SOMALIA – PIRACY (ANANGEL INNOVATION)

London, Aug 17 — A press report, dated today, states: Bulk carrier Anangel Innovation (87050 gt, built 2004) Anangel Innovation has evaded a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden with the help of a Dutch warship and a Japanese helicopter, NATO said today. Anangel Innovation reported that it was being approached by a skiff yesterday morning in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor, a NATO statement said. When a helicopter from Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force escort vessel Murasame was sent to the vessel and seen by the pirates, they stopped their attack and threw their weapons and other equipment in the water. The pirates were then stopped by frigate De Zeven Provincien, which sent a team to board the skiff.

Anangel Innovation , Class: American Bureau, 149992 Dwt, IMO No: 9286798, P+I Club:North of England P & I Association, Contact: Anangel Maritime Services Inc., Athens, Greece, phone 30-210-9467200, fax 30-210-9408820)

SOMALIA – PIRACY (PELICANA)

London, Aug 6 — General cargo with container capacity Pelicana (39258 gt, built 2009), China for Flushing, was chased by armed pirates for about 20 minutes in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, yesterday afternoon. No shots were fired in the incident. A naval helicopter arrived on scene and the pirates escaped to nearby islands in the area.

Pelicana , Class: Norske Veritas, 54694 Dwt, IMO No: 9401790, P+I Club:North of England P & I Association, Contact: Westfal-Larsen Shipping AS, Bergen, Norway, phone 47–55 23 96 00, fax 47–55 23 25 30)

SOMALIA – PIRACY (ICE EXPLORER)

London, Aug 9 states: NATO said today that a helicopter from a US warship halted a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia. NATO said crude oil tanker Ice Explorer (77636 gt, built 2006) was moving through the Gulf of Aden early today when it called in a pirate attack. A helicopter from US frigate Kauffman flew to the scene and saw pirates dumping weapons and other objects into the water. A boarding team confiscated some pirate paraphernalia. US Navy Cmdr Douglas Edson said a lookout crew from Ice Explorer was pivotal to the early detection of the attack, which gave the US forces enough time to disrupt it.

Ice Explorer , Class: Lloyds Register, 146427 Dwt, IMO No: 9296391, P+I Club:North of England P & I Association, Contact: Dynacom Tankers Management Ltd, Athens, Greece, phone 30-210-8917700, fax 30-210-8981087)

IRAQ – PIRACY (Sagamore, Arminia, Crystal Wave, Sana Star)

Moscow, Aug 13 — In the dark waters of the Persian Gulf near Iraq’s primary oil-export terminal, a small pirate vessel accosted general cargo Sagamore (3838 gt, built 1996) at about 0400, Aug 8. Two men wielding AK-47s boarded the Sagamore, held the crew at gunpoint, and robbed them of money, cell phones, and computers. It was one of four night-time pirate raids perpetrated that morning, between 0200 hrs and 0400 hrs, in waters guarded by the U.S. Navy. According to the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, the other ships targeted were general cargo Crystal Wave (1547 gt, built 1974), general cargo Sana Star (2142 gt, built 1971) and fully cellular containership Arminia (9601 gt, built 1994). “They were all located within general vicinity of the al-Basra oil terminal,” which is about 19 miles from the port of Umm Qasr, said Fifth Fleet spokesman Lt. John Fage. This confirms earlier reports that the ships were anchored in the waters of Khor Abdullah, an entryway to the port. After receiving a distress call from the Sagamore at 0435 hrs, the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet deployed a guided missile destroyer and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter to ensure the ships security. The U.S. Navy then notified the Iraqi Coast Guard, which sent four boats in search of the pirates, according to Col. Mehdi Ahmed, the deputy commander of those forces. Those boats apparently pursued the pirates to a shoreline area dense with reeds. At that point, official accounts differ. According to Ahmed, the Coast Guard stopped the suspect boat, but the pirates themselves escaped into the marsh. According to the media director of Iraqi ports, Anmar al-Safi, “the Coast Guard managed to apprehend those looters and confiscated stolen stuff.” — Correspondent.

Sagamore , Class: American Bureau, 5151 Dwt, IMO No: 9127863, P+I Club:London Steamship Owners Mutual Insurance Association Ltd, Contact: Sealift Inc., Oyster Bay, U.S.A., phone 1-516-922 1000, fax 1-516-922 6526, Crystal Wave , Class: Unknown, 3099 Dwt, IMO No: 7358638, P+I Club:Unknown, Contact: Prompt Allied Management Co. (PAMCO), Tartous, Syria, phone 963-43-224 333, fax 963-43-221 546, Sana Star , Class: Turku Loydu Vakfi, 3969 Dwt, IMO No: 7034907, P+I Club:Unknown, Contact: Phoenicia Maritime Co. LLC, Tartous, Syria, phone 963-43-2390070, fax 963-43-2390079, Arminia , Class: Germanischer Lloyd, 12310 Dwt, IMO No: 8910079, P+I Club:North of England P & I Association, Contact: CMA-CGM S.A., Marseilles Cedex, France, phone 33-4-89 19 00 00, fax 33-4-89 19 90 95, Contact: Danz u.Tietjens Schiffahrts KG, Burg, Germany, phone 49-4825-930 40, fax 49-4825-930 420).

