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Piracy News

18 Mar 2024

Somali Forces, Foreign Navies Prepare Attack on Hijacked Ship

Bulk carrier Abdullah was hijacked off the coast of Somalia last week. (Photo: EUNAVFOR)

Somali police and international navies were preparing on Monday to attack a commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates last week, the Puntland region's police force said, two days after Indian commandos rescued another cargo vessel held by pirates.The MV Abdullah was hijacked off the coast of Somalia last week, the latest of more than 20 attacks since November by Somali pirates who had laid dormant for nearly a decade.On Saturday, the Indian navy rescued another cargo vessel, the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen, which had been seized in December, freeing its 17 crew members and arresting 35 pirates.

17 Mar 2024

Indian Navy Seizes Ship from Somali Pirates and Rescues 17 Crew

(Photo: Indian Navy)

Indian naval forces including special commandos seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing 17 crew members, a spokesperson for the navy said on Saturday.The navy said in a post on social media platform X that all 35 pirates aboard the ship, the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo vessel Ruen, had surrendered, and the ship had been checked for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband.The Ruen had been hijacked last year and the navy said it had…

12 Mar 2024

Armed Pirates Board Cargo Ship Off Somalia

© Venera / Adobe Stock

Twenty armed people have boarded a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia and have taken control of it, a maritime security firm said on Tuesday.The vessel is the latest to be targeted following a resurgence of attacks by Somali pirates in recent months although the maritime security firm, Ambrey, did not specify that it was Somali pirates who boarded the ship.Ambrey said the ship was a Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier - a type of merchant ship used to transport large amounts of cargo…

07 Feb 2024

UK Supreme Court Piracy Ruling Gives Guidance on War Risk Provisions in Charterparties

The tanker was released from pirate control in August 2011. (File photo: EUNAVFOR)

In a well-timed decision given the current situation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the UK Supreme Court recently handed down judgment in Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor International BV [2024] UKSC 2, a decision that arose from seizure of a ship by Somali pirates.Key factsThe vessel MT Polar was chartered to carry a cargo of fuel oil from St Petersburg to Singapore. The most direct route would be via the Suez Canal and Gulf of Aden.The Gulf of Aden was within the “high risk area” for piracy when the charter was agreed.

29 Jan 2024

Sri Lankan Trawler Rescued from Somali Pirates

© Antony / Adobe Stock

Six crew members of a Sri Lankan fishing trawler hijacked by suspected Somali pirates have been rescued, Sri Lankan officials said on Monday.The hijacking on Sunday was the latest in a series of attacks that have fueled fears of a resurgence of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea waters after years without a successful raid.Pirates who caused chaos in the key waterways from 2008 to 2018 appear to be taking advantage of disorder caused by attacks on shipping by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group.Authorities were informed of the incident by a second boat traveling with the trawler on Su

04 Jan 2024

Bulk Carrier Reportedly Boarded by Armed Individuals off Somalia

© Lukasz Z / Adobe Stock

British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Thursday that a Liberia-flagged bulk carrier had reportedly been boarded by armed individuals 458 meters southeast of Eyl, Somalia.The vessel was destined for Khalifa bin Salman in Bahrain, according to Ambrey's statement.(Reuters - Reporting by Clauda Tanios and Enas Alashray; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Jan Harvey)

14 Dec 2023

Bulk Carrier Reportedly Boarded in Eastern Indian Ocean off Yemen

© SerPhoto / Adobe Stock

A Malta-flagged, Bulgarian-owned bulk carrier was reportedly boarded on Thursday after being involved in an incident in the eastern Indian Ocean off Yemen's Socotra Island, British maritime security company Ambrey said in an advisory note.An Iranian-flagged fishing vessel in the area had switched off its AIS transponder six hours before the incident close to where the bulk carrier appeared to come adrift, Ambrey said."The Iran-flagged fishing vessel had previously been operating offshore Somalia," Ambrey added.(Reuters - Reporting by Jana Choukeir and Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Alex Richardso

14 Dec 2023

Somali Pirates Are Back in Action, But Full Scale Return Unlikely

© andrej pol / Adobe Stock

An Iranian fishing vessel, Almeraj 1, was reportedly hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2023. According to media reports, the pirates demanded US$400,000 in ransom and threatened to use the Iranian ship for additional hijackings if the payment was not made.Two days later, other Somali pirates hijacked a tanker, Central Park, off the Yemeni coast. The tanker sent a distress signal during the attack. Forces from a nearby American warship captured the pirates as they tried to…

27 Nov 2023

Somali Pirates Likely Behind Attempted Tanker Seizure -US Military

© luzitanija / Adobe Stock

An attempted hijacking of a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday appears to have been carried out by armed Somali pirates and not Yemeni Houthis, despite the firing of missiles from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen afterwards, the Pentagon said on Monday."We're continuing to assess, but initial indications are that these five individuals are Somali," said Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder."Clearly a piracy related incident," Ryder added.A U.S. Navy warship responded to a distress call on Sunday from the chemical tanker Central Park.

