Pirates seize ship carrying tanks, ammo

Has anyone stopped to think these pirates could be or already are funding terrorists around the world with their hijackings? Or is it just me? If that's the case (which is possibly true), how can these governments continue to slap these fools on the wrists and continue on like nothing happened?!

 

Africa | 10.03.2009

Germany Turns Somali Pirates Over to Kenya for Prosecution



Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Heavily armed pirates use speedboats to launch attacks

Nine alleged pirates arrested by a German frigate last week were handed over to Mombasa on Tuesday. As a major oil transit route, Somalia's coast is prone to pirate attacks.





Germany turned over nine pirates, arrested for attacking a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast last week, to Kenya on Tuesday, March 10.

The German navy frigate Rheinland Pfalz had seized the alleged pirates when they used bazookas and firearms to attack a German-owned merchant vessel. Since there were no German crew members and the vessel was sailing under an Antiguan flag, prosecutors in Berlin stated that national interests were not sufficiently at stake to try the captives in Germany.

Although most pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden are from Somalia, a former Italian colony located in the horn of Africa, the nation lacks a functioning legal system to stage a proper trial.

Handover possible after EU-Kenyan deal

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Since last year 24 pirates in all were handed over to Kenya
But Kenya, which borders Somalia to the southwest, has a justice system that meets the requirements set by Germany, although human rights advocates have been critical of prison conditions there.

Human Rights Watch has said that inmates could be held in detention for months without any charges being pressed and are often denied legal counsel.

Tuesday's handover was only possible after an agreement between the European Union and Kenya had paved the way for Somali nationals to be prosecuted in Kenya.

The EU had specified in a deal last week that the captives cannot be subjected to torture or the death sentence. They would have the right to appear before a judge in a short period of time, would be entitled to legal representation and would be provided with an interpreter if needed.

Gulf of Aden vulnerable to attack

Kenya's marine police commander Stanley Lenamai told the Associated Press that the suspected pirates, who had arrived in the port city Mombasa on Tuesday, will be taken to court as soon as interpreters for them are found.

The nine suspects bring the total number of people delivered to Kenyan courts by foreign navies to 24.

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Pirates demanded $25 million for super-tanker Sirius Star and crew
More than 100 ships were attacked last year by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The Gulf of Aden is a vital transit route leading to the Suez Canal, where roughly 30 percent of the world's oil is transported.

NATO, the EU and other countries, including Russia and China, have deployed warships to fight piracy and protect the lucrative multi-billion dollar shipping lanes from the heavily armed pirates who use high-powered speedboats to launch their attacks and kidnap crew members.

The German frigate that apprehended the nine men is part of the EU's anti-piracy mission Atalanta.



df/sms/dpa/afp/ap/reuters

Germany Turns Somali Pirates Over to Kenya for Prosecution | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 10.03.2009

 

Japan orders navy dispatch for anti-piracy mission

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Writer Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 35 mins ago
AP – TO GO WITH STORY PIRATES FIGHTING BACK-- Suspected pirates wait to be moved at the port in Mombassa, …



