16 February 2010
11 February 2010
Somali Pirates Free Taiwanese Fishing Boat - Voice of America
Somali Pirates Free Taiwanese Fishing Boat - Voice of America: "
 BBC News | Somali Pirates Free Taiwanese Fishing Boat Voice of America Taiwan's Foreign Ministry says Somali pirates have freed a Taiwanese fishing boat held since last April. The Win Far 161 and its crew were released Thursday ... Somali pirates free Taiwanese fishing boatBBC News Pirates free Taiwan ship, 3 crew dead: watchdogAFP Somali Pirates Letting Illegal Fishing Run Wild?Discovery News Newstime Africa -RTT News -Bangkok Post all 118 news articles » |
04 February 2010
03 February 2010
Modern Day Pirate Blog
Modern Day Pirate
Great blog by Daniel Sekulich, author of Terror on the Seas. I have two copies of the book!
Great blog by Daniel Sekulich, author of Terror on the Seas. I have two copies of the book!
Pirates Feast On Gamblers
Link to Article
February 3, 2010: An analysis of the ships captured by Somali pirates last year found that most of them had ignored recommended security measures, while passing through the Gulf of Aden, or elsewhere along the Somali coast. About a quarter of the merchant ships moving through this danger zone just take their chances. The odds aren't bad. About one in 500 ships passing through the area are captured by pirates. But closer to one in a hundred are attacked or threatened. The pirates have learned to seek out the unprepared merchant ships, knowing that these will be easier to get aboard and capture. Thus these ships that are just playing the percentages, have a higher risk (closer to one in 200) or being captured. The precautions ships can take are costly, time consuming and an extra burden for the crew. The costly measures include moving through pirate infested waters at the highest possible speed. This can cost several thousand dollars more per hour. Ships are also advised to zig zag in pirate waters, that can cost you an extra few hundred dollars an hour, and demands more attention from the crew. Other preparations include stringing barbed wire around likely boarding points, and practicing the use of fire hoses and other tools (like long poles) to keep the ladders or grappling hooks from enabling the pirates to get aboard. Crews are also advised to prepare a "safe room" (an area of the ship the crew can barricade themselves in, if they have to, until help arrives.) There should be emergency communications available in the safe room, so that help can be summoned before the pirates figure out how to get in. The most common safe room solution is barricading the crew in the engine compartment.
All these precautions take time and money. For ships that regularly travel past Somalia, the effort and expense are worth it. But for ships that pass by infrequently, there is a tendency to just take your chances.
For most of the past decade, the pirates preyed on foreign fishing boats and the small, sometimes sail powered, cargo boats the move close (within a hundred kilometers) of the shore. During that time, the pirates developed contacts with businessmen in the Persian Gulf who could be used to negotiate (for a percentage) much larger ransoms with insurance companies and shipping firms. The pirates also mastered the skills needed to put a grappling hook on the railing, 30-40 feet above the water, of a large ship. Doing this at night, and then scrambling aboard, is more dangerous if the ship has lookouts, who can alert sailors trained to deploy high pressure fire hoses against the borders. Thus the increase vulnerability of those ships that just take their chances.
February 3, 2010: An analysis of the ships captured by Somali pirates last year found that most of them had ignored recommended security measures, while passing through the Gulf of Aden, or elsewhere along the Somali coast. About a quarter of the merchant ships moving through this danger zone just take their chances. The odds aren't bad. About one in 500 ships passing through the area are captured by pirates. But closer to one in a hundred are attacked or threatened. The pirates have learned to seek out the unprepared merchant ships, knowing that these will be easier to get aboard and capture. Thus these ships that are just playing the percentages, have a higher risk (closer to one in 200) or being captured. The precautions ships can take are costly, time consuming and an extra burden for the crew. The costly measures include moving through pirate infested waters at the highest possible speed. This can cost several thousand dollars more per hour. Ships are also advised to zig zag in pirate waters, that can cost you an extra few hundred dollars an hour, and demands more attention from the crew. Other preparations include stringing barbed wire around likely boarding points, and practicing the use of fire hoses and other tools (like long poles) to keep the ladders or grappling hooks from enabling the pirates to get aboard. Crews are also advised to prepare a "safe room" (an area of the ship the crew can barricade themselves in, if they have to, until help arrives.) There should be emergency communications available in the safe room, so that help can be summoned before the pirates figure out how to get in. The most common safe room solution is barricading the crew in the engine compartment.
