GOA Attempted Hijacks 2009

GOA Attempted Hijacks 2009

USNS Lewis and Clark attempted hijack 7 May
News: VOA

MV Dabaksol attempted hijack 4 May
News:The Hankyoreh

MV Kition attempted hijack 2 May
News: AP

MV Christina A attempted hijack 30 Apr
News: Mathaba

MT Qana attempted hijack 26 Apr
News: AFP

Ariva 3 attempted hijack 26 Apr
News: AP

MV New Legend Honor attempted hijack 20 Apr
News: AP

MV Atlantica attempted hijack 20 Apr
News: AP

MV Front Ardenne attempetd hijack 18 Apr
News: BBC, DefPro

MT Handytankers Magic attempted hijack 18 Apr
News: Reuters, CNN

MV Puma attempted hijack 16 Apr
News: CanadaNews

MV Safmarine Asia attempted hijack 15 Apr
News: Bloomberg

MV Liberty Sun attempted hijack 14 Apr
News: CNN

MV Pannamax Anna attempted hijack 13 Apr
News: CalgaryHerald

MV Pacific Opal attempted hijack 04 Apr
News: CTV

MV Africa Star attempted hijack 04 Apr
News: BBC

MV Ocean Amber attempted hijack 03 Apr
News: AFP

FGS Spessart attempted hijack 30 Mar
News: FAZ

MV Jasmine Ace attempted hijack 22 Mar
News: IOL

MV Ulusoy 8 attempted hijack 19 Mar
News: KUKA, WorldBulletin

MV Diamond Falcon attempted hijack 16 Mar
News: Reuters

MV Chong Chon Gang attempted hijack 11 Mar
News: MaritimeGlobal

MV Shanghai Venture attempted hijack 10 Mar
News: Lloyd's List

MV Courier attempted hijack 03 Mar
News: PressTV

MV Samanyolu attempted hijack 02 Jan
News: AP

MV Kriti Episkopi attempted hijack 02 Jan
News: SFGate

Mt Abul Kalam Azad attempted hijack 02 Jan
News: Bloomberg

MV S Venus attempted hijack 01 Jan
News: France24

Somalia Hijacked Ships July to Sept 2008

Somalia Hijacked Ship July to Sept 2008

- A Turkey Owned, Marshall Islands Flag, Bulk carrier MV Yasa Neslihan was attacked on 29 Oct. (Crew 20 - All Turkish) , Detail Link, Picture Link, News Link, The ship is carrying iron ore from Canada to China.

- A Liberia Owned, Greece Manage, Liberia Flag, Chemical Tanker, MT Genius was attacked on 26 Sep (Crew 19 - all Romanian sailors), Detail Link, Picture Link, News Link. News Link 1

- A Panama Owned, Ukraine Manage, Belize Flag, RO-RO Cargo ship, MV Faina was attacked on 26 Sep (Crew 21 - 17 Ukrainians, 3 Russians and 1 Latvian) Cargo - 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks and a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts. Detail Link, Picture Link, News Link,

- A Greek owned, Bahamas flagged, Bulk Carrier, MV Capt Stefanos was attacked on 21 Sep (crew 19 - 17 Philippines, 1 Chinese, 1 Ukranian.) ,Detail Link , Picture Link

- A Malta owned, Greek managed, Malta flagged Bulk Carrier, MV Centauri was attacked on 18 Sep. (crew 26 - all Philippinese), Detail, Picture link.

- A HK owned, HK flagged Bulk Carrier, MV Great Creation was attacked on 18 Sep. (crew 26 - 25 Chinese, 1 Bangladesh master) Detail, Picture link.

- A Panama owned, HK flagged , Chemical Tanker, MT Stolt Valor was attacked on 15 Sep. (crew 22 - 18 Indians, 2 Philippinese, 1 Bangladesh and 1 Russian) Detail, Picture link.

- A South Korea owned, South Korea flagged , Bulk Carrier, MV Bright Ruby, was attacked on 10 Sep. (crew 21 - 9 Koreans, 12 others unknown nationalities) Detail, Picture link.

- A French owned, Venezuela flagged ,Luxury Sailing Yacht , Carre D'as IV, was attacked on 4 Sep. (the hostages - Couple Jean-Yves and his wife Bernardette Delanne of French Nationality) Detail, Picture link ,Stormed & released by French Commando on Sept 17

- A Egypt owned, Panama flagged , General Cargo Ship, MV Al Mansourah, was attacked on 3 Sep. (crew 25 - All Egyptian) Detail, Picture link. Released on Sept 26

- A Malaysia owned MISC BHD, Malaysia flagged , Chemical Tanker, MT BUNGA MELATI 5 , was attacked on 29 Aug. (crew 41 - 36 Malaysian and 5 Philippinese) Detail, Picture link.
Released on Sept 28

- A Iranian owned IRISL, Iran flagged ,Bulk Carrier, MV Iran Deyanat was attacked on 21 Aug. (crew 29 - including a Pakistani captain, 13 Iranians, 3 Indians, 2 Philippinese, and 10 Eastern Europeans, possibly Croatian. ) Detail, Picture link.

- A Japan owned ,Panama flagged, Tanker, MT Irene was attacked on 21 Aug. (Crew 19 - Master and Chief engineer Russians, 2 Croatia and 15 Philippinese crew.) Detail, Picture link.
Released on Sept 11

- A Germary owned , Antigua and Barbuda flagged, General Cargo Ship , MV BBC Trinidad was attacked on 21 Aug. (crew 13 - master Slovenia citizen, 3 Russian & 9 Philippinese) Detail, Picture link. released on September 11

- A Malaysia owned MISC BHD, Malaysia flag, Chemical Tanker , MT Bunga Melati Dua, dated hijacked Aug 19. (crew 39 - 29 Malaysians and 10 Philippinese ) Detail, Picture link. released on Sept 30

- A Thai owned , Thailand flagged, General Cargo Ship , MV Thor star was attacked on 10 Aug. (crew 28, all Thailand) Detail, Picture link.

- A SL Integrated Services owner , Nigerian tug boat, Yenegoa Ocean, dated hijacked Aug 10. (no crew info) Detail, Detail2 ,Picture link(nil).

