Piracy Reports Archive

Safe rooms alone will not protect crews from piracy

Clear alarms systems, effective ship lighting and monitoring systems will help ward off attacks, writes JOHN DRAKE

Pirates attack warship

SOMALI pirates attacked an EU Navfor warship on November 6, apparently after mistaking it for a merchant vessel, the EU counter-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden has confirmed.

Tanker taken but six hijack attempts thwarted

A chemical tanker has been hijacked but European anti-piracy naval forces have thwarted six other attacks and captured 35 suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden over the past four days.

Philippines coastguard given powers to detain unsafe vessels

THE PHILIPPINES coastguard has finally been given tougher powers to detain and stop unsafe vessels putting to sea, eight years after the plans were first put forward.

Ships face greater attack risk in Indian Ocean

TARGET: Suspected pirates with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher close alongside the Dubai Princess about 100 miles south of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden last May.

Masters and pilots jailed For Neftegaz-67 casualty

TRAGEDY: The Neftegaz-67, which sank in March 2008 in Hong Kong waters, is lifted out of the water by a Chinese salvage ship.

Piracy suspect faces new charges

IN CUSTODY: Police and FBI agents escort Somali pirate suspect Abduwali Muse into FBI headquarters in New York last year.

Philippine coastguard calls for bonds to cover rescue

PHILIPPINE shipping companies may have to post bonds to cover the cost of search, rescue and salvage operations if proposals by a coastguard commander become law.

Big containerships go flat out to avoid pirate attacks

LARGE containerships in the deepsea trades between Asia and Europe are under orders to go flat out in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates are turning their attention to bigger vessels that, until recently, were regarded as relatively safe from attack.

Pirates in festive spree

SOMALI pirates began 2010 with a flurry of attacks, hijacking a British-flagged car carrier and a Singaporean chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on New Year’s Day.

PIRACY NEWS

 

Success for Somali pirates as they venture further afield

SOMALI pirate attacks have reached an alarming 50% success rate in hijacking vessels since the end of the monsoon season, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

Somali pirates seize yacht

SOMALI pirates have reportedly captured a yacht with a British man and woman aboard, with the aim of holding them to ransom. It is thought that they sent a distress signal last Friday, and there is no word of their whereabouts since then.

Mutiny claim on US fishing boat is first in 30 years

Master alleges beatings of racially divided crew by officers and refusal to follow orders

Pirates will kill Ariana crew once fuel runs out

SOMALI pirates say they will kill the Ukrainian crew of bulk carrier Ariana , held since early May this year, as soon as fuel on the ship runs out, a Russian seafarer union has claimed, writes David Osler .

US calls for stand against ransom deals with pirates

NATIONS should sign up to the New York Declaration to combat piracy and resist payment of ransoms to vessel hijackers, a senior US official has said in Athens, writes Nigel Lowry .

Citadel concept must be approached with care

SIR, There has been much discussion recently about the validity of the citadel concept during an attempted hijacking.

Hijackings outside Navfor area not in our remit, says EU

THE European Union says it cannot be held responsible for hijackings outside EU Navfor’s area of operations, writes Justin Stares in Brussels.

Europe not responsible for attacks outside Navfor remit

THE European Union says it cannot be held responsible for hijackings outside EU Navfor’s area of operations.

Call for more protection as pirates strike outside zones

Industry bodies to review advice to ships sailing off African coast after latest hijacking