Somali Pirates' Return Adds to Crisis for Global Shipping Companies
As a speed boat carrying more than a dozen Somali pirates bore down on their position in the western Indian Ocean, the crew of a Bangladeshi-owned bulk carrier sent out a distress signal and called an emergency hotline.No one reached them in time. The pirates clambered aboard the Abdullah, firing warning shots and taking the captain and second officer hostage, Chief Officer Atiq Ullah Khan said in an audio message to the ship's owners."By the grace of Allah no one has been harmed so far," Khan said in the message, recorded before the pirates took the crew's phones.
Update on Good Practice Guide on Humanitarian Response to Piracy
Seafarers continue to be the targets of pirates and armed robbers, with around 100 held captive ashore by various groups in different parts of the world at the moment. The training of seafarers, best management practice and hardening of ships has formed part of the response, but companies still need to be well prepared for seafarers being attacked or taken captive. The ISWAN Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme has issued an updated "Good Practice Guide for Shipping Companies and Manning Agents - humanitarian support of seafarers and their families in cases of armed robbery and piracy attack." The guide has been updated with the help of the International Chamber of Shipping…
Oil Tankers Run Gauntlet in Nigeria's 'Pirate Alley'
A pirate attack that killed a supertanker crewman off the coast of Nigeria this week has highlighted a growing threat off oil-rich West Africa, as vessels carrying millions of barrels of crude traverse a region that has become known as "pirate alley". The 2 million barrel Kalamos Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) was heading to Nigeria's main oil terminal when it was attacked late on Monday, leaving the ship's Greek deputy captain dead and three crew members taken hostage. Security experts say the waters off Nigeria are now the deadliest on earth…
MPHRP Security Training Held in India
Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program (MPHRP) South Asia organized three Seafarers Pre-Departure Piracy Awareness Train the Trainers sessions in India between October 16-23, 2013. The training was delivered by Toon van de Sande (MPHRP), Cyrus Mody (IMB) and Chirag Bahri (MPHRP), held in at the Seafarers Club, Chennai on 16-17 Oct, AEMTC Mumbai on 19-20 Oct and at Hotel Mantra Amaltas, New Delhi on October 22-23. Participants from maritime training institutes and other training consultants attended the two-day MPHRP sessions.