- A Japanese owned vessel, Panama-flagged, Bulk Carrier, MV Stella Maris dated hijacked July 20. (Crew 20 Philippinese) Detail, Picture link. Released on Sept 26

- A Omani Owned, Oman Flag, Fishing vessel, ASMAK 1 was attacked on 14 Jan near Garaad in Mudug region and taken to Eyl (Crew 22),( Detail Link, Picture Link, News Link. - no info ) released on Aug 27.


News & Picture of Hijacked Vessel

There are 13 vessels by now, kept by Somali pirates. Balker Stella Maris broke into 3-months captivity, and no news on what’s on with talks or ransom. Balker IRAN DEYANAT – no one knows what exactly happened on board, but several pirates died or got severe injures and poisoning while trying to open cargo holds, God knows what is in there, but claimed by IRISL cargo ore looks doubtfull. There were rumours about weaponry or some components, but nobody knows for sure.

September 21 – Somali pirates highjacked balker Capt Stefanos (dwt 74077, built 2002, Bahamas flagged, manager Greek CHARTWORLD SHIPPING, crew 19 – 17 Philippines, 1 Chinese, 1 Ukranian). m/v Capt Stefanos is the biggest vessel ever highjacked on high-seas.

September 18 – Somali pirates highjacked two vessels in a day, balker Centauri (grt 12812, built 1977, Malta flagged, manager Greek NAVIGATION MARITIME LTD, crew 26 all Philippinese), and balker Great Creation (grt 18179, built 1988, HK flagged, manager SINOTRANS SHIP MANAGEMENT LTD, crew 26 – 25 Chinese, 1 Bangladesh master). Balker Centauri with 17000 mt salt on board was enroute to Kenya, Mombasa, and therefore was captured not in Gulf of Aden, but in Indian ocean, something to take a note, as it means pirates widen their activity area.

September 16 – French commandos freed a French pair, yachtsmen from highjacked yacht Carre d’as IV, somewhere in mountains far from shore, 1 pirate was killed and 6 captured, yacht rumoured to be still in use as a mother-ship to carry out high-sea attacks. Pirates were asking not only $2 million ransom for pair, but also releasing 6 of their compatriots now in trial in Paris, captured also by French commandos in Spring this year.

September 15 – around 13.00 LT Somali pirates highjacked chemical tanker STOLT VALOR (dwt 25269, built 2004, HK flagged), 38 miles off Yemeni coast. Crew 22 – 18 Indians, 2 Philippinese, 1 Bangladesh and 1 Russian.

September 11 – m/v BBC Trinidad and m/t Irene freed, 3 weeks capture, talks and delivering ransom, for BBC Trinidad ransom was about $1.4 million.



September 10, 07.00 UTC – pirates highjacked Korean balker Bright Ruby, en-route Europe. Several hours before Greek supramax balker was attacked and fired upon, close-by navy ship sent helicopter and steamed to assist, pirates warded off. Balker Bright Ruby – grt 15872, built 1987, flag Korea, crew 21, 9 of them koreans, others unknown.



September 4 – Venezuela-registered, French-owned, 24 m and 2-mast luxury sailing yacht Carre D'as IV, an Amel Super Maramu, was on her transfer from Australia to France, when she was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. The hi-jackers averted any attempt to stop their escape with the yacht and are not at Eyl as reported falsely in parts of the media. Reports directly from Somalia indicate that the hostages (the couple Jean-Yves and his wife Bernardette Delanne of French Nationality) were dropped at the Somali coast near Alula, yacht is now used to hunt for further prey.



September 3 09.30 LT – m/v Al Mansourah was attacked and captured in 14:27N - 049:40E, 13 miles off Yemeni coast, en-route Bin Quasim to Jibouti with cement cargo. Crew 25, grt 9549, built 1980, Panama flagged, owner Egyptian RED SEA NAVIGATION CO.

Date: 3 Sep 08
Ship Hijacked: Al Mansourah
Summary: Dry cargo m/v Al Mansourah was highjacked at around 09.00 hrs Wednesday, en-route Bin Quasim Pakistan to Djibouti with cargo cement, crew 25. Vessel was attacked 14 miles off Yemeni coats, now anchored at Allula, no demand yet from pirates.

News Link: http://www.odin.tc/eng/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=146


Vessel details

Name: Al Mansourah
Call Sign :HPXM
Gross tonnage : 9,751
DWT: 13,130
Type of ship : General Cargo Ship
Year of build :Built in 1980 by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft A.G., Kiel as SLOMAN MIRA (Yard No. 128) , for Sloman Neptun Schiffahrts A.G., Bremen.
Flag : Panama
IMO No: 7707683
MMSI Number: 356386000
Length:154 m
Beam: 21m
Draught: 8m
managed by Red Sea Navigation Co, Egypt
crew - 25, national unknown yet
Renamed: Originally Sloman Mira, 1980 "Sloman Mira", 1984 "Green Wave", 2003 "Al Mansourah".
owned by Red Sea Navigation Co, Egypt
History about this ship: http://www.newzeal.com/steve/Ships/greenwave.htm

August 29 - chemical tanker BUNGA MELATI 5 was hijacked 13:11N 046:38E at around 14:00 hrs yesterday approximately 14 Nautical Miles off the Coast of Yemen. This location is in the central Gulf of Aden approximately 135 Nautical Miles farther to the west from previous hijack locations indicating an increased operating area for piracy in the Gulf of Aden. m/t BUNGA MELATI 5 – grt 22116, built 1999, flag Malaysia, owner MISC BHD. This is the second tanker of MISC BHD, captured by Somali pirates.



August 21 – early in the morning pirates highjacked two vessels, in less than one hour.



Iranian balker IRAN DEYANAT was fired upon, boarded and highjacked. m/v IRAN DEYANAT – grt 44468, built 1983, Iran flagged, owner IRISL, crew 29, cargo ore, en-route to Europe. Rumours are, there were some arms as cargo on board.



Soon after was highjacked another vessel, tanker Irene – 7373 grt, built 2000, flag Panama, manager KOYO KAIUN CO LTD-TOKYO Japan. En-route France – Kandla, India. Crew 19, master and chief engineer Russians, one Croatia citizen, 15 Philippinese citizen.



Later that day, around 20.00 LT, another vessel highjacked, this time general cargo vessel BBC Trinidad, dwt 9775, built 2006, flag Antigua, crew 13 – master Slovenia citizen, chief engineer, 2-nd engineer and 2-nd officer Russian citizen, 9 Philippinese citizen.