TOKYO – Japan moved ahead Friday with its plan to send two navy ships to the Somali coast to join an international anti-piracy mission, despite criticism the step may draw troops into action that goes beyond its pacifist constitution.
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, following Cabinet approval earlier in the day, ordered the two warships to leave for Somalia's waters Saturday to protect Japanese vessels and crews from pirates. The destroyers, carrying about 400 sailors and eight coast guard officials, will leave Japan's southwestern port of Kure.
"Piracy is a threat to the international society, including Japan, and is a problem that must be dealt with urgently," Hamada told reporters. "The government bears a serious responsibility to protect the lives and assets of our people in the waters."
Japan's dispatch marks the first policing action overseas for Japan's military, whose mission has been largely restricted to refueling, airlifting and other humanitarian activities.
Opposition lawmakers say Japanese ships could be pressed into combat or protecting foreign ships in an emergency.
The post-World War II charter limits Japan's military to defensive operations. Its naval ships can only be deployed to protect Japanese boats — about 2,000 of them pass through waters near Somalia every year — and their crews. Ruling party members have argued that the battle against piracy is more a crime-fighting operation than a military one.
Japan's Cabinet also approved a new anti-piracy bill, designed to relax restrictions on the use of arms by personnel on navy ships if engaged by pirates and allow the ships to escort foreign vessels in danger.
Japan's dispatch comes as more than a dozen warships from countries including Britain, the United States, France and Germany are guarding the region.
The two Japanese destroyers, Sazanami and Samidare, which are also carrying two SH-60K patrol helicopters and a pair of speedboats, are expected to reach Somali waters in early April.
Somalia, without a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991, has failed to protect citizens while it battles a growing Islamist insurgency. Authorities say marauding criminals in speedboats attacked more than 100 ships off Somalia's coast last year, including high-profile hijackings with multimillion-dollar ransom demands.
Japan has been conducting a naval refueling mission in the Indian Ocean since 2001 to support U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan. The mission is now limited to refueling vessels making anti-terrorism patrols, following opposition protests.

Japan orders navy dispatch for anti-piracy mission

 

Judging by the smiles all around on both the MV Faina's Ukrainian crew and the pirates themselves, maybe getting your container ship hijacked in the Gulf of Aden isn't so horrible after all!

Image Of The Day: Smile! Somali Pirates Have Seized Your Container Ship!

 

I can't stop laughing........ at the stupidity.

 

I wonder which ones were the ones that drowned? LOL

 

I assume the ones no longer pictured. LOL....

 

Well since they drowned after getting the ransom who knows? LOL

 

U.S. Navy detains, releases six suspected pirates


(CNN) -- U.S. naval forces hunting pirates off Somalia detained six people this week who appeared to be pursuing a commercial shipping vessel, but soon released them because of a lack of evidence.
A Yemeni Coast Guard boat patrols the Gulf of Aden for pirates who threaten shipping.





The Navy said on Saturday the six matched the description of suspected pirates aboard a skiff in the area. The naval crew saw the men throwing objects overboard before they picked up the suspects.
Investigators didn't say what was thrown overboard but said the evidence was not sufficient "to hold the suspects for prosecution."
The detentions reflect the aggressive U.S.-led fight against piracy. The United States is spearheading an international naval task force in the waters off Somalia that launched in February after a rash of attacks.
Participating ships are patrolling more than a million square miles of water, an area about four times the size of Texas, Navy officials have said.
The Navy said it arrested the six on Friday after responding to a distress call from the Philippines-flagged MV Bison Express in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia. The ship, a livestock carrier, reported a small skiff containing six heavily armed pirates was pursuing it.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg arrived and found a skiff matching the description. A Seahawk helicopter flew from the Gettysburg over the skiff and reported seeing objects being thrown overboard, the Navy said.
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• U.S. close to handing pirate suspects to Kenya

A team from the Gettysburg boarded the skiff, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard Legal Detachment and detained the six suspected pirates. The U.S. officials transferred the suspects onto the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, the flagship for the international anti-piracy task force, the Navy said, before releasing them.
The attack on the Bison Express was the second one Friday on commercial shipping vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the Navy said. In the first incident, pirates attacked the MV Sea Green, which managed to fend them off by firing flares as the men approached, the Navy said.

U.S. Navy detains, releases six suspected pirates - CNN.com

 

U.S. Navy detains, releases six suspected pirates


(CNN) -- U.S. naval forces hunting pirates off Somalia detained six people this week who appeared to be pursuing a commercial shipping vessel, but soon released them because of a lack of evidence.
A Yemeni Coast Guard boat patrols the Gulf of Aden for pirates who threaten shipping.