12 Jul 2023

Piracy Is Heating Up In Key Hotspots

© mrnai / Adobe Stock

Reported incidents of piracy and attacks on vessels are on the rise in key hotspot areas such as the Gulf of Guinea and Singapore Straits.Sixty-five incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were recorded globally in the first half of 2023, an increase from 58 incidents for the same period in 2022, according to a mid-year report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB). Of the 65 incidents reported, 57 vessels were boarded, four had attempted attacks, two were hijacked and two were fired upon. Perpetrators successfully boarded 90% of targeted vessels.

28 Jun 2023

Concerns Over Anti-Piracy Efforts Raised at UN Security Council

Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs - Department of Peace Operations, while speaking to the United Nations Security Council meeting on June 22.

While piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has been declining since 2021, concerns have been raised about staffing, equipment and finance needed to continue anti-piracy efforts in the region.There are several challenges holding back the full operationalization of the Yaoundé Architecture, said Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs - Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations, while speaking to the United Nations Security Council meeting on June 22.

30 May 2023

Heroic Idun Released from Nigeria

Source: Nigerian Navy

The Nigerian Navy announced the release of the VLCC Heroic Idun on Saturday, and the crew and vessel are now reportedly sailing for South Africa.The navy said the “grave infractions” of the vessel were prosecuted by the Federal Government of Nigeria at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on January,10 2023. The 26 foreign crew pleaded guilty and elected voluntarily to enter into a plea bargain that involved paying fines and making an apology to the Federal Republic of Nigeria…

16 May 2023

Asian Shipowners’ Association Calls for Action on Seafarer Safety

© remipiotrowski / Adobe Stock

The Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) held its 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 16 in Shanghai with focus of much of the discussion on the safety of seafarers.The meeting was hosted by the China Shipowners’ Association (CSA) and attended by more than 230 representatives from ASA Ordinary/Associate members.The ASA said that unfair treatment of seafarers has a severe impact on seafarers' physical and mental well-being and a damaging effect on the image of the shipping industry and its ability to attract and retain qualified seafarers.

08 May 2023

Tanker Crew Members Rescued More Than Five weeks After Gulf of Guinea Pirate Attack

Six crew members who were kidnapped by pirates from a Danish-owned ship in the Gulf of Guinea in late March have been rescued from an undisclosed location in Nigeria, the vessel's owner said on Monday.The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer with 16 crew members was hijacked on March 25 by five armed assailants some 140 miles west of the Republic of Congo's Port Pointe-Noire."All recovered crew members are in a relatively good health condition given the difficult circumstances they have been under in the last more than five weeks," Monjasa CEO Anders Ostergaard said in a statement.The crew members have all received medical checks and are now being repatriated to their home countries and families, he added.

28 Apr 2023

Shots Fired in "Incident" Involving Vessel Off Yemen

Britain's Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Friday a vessel off Yemen's southern coast was involved in an "incident" with a government boat, downgrading the event from its initial assessment of an attack.The agency had previously said the vessel was under attack and that shots were fired, adding that three boats, each with three or four people aboard, were also sighted.UKMTO later said it had confirmed the event by authorities as government agency activity, terming the event incident rather than an attack.Yemen's coast guard, when contacted by Reuters, confirmed a report in Yeme

17 Apr 2023

Hijacked Oil Tanker Recovered in Ivory Coast

A hijacked Singapore-registered oil tanker has been recovered and escorted to Abidjan port in Ivory Coast on Saturday, five days after it was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea, the Ivorian military said. On Tuesday, Singapore's port authority said the [Success 9] tanker had been boarded by "unidentified persons" about 300 nautical miles (555 km) off Ivory Coast with 20 crew of various nationalities aboard. A search operation by Ivory Coast's navy backed by a French navy aircraft located the vessel on Saturday, Ivorian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lassina Doumbia said in a statement. "As for the crew, they are safe and sound," he said.