August 19 – pirates highjacked chemical tanker Bunga Melati Dua, dwt 22254, built 1997, flag Malaysia, owner MISC BHD. Cargo palm oil, en-route Indonesia-Yemen, crew 20 plus, all Malaysia citizen.



August 10 – pirates highjacked Thai general cargo m/v Thor star, 10572 grt, built 1985, flag Thailand, manager THORESEN & CO BANGKOK LTD. With logs load, vessel was en-route SEA – Europe, crew 28, all Thailand citizen.



August 10 – pirates highjacked tug Yenaoga Ocean, owner SL Integrated Services, en-route Dubai – Mogadishu, no data on the vessel or crew.



July 20 – pirates highjacked balker Stella Maris dwt 52454, built 2007, flag Panama, manager MMS CO LTD Japan, cargo lead-zink ore, crew 20, Philippines.




Pics of all highjacked vessels

Updated Pics of all highjacked vessels on 22 Sep

South East Asia (SEA) Region Maritime Incident

SEA Regional Maritime Incidents

Year 2011

13 Jan - Danish tanker attacked by robbers in Malaysian waters

Year 2010
ReCAAP reported Incidents

- 10 May 2010 - (Performer)
- 7 May 2010 - (Update for Atlantic 3)
- 2 May 10 - (Sinar Busan)
- 27 Apr 10 - (Atlantic 3 & Atlantic 5)
- 27 April (PU 2402)
- 22 April (Update on PU 2007 )
- 19 April 2010 (PU 2007)
- 17 April 2010 (Semua Gembira)
- 7 and 9 April 2010 (Theresa Libra & Star Ypsilon)
- 3 April 2010 (Tirta Samudra XVII)
- 20 March 2010 (Hesnes)
- 11 March 2010 (SP Athens)
- 26 February (Updates for Asta)
- 10 February (Topniche 7)
- 10 February (Asta)
- 21 January (British Holly)


2008

Capsized of Philippine ferry - M/V Princess of the Stars

Philippine ferry M/V Princess of the Stars, Manila to Cebu with more than 800 passengers and crew, capsized in a typhoon on June 21 2008.

Ship's owners - Sulpicio Lines Inc
GT - 23,824 tonne

Philippine official says ferry to be refloated
News Link - http://www.lloydslist.com/ll/news/philippine-official-says-ferry-to-be-refloated/20017548593.htm

Somalia Pirate News and Photo

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Somalia Pirates Key Player

Mohamed Garfanji, Somalia's top pirate boss

Fathi Osman Kahir, a pirate middle manager

----------

In the heart of a Somali pirates' lair

By Jean-Marc Mojon (AFP) – 02 Sep 2010

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jQQGv7LIlL-EkExado7j4u8htLPQ

HOBYO, Somalia — Piracy off the coast of Somalia is booming despite a massive deployment of international warships, with an estimated combined coast of 40 million dollars a day.

NATO, the European Union, United States and other naval powers have sent warships to curb the hijacking of ships yet the number currently under the control of Somali pirates stands at 22, one of its highest ever levels.

Hundreds of suspected pirates have been captured but most had to be released immediately for lack of evidence.

On his first encounter with foreign journalists, Mohamed Garfanji, Somalia's top pirate boss, talks sparingly and has the edginess of a wanted man who never lowers his guard and is always planning his next move.

His eyes only stop scanning his surroundings when he breaks his silence, speaking with an intense gaze that is both menacing and playful.

Speaking to AFP in the town of Wisil in central Somalia, he thumbs through his mobile phone picture gallery for shots he and his boys took of foreign tuna seiners off the coast of Hobyo, their nearby base.

"See this one? Only a few months ago, 20 miles from Hobyo... And this one, a big Spanish ship," Garfanji says, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

"Now your armies have sent their soldiers so you can continue to take our fish," he says, clenched fist and gold wrist watch sticking out of the sleeve of a warm dark blue bomber jacket.

His sidekicks nod silently as they devotedly chew their daily bundle of khat, a narcotic leaf widely consumed in Somalia and whose stimulant qualities make it particularly prized by pirates.

His is a Robin Hood narrative of Somali piracy as a struggle by dispossessed fishermen against vessels from Europe and Asia violating Somalia's exclusive economic zone and poaching its abundant tuna under naval protection.

Three centuries before him, charismatic pirate Black Sam Bellamy railed against the powers "who rob the poor under the cover of the law" while "we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage."

In Hobyo the following morning, one of his top lieutenants, Mohamed, stands on the beach, clutching his machine gun behind his neck like a balancing pole, ammunition belts snaking down from his shoulders.

The sand-charged wind blows his black-and-white checkered keffieh and cigarette smoke into his face as he squints at the imposing figure of a hijacked Korean supertanker anchored on the horizon.

"This one is bigger than Hobyo," he says proudly.

The Marshall Islands-flagged VLCC Samho Dream is a third of a kilometre long, one of three largest vessels ever hijacked by pirates, and carries an estimated 170 million dollars of Iraqi crude destined for the United States.

"Enough to buy the whole of Galkayo," Mohamed quips, in reference to the region's largest city, which straddles the border with the neighbouring semi-autonomous state of Puntland.

Fighting a losing battle against the sand that has already completely covered the old Italian port, Hobyo's scattering of rundown houses and shacks looks anything but the nerve centre of an activity threatening global shipping.

"We have no schools, no farming, no fishing. It's ground zero here," says chief local elder Abdullahi Ahmed Barre. "And our most pressing concern is the sand, the city is disappearing, we are being buried alive and can't resist."

Gathered in the gloom of the council building, the elders haven't seen a foreigner in years and the list of grievances is long.

"The nearest hospital is an eight-hour drive on a rough road", "The water is undrinkable, too salty", "When the tsunami struck, nobody helped", "This is one of the most peaceful parts of Somalia, why is there no assistance?"

Leaning discreetly against the door frame, Garfanji is listening keenly.

Hobyo pirates have collected millions of dollars in ransoms over the past two years. They even have currency checking and counting machines for the bags of air-dropped cash they receive.

Key players drive well-equipped Land Cruisers, have built new, slightly more stately houses and married more wives.

Yet Hobyo is anything but a booming town, so where does all the money go?

Residents say a significant portion of their income is lavished on post-ransom binges of khat, alcohol and prostitutes but the pirate leaders insist much of the cash is re-invested to expand.

"When we get more money, we recruit more," says Fathi Osman Kahir, a key Hobyo-based piracy "investor", who acts as a kind of pirate treasurer.

