Somali Navy Begins Anti-Piracy Operations | AHN
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27 September 2010
23 September 2010
French Seamen Kidnapped In Pirate Raid Off Nigeria
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IGERIA – FRANCE - In a night time attack by pirates on the offshore oilfield Addax, three French crew of the ATHS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply) vessel Bourbon Alexandre were taken by force leaving the remaining thirteen crewmen aboard at the time unharmed but shaken. No ransom has been demanded at the time of going to press according to the vessels owners, Bourbon Offshore. In the early hours of this morning the Bourbon Alexandre was attacked by several small speedboats holding an armed gang. The attack comes only a week after more French nationals were seized in Niger, a crime claimed by Al Qaeda's North African wing which resulted in a total of seven kidnap victims, five of them French. This latest attack is more likely to be by an apolitical criminal gang which has ventured into maritime crime.
Bourbon has a crisis unit in Marseille which is coordinating a response with their opposite numbers in Nigeria and the authorities in both countries. The company has faced a similar situation in the past, in 2008 they had 10 crewmen seized off the Cameroon coast, a kidnap resolved satisfactorily when the captured men were released ten days later.
Most of the newsworthy pirate attacks on shipping off the Somali coast, in the Gulf of Aden and elsewhere have been on freight vessels such as container ships and slow moving bulk tankers but the 120 tonne ATHS would be easier to board if kidnap as opposed to seizure of the vessel plus cargo was your motive. Bourbon manages a rapidly expanding fleet of almost four hundred such support vessels operating from bases around the world, principally in oil exploration and recovery areas.
Photo: The Bourbon Arcadie (sister ship of the captured vessel) courtesy of Bourbon Offshore
IGERIA – FRANCE - In a night time attack by pirates on the offshore oilfield Addax, three French crew of the ATHS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply) vessel Bourbon Alexandre were taken by force leaving the remaining thirteen crewmen aboard at the time unharmed but shaken. No ransom has been demanded at the time of going to press according to the vessels owners, Bourbon Offshore. In the early hours of this morning the Bourbon Alexandre was attacked by several small speedboats holding an armed gang. The attack comes only a week after more French nationals were seized in Niger, a crime claimed by Al Qaeda's North African wing which resulted in a total of seven kidnap victims, five of them French. This latest attack is more likely to be by an apolitical criminal gang which has ventured into maritime crime.
Bourbon has a crisis unit in Marseille which is coordinating a response with their opposite numbers in Nigeria and the authorities in both countries. The company has faced a similar situation in the past, in 2008 they had 10 crewmen seized off the Cameroon coast, a kidnap resolved satisfactorily when the captured men were released ten days later.
Most of the newsworthy pirate attacks on shipping off the Somali coast, in the Gulf of Aden and elsewhere have been on freight vessels such as container ships and slow moving bulk tankers but the 120 tonne ATHS would be easier to board if kidnap as opposed to seizure of the vessel plus cargo was your motive. Bourbon manages a rapidly expanding fleet of almost four hundred such support vessels operating from bases around the world, principally in oil exploration and recovery areas.
Photo: The Bourbon Arcadie (sister ship of the captured vessel) courtesy of Bourbon Offshore
14 September 2010
Somali Pirates Versus the US Navy - ABC News
Somali Pirates Versus the US Navy - ABC News: "
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 ABC News | Somali Pirates Versus the US Navy ABC News An armed Somali pirate is shown off the coast of Hobyo, Somalia, while a Greek cargo ship, MV Filitsa, that was captured by pirates is seen anchored in the ... |
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09 September 2010
CNN: Marines oust pirate from ship
U.S. Marines boarded and seized control Thursday of a German-owned vessel that pirates had captured the day before off the coast of Somalia, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said.
03 September 2010
An Old Scourge Needs a Modern Solution - New York Times
An Old Scourge Needs a Modern Solution - New York Times: "
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An Old Scourge Needs a Modern Solution New York Times Pirate gangs have accrued $150 million in ransom to date, about $4 million per ship. Their take is likely to swell before year's end. ... Denmark navy helicopter foils piratesLas Vegas Sun all 3 news articles » |
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Indonesia urged to increase anti-piracy patrols
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — An international maritime group urged Indonesia on Thursday to increase patrols in the South China Sea after pirates attacked nine vessels in less than three weeks.
The International Maritime Bureau said pirates armed with guns and machetes had robbed tankers and bulk carriers of cash and other valuables in the attacks off the Indonesian islands of Mangkai, Anambas and Natuna.
This brought the number of pirate attacks so far this year to 26 in the area, which is a transit route used by vessels heading southeast to the Singapore Straits or northwest to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Only seven attacks were reported all of last year.
The latest spate of attacks began Aug. 16, with pirates attacking mostly at night and sometimes raiding two to three vessels on the same day, said Noel Choong, who heads the IMB's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. The last attack occurred Wednesday when six pirates boarded and robbed a Panama tanker before escaping.
"Three crewmen were injured in the latest series of attacks. It seems one or more pirate groups are operating in the area. The IMB is concerned about the heightened piracy and has sent a letter to the Indonesian authorities requesting them to increase patrols in the area," Choong said.
The IMB also urged ships to maintain a strict anti-piracy watch because pirates normally abort their attacks if they are spotted, he added.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — An international maritime group urged Indonesia on Thursday to increase patrols in the South China Sea after pirates attacked nine vessels in less than three weeks.
The International Maritime Bureau said pirates armed with guns and machetes had robbed tankers and bulk carriers of cash and other valuables in the attacks off the Indonesian islands of Mangkai, Anambas and Natuna.
This brought the number of pirate attacks so far this year to 26 in the area, which is a transit route used by vessels heading southeast to the Singapore Straits or northwest to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Only seven attacks were reported all of last year.
The latest spate of attacks began Aug. 16, with pirates attacking mostly at night and sometimes raiding two to three vessels on the same day, said Noel Choong, who heads the IMB's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur. The last attack occurred Wednesday when six pirates boarded and robbed a Panama tanker before escaping.
"Three crewmen were injured in the latest series of attacks. It seems one or more pirate groups are operating in the area. The IMB is concerned about the heightened piracy and has sent a letter to the Indonesian authorities requesting them to increase patrols in the area," Choong said.
The IMB also urged ships to maintain a strict anti-piracy watch because pirates normally abort their attacks if they are spotted, he added.
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