This cool site, thanxs to Kmaxx

- it monitors Piracy


- www.icc-ccs.org/extra/display.php?yr=2008

Although we dont hear about it much, I didnt realise how prevalent it is. Check out the Piracy map.

Then there was a new report today:
Maritime Global Net

MORE ATTACKS OFF SOMALIA

Tuesday, 12 August 2008

A TUG has been hijacked by Somali pirates. The latest ICC International Maritime Bureau report gives only brief detaisal but says that, on 04.08.08 at 0300 LT: off Bosasso, pirates attacked and hijacked a tug underway. It adds that the pirates took the crew hostage and sailed the tug into Somali coastal waters and that further details are awaited.

The tug joins the supramax bulk carrier Stella Maris, hijacked on 22 July and the largest vessel seized to-date. The ship and 18-strong crew are still being held and it is understood negotiations for their release are continuing.

Meanwhile the IMB has reported an incident in which it was able to inform naval forces in time to intervene to foil a violent armed attack on a merchant vessel. On 08.80.2008 seven pirates, in two speedboats, armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers chased and fired on a bulk carrier underway. The master contacted the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre for assistance. The duty officer at the Piracy Reporting Centre advised the master to enforce anti piracy measures to prevent boarding of vessel and informed him that the Coalition naval force and other relevant authorities would be contacted to render assistance to the vessel. The Coalition dispatched one warship to assist the vessel. The constant manoeuvring of the bulker prevented the boarding of the pirates. On seeing the coalition warship, the pirate boats aborted their attempt and moved away. The vessel was able to resumed its and voyage and all crew were safe and no damage had been done to the ship. However unexploded grenade was then found on the bridge wing which was defused by a team from the warship.

the malaysia ship with a tank full of palm oil had 39 crew members aboard. this ship is still missing!

so i saw this....
An international terrorism task force has reportedly dispatched a warship to intercept the 1997-built, 32,000 dwt tanker, which is heading toward Somalia territorial waters. In June, the UN Security Council voted to allow international warships to enter Somali waters to combat piracy.

Last week the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center said that intelligence sources had revealed that there are now "two suspicious trawlers in the Gulf of Aden believed to be pirate mother vessels looking to attack ships with the intent to hijack."

It described the vessels as "long white, Russian made stern trawlers with names BURUM OCEAN or ARENA or ATHENA.

there is a chance they might be a russian-led group because both pirate motherships are flagged in russia. here is a photo of one of the russian motherships.

I guess pirates are pirates for good reason; they're too stupid to work at a Burger King!
Take a look at this one...they tried to attack a US Navy tanker ship.
(Who...in their right mind...attacks a Navy ship without a total commitment to suicide?)

US navy tanker under apparent pirate attack off Somalia
Wed 24 Sep 2008, 15:30 GMT

LONDON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy said on Wednesday it appeared pirates had tried to attack one of its big military oil tankers.

A security team aboard the vessel opened fire on two small boats near Somalia after they ignored warnings and pursued the ship, a U.S. Fifth Fleet spokesman said.

"From all appearances it does look like it was a pirate attack and the incident is currently under investigation," he said by telephone from Bahrain.

He said the Military Sealift Command (MSC) oil tanker, the John Lenthall, which usually carries a range of fuels for the U.S. armed forces, was transiting outside Somalia's territorial waters when the incident took place.

In a statement the Navy said a whole range of warnings were given before the security team opened fire on the small open skiffs which came within 400 yards (370 metres) of the tanker.

The skiffs then retreated and the navy said there were no reports of any casualties.

"This incident is clear proof that all mariners must remain vigilant," said Captain Steve Kelley, the commander responsible MSC ships in the region.

Somali pirates have in the past mounted attacks on merchant shipping from skiffs launched from so-called "mother ships" in the waters in and beyond Somalia.

Heavily armed Somali pirates have hijacked more than 30 merchant vessels of the Horn of Africa country this year, with attacks off its coast and the Gulf of Aden almost every day.

Somalia pirates hijack Ukrainian ship with 21 crew
www.chinaview.cn 2008-09-26 14:36:23 Print

NAIROBI, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Armed Somali pirates have hijacked a Ukrainian ship with 21 crew members off the coast of Somalia in the latest attacks along the world's most dangerous waters, a regional maritime official said on Friday.

Andrew Mwangura, the coordinator of the East Africa Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), said the Belize-flagged Faina vessel was carrying an authorized Ukrainian government arms shipment to Kenya including 38 type T-72 tanks, an extra number of armoured personnel carriers, and munitions for southern Sudan.

"The vessel was hijacked on Thursday by gunmen off the Somali coast while underway to Mombasa port. The ship was carrying 38 tanks for South Sudan with 21 crew members," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone.

He said three motor boats loaded with armed men intercepted the Ukrainian bulk carrier Faini in international waters off Kenya's Indian Ocean coast.

According to the regional maritime official, the vessel with 21crew members aboard -- 17 Ukrainians, three Russians, and one Latvian -- had been captured by the buccaneers.

Using increasingly sophisticated equipment, pirates have stepped up attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf, increasing insurance costs for ship owners and raising the possibility of military intervention.

A spate of hijackings by pirates off the coast of Somalia has triggered the deployment of a multi-coalition naval force to patrol the world's most dangerous waters.

The U.S. Navy said Western coalition warships and aircraft said it will conduct patrols to boost security in the Gulf of Aden.