When a ship is hijacked, he pays for running costs such as increased onshore security, diesel for generators and basic supplies for captors and captives. When a ransom comes in, he takes the lion's share.

"There's up to 500 people working with us in Hobyo, that's 10 percent of the population and I'm just talking about the people on the ground... We have a hierarchy. What do you think we do? We pay wages too," he says.

A visit to Hobyo by the secretary of state for security of the fledgling local administration of Galmudug, Ismail Haji Noor, doesn't send the pirates scurrying into hiding.

"What am I going to do? Arrest them all? Even if I had the means as security minister to challenge them, it's pointless if I don't have something to offer, if nobody can provide an alternative," Noor says.

A former military man and a successful businessman who spent half of his life in Britain, Noor is lobbying donors in Nairobi for elusive development aid he hopes could make the pirates lay down their grapnels.

"There is no difference between life and death if you have nothing to eat... Of course, what we do is criminal, it's undeniable. We don't love what we are doing but there is no choice," says Kahir.

While Noor would like to see Hobyo's pirate army turned into a legitimate defence force and a coastguard protecting Somali waters from both residual piracy and illegal fishing, foreign assistance has not been forthcoming.

Now the biannual inter-monsoon season favourable to piracy is just around the corner and September may be too good to sit out even for the least committed of pirates.

On the beach of Hobyo, Mohamed Ali, a shark fisherman, says his catches are meagre, his fuel costs high and his boat inadequate.

"Being with the pirates has advantages and disadvantages," he admits. "I have not yet decided whether to join or not."

----------
In Somali Civil War, Both Sides Embrace Pirates
1 Sep 2010, By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/world/africa/02pirates.html

HOBYO, Somalia - Ismail Haji Noor, a local government official, recently arrived in this notorious pirate den with a simple message: we need your help.

With the Shabab militant group sweeping across Somalia and the American-backed central government teetering on life support, Mr. Noor stood on a beach flanked by dozens of pirate gunmen, two hijacked ships over his shoulder, and announced, From now on we’ll be working together.

He hugged several well-known pirate bosses and called them brother and later explained that while he saw the pirates as criminals and eventually wanted to rehabilitate them, right now the Shabab were a much graver threat.

Squished between the two, we have to become friends with the pirates, Mr. Noor said. Actually, this is a great opportunity.

For years, Somalia’s heavily armed pirate gangs seemed content to rob and hijack on the high seas and not get sucked into the messy civil war on land. Now, that may be changing, and the pirates are taking sides both sides.

While local government officials in Hobyo have deputized pirate gangs to ring off coastal villages and block out the Shabab, down the beach in Xarardheere, another pirate lair, elders said that other pirates recently agreed to split their ransoms with the Shabab and Hizbul Islam, another Islamist insurgent group.

The militant Islamists had originally vowed to shut down piracy in Xarardheere, claiming it was unholy, but apparently the money was too good. This seems to be beginning of the West’s worst Somali nightmare, with two of the country’s biggest growth industries — piracy and Islamist radicalism joining hands.

Somalia’s pirates are famous opportunists we just want the money is their mantra so it is not clear how long these new alliances of convenience will last. But clan leaders along Somalia’s coast say that something different is in the salty air and that the pirates are getting more ambitious, shrewdly reinvesting their booty in heavy weapons and land-based militias, and now it may be impossible for such a large armed force the pirates number thousands of men to stay on the sidelines.

You can’t ignore the pirates anymore, said Mohamed Aden, a clan leader in central Somalia. They’re getting more and more muscle. They used to invest their money in just boats and going out to sea but now they’re building up their military side.

Take the elusive and powerful pirate boss Mohamed Garfanji, who surfaced briefly two weeks ago wearing a belt of bullets strapped across his chest in an X and a purple rain jacket to guide a group of foreign journalists to Hobyo, his base of operations. The journalists had been invited by the Galmudug State administration, a clan-based local government trying to gain a foothold in the region. But Hobyo is a fully engulfed piracy community, where 10-year-old boys with Kalashnikovs hang out in the sandy streets and glare at outsiders, and the visit could happen only with Mr. Garfanji’s blessing. During a meeting with Hobyo elders, Mr. Garfanji stuck his head through the door and grunted: It’s O.K. for you guys to speak to the journalists. And for them to take pictures. After that, he vanished.

Mr. Garfanji is believed to have hijacked a half-dozen ships and used millions of dollars in ransom money to build a small infantry division of several hundred men, 80 heavy machine guns and a fleet (a half dozen) of large trucks with antiaircraft guns not exactly typical pirate gear of skiffs and grappling hooks.

While some of his troops wear jeans with Play Boy stitched on the seat, others sport crisp new camouflage uniforms, seemingly more organized than just about any other militia in Somalia.

Mr. Garfanji’s original motivation was probably profit, pure and simple by mustering a formidable force on land, nobody could squeeze him to pay protection fees. But now his associates claim that their pirate army was created to stop Hizbul Islam and the Shabab.

Sometimes, explained Fathi Osman Kahir, a pirate middle manager, you commit crimes to defend your freedom.

--------------
Somali pirates lead rise in ship hijackings
18 October 2010 Last updated at 11:40 GMT

Ship hijackings hit a five-year high in the first nine months of 2010, with Somali pirates responsible for the majority, says a maritime watchdog.

From January to September this year 39 hijackings were reported - up from 34 in the same period of 2009 and 11 in 2006, it said.

Somali pirates - who were striking as far away as the Red Sea - were responsible for 35 of the hijackings.

It also reported a three-fold increase in attacks in the South China Sea.

"Somali pirates intensified attacks away from their own coast" in the first nine months of 2010, said the International Maritime Bureau in a news release accompanying the release of its report on Monday.

It said a strong foreign naval presence in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast had actually led to a drop in the number of piracy incidents there, from 100 in the same period last year to 44 this year.

But Somali pirates were moving away from such well-patrolled areas to larger adjacent seas. In June 2010 a chemical tanker was hijacked in the southern Red Sea - the first such hijacking reported in the area, the IMB said.

"The actions of the navies in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali basin have to be once again commended," said Capt Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB.

From Jan-Sept 2010:
* Pirates boarded 128 ships
* They fired at 52
* 70 vessels said they thwarted attacks
* Pirates used guns in 137 incidents and knives in 66
* One crew member was killed, 27 were injured and 773 were taken hostage

Source: IMB

"Increased intelligence gathering coupled with strategic placement of naval assets has resulted in the targeting of suspected Pirate Action Groups before they become operational.

