Pirate couple cling to hope after 'bungled' rescue attempt
Jan 24 2010 Fiona Young
A COUPLE kidnapped by pirates have told how they are "existing in hope" of being rescued.
Paul and Rachel Chandler were taken hostage as their yacht sailed from the Seychelles to Tanzania in October.
Speaking from captivity as it emerged an attempt to free them by British special forces was said to have been bungled, Paul, 59, said he feared they would be killed at any time.
He said he was " just existing in hope", adding: "I'm afraid that they will just kill us and abandon us in the desert."
He said the pirates had separated him from Rachel, 55, who told him in their last phone call that she was "giving up".
And he said they were each being kept like a "captive animal" in solitary confinement.
He added: "They've lost patience. They set a deadline of three or four days. If they don't hear then they say they will let us die."
Rachel said: "Please, please find a way of helping us because it really is a very desperate situation here."
On Friday, military officials told the BBC that a rescue mission by the Special Boat Service had failed because of bureaucratic delays and technical problems.
The SBS team did not arrive in time to rescue the couple, they said. The official added: "There was some bungling."
An MoD spokesman would not comment on the claim.
After they were captured, it emerged a Navy vessel was in range when they were led from a yacht to a container ship but did nothing in case it put the couple's lives at risk.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Museum offers reward for pirate's headA museum in Germany has offered a reward of thousands of euros for a nail-pierced skull, thought to be that of legendary pirate Klaus Stoertebeker.
The skull was stolen from the museum earlier this month.
"We are launching an appeal for the head," said the director of the Hamburg History Museum, Lisa Kosok, without saying precisely how much was on offer. More!
"We are launching an appeal for the head," said the director of the Hamburg History Museum, Lisa Kosok, without saying precisely how much was on offer. More!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
British captain's Somali pirate nightmare
It began with a green blip travelling in the wrong direction.
Captain Peter Stapleton was chatting with his chief officer on the bridge of the 18,000 tonne cargo ship Boularibank when the green light on the radar caught their attention.
"It appeared to be putting itself in a good position across our stern about two miles [3km] away from which it would quite likely launch an attack," he remembered.
The Boularibank was returning to the British port of Hull from a journey to Malaysia on 28 April 2009 with a Russian crew and 11 passengers, one of whom was the captain's wife.
There was still a day to go before the ship entered the pirate-haunted waters of the Gulf of Aden but Captain Stapleton, 56, had already ordered anti-piracy drills.
Bad feeling
When he realised that he was about to enter a real-life drama, the captain found himself "surprisingly calm". As he began giving orders to his crew, he began to mentally tick boxes. More!
It began with a green blip travelling in the wrong direction.
Captain Peter Stapleton was chatting with his chief officer on the bridge of the 18,000 tonne cargo ship Boularibank when the green light on the radar caught their attention.
"It appeared to be putting itself in a good position across our stern about two miles [3km] away from which it would quite likely launch an attack," he remembered.
The Boularibank was returning to the British port of Hull from a journey to Malaysia on 28 April 2009 with a Russian crew and 11 passengers, one of whom was the captain's wife.
There was still a day to go before the ship entered the pirate-haunted waters of the Gulf of Aden but Captain Stapleton, 56, had already ordered anti-piracy drills.
Bad feeling
When he realised that he was about to enter a real-life drama, the captain found himself "surprisingly calm". As he began giving orders to his crew, he began to mentally tick boxes. More!
Somali Pirates Killed in Fight Over Ransom for Tanker (Update1)
By Hamsa Omar
Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- At least three Somali pirates were killed and three others wounded in an overnight gun battle in the town of Haradhere over the sharing of a ransom paid for the release of a Greek-flagged supertanker, elders and pirates said.
“The fighting started during an argument over the dividing of the ransom paid for the ship,” Bashir Shiine Muse, a pirate who claims his group hijacked the Maran Centaurus, said by telephone from Haradhere today. “Three men died and three others were wounded during the crossfire. Local elders are trying to mediate between the two sides.”
The ransom, believed to be a record $7 million, was dropped onto the tanker on Jan. 17, Muse said. “There is mistrust within the group because there are rumors that some extra money has been transferred into another bank account that some of us weren’t aware of,” he said.
The 2-million barrel carrier was seized about 800 miles (1,280 kilometers) off the Somali coast on Nov. 29 while sailing to the U.S. from Kuwait. It was steered toward the Somali coast where it lay at anchor off the port of Hobyo, the International Maritime Bureau said on Dec. 10. The oil it is carrying is estimated to be worth $150 million.
“The situation in Haradhere is little bit calm this morning because local elders are engaging to mediate between them,” Abdiwahab Mo’lim Hassan, a local elder in the town, said by phone today. “We can see that both sides are regrouping and they are really equipped with heavy weapons.” More!
