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  • EU NAVFOR defended in UK

    THE COMMANDER of the EU’s anti-piracy operation today defended its effectiveness to a British parliamentary committee.


    Royal Navy Rear Admiral Peter Hudson has been giving evidence on EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta to the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy.

    Hudson was asked about the continued high frequency of pirate attacks on shipping since the start of the operation more than a year ago. He acknowledged that there was little difference between the number of attacks in 2008 and 2009.

    "The general trend has been steady", he told the hearing, but also said this might be due to an increasing number of ships reporting false alarms. "We are trying to sort out what are alarmist calls and what are genuine attacks.

    "My focus is trying to drive down the number of ships that are seized", he added.

    Hudson also warned that he's dealing with adaptive pirate groups that exploit EU NAVFOR's weaknesses.

    "They loiter near those north/south shipping routes, knowing that the distance will always be my constraint."

    The committee is also seeking information from Hudson on the interaction between Atalanta and NATO and coalition maritime forces that operate in the area, as well as resources including maritime patrol aircraft that are part of the EU operation.

    This story was originally published in Sea-Sentinel Safety At Sea

    © Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Ltd. 1996 - 2010

    Comment


    • Originally posted by Vickers View Post
      The M/V St. James Park has a crew of 26, among them Filipinos (3), Russians (3), Georgians (1), Romanians (2), Bulgarians (5), Ukrainians (2), Polish (1), Indians (6) and Turkish (3).

      There are no U.K. citizens onboard.
      Not required to have any,as you can see dont even have to be from the EU,
      same on irish ships .

      Comment


      • How the hell did they manage to scale the sides of the Asian Glory??

        The thing looks massive..
        Life's short, party naked :-)

        Comment


        • Somali pirates seek EU protection

          Somali pirates seek EU protection

          Somali pirates onboard a supertanker loaded with combustible crude oil called on the European Union's anti-piracy force for help after they came under attack from a rival pirate gang.

          Helicopters dispatched from a warship ended the standoff that could have caused a catastrophic explosion aboard the Maran Centaurus , which is carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil that was destined for the United States.

          The crude oil onboard was estimated to be worth roughly $150 million and is so flammable that smoking is forbidden on deck.

          The supertanker was seized on November 29th near the Seychelles. Its 28-man crew are from Greece, Philippines, Ukraine, and Romania.

          European Union Naval Force spokesman Commander John Harbour said a group of rival pirates had attacked the gunmen holding the Greek-flagged ship yesterday just before the ransom was being delivered, prompting the pirates onboard the tanker to call for assistance from the anti-piracy force.

          A Somali middleman, who helped negotiate the ship's release, said a nearby warship had dispatched two helicopters to hover over the attackers' two skiffs, frightening them off.

          The pirates onboard the ship then collected $5.5 million, which was parachuted out the back of two planes, he said, adding thatt he pirates left the ship this morning and the helicopter did not fire any shots.

          He also said that he had spoken to the group of pirates attacking the ship, and that their intention was to force the original gunmen to give them a cut by using a show of force, rather than trying to storm the ship. Both sides knew of the potential for a catastrophic explosion, he said, and that is why the original pirates asked the EU for aid.

          The middleman spoke on condition of anonymity because he said he feared reprisals.

          Cmdr Harbour could not confirm the amount of ransom paid or whether the EU warship in the area, the Greek FS Salamis , had intervened in the pirate dispute. In a statement later, the EU naval force said it dispatched a helicopter to provide any immediate medical assistance to the crew on the ship that is now under naval escort as it leaves Somali waters.

          In a statement, the ship's owner declined to give any details about how it negotiated the release of the Maran Centaurus . The Maran Tankers Management Inc said the crew are safe and well.

          A Greek coast guard spokeswoman said the tanker had left Somalia escorted by a Greek frigate and was heading to the South African port of Durban. She said all crew members were in good health, and the ship was expected to reach Durban in a week.

          The seizure of the ship, only the second oil tanker captured by Somali pirates, resurrected fears of an environmental or safety disaster first raised by the capture of the Saudi-owned Sirius Star . That hijacking was resolved in January last year with a $3 million ransom payment. It was carrying 2 million barrels of oil valued at about $100 million at the time.

          The International Maritime Bureau said last week that sea attacks worldwide surged 39 per cent last year to 406 cases, the highest in six years. Somali pirates raids on vessels accounted for more than half the attacks.

          It said that Somali pirates were responsible for 217 of the global attacks and had seized 47 vessels. This was nearly double the 111 attacks Somali pirates launched in 2008, of which 42 were successful hijackings.