All these precautions take time and money. For ships that regularly travel past Somalia, the effort and expense are worth it. But for ships that pass by infrequently, there is a tendency to just take your chances.
For most of the past decade, the pirates preyed on foreign fishing boats and the small, sometimes sail powered, cargo boats the move close (within a hundred kilometers) of the shore. During that time, the pirates developed contacts with businessmen in the Persian Gulf who could be used to negotiate (for a percentage) much larger ransoms with insurance companies and shipping firms. The pirates also mastered the skills needed to put a grappling hook on the railing, 30-40 feet above the water, of a large ship. Doing this at night, and then scrambling aboard, is more dangerous if the ship has lookouts, who can alert sailors trained to deploy high pressure fire hoses against the borders. Thus the increase vulnerability of those ships that just take their chances.
Somali pirates demand $15M ransom for Asian Glory
Link to Article
The Somali pirates who abducted the UK-flagged ship Asian Glory have demanded a $15 million ransom, the Bulgarian news agency (BTA) reported on February 3 2010.
The statement, which first surfaced in Ukrainian media, was allegedly attributed to a Ukrainian intelligence source who wished to remain anonymous.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said that diplomats had contacted the owner of the ship which ferries 2305 Korean-made cars from Singapore bound for Saudi Arabia. The negotiations with the pirates were reportedly "dynamic", while the condition of all men on board the ship was said to be good.
There are eight Bulgarians on board Asian Glory among the 25 crew, which also includes 10 Ukrainians, five Indians and two Romanians.
Allegedly, the 15-million ransom includes the "insurance of the ship and the value of the cargo – all vehicles included". As far as the other UK flagged ship St James Park, with five Bulgarians on board, which only ferries chemicals, the pirates asked for "only three million dollars".
"Both ships are supplied with fresh water, food, and fuel. The crews are fine and are not deprived of their basic needs," spokesperson of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Dragovest Goranov was quoted as saying on February 2.
Asian Glory was seized while ferrying cars off the Somali coast. She was boarded by pirates late on January 1 2010. This was the second seizure within five days of a ship managed by Zodiac.
Earlier, on December 29, Somali pirates hijacked the St James Park, a UK-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden with five Bulgarian sailors on board.
The Somali pirates who abducted the UK-flagged ship Asian Glory have demanded a $15 million ransom, the Bulgarian news agency (BTA) reported on February 3 2010.
The statement, which first surfaced in Ukrainian media, was allegedly attributed to a Ukrainian intelligence source who wished to remain anonymous.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said that diplomats had contacted the owner of the ship which ferries 2305 Korean-made cars from Singapore bound for Saudi Arabia. The negotiations with the pirates were reportedly "dynamic", while the condition of all men on board the ship was said to be good.
There are eight Bulgarians on board Asian Glory among the 25 crew, which also includes 10 Ukrainians, five Indians and two Romanians.
Allegedly, the 15-million ransom includes the "insurance of the ship and the value of the cargo – all vehicles included". As far as the other UK flagged ship St James Park, with five Bulgarians on board, which only ferries chemicals, the pirates asked for "only three million dollars".
"Both ships are supplied with fresh water, food, and fuel. The crews are fine and are not deprived of their basic needs," spokesperson of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Dragovest Goranov was quoted as saying on February 2.
Asian Glory was seized while ferrying cars off the Somali coast. She was boarded by pirates late on January 1 2010. This was the second seizure within five days of a ship managed by Zodiac.
Earlier, on December 29, Somali pirates hijacked the St James Park, a UK-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden with five Bulgarian sailors on board.
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