By Hamsa Omar
Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- At least three Somali pirates were killed and three others wounded in an overnight gun battle in the town of Haradhere over the sharing of a ransom paid for the release of a Greek-flagged supertanker, elders and pirates said.
“The fighting started during an argument over the dividing of the ransom paid for the ship,” Bashir Shiine Muse, a pirate who claims his group hijacked the Maran Centaurus, said by telephone from Haradhere today. “Three men died and three others were wounded during the crossfire. Local elders are trying to mediate between the two sides.”
The ransom, believed to be a record $7 million, was dropped onto the tanker on Jan. 17, Muse said. “There is mistrust within the group because there are rumors that some extra money has been transferred into another bank account that some of us weren’t aware of,” he said.
The 2-million barrel carrier was seized about 800 miles (1,280 kilometers) off the Somali coast on Nov. 29 while sailing to the U.S. from Kuwait. It was steered toward the Somali coast where it lay at anchor off the port of Hobyo, the International Maritime Bureau said on Dec. 10. The oil it is carrying is estimated to be worth $150 million.
“The situation in Haradhere is little bit calm this morning because local elders are engaging to mediate between them,” Abdiwahab Mo’lim Hassan, a local elder in the town, said by phone today. “We can see that both sides are regrouping and they are really equipped with heavy weapons.” More!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Turkish frigate intercepts pirates in Gulf of Aden
Sunday, January 17, 2010
ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency
A Turkish frigate prevented an attempt Saturday by pirates to hijack a vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
The TCG Gökova, serving in the international naval force against pirates under NATO's Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, intervened in a hijacking attempt where a skiff pirate boat opened fire on Indian vessel M/V JAL, 105 nautical miles off the coast. More!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency
A Turkish frigate prevented an attempt Saturday by pirates to hijack a vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
The TCG Gökova, serving in the international naval force against pirates under NATO's Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, intervened in a hijacking attempt where a skiff pirate boat opened fire on Indian vessel M/V JAL, 105 nautical miles off the coast. More!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Suspected pirate faces new charges
Associated Press
NEW YORK - A Somalian suspect accused of staging a brazen high-seas attack on a U.S.-flagged ship off Africa last year pleaded not guilty yesterday to new piracy charges involving two other vessels, including one that authorities said was still being held hostage.
A new indictment alleges that Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse and others tried to seize the two ships in the Indian Ocean in the weeks leading up to their widely publicized capture of the Maersk Alabama.
The court papers, which did not name the other ships, say Muse threatened to kill the crew of the first vessel with "what appeared to be an improvised explosive device" after its capture in March. They say that the pirates used the first ship to seize the second one in April.
Some of the second crew "are still being held," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McGuire.
Outside court, defense attorney Fiona Doherty said she needed more time to study the new charges before commenting.
Muse has been held in Manhattan since he was captured April 12 and flown to the United States to face what's believed to be the first U.S. piracy prosecution in more than a century. He pleaded not guilty to piracy under the law of nations, hostage-taking, and other charges.
Prosecutors said Muse was the ringleader of a band of four pirates who provoked a deadly drama by targeting the Maersk Alabama on April 8 as it carried humanitarian goods 280 miles off Somalia.
A criminal complaint said he was the first to board the boat, firing his AK-47 assault rifle toward the captain, Richard Phillips, telling the captain to stop the ship and "conducted himself as the leader of the pirates."
The four held Phillips, of Underhill, Vt., hostage for days on a sweltering, enclosed lifeboat. The standoff ended when Navy snipers, in shadowing warships, killed three of the pirates.
Muse's age has been in dispute. In April, his lawyers insisted he was 15 and should be tried as a juvenile. Prosecutors convinced a judge he was at least 18.
Associated Press
NEW YORK - A Somalian suspect accused of staging a brazen high-seas attack on a U.S.-flagged ship off Africa last year pleaded not guilty yesterday to new piracy charges involving two other vessels, including one that authorities said was still being held hostage.
A new indictment alleges that Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse and others tried to seize the two ships in the Indian Ocean in the weeks leading up to their widely publicized capture of the Maersk Alabama.
The court papers, which did not name the other ships, say Muse threatened to kill the crew of the first vessel with "what appeared to be an improvised explosive device" after its capture in March. They say that the pirates used the first ship to seize the second one in April.
Some of the second crew "are still being held," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McGuire.
Outside court, defense attorney Fiona Doherty said she needed more time to study the new charges before commenting.
Muse has been held in Manhattan since he was captured April 12 and flown to the United States to face what's believed to be the first U.S. piracy prosecution in more than a century. He pleaded not guilty to piracy under the law of nations, hostage-taking, and other charges.
