Modern Pirates

[Goldie fish]

Pirates hijack Italian vessel

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 - 06:05 PM


Pirates have hijacked an Italian cargo ship with 18 crew on board off the coast of Oman in an area notorious for attacks by Somali pirates.

The ship, carrying cargo from the United Arab Emirates to the Mediterranean, was boarded by pirates in the early hours of this morning.

The 18 crew includes six Italians, five Ukrainians and seven Indians.




Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/breakingnews/...#ixzz1hmexb730

[Dogwatch]

EU NAVFOR escorts a convoy of humanitarian aid ships into Somalia


The Spanish auxiliary oiler and replenishment ship, the SPS PATINO, Flagship of the European Union Naval Force Somalia, with the Force Commander, Captain Jorge Manso Revilla embarked, has recently completed a “first” for the mission by escorting a three ship convoy of ships chartered by the World Food Programme.

Since the inception of the EU NAVFOR mission in December 2008, over 770,000 tonnes of food-aid has been moved in 118 escorted transits which are usually a single merchant ship with a warship escort however the increasing volume of food-aid needed to respond to the worst famine for 20 years means that additional merchant ships are required and the most efficient means of protecting them from pirate attack is to travel in close company.

The SPS PATINO was previously tasked to the Operation Atalanta mission at the beginning of 2011; she was launched in 1995 and displaces 17,045 tonnes, with top speed of 20kt and a range of over 13,450 nautical miles.


The sooner the NS starts this work the better, ships are more than capable.

[Dogwatch]

Ex-navy ship is set to fight off pirates

Defender, an ex-Omani Navy fast attack vessel, is being armed and modernised at Fullbridge after languishing on the Blackwater estuary for the past three years.
The battle-grey ship has changed hands several times since being "gifted" back to Lowestoft where she was built in the mid-70s, by the Sultan of Oman.

Her new owner and skipper, former Royal Navy Lieutenant Chris Enmarsh, 51, said: "Defender's task will be to deter pirates intent on boarding the many ships that pass the East African coastline. One look at her should be enough to send them looking for easier targets.

"She will be manned by handpicked ex-Royal Marine Commandos and run as a professional naval ship, obeying the rules of engagement.

"Our primary task will be to protect oil platforms which are towed close to the coast of East Africa, and a number of oil companies want to hire Defender to look after their interests.

"We are not mercenaries; this is strictly a business venture similar to other British private protection firms which operate in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Defender, which is 127ft long, is undergoing modifications before sailing to Africa.

Mr Enmarsh said: "She has already had a 40mm cannon on her fore deck and a 20mm cannon will be installed on her aft deck, with two machine guns on each side, giving 360 degree coverage.

"Her twin engines have also been replaced while berthed at Fullbridge, but the major work will be done when she returns to Falmouth in the next few weeks after initial trials in the Blackwater."

A Maldon-based marine engineering company run by Jim Dines has been hard at work improving its power system and making internal engineering changes to the cabins.

Much of its original electrical equipment was made in Essex by Marconi Marine, of Chelmsford, and Paxman, of Colchester, both now defunct.


Lowestoft built “Defender” formally the “Al Majihad” an ex Sultan of Oman Navy fast attack craft. After seeing 17 years active service in the Sultans navy she was de-commissioned and returned to Lowestoft by a grateful Sultan as a display ship in recognition for the part Lowestoft played in the building of the Sultan of Oman's navy in the 1970s

[RoyalGreenJacket]

great idea and a great business venture i am sure - aswell as a potential new role for ex-Bootnecks if this grows like CP work in Iraq / Afghan has.

i wonder what red tape they had to go through to legally equip and man their own gunship?

[Goldie fish]

Privateers?

[hptmurphy]

i wonder what red tape they had to go through to legally equip and man their own gunship?

Same thing came to mind and the other being under what juristiction would the crew fall in the event of accident injury or death?

What flag would the vessel fly ?

and run as a professional naval ship, obeying the rules of engagement.