See below article from Lloyd’s List:

Indian Ocean pirate attacks to surge as weather clears

Pirates are likely to venture further off the east African coast as the monsoon season draws to a close PIRACY syndicates in Somalia are likely to be emboldened by the latest hijackings that have taken place in the Gulf of Aden. Over the coming weeks, more seizures should be expected in the waterway, while pirates will likely venture out into the Indian Ocean again once more towards the end of August.

Pirate activity declined in July, and there were no reported incidents in the Indian Ocean at all. This is in stark contrast to earlier months in the year when pirates appeared to be more active in the open water of the Indian Ocean than in their more familiar waters closer to the Somali shore.

However, the lack of activity last month mirrors July 2009, which also saw no attacks off the east coast of Africa. The main reason for this yearly decline is the onset of the Indian Ocean monsoon, which makes it highly difficult for pirates to board a ship. Now that conditions are set to gradually improve, attacks are likely to increase once again.

Furthermore, pirates are in possession of a higher than normal number of fishing boats, which can in turn be used as motherships. These provide the pirates with a degree of camouflage at sea, but more importantly, allow them to operate at much greater distances from the shore. They can carry greater supplies of food and water, and these fishing vessels are far more seaworthy than the Somali skiffs designed for fishing in coastal waters and calmer seas.

By acquiring these vessels the intent of the pirates is therefore clear. They aim to strike out in waters far from the African coastline as soon as the weather permits. Vessels operating in areas previously considered well beyond the range of Somalia are advised to exercise caution and remain on the look-out for suspicious vessels.

As well as conducting attacks in the Indian Ocean, Somali pirates have also concentrated on the southern Red Sea over the past two months. This area acts as a shipping bottleneck, and is relatively close to the pirate harbours in northern Somalia (in comparison to the Seychelles and Madagascar for example). Many vessels are also thought to be ignorant of the risk, and do not increase their vigilance levels until they have passed the Bab al-Mandab (Gate of Tears) waterway into the Gulf of Aden. This leaves them wide open to a surprise attack.

Perhaps most importantly, however, is the fact that the area lacks the naval coverage provided by patrols in the Gulf of Aden. Commercial vessels are therefore left vulnerable when transiting the area. It is likely that the naval presence around the Gulf of Aden has drive pirates to operate in the new and occasionally far flung waters of the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. Naval warships would appear to have had a negative impact on the success rate of pirate hijackings over the past two years.

Somali pirates have frequently stated that they are not afraid of this presence, and indeed on a number of occasions they have exchanged fire with warships and helicopters.

As well as simple bravado, this apparent sense of fearlessness has prompted the pirates to attack vessels repeatedly in the ‘secure’ corridors of the Gulf of Aden.

While many attacks have been rebuffed, vessel operators are reminded that hijackings have nonetheless still taken place in the area.

The latest seizures in early August have demonstrated that the naval presence is certainly not a guarantor of safety, even in times when pirate activity is lower than normal.

If approximately one in every 250 vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden is being attacked, vessel operators may wonder, not only what can be done to reduce the likelihood of theirs being that ‘one’, but to reduce the likelihood that their vessel will be seized and held for an extended period.

The naval presence evidently cannot be counted on, especially in the Red Sea and wider Indian Ocean. An element of self-sufficiency is required instead. Vessel ‘hardening’ techniques, non-lethal defences, crew awareness, medical training and the provision of security experts on board still seem to be the most effective means of mitigating risk.

From a cost-perspective, some operators may still see these measures as excessive, but with detention periods extending and ransom demands increasing, these measures may be regarded more and more as a viable, indeed necessary measure for firms to maintain profitability if regularly transiting high-risk areas.

SOMALIA – PIRACY

London, Aug 2 — A press report, dated today, states: The EU anti-piracy force confirmed today that general cargo Rim had sunk off the Horn of Africa. The vessel was being monitored while adrift south of Ras Hafun after tow lines parted in bad weather, EU NAVFOR said. It was last seen on Jun 6. Four days later, the naval force concluded that the vessel had sunk. Rim was seized by Somali pirates in early February, while on its way for demolition in India. After being held for four months, the vessel’s 10-man crew freed themselves on Jun 2. In their battle with their captors, at least five pirates were killed, with three crew members injured, one seriously, EU NAVFOR said. The crew abandoned the vessel on Jun 4, at the master’s request. The men were transferred to the warship Johan de Witt and subsequently landed at Djibouti.

BOW SAGA – PIRACY

Early this morning Tuesday 3 August, the MV BOW SAGA sent a distress call that she was under attack from pirates in the middle of the Gulf of Aden. An EU NAVFOR unit close by sent her helicopter to assist and stopped the attack.

