Pursuit of Pirates on Somali Territory Sought at UN

piracy
By Bill Varner
Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) — Pirates could be chased onto Somali territory under a proposal the U.S. wants the United Nations Security Council to endorse, diplomats said.
A draft resolution to authorize such action has been given to some member governments on the panel, and a vote may be sought as early as next week, [...]


EU initiative for the Gulf of Aden

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The European Union (EUNAVFOR ATALANTA) is initiating a ‘Close Support Protection’ system for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden.
EUNAVFOR had requested all owners / operators requiring the close protection to register on the Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa (MSC-HOA) website: www.mschoa.org
Please see below the initial guidlines aa released by EUNAVFOR
[QUOTE]
INITIAL GUIDANCE TO THE [...]


Weekly Piracy Report : ( 2 December - 8 December 2008 )

Suspicious crafts
None reported
Recently reported incidents

02.12.2008: 0230 UTC: Tema anchorage, Ghana.

Four robbers boarded an oil tanker at anchor. Robbers stole ship’s stores and escaped when noticed.  No injuries to crew.

16.11.2008: 0945 LT: Posn: 05:34.53N - 005:22.39E, Warri river, Nigeria.

Several speedboats with heavily armed men approached a general cargo ship under pilotage. They fired warning shots into [...]


Somali pirates release Greek ship

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The East Africa Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) issued a statement today confirming that the bulk carrier CAPT. STEFANOS (sometimes spelled CAPT STEPHANOS) was released by its hijackers yesterday.
The vessel was captured by Somali pirates in September along with her crew of 19 in the Gulf of Aden.
“The Greek ship-owner’s company Chartworld Shipping Corporation (Athens) finally [...]


Terror on high seas, now a major worry for ship owners

Plummeting freight rates and shrinking cargo as a result of the global financial meltdown are not the only issues presently gnawing at shipping companies. The recent flare-up of terror on high seas, off the coast of Somalia, has become a sharper concern for ship owners.
Even after the Indian seafarers aboard Stolt Valor, which was hijacked [...]


Piracy scourge affecting India’s merchandise trade

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Twenty seven-year-old Jasmeet Singh, third officer with a Norwegian merchant vessel cruising along the Horn of Africa en route to the Mediterranean sea, is a worried man. Satellite phone usage on-board is limited to senior officers like the captain and chief engineer.
But these are exceptional times. Besides his family, Singh has repeatedly called four of [...]


Defiant Somali pirates await EU navy force

piracy
Somali pirates were undeterred Saturday as a new European Union naval forces readied to launch an operation aimed at curbing relentless attacks that have rattled world maritime trade. The EU’s anti-piracy drive, dubbed Atalanta, was to formally kick off on Monday, increasing the military presence in the Gulf of Aden, which has in recent months [...]


Maritime body issues S. China Sea piracy warning

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Ships have been told to keep a lookout to guard against pirate attacks in the South China Sea off eastern Malaysia following an attack on a vessel last week, the International Maritime Bureau said on Sunday.
The warning came after pirates attacked a coal ship 10 nautical miles off the coast of the eastern Malaysian island [...]


The latest must-have for commercial shipowners: a piracy insurance policy

cargo
A risk consultancy with close ties to the Lloyd’s insurance market is offering the world’s first insurance policy for shipowners covering potential ransom payouts on crew members who have been kidnapped.
Kidnap and ransom insurance is well-established but has traditionally been offered only in respect of individual executives working in commercially sensitive [...]


Piracy at ‘Intolerable’ Level, Says Maritime Executive

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The massive deployment of foreign navies to the vital shipping lane off the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden has so far failed to slow the rate of pirate attacks, with new ships taken almost daily, according to maritime executive Christopher Hayman. He said most commentators agreed that piracy was merely the symptom [...]