"However, this is a vast area and the navies cannot realistically cover it. The naval presence does however remain vital to the control of piracy in this area."
Hot spots

Overall, the number of piracy incidents globally - comprising attacks and boardings - dropped slightly from 306 in the first nine months of 2009 to 289 in the same period this year.

But the IMB reported concern about the South China Sea, where there has been a resurgence in piracy incidents once virtually eradicated by naval patrols. Recorded incidents there this year so far have tripled to 30 from 2009.

"The pirates in this area use almost identical methods of attack, suggesting that a small number of groups is responsible," said Capt Mukundan.

The IMB also warned of a rise in piracy around the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong, and around Indonesia.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11566184

Ship Hijack

Ship Hijack

Date: 19 May 08
Ship Hijacked: Amiya Scan
Summary: "The ship was hijacked in international waters in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia ," said the ship's owners, Dutch Reider Shipping. The Ship, with a crew of nine (four Russian officers and five Filipino seamen), was seized after leaving the Kenyan port of Mombasa on 19 May. The ship is believed to have been bound for the Romanian port of Constanta.


Amiya Scan (Ex:BBC Bornholm)
Call Sign : V2WS
Gross tonnage : 2546
DWT: 3,680
Type of ship : General Cargo Ship
Year of build : 2003
Flag : Antigua and Barbuda
IMO No: 9280718

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date : 28 May 08
Ship Hijacked : Lehmann Timber
Summary: Cargo ship (LEHMANN TIMBER) hijacked on 28 May 08 at 1040 UTC while underway in position 13:09N-048:58E, 56NM south of the Yemen coast. The vessel was attacked by four heavily armed pirates. Lehmann GmbH shipping company said in a statement that the owners continue to maintain regular contact with the vessel and all 15 members of the crew are well in view of the circumstances.


Flag: Gibraltar
IMO Number: 9418286
MMSI Number: 236427000
Callsign: ZDIE5
Length: 134m
Beam: 18m
GT 5285
built 2008


Middlemen negotiate pirate ransoms

Date: 20 Jul 08
Ship Hijacked: STELLA MARIS
Summary: GULF OF ADEN: Bulk carrier (STELLA MARIS) hijacked 20 Jul 08 at 0430 local time/0011 UTC while underway in position 13:16N-050:02E, approximately 87NM northwest of Caluula, Somalia. The vessel was enroute Suez when UKMTO Dubai was alerted via INMARSAT that pirates were onboard, repeated three times before the line went dead. No returned calls were answered. The ships operators were alerted and at the same time a SSAS message was received by the operators and forwarded to UKMTO. According to Puntland presidential advisor Bile Mohamoud Qabowsade, there were 38 heavily armed pirates that stormed the ship while sailing in international waters. Hared Ise Umar, the District Commissioner of Caluula, stated that the hijackers sailed the vessel close to Caluula and indicated he expected the vessel to sail to Eyl.



STELLA MARIS
Call Sign :3ELD7
Gross tonnage : 30,046
DWT: 52454
Type of ship : Bulk carrier
Year of build : 2007
Flag : Panama
IMO No: 9317157
MMSI Number: 372923000
Length: 189.0m
Beam: 32.0m
owned by Turtel Marine Shipping
managed by MMS Company of Japan.
crew - 20 filipinos

Ships registered with the Singapore Registry of Ships_ Starting with A

Name: ADVANCE II
IMO: 9289788
c/s: 9VJY6
Type: TANKER
GT: 30,032



Name: AEGEAN FALCON
IMO: 9227792
c/s: S6AG3
Type: BULK CARRIER
GT: 27,986

What is "IMO'' Number

IMO number

The IMO number is a 7-digit number issued to each vessel before it is launched and remains with it throughout its lifetime and is therefore really the only way of 100% identifying a particular vessel .

The vast majority of vessels do have an IMO number but you may find some smaller vessels (Tugs and specialist vessels=below 100 GT), do not have an IMO number - these Smaller Vessels often have an 'Official' Number ''ON'' which tends to do the same job.


A little History & background about IMO numbers

The administration of the IMO numbers is under Lloyd's Register, Lloyd’s Register allocated its own standard numerical identifiers for merchant ships of 100 tons and over world-wide during the late 1960’s, initially in a 6-digit format. They appear in their present 7 digit format in Lloyd’s Register for 1969 and thereafter and were originally termed “LR numbers”.

The IMO number consists of three number groups, The first two digits often (but not always) indicates the age of the ship. The lower digits, the elder ship. For vessels build from 1960 until 1987, the two first digits will often be the year of class request or keel-laying for the ship. The next four digits is simply a number, while the seventh digit is made a data digit controlling that the first six digits were typed correctly.

These have been formally adopted by the International Maritime Organisation and function as “world official numbers” for ship identification and tracking purposes, hence the acronym LR/IMO. They are generally painted conspicuously on the hull of modern ships to which IMO regulations apply.


Requirement for the ship to Show IMO

The requirement for the ship's identification number to be clearly visible on the ship is a requirement of the ISPS (International Ship and Port Security) Code, which is part of SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea).Essentially, all merchant ships should now be displaying this number somewhere on board.

ISPS code is the full code, and scrolling to page 100 of will give the rule changes made to SOLAS requiring the permanent marking of the number.


Shipping databases

Some of free shipping databases to use that provide IMO number is as follow ,

- http://World Ship Register
- http://www.tokyo-mou.org
- http://www.equasis.org

Paid shipping databases to use that provide IMO number is as follow -

- SeaSearcher
- Sea-Web


This "What is IMO number " is what I have found out in the Shipspotting.com forum. If anyone know more about IMO numbers, it would be great to share here please. Thanks

Maritime News

2016
============================================================

 

20 Emergency Response Team officers commissioned

They are part of the Singapore Police Force's efforts to combat terrorism. The officers were presented with their badges at the Police Day Parade.

By Sara Grosse, Channel NewsAsia
Posted 03 Jun 2016 21:51
Updated 03 Jun 2016 23:18

SINGAPORE: Twenty officers of the inaugural Emergency Response Teams were commissioned at the Police Day Parade on Friday (Jun 3). They are part of the Singapore Police Force's efforts to combat terrorism, in light of security-related incidents in Jakarta and Paris.

