Piracy At Sea

Counter-Piracy Tugboat & Barge Guide

ReCAAP issue 'Tug Boats & Barge' guide to help owners, operators and crew stay safe from hijacking and piracy. The guide contains inputs and experience of tug boat owners, operators and masters whose vessels had been robbed or hijacked; and modus operandi of the robbers and hijackers.  In planning a passage, the guide highlights the responsibilities of the ship owner, ship master and crew at the various phases: the pre-sailing, sailing and post incident reporting/follow-up phases. In past four years (2008-2011), it was observed that more tug boats and barges had been targets of robbery and hijacking in certain locations of Asia. The inherent characteristics and activities of tug boats towing barges had made these vessels relatively more vulnerable, particularly the low freeboard, slow speed of a tug boat which on an average moving between 8-10 knots, small number of crew onboard a tug boat, and unmanned barges with cargoes and logistic items onboard. As the annual number of incidents involving tug boats boarded by pirates / robbers has shown an upward trend between 2009 and 2011, the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) and the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) also took the initiative to jointly produce a poster entitled “Guidelines for Tug Boats and Barges Against Piracy and Sea Robbery”

New Counter-Piracy Task Force

The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) established Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) Jan. 8 specifically for counter-piracy operations. Naval ships and assets from more than 20 nations comprise the Combined Maritime Forces. U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Terence "Terry" McKnight has been named the commander of the new task force which will be fully operational by the middle of January. The CMF created the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) in the Gulf of Aden in August of 2008 to support

Mace Personal Defense Joins Piracy Battle

In an effort to combat the rapidly growing levels of piracy and armed robbery against ships around the world, Mace Personal Defense, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Mace Security International, Inc. (OTCQB: MACE) has formed an alliance with Shipboard Defense Systems, Inc. to develop The Shipboard Defense System, a defensive on-board system to repel pirates. The Shipboard Defense System is designed with 300 gallon pressurized tanks that include loop piping installed around a vessel allowing

Suspected Pirates Apprehended by EU NAVFOR

EU Naval Force Warship BNS Louise Marie Once Again Apprehends Suspect Pirates at Sea.     Just 12 days after EU Naval Force warship BNS Louise Marie apprehended five suspect pirates at sea off the Somali Coast, the Belgium frigate has once again located a suspect skiff - this time with three men on board.  The warship, which is operating as part of the European Union’s counter-piracy mission - Operation Atalanta

Piracy Dropped to a 5-year Global Low in 2012

Piracy on the world's seas at a five-year low, with 297 ships attacked in 2012, compared with 439 in 2011, according to the ICC global piracy report. Extracts from the International Chamber of Commerces (ICC) –  International Maritime Bureau (IMB) annual report on piracy follow: Worldwide figures were brought down by a huge reduction in Somali piracy, though East and West Africa remain the worst hit areas, with 150 attacks in 2012.

Piracy Attacks Rise

Piracy and armed robbery attacks against ships rose 14% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2006, the second consecutive quarterly increase in attacks, as the coastal waters off Nigeria and Somalia became ever more dangerous, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported. In the first nine months of the year, 198 attacks were reported versus 174 attacks reported in 2006 during the same time frame

Counter Piracy Group Meets at UN in New York

The United States joined more than 60 nations and international organizations at the United Nations in New York on March 21, 2011, for a meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.   In a communiqué following the meeting, the Contact Group called for a renewed international commitment to combating piracy, both at sea and on land in Somalia, through robust and integrated military, law enforcement, and development activities

Beam’s Anti-Piracy Maritime Communication

Beam’s Anti-Piracy Maritime Communication will be Showcased at SMM Hamburg Beam Communications Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of World Reach Limited (ASX: WRR), announces that the satellite piracy solutions for secure communication on board a vessel will be available at the SMM show in Hamburg 4-7 of September. The systems operate with the Inmarsat or Iridium satellite networks.   Of growing concerns across the globe are the deadly attacks on commercial and leisure

UN Security Council Resolution - Somalia

The United Nations Security Council adopted another resolution expressing grave concern regarding the situation in Somalia and “over the recent increase in acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea against vessels off the coast of Somalia”. No new action against piracy was authorized by this resolution.  Resolution 1844 (2008) (11/20/08). (Source: Holland & Knight)

NATO's Weekly Piracy Assessment

Overview of week of 22-28 December 2011.   During the reporting period of 22-28 December 2011 pirate activity against vessels was low. One vessel was hijacked on 27 December approximately 50NM off the coast of Oman in the vicinity of 1818N 05736E. Details can be found in Alert 250. Masters are reminded that the threat of piracy is always present in the High Risk Area (HRA) and are advised to implement self-protection measures as recommended in Best Management Practices (BMP4)