          Pirates are understood to be holding a dozen vessels and more than 200 crew members hostage.

          AP


          Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Victor View Post

            ....Helicopters dispatched from a warship ended the standoff that could have caused a catastrophic explosion aboard the Maran Centaurus , which is carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil that was destined for the United States....

            ....A Somali middleman, who helped negotiate the ship's release, said a nearby warship had dispatched two helicopters to hover over the attackers' two skiffs, frightening them off...

            ....The pirates onboard the ship then collected $5.5 million, which was parachuted out the back of two planes, he said, adding thatt he pirates left the ship this morning and the helicopter did not fire any shots....

            ....He also said that he had spoken to the group of pirates attacking the ship, and that their intention was to force the original gunmen to give them a cut by using a show of force, rather than trying to storm the ship. Both sides knew of the potential for a catastrophic explosion, he said, and that is why the original pirates asked the EU for aid....

            ....The International Maritime Bureau said last week that sea attacks worldwide surged 39 per cent last year to 406 cases, the highest in six years. Somali pirates raids on vessels accounted for more than half the attacks....

            ....It said that Somali pirates were responsible for 217 of the global attacks and had seized 47 vessels. This was nearly double the 111 attacks Somali pirates launched in 2008, of which 42 were successful hijackings....

            ....Pirates are understood to be holding a dozen vessels and more than 200 crew members hostage....

            AP


            http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...breaking51.htm
            Can someone explain to me why on earth when the pirates boarded their skiff with their loot the heli overhead didnt make match wood of the boat and then retrieve the ransom money?

            I'm well aware that it makes no sense to attempt to retake the captured vessel as it would risk the lives of the crew but why in situations such as above dont the anti piracy forces use their various weapons to give these w*nkers the good news, surely there is a finite number of them willing to attempt to hijack a ship in light of a proper forceful response?

            Comment


            • eh, because i assume the pirates are a bit smarter than that.
              Ransom gets picked up by others, the hijackers stay on board till money is confirmed safe/maybe even distributed. Hijackers then leave
              "The Question is not: how far you will take this? The Question is do you possess the constitution to go as far as is needed?"

              Comment


              • right so then why not make bits of them all when they leave the hi jacked vessel? at that point there is no ambiguity as to who or what they are and there is no risk to the crew if the pirates are back in their skiff

                Comment


                • Originally posted by CS Gass View Post
                  right so then why not make bits of them all when they leave the hi jacked vessel? at that point there is no ambiguity as to who or what they are and there is no risk to the crew if the pirates are back in their skiff
                  Too true, nothing like a bit of murder on the high sea's to differentiate you from the pirates you are suppossed to be combatting... Oh wait?

                  The solution is development in Somalia so the pirates have something better to do, like a proper job.
                  courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice

                  Comment


                  • Crude oil won't ignite easily.It's the vapours that spill off the top that will.My 2 cents worth: put a section of Marines on each ship, with no limits on when and where they should fire.The Somalis would have no hesitation in shooting a white foreigner, so return the favour, in advance, if necessary.Who, in reality, do you need to ask permission from.Better still, impose a no-sail zone outside each Somali harbour.Anything that moves, that hasn't been vetted by the Navies, gets shot to pieces.
                    regards
                    GttC

                    Comment


                    • Seems like a very roundabout way of doing things, and who knows maybe a job that brings in a few dollars a week may not be as enticing to the former pirates? No level of development could sort Somalia out to the point of reducing piracy in the near future, it's the ideal long term solution but in the present the use of force seems to be the only way to 'combat' this crime, as mentioned above a finite number would be willing to engage in piracy if the stakes were that high.

                      Comment


                      • The main point is to not let the buggers onboard in the first place .
                        The current advice to spray them with a fire hose if it was effective in stopping armed men we would see fire engines being sent inlarge numbers to fight the taliban
                        Just look at the mearsk alabama first hijack resulted in three dead pirates, one navel asset purely taken up with the single pirate attack.
                        the second pirate attack when she had armed response onboard the pirates decided to go to another vessel , no dead pirates no hijack of the vessel.
                        I know of at least one former naval officer operating as a vessel defence officer with armed response
                        The only way to stop the pirates is to use force to prevent them boarding the vessels .
                        shoot the fu##ers on the spot once arms are sighted as no known fishing technique requires ak47's or RPG's

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by spud68 View Post
                          The only way to stop the pirates is to use force to prevent them boarding the vessels .
                          shoot the fu##ers on the spot once arms are sighted as no known fishing technique requires ak47's or RPG's
                          Exhibt A



                          Exhibt B




                          "The Question is not: how far you will take this? The Question is do you possess the constitution to go as far as is needed?"