One of the officers is Inspector Paige Lee. As a child, she witnessed first-hand how police officers stepped in to prevent a dispute from escalating in her friend's family. The incident inspired the political science major to join the force.

The 25-year-old is now deployed to lead a team of officers equipped to deal with terrorist attacks. And her training was no different from her male counterparts. Inspector Lee, the leader of the Emergency Response Team at Tanglin Division, said: “There were no discounts. We were expected to do what the male colleagues of mine were expected to do. We are expected to carry the same load, run the same amount of distances and perform any tactical training (in) exactly the same (way)."

The teams undergo simulated training to learn how to respond quickly to high-risk threats such as knife attacks or hostage situations. Said Inspector James Wong, leader of Clementi Division’s Emergency Response Team: "We are also required to think on our feet very quickly because as the situation develops, as things go, we have to think on our feet and react according to whatever they throw at us."
Both officers said that initially family members were concerned for their safety, but they re-assured their families that the training had prepared them for the job.

The 20 officers were presented with their badges at the Police Day Parade. Awards were also given to the most outstanding police land divisions. Bedok Division won the Best Land Division, while Clementi Division won the Best National Service Operationally Ready Unit.

CNA

 

Southeast Asian maritime terrorism warning (Dated 27 Jan 2016)

Southeast Asia could see maritime terrorism incidents this year, a leading maritime security expert has told Splash.

Kevin Doherty, president of Nexus Consulting, said: “We think 2016 may see its first maritime terrorism attack in a while.”

He pointed out that there are a number of terrorists who are being released from Indonesia for a few of the early 2000s bombings, and there are number of Syrian fighters returning to Asia as well.
“Should an Indonesia terrorist link up with a Filipino terrorist, things will get bad quickly in Southeast Asia,” Doherty said.

On the outlook for piracy in general Doherty was more sanguine. “Shipowners will be happy to know that organised piracy, or what I call a piracy model will continue to be on the decline in 2016,” he said.

The main reason is that Nigerian piracy is being addressed both at the pirate level, but more importantly finally there is some focus on corruption which means those laundering money or stolen oil are not able to operate as freely as before.

Similarly, Doherty said the main reason Somali piracy will not increase in 2016 is that that the launderers have been placed under strict observation by law enforcement.

“That isn’t to say that where won’t be piracy off Somalia, as there will be, and the acts themselves will increase in 2016, however the multi-million kidnap-for-ransom model shouldn’t allow for multi-million dollar ransoms any longer,” Doherty said.

Ian Millen, coo at UK firm Dryad Maritime, told Splash that despite reduced incidents of piracy lately seafarers must remain vigilant.

“Whilst there is lots of good news in many of the areas plagued by piracy and crime, there is no room for complacency,” Millen said, adding: “Proper risk assessments, comprehensive risk mitigation and a constant awareness of the potential threats need to be in the minds of all those embarked in or responsible for vessels in high risk areas. Cutting corners in any of these areas and, for example, straying too close to the source of the threat, such as near to the Somali coast, could easily result in a negative news headline detailing the first merchant ship to be hijacked in two years.”

Millen concluded: “We live in an uncertain, complex and, sometimes, dangerous world and all would be well advised to remember this.”

SPLASH247

 

The continuing surge of piracy in South East Asia (Dated 11 Jan 2016)

The surge of piracy in South-East Asia waters continues as ships passing the Straits of Malacca and Singapore are falling victim to acts of piracy.

Whilst Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia operate anti-piracy patrols in the area, it has limited resources. The sheltered coast and islands also makes it easier for robbers to operate. As piracy rampages on, Indonesia and Malaysia has taken efforts to jointly increase security.
By far, the most significant incident suggests activities going beyond the usual act of armed robbery or theft on board ship.

On 11 June 2015, eight men armed with pistols and machetes boarded the Orkim Harmony a Malaysian registered tanker whilst it was nearing the end of her voyage. The Orkim Harmony was hijacked about 30 nautical miles from the Malaysian Port of Tanjung Sedili and carrying about 6,000 Tonnes of RON95 gasoline, worth more than USD 5 million. After the Pirates restrained the crew, they repainted and renamed the vessel Kim Harmon. During a joint search missions with the Malaysian Navy, an Australian air force patrol eventually spotted the stolen tanker. The pirates, all Indonesian, were arrested in Vietnamese waters.

The Orkim Harmony heist was followed by another brazen attack on 8 August 2015 of a Singapore-registered tanker, MT JOAQUIM. The MT JOAQUIM was heading from the Indonesian Port of Tanjung Pinang to the island of Langkawi off the northern coast of Malaysia where it was hijacked and one crew member was injured. It was later found miles off Tanjung Keling with the 3,500 metric tonnes of marine fuel oil on board the tanker reported missing.

South-East Asian pirates unlike their Somali counterparts, hope to steal bunkers, palm oil and chemicals from slow moving tankers. In most cases the ships and crew is released once the bunker or cargo has been siphoned. Whilst only a fraction of the ships which sails the Straits are affected, seamen are now clearly worried as the attacks are clearly getting more violent. During the heist of the Orkim Harmony, one of the crew suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh.

The situation was different 10 years ago where South-East Asian nations appeared to have pirates on the run. As of mid August 2015, following the attack on MT JOAQUIM, more than 70 ships have fallen prey to pirate attacks in the Malacca and Singapore Straits. According to the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau, during the first six months of 2015, pirates launched an attack once every two weeks on average in South-East Asian waters. In fact 68% of the 134 piracy incidents reported worldwide in the first six months of 2015 occurred in South-East Asia, compared with 53% of the 116 incidents in the same period of 2014.

Shipowners wants regional navies to beef up anti-piracy operations but they themselves are reluctant to report attacks to avoid alarming their clients and insurers. It is even more worrying where there is speculation that crew members are complicit in some hijackings. Malaysia and Indonesia law enforcement has taken the first step to address the issue of piracy. The Malaysian and Indonesian law enforcement has now formed a joint rapid deployment team aimed to tackle the surge in piracy within the region.

The Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency has deployed a helicopter-equipped special tasks and rescue (“STAR”) team at Johor Bahru. The STAR team will respond to robbery and hijacking and sometimes operate on vessels managed by other ships. Indonesia has not established any new task forces but it is stepping up its cooperation and communication with Malaysia in light of the attacks in recent months.