Whose rules of engagement?

http://www.goagt.org/

This crowd seem to be recruiting, already seen it on a few Ex Navy facebook acounts.

[danno]

It looks a bit ropey,they would appear to act as a gunship for firefights only given that they would have no power to stop/search/seize and detain ,nopower to arrest/detain suspects pure merceraries with no protection themselves.

[RoyalGreenJacket]

It looks a bit ropey,they would appear to act as a gunship for firefights only given that they would have no power to stop/search/seize and detain ,nopower to arrest/detain suspects pure merceraries with no protection themselves.

it's a gunship riding shotgun where otherwise there would be none. similar to what happens on land in Iraq / Afghan and other hot spots where PSD's operate - they can provide a formidable force that is best avoided by any potential attackers.

i would say part of the 'upgrade' would be to provide some sort of protection from small arms fire - but i doubt it will be RPG proof without fitting bar armour and other enhancements.

while this vessel begins its new role from the Blackwater Estuary - i hope it doesn't end up operating like Blackwater Security.

[Goldie fish]

it's a gunship riding shotgun where otherwise there would be none. similar to what happens on land in Iraq / Afghan and other hot spots where PSD's operate - they can provide a formidable force that is best avoided by any potential attackers.

i would say part of the 'upgrade' would be to provide some sort of protection from small arms fire - but i doubt it will be RPG proof without fitting bar armour and other enhancements.

while this vessel begins its new role from the Blackwater Estuary - i hope it doesn't end up operating like Blackwater Security.

If it is built of steel it provides protection from small arms fire. If its portholes and windows are designed to keep out waves, they will also stop a bullet(as seen on mythbusters). No upgrade required.
As for RPG protection, show me any naval vessel that already has it. Show me any vessel that has it...

It is designed as a naval vessel. UNCLOS may have things to say about its use, and it may find itself under scrutiny from the "proper" naval vessels operating in the region, to an extent it becomes inneffective. It cannot engage in "innocent passage". What makes it different, in legal terms, to the pirate vessel?

[RoyalGreenJacket]

Goldie - i never said any vessel was 'RPG proofed', but it could no doubt benefit from some extra protection for it's crew in some form somewhere - the fact it is 'built of steel' is no guarantee that every compartment will have the same level of protection against sustained gunfire.

as to how it operates - that is what i meant when i wondered what red tape was crossed to get it sanctioned as 'legal'.

if it only 'reacts' to pirates vessels and tries to deter them from attacking other vessels without opening fire and has to use lethal force as a last resort and never tries to plunder other innocent vessels then surely it will be different to a pirate vessel.

[Goldie fish]

Goldie - i never said any vessel was 'RPG proofed', but it could no doubt benefit from some extra protection for it's crew in some form somewhere - the fact it is 'built of steel' is no guarantee that every compartment will have the same level of protection against sustained gunfire.

as to how it operates - that is what i meant when i wondered what red tape was crossed to get it sanctioned as 'legal'.

if it only 'reacts' to pirates vessels and tries to deter them from attacking other vessels without opening fire and has to use lethal force as a last resort and never tries to plunder other innocent vessels then surely it will be different to a pirate vessel.

I see your point, but legally, there is nothing to distinguish this armed vessel from another vessel, full of fuel and guns... A pirate is only a pirate when you catch him in the act of piracy. Up to that point he is just a fisherman, armed for his own protection.

[RoyalGreenJacket]

bit of a quagmire legally really.

will be interesting to see if this kind of 'armed escort' actually succeeds.

guns for hire.

[Flamingo]

I'd love to see the application for a Firearms Certificate for a 40mm, though.

[Goldie fish]

I'd love to see the application for a Firearms Certificate for a 40mm, though.

"Tis for shootin ducks gard.."

[Flintstone]

Definately a legal quagmire. If she is not a warship then she must be registered in some state. She would then be under the command of a properly certificated master mariner. The gun forward makes her look a very dubious merchant vessel. We will watch with interest.
There are other escort vessels operating in the area but to my knowledge they only carry small arms.