11 Apr 2023

Tanker Attacked by Pirates off Ivory Coast

© Lucia / Adobe Stock

The Singapore-flagged chemical tanker Success 9 has been attacked by pirates. Praesidium International reports the attack occurred on April 10 300NM south of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in the Gulf of Guinea.The number of people that boarded the vessel is unknown, AIS transmission has been lost, and the incident is on-going. Praesidium notes that the vessel regularly travels in the region and was likely involved in bunkering operations.Fuel theft is suspected as a motive for this and other attacks mounted in the region. The Liberian-flagged tanker Monjasa Reformer was attacked in March 2023.

03 Apr 2023

French Navy Escorts Tanker in Gulf of Guinea After Hijackers Abandon Ship

The French navy on Friday escorted a tanker to port in the Gulf of Guinea after pirates abandoned the vessel and kidnapped some of the crew, the ship's owner told Reuters.The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer with 16 crew members was hijacked [Saturday, March 25] by five armed assailants 140 miles west of the Republic of Congo's Port Pointe-Noire.The hijackers abandoned the ship late [last] Thursday but took some crew members with them, Danish shipping company Monjasa, which owns the vessel, said on Friday."We have our vessel secured. We have our crew members secured on board, or part of the crew members. So right now we are being escorted by the French Navy," Chief Operating Officer Svend Stenberg Molholt said in an interview.

31 Mar 2023

Gulf of Guinea Tanker Hijacking: Pirates Abandon Ship, Take Some Crew Members with Them

Pirates have abandoned a Danish-owned ship that was hijacked in the Gulf of Guinea last week, and have taken some crew members with them, while others have been brought to safety, the vessel's owner said on Friday.The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer with 16 crew members was boarded by five armed people 140 miles west of the Republic of Congo's Port Pointe-Noire, its owner said at the time.The Monjasa shipping company declined to say how many crew members were still missing.The Reformer subsequently went missing, but was later located by the French navy off Sao Tome and Principe, Monjasa said in a statement."Our thoughts are with the crew members still missing and their families during this stressful period.

29 Mar 2023

Ship Seized by Pirates Seen 540 Miles West from Gulf of Guinea Attack Point

A Danish-owned vessel that was boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea on Saturday was spotted about 540 miles further off shore on Tuesday, according to a maritime cooperation centre monitoring security in the area.The Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker Monjasa Reformer was boarded by five armed people some 140 miles west of the Republic of Congo's Port Pointe-Noire. All 16 crew sought refuge in a safe room aboard, according to the cooperation centre.Danish marine fuels supplier Monjasa, owner of Monjasa Reformer, said on Tuesday all communications channels with the vessel were down. The company was unable to provide further detail on Wednesday for security reasons…

28 Nov 2022

Denmark Finds Nigerian Man Guilty in Pirate Case, Delivers No Sentence

© jivimages / Adobe Stock

A Danish court on Monday found a Nigerian man guilty of endangering the lives of Danish military personnel in a shooting incident last November involving Denmark's navy and a crew of suspected Nigerian pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.However, the court declined to sentence the Nigerian, Lucky Frances, 40, despite a call from the prosecutor for a prison sentence of 12 to 15 months.As part of international anti-piracy efforts, Denmark deployed a frigate to the Gulf of Guinea in October last year.

26 Jul 2022

Merchant Vessel Loses Power in Somali Waters

(Photo: EU NAVFOR ATALANTA)

A merchant vessel was towed to safety after losing power in heavy seas off the coast of Somalia.On July 19, the EU's counter-piracy forces EU NAVFOR ATALANTA received a request for assistance from the Somali Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation after the Tanzania-registered merchant ship Anatolian suffered a complete propulsion and power plant failure, and was without food or fresh water. At the same time, ATALANTA assets were granted permission to enter Somali territorial waters.For about a week…

02 Jun 2022

UN Security Council Calls for Crackdown on Gulf of Guinea Piracy

© Lucia / Adobe Stock

The UN Security Council last week called for greater action to prevent piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, a region posing significant danger for commercial shipping as a hotbed for maritime kidnappings and armed robbery at sea.The council unanimously adopted Resolution 2634 (2022), which calls upon member states in the region to criminalize piracy and armed robbery at sea under their domestic laws, and to investigate, prosecute or extradite, in accordance with applicable international law…

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