Shipping and security experts welcomed the latest move, but has urged for a more active approach for permanent security especially during the night. What is the solution to effectively address the surge in piracy within the region?

Patrolling at this stage would be deemed insufficient as regional partners need to come together and step up their game and eradicate piracy together. The industry as a whole must come together and merchant must follow best management practice of ship security to eradicate piracy. It would also require cooperation between regional police forces, port authorities and customs to prevent theft and hijackings to siphon cargo on board vessels.

There is also a rising voice for some quarters regarding armed guards onboard. In some camps, it has been said that armed deterrence on board has significantly contributed to a reduction of piracy on Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. In South- East Asia unfortunately, strict gun laws in a various countries that comprise South East-Asia means that armed deterrence may not be an option available to them.

Malaysia and Indonesia are heading in the right direction with the implementation of STAR. Putting in place a system which allows effective information sharing to track suspicious vessels might work hand in hand with the implementation of STAR to combat piracy within the region.
Beijing has also taken the effort to hold joint maritime drills with Malaysia in the Straits of Malacca. According to Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun, the drills will focus on disaster relief, search and rescue, and hijack rescue.

It remains to be seen whether the efforts of Malaysia and Indonesia will be deemed fruitful. In the meantime, Shipowners must at all cost ensure they follow the best management practice of ship security.
Source: Clyde & Co.
Hellenic Shipping News


2010============================================================German-Indonesian Early Warning System (GITEWS)
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/301762


6 ships attacked in 6 daysJun 16, 2010

A global maritime watchdog Wednesday warned of increasing pirate attacks in the south of the South China Sea following six incidents in as many days in waters off Indonesia.

KUALA LUMPUR - A GLOBAL maritime watchdog Wednesday warned of increasing pirate attacks in the south of the South China Sea following six incidents in as many days in waters off Indonesia.

Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) piracy monitoring centre said the latest attack brought to 14 the number in the area so far this year. On Wednesday a Singapore-flagged container ship was boarded by six armed pirates who stole cash and property.

'The attacks that began on June 10 are concentrated in an area near Indonesia's Anambas, Natuna and Mangkai islands,' he told AFP. 'We have issued alerts on the area in the past and have again informed the Indonesian authorities, asking for an increase in patrols. The attacks go down following an increase in patrols but they slowly creep up again once patrols are reduced.'

Mr Choong said a Malaysian-registered tanker was boarded on June 10 in the area while a South Korean cargo vessel was attacked the same day.

A Cypriot container ship was boarded on June 12, a Chinese-flagged tanker was attacked on June 13 and a Singapore-registered tanker was robbed on June 15, he added.

'The pirates usually attack in the hours of darkness and they target the ship's safe, property and personal belongings,' Mr Choong added. 'Unlike Somalian pirates, the ones in the region abort their attempts when they are spotted so we advise all vessels to ensure they are vigilant to prevent such boardings.'

-- AFP.
- URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_541082.html

============================================================Singapore Police to strengthen coastal defence over next few years
By Hoe Yeen Nie | Posted: 29 April 2010 1456 hrs

SINGAPORE: Singapore police are strengthening their coastal defence system to deter sea-borne threats such as smugglers and illegal immigrants.

They are also looking at further ways to make better use of resources on the ground.

The waters off Lim Chu Kang, in the north of Singapore, are a hotspot for smugglers. Currently, water barriers and fences help to keep them out.

And over the next three years, better fences will be mounted, including one that prevents intruders from getting a grip.

Another method employs high-tech wizardry to do the job.

The fibre optic wire mesh may look flimsy, but it's precisely designed to prevent people from climbing or cutting through the wire. Once the wire is snapped, sensors will trigger an alarm back at command centre, and security cameras will immediately pinpoint the exact location of the intruder.

Down south, where sea traffic is high, special barges will be deployed to serve as command and surveillance posts.

These will be supported by faster and more agile patrol boats as well more fences along the coastline.

DSP Patricia Lui, head of ops and security, Police Coast Guard, says: "In the southern waters, we have large and small boats, and it's very easy for the small boats to hide in between some of these larger vessels. Therefore we must improve our surveillance capabilities and our detection capabilities in that environment."

Police are also testing new fingerprinting technology that could help them determine, for the first time, the gender and race of a suspect.

They will also be able to find out if the suspect had handled substances like explosives or drugs.

This is all done through biochemical analysis, which costs about S$1 million.

The special nano powder used will also capture prints with about 30 per cent more detail than the type currently used. Police say this reduces the likelihood that fingerprints will be smudged. Even if they are, the chemical composition of the prints can be analysed for bio-markers that could narrow down the range of possible suspects.

At the seminar, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng also spoke of the need to review police deployment on the ground.

Mr Wong said: "I've also directed the police to undertake a detailed study of the neighbourhood police centre and the neighbourhood police post system to take into account changes in population demographics and the operational needs of the specific communities.

"We must be prepared to re-configure the NPC and the NPP systems so as to better meet the growing and changing demand for police services."

He also spoke of the need to continue with community engagement to keep crime down, and cited as an example recent efforts against loanshark harassment in housing estates.

- CNA/jy
============================================================

Better fences to be built to deter smugglers

by Hoe Yeen Nie

TodayOnline
05:55 AM Apr 30, 2010

SINGAPORE - Singapore police are strengthening their coastal defence system to deter sea-borne threats such as smugglers and illegal immigrants. They are also looking at how to make better use of resources on the ground, with a review of the neighbourhood police centre (NPC) and the neighbourhood police post (NPP) system.

The waters off Lim Chu Kang are a hotspot for smugglers and currently, water barriers and fences help keep them out.

Over the next three years, better fences will be mounted. One method involves a fibre optic wire mesh designed to prevent people from climbing or cutting through the wire.

Once the wire is snapped, sensors will trigger an alarm back at command centre, and security cameras will pinpoint the intruder's location.

In the south of the island, where sea traffic is high, special barges will be deployed to serve as command and surveillance posts, supported by faster and more agile patrol boats.

Police are also testing new fingerprinting technology that could help them determine -for the first time - the gender and race of a suspect. They will also be able to find out if the suspect had handled substances like explosives or drugs.

Speaking at the police workplan seminar, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng spoke of the need to review and reconfigure, if necessary, police deployment on the ground.

The police will undertake a detailed study of the NPP and NPC system "to take into account changes in population demographics and the operational needs of the specific communities", said Mr Wong.