The Navy said on Saturday the six matched the description of suspected pirates aboard a skiff in the area. The naval crew saw the men throwing objects overboard before they picked up the suspects.
Investigators didn't say what was thrown overboard but said the evidence was not sufficient "to hold the suspects for prosecution."
The detentions reflect the aggressive U.S.-led fight against piracy. The United States is spearheading an international naval task force in the waters off Somalia that launched in February after a rash of attacks.
Participating ships are patrolling more than a million square miles of water, an area about four times the size of Texas, Navy officials have said.
The Navy said it arrested the six on Friday after responding to a distress call from the Philippines-flagged MV Bison Express in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia. The ship, a livestock carrier, reported a small skiff containing six heavily armed pirates was pursuing it.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg arrived and found a skiff matching the description. A Seahawk helicopter flew from the Gettysburg over the skiff and reported seeing objects being thrown overboard, the Navy said.

A team from the Gettysburg boarded the skiff, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard Legal Detachment and detained the six suspected pirates. The U.S. officials transferred the suspects onto the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, the flagship for the international anti-piracy task force, the Navy said, before releasing them.
The attack on the Bison Express was the second one Friday on commercial shipping vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the Navy said. In the first incident, pirates attacked the MV Sea Green, which managed to fend them off by firing flares as the men approached, the Navy said.

U.S. Navy detains, releases six suspected pirates - CNN.com

 

Greek Ship Seized by Pirates Near Somalia Coast

World | March 20, 2009, Friday



Warships from more than a dozen nations, including the UK, the US, France, Germany, and Iran are now patrolling the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to deter the pirates. Photo by BGNES


Pirates have seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, Greek officials said.
The Titan, with 24 crew members on board, was seized on Thursday night, Greek Merchant Marine Ministry informed, as cited by the BBC. The vessel came under attack as it sailed to Korea from the Black Sea with a cargo of metal.
The Gulf of Aden sees frequent attacks on merchant vessels, accounting for 40% of 293 pirate attacks in 2008. Among the vessels seized are a Saudi oil tanker, and a Ukrainian ship transporting weapons, including tanks. Last month another Greek ship and 22 crew was seized.
Warships from more than a dozen nations, including the UK, the US, France, Germany, and Iran are now patrolling the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to deter the pirates.

Greece Greek Ship Seized by Pirates Near Somalia Coast: Greek Ship Seized by Pirates Near Somalia Coast - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency

 

"UN Cites Reports of Local Government Links to Somalia Pirates"

Why aren't I surprised? And more of this "Poor Fisherman" BS?

"Somalia has said that piracy is merely a symptom of a wider problem -- illegal fishing and dumping. Foreign vessels moved into Somali waters en masse after the collapse of the Somali government in 1991 opened the floodgates to unlimited fishing."





UN Cites Reports of Local Government Links to Somalia Pirates

ByLouis Charbonneau
March 19, 2009

The United Nations is concerned about the possibility of collaboration between pirates and government officials in Somalia's Puntland region, according to a new U.N. report released Wednesday.
The report, prepared by the office of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the Security Council, said that it had identified two main piracy networks in Somalia -- one in the semi-autonomous northern Puntland region and the other based in the Eyl district.
"There are increasing reports of complicity by members of the Somali region of Puntland administration in piracy activities," Ban's report said. But he said it was encouraging that the current and former leadership of Puntland appeared to be taking "a more robust approach" in fighting piracy.
Pirates have been seizing vessels in the Gulf of Aden, which connects Europe to Asia and the Middle East via the Suez Canal, hijacking dozens of ships last year and taking tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments.
An official from the East African Seafarers Assistance Program said Wednesday that Puntland villagers detained an Iranian vessel though the circumstances remain unclear.
Foreign navies, including those of Russia, China and European Union countries, have sent ships to the Horn of Africa to help tackle the threat and the effort has reduced the number of hijackings off the coast of the virtually lawless country.
In his report, Ban urged U.N. member states in the region that have "small but effective navies" to join in the fight against piracy to ensure the regular delivery of humanitarian aid to some 2.4 million Somalis who urgently need it.
Alarmed by the audacious capture of a supertanker last year, foreign navies patrolling the busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia have been taking a more aggressive approach to piracy for several months.
British forces handed over a group of pirates to Kenya in December and the French navy took gunmen it had captured to Puntland in January.
Somalia has said that piracy is merely a symptom of a wider problem -- illegal fishing and dumping. Foreign vessels moved into Somali waters en masse after the collapse of the Somali government in 1991 opened the floodgates to unlimited fishing. "

