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, [...]


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 [...]


Industry cancels orders worth Rs 3,750 crore for new ship

NEW DELHI: India’s shipbuilding industry may suffer cancellations of about 15% of their total orders, worth at least Rs 3,750 crore, as a slump
in international trade in the wake of the global economic crisis has taken a toll on the sector, industry experts say. Orders for about 35 ships that were to be built [...]


India: Dry bulk cargo shipowners lay up vessels, sell older ships

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Bangalore: Indian shipping firms engaged in carrying dry bulk cargo such as coal or steel have started laying up vessels and even selling older ones as freight rates plunge to record lows amid the global economic downturn and credit crunch. A lay-up happens when a ship is withdrawn from trading operations.
“The market for dry bulk [...]


Tanker outlook: Owners unlikely to walk away from newbuild contracts

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New York: Most of the tankers currently on order will be built and delivered, according to New York broker Poten & Partners. This is in marked contrast to the dry bulk market where analysts believe large numbers of bulk carriers will be seriously delayed or cancelled. However, tanker owners and investors are anxiously awaiting a [...]


Piracy scourge affecting India’s merchandise trade

piracy
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 [...]


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

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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 [...]


HELCOM report shows sharp decrease in ship collisions in the Baltic

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While every year there are more and more ships plying the waters of the Baltic Sea, the occurrence of ship-to-ship collisions, one of the most serious types of accidents at sea, has decreased sharply since 2005, especially in such a busy traffic area like the Gulf of Finland, according to the latest HELCOM study. Analysis [...]