                          Comment


                          • Pirates take new territory: West African Gulf of Guinea

                            Pirates are making headway off the West African coast – the Gulf of Guinea is second only to Somalia in terms of pirate attacks.

                            Lagos, Nigeria
                            It was Nov. 24, and the German-owned oil tanker MT Cancale Star was plying the blue ocean water 18 miles from shore when the crew spotted a speedboat full of pirates, approaching fast. If this sounds like just another day in Somalia, think again. The MT Cancale Star was off the coast of the West African country of Benin, and the pirates were Nigerian.

                            The Gulf of Guinea is second only to Somalia in terms of such attacks, with some 32 pirate strikes reported in the first nine months of 2009.

                            Already home to an insurgency in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta – where attacks on oil facilities routinely cause world prices to spike – piracy is now turning the Gulf of Guinea into a region of increasing international concern. A growing number of US, British, and French ships patrol here and carry out joint exercises with the navies of Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. But the scale of the problem has become so vast, and the capabilities of local navies so small, that even local officials admit that the pirates have the upper hand.

                            “This is a very serious concern for us,” says Nigerian Navy spokesman Cdre. David Nabaida, speaking by phone from the Nigerian capital of Abuja. “When we got out to sea off Lagos, there are well over 200 ships out there, and a good number of them are carrying out activities that are not strictly legitimate. It is difficult to monitor all of those ships. The sea is very large, but we are hopeful, and what we need to do is build capacity so that when we know that something is happening, we can make arrests.”

                            Worse than Somalia?

                            On average, the Nigerian Navy hears of some 10 to 15 pirate attacks per month. Some experts say that the waters of the Gulf of Guinea are at least as dangerous as those off the Somali coast, if not more so.

                            “The International Maritime Board reports any movement against ships on the Gulf of Aden, but you don’t have the same data from the Gulf of Guinea,” says J. Peter Pham, Africa program director for the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, a New York think tank. “There are fishing boats attacked at dockside or close to shore, which don’t meet the definition of piracy on the high seas, and if you add all that, the number of attacks certainly would be equal to those off Somalia.”

                            In the not-too-distant future, piracy off the coast of West Africa could mean higher fuel prices for US consumers. While Nigeria itself represents only 3.1 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves, the Gulf of Guinea, together with Angola and the waters off Congo, are expected to supply up to one-quarter of all the United States’ imported oil by 2015.

                            But for Nigerians, the cost is both economic and political.

                            “In West Africa, you don’t have strong states in the area that have the capacity to fight piracy, and you may not have the political will, because there is historic evidence of certain organs of state themselves being involved in attacks,” says Mr. Pham. “So in West Africa, you need international pressure to bring states together to deal with this problem.”

                            Too few naval patrols

                            Unlike the Gulf of Aden, where US and European naval groups patrol to defend commercial ships against Somali piracy, the Gulf of Guinea has precious little in the way of foreign naval patrols. The US Navy has an African partnership station in the region, part of its effort being to help African governments build capacity to defend their own territories more effectively, and to combat militant activity.

                            But “with two wars going, the African partner station is struggling,” says Pham. “As the war winds down in Iraq, we may see greater resources made available for the Gulf of Guinea and for AFRICOM [the Africa Command of the US military]. But for the moment, they are stretched.”
                            http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Afric...Gulf-of-Guinea
                            You will never have a quiet world until you knock the patriotism out of the human race

                            Comment


                            • This isn't a new phenomenon. Nigerias neighbours aren't particularly impressed by its potential oil wealth, combined with their total disregard for the environmental damage to its neighbouring countries it causes.
                              Many have lost a livelihood as a result of the oil, and have taken to piracy as an alternative source of income.
                              The pickings are richer too, it seems.
                              Malacca straits, West africa, and of course the Gulf of Aden have for many years been a constant area plagued by piracy.


                              Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by spud68 View Post
                                The current advice to spray them with a fire hose if it was effective in stopping armed men we would see fire engines being sent inlarge numbers to fight the taliban
                                It depends a high pressure hose on those trying to climb a rope/ladder can be very effective. But the main problem (for the merchantman) is detecting them before they attempt to get on board.

                                A combination of tactics, eg convoys, max speed, dramatic changes of direction, small boat & helicopter patrols, aerial surveillance, naval patrolling, diversion of pirates to doing other things, port monitoring, randomly putting armed parties on ships, decoy vessels, extra lighting, deployment of high pressure hoses, use of stun grenades, finding a way of locking hatches, in the long term changes of vessels design (no lowfree board), proper security watches, CCTV etc etc

                                Comment

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