UN Cites Reports of Local Government Links to Somalia Pirates

 

Somali pirates hijack 2 tankers in 24 hours
By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press Writer – Thu Mar 26, 4:20 pm ET

BRUSSELS – Pirates armed with machine guns hijacked a Norwegian chemical tanker Thursday off the coast of Somalia, the ship's owner said, an attack that came less than 24 hours after a smaller Greek-owned vessel was seized in the same area.
The U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, confirmed both hijackings and said they took place in the same area but separate from the gulf, one of the world's busiest — and now most treacherous — sea lanes.
The 23,000-ton Norwegian-owned Bow Asir was captured 250 miles (400 kilometers) off the Somali coast on Thursday morning, and the 9,000-ton Greek-owned Nipayia, with 19 crew members, was seized 450 miles (720 kilometers) off Somalia on Wednesday afternoon, the European Union's military spokesman said.
Both vessels are chemical tankers but their cargoes were not immediately made public.
Cmdr. Jane Campbell of the U.S. 5th fleet said both hijackings took place in a vast Indian Ocean expanse of over 750,000 square miles (1.9 million square kilometers).
"This activity highlights the complexity of even trying to monitor an area this size," she said.
She said pirates also tried to hijack another Panamanian-flagged boat Wednesday but the crew fought off them off by speeding away and using fire hoses.
Norway's shipowners association said the Bow Asir had a crew of 27 with a Norwegian captain, but the 5th Fleet said there were 23 crew on board. Fleet spokesman Lt. Nate Christensen said the Norwegian ship was Bahamian-flagged.
A Nairobi-based diplomat said the Nipayia had 18 Filipinos on board and a Russian captain. He said the ship is managed by Athens-based Lotus Shipping, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The owner of the Bow Asir, Salhus Shipping AS, said it received a security alert from the ship Thursday morning saying it was being chased by two small boats with suspected pirates. Sixteen minutes later, the ship's captain reported that pirates had boarded the vessel.
Three hours later, the shipping company received an e-mail from the Bow Asir confirming that 16 to 18 pirates carrying machine guns had gained control, managing director Per H. Hansen said in a statement.
"We have no reports of any injuries," he said. "We are doing our utmost to ensure the safety of the crew."
Late Thursday, Bow Asir was heading northwest in the direction of Somalia, according to the Norwegian Shipowners' Association.
"We have no information about any demands from the pirates yet," spokesman Haavard Aagesen. "Our main concern now is the crew members and their families."
Pirate attacks off the Somali coastline hit unprecedented levels in 2008, when pirates made 111 attacks and seized 42 vessels, mostly in the Gulf of Aden.
Seven ships have been seized so far this year, although there were roughly 10 times as many attacks in January and February 2009 as there was over the same period last year. There have been almost daily attacks in March.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since clan-based militias overthrew a socialist dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other.

Also Thursday, NATO announced its anti-piracy flotilla of five ships was resuming patrols off the Horn of Africa, joining at least 20 warships from the EU, the U.S., China, Russia and other navies that are trying to stop pirate attacks there.
Graeme Gibbon Brooks, founder of London-based private security company Dryad Maritime Intelligence, said the latest hijackings showed that the Somali pirates were moving their area of operations into the Indian Ocean. "The coalition have put so much pressure on the Gulf of Aden that the pirates are popping up everywhere else," he said. "Because the area is that much bigger, it will be more difficult for the coalition to achieve the same amount of success as they have in the Gulf of Aden."

Somali pirates hijack 2 tankers in 24 hours

 

I'm telling ya..... disguise one of these ships as a tanker of sorts and arm it to the teeth. When the hijackers approach, open fire.... they'll stop eventually.

 

looks like the pirates are still winning......not a bad idea g_o_w .....blow them out of the water......with a full broadside!

 

Well it has been mentioned a few times in this thread so far. One would think it may be an option that some are thinking of.

 

The Thread has served its purpose and will be closed