East Coast Of Somalia News

One of the largest of the international shipping associations BIMCO has reported increased threats associated with maritime shipping amid Red Sea risks related to Houthi strikes and rise of piracy activities offshore Somalia.Since November 2023, the threat to shipping has increased as the Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Simultaneously, piracy activity off the East coast of Somalia has risen and since December, two bulk carriers and several fishing ships have been hijacked.

Due to the application of BMP protection measures by the Master, his crew and the private security team, the piracy attack was thwarted and the crew and vessel remained safe.The Master had already evacuated the crew to the citadel when the embarked Armed Security Team (PAST) responded to the attack. There was a sustained exchange of fire before the skiff with several armed people on board broke off and changed course away from the MV.Following the collective advice of industry and military counter-piracy operations, as written down in Best Management practices 5 (link here), the Master’s actions and the on board security team’s reaction…

The European Council has extended Operation Atalanta’s mandate to deter, disrupt and repress acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia through December 31, 2018. Operation Atalanta’s two-year mandate extension, enacted on November 25, 2016, comes amidst concerns within European Union Member States that whilst pirate attacks on merchant ships transiting the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are currently suppressed, pirates still have the intent and capability to go out to sea and mount an attack.

Piracy and maritime crime is a complex matter, not one with easily identifiable or actionable answers. Dryad Maritime released its analysis of worldwide reported incidents of piracy and crime against mariners for Q1 2015, a report which includes but is not limited to traditional piracy and maritime crime, including also commentary on other threats and issues; from civil war and terrorism in Yemen and Libya to criminal gang enabled mass migration in the Mediterranean, a migration which resulted in an estimated 1,000 deaths during one particularly bad week in April 2015.

Australian Defence Minister David Johnston has congratulated the crew of HMAS Darwin on the seizure of 449 kg of heroin, valued at $132-million, from a smuggling dhow off the coast of Somalia. HMAS Darwin is on patrol in the Indian Ocean as part of Operation SLIPPER with the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and the UK led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150. “Our naval personnel are operating with a multinational naval partnership in a campaign to defeat terrorism, prevent piracy, reduce illegal trafficking of people and drugs, and promote the maritime environment as a safe place for mariners with legitimate business,” Senator Johnston said.

During the night of November 6, the EU NAVFOR warship SPS Infanta Cristina was attacked off the East coast of Somalia by a vessel identified as the MV IZUMI, a ship that had itself been pirated on 10 October. The EU NAVFOR warship had been escorting the MV Petra 1, which had been chartered by the African Union Military Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), at the time. This is the first ever attack on an EU warship conducting an AMISOM escort. During the incident, the Spanish warship increased speed and maneuvered immediately in order to place herself between MV Izumi and her escort.

On September 22, EU NAVFOR Spanish ship GALICIA  disrupted a pirate action group, comprised of one whaler and two skiffs. Galicia was patrolling off the east coast of Somalia and thanks to detailed information gathering, the Spanish ship was able to intercept two skiffs and the whaler. The group was located at night only 500 meters from the Somali coast by one of Galicia’s helicopters, which started the preparation for the interception. This one was completed without any opposition from the 11 suspected pirates.

On October 19 2009 the Bulk Carrier De Xin Hai from the Peoples Republic of China was hijacked in the Indian Ocean, 350 nautical miles North East of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off the East coast of Somalia. An EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft, operating from the Seychelles was launched and located the ship and has reported that there are four pirates visible and two skiffs (small pirate craft) being towed by the ship. The bulk carrier was not registered with the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa.

Around noon local time, October 19th 2009, the Bulk Carrier De Xin Hai from the Peoples Republic of China was hijacked in the Indian Ocean, 350 nautical miles North East of the Seychelles and 700 nautical miles off the East coast of Somalia. On indication of an attack an EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft, operating from the Seychelles was launched to investigate the incident. The MPA located the ship and has reported that there are four pirates visible and two skiffs (small pirate craft) being towed by the ship The bulk carrier was not registered with the Maritime Security Centre Horn of Africa. Adding these 25 hostages from the Bulk Carrier to the total number of personnel held by hostages, this makes 146 hostages in total held by criminals at the Somali Coastline.

The U.S. military's rescue of a kidnapped American ship captain was textbook, but the issue of piracy is likely to worsen in the absence of a systemic solution, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said April 13. Off the Somali coast yesterday, U.S. special operations snipers on the USS Bainbridge shot and killed three pirates who had held hostage the captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship on a lifeboat for five days. Military officials said Capt. Richard Phillips' life was in imminent danger at the time of his rescue. "It was textbook," Gates said of the operation. "They were patient. Gates, speaking at the Marine Corps War College here…

Two ship seizures in the Indian Ocean in recent days appear to indicate that pirates have broadened their focus beyond the heavily patrolled Gulf of Aden. Pirates hijacked two chemical tankers: the Bahamian-flagged, Norwegian-owned vessel Bowasir March 25 and the Panamanian-flagged, Greek-owned Nipayia March 26, a Navy spokesman confirmed. Bowasir and its 23-member crew were operating more than 380 nautical miles southeast of Kismayo, Somalia. Nipayia and its 19 merchant mariners were pirated 490 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, the official said.

The US Maritime Administration (MarAd) issued an advisory to operators of US-flag and effective US-controlled vessels warning of increased activity by pirates in waters off the east coast of Somalia. Pirates have recently launched armed attacks on merchant ships up to 190 nautical miles off Somalia. Mariners in the vicinity of Somalia are advised to maintain as much distance as reasonably possible off the coast and to be vigilant for approaches by pirate vessels. Source: HK Law