The Norwegian Chemical tanker MV BOW SAGA was proceeding through the transit corridor in the middle of the Gulf of Aden when it came under attack. A pirate skiff with 7 people on board shot at the bridge, damaging the windows. BOW SAGA adopted Best Management Practice and was conducting counter measures with evasive manoeuvring and the deployment of water hoses to prevent attempts to climb up onto the ship.

EU NAVFOR heard her distress call and ordered the closest warship, the Spanish frigate SPS VICTORIA to react to the incident. VICTORIA already had her helicopter in the air and was able to intervene only ten minutes after the call. The pirates stopped the attack and tried to flee. After warning shots, first from the helicopter and then from the warship VICTORIA, the pirates eventually stopped and the skiff was searched by a boarding team from VICTORIA. Weapons were subsequently found on the skiff.

SOMALIA – PIRACY (DAFNE)

Moscow, Aug 4 — Product tanker Dafne (4824 gt, built 2010) was attacked by Somali pirates in Gulf of Aden on Aug 3, however, attack was repelled by Russian Navy tug SB-36 and a Navy team on board the tanker. Tanker is a coaster for coast-inland waterways sailings, built in China, and now transiting to Russia. Owners contracted Russian private security agency for voyage. — Correspondent.

M STAR

A terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda has said it was behind a suicide attack which damaged an MOL tanker in the Middle East last week.

The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam posted a message on jihadist websites claiming responsibility for the 28 July assault on the 314,000-dwt VLCC M. Star (built 2008) near the Strait of Hormuz.

“Last Wednesday, after midnight, the martyrdom-seeking hero Ayyub al-Taishan … blew himself up in the Japanese tanker M.Star in the Strait of Hormuz between the United Arab Emirates and Oman,” Reuters quoted the group as saying.

US monitoring body SITE Intelligence Group relayed the report from the terrorist group, showing a picture of the alleged suicide bomber holding up a notebook computer and pointing to a picture of a large oil tanker, not dissimilar to MOL’s Marshall Islands-flagged ship.

There has as yet been no independent verification, however, of the authenticity of the postings from the terrorist group.

The group named the suicide bomber as Ayyub al-Taishan and said the attack was aimed at dealing a blow to the global economy and the oil trade in particular. SITE reported that the group mocked initial reports that the ship may have been struck by a freak wave, blaming “the enemy” for concealing the true nature of the incident.

Japanese owner MOL told TradeWinds on Wednesday that it is aware of the claims made by the group and is looking into the matter.

“We do not plan to make any statement or direct response toward the claim at this moment,” a company spokesperson commented by e-mail.

MOL has always maintained that the M. Star was subjected to an explosion caused by an external force. A dent measuring 14 metres wide and seven metres high is visible on the starboard aft side above the waterline. US Navy divers have been inspecting the hull at the UAE port of Fujairah.

One crew member was slightly injured in the incident which occurred as the ship was transporting crude oil from UAE to Japan.

Numerous theories have been sited for the incident including a Somali pirate attack, a collision with a sea mine or submarine and a freak wave caused by an earthquake.

MALAYSIA – PIRACY (HIRYU)

London, Aug 4 – Crude oil tanker Hiryu (137024 gt, built 1991) was anchored about 2.5 nautical miles east of Pulau Mungging, in lat 01 21.7N, long 104 20.4E, when three robbers boarded the vessel at about 0347, UTC, today. The crew raised the alarm and the robbers later escaped.

M.STAR (Marshall Islands)

London, Aug 6 — A press report, dated today, states: Crude oil tanker M.Star left the Port of Fujairah today after repairing damage to its starboard side incurred when it was the target of a terrorist attack while passing through international waters near the Strait of Hormuz at midnight on Jul 28. A responsible source at the UAE Coast Guard said that investigations and an examination carried out by specialised teams had confirmed that the tanker had been the subject of a terrorist attack. The source said: “After the tanker had anchored 12 nautical miles off the Port of Fujairah, UAE explosives experts who collected and examined samples found a dent on the starboard side above the water line and remains of home-made explosives on the hull. Probably the tanker had encountered a terrorist attack from a boat loaded with explosives”. The attack on the vessel caused no human injuries or spills of oil.

SYRIA STAR

During the afternoon of 5 Aug 2010, the MV SYRIA STAR reported that she was under attack from pirates who had climbed onboard and fired shots at the crew. Helicopters were immediately dispatched to the vessel and tried to establish communications with the SYRIA STAR, which had stopped in the water. They found an abandoned skiff nearby, containing fuel and ammunition. When warships arrived on the scene shortly after, the SYRIA STAR had reversed course and was heading South East back towards the Horn of Africa under the control of the pirates, who refused to respond to radio contact. The SYRIA STAR was sailing west in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor through the Gulf of Aden with a cargo of sugar. The SYRIA STAR, deadweight 18, 838 tonnes, is flagged to St Vincent and the Grenadines and has a predominantly Syrian crew, with 22 Syrians and 2 Egyptians.