2003 Dec
============================================================Have the waters in Asia gotten more dangerous?

by Neo Chai Chin

TodayOnline

05:55 AM Apr 30, 2010

The waters of Asia seemed to have become more dangerous in recent months - judging by the January to March piracy and armed robbery figures against ships in the region.

Twenty-five incidents - 20 actual and five attempted - were reported in Asia during this period, up from 15 in the same period last year.

The increase was mainly in Category 3 (less significant) incidents - which jumped from 9 to 17 - and most occurred at the ports and anchorages of Indonesia, according to a quarterly report published by the regional cooperation to counter piracy, the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre.

ReCAAP stands for the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.

The only very significant (Category 1) incident reported was the hijacking of tugboat Asta and its barge Callista in February in the South China Sea. The pirates abandoned the barge, and the Philippine Coast Guard reported finding the tugboat later.

This month, however, two more incidents in the same waterway involving tugboats have been reported.

The piracy situation in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore has improved so far this year, with only one attempted incident reported in the first quarter, down from two actual incidents in the same period last year.

============================================================
Freed by pirates, he felt forsaken

by Neo Chai Chin

TodayOnline

05:55 AM Apr 30, 2010

SINGAPORE - He was held captive for over five months by Somali pirates.

During that time, Filipino Captain Abelardo M Pacheco, Master of the chemical tanker Stolt Strength - hijacked on Nov 10, 2008, off the Gulf of Aden - was filled with apprehension "many times", but tried to focus on his responsibility towards his crew of 22. Towards the end of the five months, "we thought we didn't have any more hope" as the ransom had yet to be paid, he said.

Yet, when the ransom, believed to be over US$2 million ($2.7 million), was paid and freedom finally came on April 21 last year, Captain Pacheco felt just as desperate.

With no more bunker fuel and without security escort ships to accompany the tanker, the crew felt "forsaken" and vulnerable to another round of pirate attacks, recounted Captain Pacheco, 63, yesterday at the Piracy and Sea Robbery Conference 2010.

Reinforcing his suspicion of "double standards" of counter-piracy organisations, he spotted a European ship with two security escorts about 100km to the north.

After four days, with a transfer of fuel from a United States naval ship, the tanker finally made it to Salalah in Oman.

His first-hand account at the conference yesterday brought home the message that much still needed to be done to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast.

Governments have to "get their acts together", said keynote speaker Mr Robert Lorenz-Meyer, president of the independent shipping association, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (Bimco). "Continuing the catch-and-release approach will not solve this problem. We must see this change to catch-and-prosecute," he said.

On the paying of ransom by shipowners to pirates, Bimco's chief maritime security officer Giles Noakes said it was the pragmatic solution to the problem.

"The de facto status quo today is that there is no alternative if you're going to rescue those seafarers", he said.

As for Captain Pacheco's observation that there appeared to be "double standards" when it came to assisting ships, Captain Chris Chambers, chief of staff of the multi-national Combined Maritime Forces, said post-release assistance has "nothing to do with (the flag of the vessel)".

"If we don't have a ship nearby we're not going to respond …We have no rule book or game plan to assist certain vessels or not assist certain vessels," he said in response to a question from the audience.

============================================================

Regional cooperation key to curbing piracy

It'll enable a more efficient coordination of rescue efforts for hijacked ships between Asia's coastal regions. -myp
Fri, Apr 30, 2010
my paper, By Loh Wei Xiang
AFTER the Singapore-registered tugboat Asta was hijacked by pirates soon after leaving the city state in early February, a multinational effort was made to retrieve it.
Information flowed readily between the regional security and maritime communities in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand, resulting in five sightings of the barge that the hijacked vessel had been towing, with photographs taken for good measure. Within three weeks, crew, cargo and vessel were all safely recovered and the pirates nabbed.
In the first quarter of this year, there were 20 incidents of piracy and robbery against ships in Asia, up from 14 in the same period last year, reported a regional piracy information centre.
But extensive regional cooperation saw the number of more serious - or Category 1 and 2 - cases drop from five to three, said Ms Lee Yin Mui, assistant director of research for the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC).
Most of the incidents recorded were in the less-serious Category 3. The classifications take into account the violence involved and type of property lost.
However, better weather in coming months could mean increased pirate activity, warned Mr Nicholas Teo, deputy director of ReCAAP ISC.
Still, Mr Robert Lorenz-Meyer, president of the Baltic and International Maritime Council (Bimco), said the piracy threat in Asia is less of a problem than in Africa precisely because Asia has platforms to exchange information and share resources.
Not all states in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean have this capacity, he added.
Mr Lorenz-Meyer was attending an international conference here, organised by ReCAAP ISC and Bimco, to share perspectives on the world-piracy and sea-robbery situation.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was also signed between ReCAAP ISC and Bimco for the first time yesterday.
It will enable relevant agencies and the government authorities to more efficiently coordinate rescue efforts for hijacked ships between Asia's coastal regions.
The MOU will also pave the way for publications to guide seafarers on what to do in the event of a hijacking, and more exchange sessions, said Mr Lorenz-Meyer.

=======================================================

Conference On Sea Piracy, Robbery
April 29, 2010 18:13 PM

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, April 29 (Bernama) -- A conference on sea piracy and robbery was held here Thursday to find ways and measures to curb the menace and ensure safety of ships sailing in international waters.

The conference was jointly held by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) and the Baltic and International Maritime Council (Bimco).

Themed 'Sharing Information, Enhancing Security', it brought together 200 stakeholders from the maritime industry, who shared their perspectives on the piracy and sea robbery situation, and explored ways and measures to improve the situation.

Lam Yi Young, representing ReCAAP ISC Governing Council, said combating piracy and armed robbery against ships was a collective responsibility shared by governments, ship owners, shipping associations and the maritime industries.

He said ReCAAP ISC would continue to leverage on its current information network to provide the platform for more timely and value-added information exchanges among all stakeholders.

He said the centre advocated multi-channel information reporting and sharing, and would continue to build on this strong foundation of networking through constant engagement and formal cooperative arrangement with like-minded organisations.

Bimco president Robert Lorenz-Meyer said close cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the shipping industries was important in curbing piracy and sea robbery.

ReCAAP ISC and Bimco later signed a memorandum of understanding on joint co-operation in the area of information exchange and mutual support and to institutionalise a platform for future collaboration, among others.

-- BERNAMA

======================================================