

Aboard stolen fishing trawlers and other "mother ships" loaded with food, diesel and water, pirates can loiter several hundred miles offshore for days. Hiding among clusters of fishing boats, the bandits launch armed skiffs with powerful outboard engines as attack craft when a target is spotted, often clambering aboard a ship by ladder or grappling equipment in a matter of minutes.

The bandits have already shifted their tactics in response to the patrols, positioning attack teams on the northern and southern ends of the shipping zone to stretch the already thin naval forces, Christensen said.

The naval forces have captured six pirate attack teams — around 60 people — since October, Christensen said. But after seizing their weapons and equipment, the sailors must release the bandits at sea to sail back to Somalia because no country has been willing to bring them to trial.

Somalia has no reliable central government to put them on trial or imprison them.

The naval task force that Christensen commands was initially set up under the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan to patrol the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. But earlier this year it was diverted to concentrate almost solely on fighting piracy. Known as Combined Task Force-150, it has anywhere from three to 15 ships on patrol at a time.

Besides Denmark, the nations that have been part of the task force are the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Britain, Pakistan and Canada.

Separately, ships from the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet have been deployed to surround the Faina until a resolution to the standoff over the freighter is reached.

A NATO flotilla of seven vessels is also patrolling the area. European Union foreign ministers gave their final approval Monday to send four to six ships to replace the NATO force in December.

The use of military power, Christensen acknowledged, is limited in what it can do to stop a problem driven by lawlessness and poverty in Somalia, a nation at war with itself for most of the past 17 years.

"We can be there and suppress the piracy," Christensen said, "but the problem is on shore."

DR Congo Unrest Worsens as EU Refuses Peacekeeping Mission

10 Nov. Atricle

DR Congo Unrest Worsens as EU Refuses Peacekeeping Mission

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Thousands have fled new fighting in eastern DR Congo as the humanitarian crisis widens

Fighting in new territory in the Democratic Republic of Congo has snuffed out hopes of a swift end to the conflict, but it was too early to send peacekeeping troops into the region, EU foreign ministers said Monday.

Eu starts antipiracy mission off Somalia

EU starts antipiracy mission off Somalia

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 20:25:00 11/10/2008

BRUSSELS—The European Union formally launched Monday an anti-piracy security operation off the coast of Somalia -- its first ever naval mission -- the EU's French presidency said.

Dubbed Operation Atalanta, the mission was endorsed by the bloc's defense ministers at talks in Brussels. EU ships will also help protect UN and other vulnerable vessels seeking to transport aid into strife-torn Somalia.

"I hope that it will be in place by December," EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said, as the bloc's defense and foreign ministers held talks in Brussels.

The so-called EUNAVOR operation will be made up of at least seven ships, including three frigates and a supply vessel. It will also be backed by surveillance aircraft.

The mission will be run from a headquarters at Northwood, north of London, with contributions from France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain, with Portugal, Sweden and non-EU nation Norway also likely to take part.

EU to Send Warships to Combat Piracy Off Somali Coast

10 Nov Bloomberg

EU to Send Warships to Combat Piracy Off Somali Coast (Update2)

By Gregory Viscusi

Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- European Union member states agreed to send a fleet of warships to the Somali coast, joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and at least three other countries that have deployed naval vessels to combat pirates in the world's most dangerous seas.

The decision by defense and foreign ministers from the 27- member EU at a Brussels meeting today gives approval to an agreement reached at an informal gathering last month in Deauville, France.

The fleet, the first naval mission put together by the EU, will be in place by next month, French Defense Minister Herve Morin said at a press conference. The force will be called Atalanta and at least eight countries have pledged warships or patrol planes, he said.

``We've been faced with an unacceptable rise in piracy in the zone,'' said Morin. ``This operation is proof that a Europe of defense is starting to take shape.''

The one-year mission will be commanded by British Vice- Admiral Phillip Jones, based in Northwood near London, and operate out of the French military base in Djibouti on the Gulf of Aden. The cost is estimated at 8.3 million euros ($11 million), the EU said in a statement.

Pirate attacks climbed fivefold in the Gulf of Aden in the first nine months of this year as ransom payments spurred raiders to step up their activities, the International Maritime Bureau said last month. At least 60 boats have been attacked and more than 12 vessels and 259 crew members remain hostage.