Prosecutors said Muse was the ringleader of a band of four pirates who provoked a deadly drama by targeting the Maersk Alabama on April 8 as it carried humanitarian goods 280 miles off Somalia.
A criminal complaint said he was the first to board the boat, firing his AK-47 assault rifle toward the captain, Richard Phillips, telling the captain to stop the ship and "conducted himself as the leader of the pirates."
The four held Phillips, of Underhill, Vt., hostage for days on a sweltering, enclosed lifeboat. The standoff ended when Navy snipers, in shadowing warships, killed three of the pirates.
Muse's age has been in dispute. In April, his lawyers insisted he was 15 and should be tried as a juvenile. Prosecutors convinced a judge he was at least 18.
Pirate attacks up sharply in 2009
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters)
Pirate attacks around the world surged 38.5 percent in 2009 with suspected Somali pirates accounting for more than half of the 406 reported incidents, an international maritime body said Thursday.
According to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau, Somali pirates ventured further out to sea last year to capture dozens of ships, take hundreds of hostages and collect millions of dollars in ransom.
"Pirates are now more desperate to hijack ships. Recent attacks, at distances of over 1,000 nautical miles from Mogadishu, indicate the capability of the Somali pirates," the bureau's annual report said.
In the Gulf of Aden alone, 116 actual and attempted attacks took place, compared with 92 in 2008. Bulk carriers were targeted most often and ten crew have been injured, four killed and one is missing.
In all, Somali pirates were held responsible for 217 acts of piracy in 2009.
"As of Dec 31, suspected Somali pirates held 12 vessels for ransom with 263 crew-members of various nationalities as hostages," the report said.
Authorities have been unable to deal with the pirates due to the lawless situation in Somalia although U.S. courts are now handling the case of a Somali teen-ager who was extradited to New York last year on charges of attempting to hijack a U.S. ship.
(Reporting by Royce Cheah; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters)
Pirate attacks around the world surged 38.5 percent in 2009 with suspected Somali pirates accounting for more than half of the 406 reported incidents, an international maritime body said Thursday.
According to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau, Somali pirates ventured further out to sea last year to capture dozens of ships, take hundreds of hostages and collect millions of dollars in ransom.
"Pirates are now more desperate to hijack ships. Recent attacks, at distances of over 1,000 nautical miles from Mogadishu, indicate the capability of the Somali pirates," the bureau's annual report said.
In the Gulf of Aden alone, 116 actual and attempted attacks took place, compared with 92 in 2008. Bulk carriers were targeted most often and ten crew have been injured, four killed and one is missing.
In all, Somali pirates were held responsible for 217 acts of piracy in 2009.
"As of Dec 31, suspected Somali pirates held 12 vessels for ransom with 263 crew-members of various nationalities as hostages," the report said.
Authorities have been unable to deal with the pirates due to the lawless situation in Somalia although U.S. courts are now handling the case of a Somali teen-ager who was extradited to New York last year on charges of attempting to hijack a U.S. ship.
(Reporting by Royce Cheah; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Upside to Somali piracy: Better fishing
MALINDI, Kenya– 12 Jan. 2010
Kenyan fisherman are perhaps the only people in the world who have reason to be grateful to Somali pirates – they keep away illegal fishing boats.
In past years, illegal commercial trawlers parked off Somalia's coast and scooped up the ocean's contents. Now, fishermen on the northern coast of neighboring Kenya say, the trawlers are not coming because of pirates.
"There is a lot of fish now, there is plenty of fish. There is more fish than people can actually use because the international fishermen have been scared away by the pirates," said Athman Seif, the director of the Malindi Marine Association. More!
MALINDI, Kenya– 12 Jan. 2010
Kenyan fisherman are perhaps the only people in the world who have reason to be grateful to Somali pirates – they keep away illegal fishing boats.
In past years, illegal commercial trawlers parked off Somalia's coast and scooped up the ocean's contents. Now, fishermen on the northern coast of neighboring Kenya say, the trawlers are not coming because of pirates.
"There is a lot of fish now, there is plenty of fish. There is more fish than people can actually use because the international fishermen have been scared away by the pirates," said Athman Seif, the director of the Malindi Marine Association. More!
Loaded: Freighters Ready to Shoot Across Pirate Bow
By JOHN W. MILLER
Freighters that ferry goods in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia have a new and unusual cargo: armed guards.
Shipping firms in the modern era have resisted packing heat even in areas where attacks are common. Their reasoning: A firefight leading to lawsuits, damaged goods or a sunken ship could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a sum far exceeding the few million dollars in ransom that pirates usually demand.
But some shipping companies and fishing vessels are tacking away from a longstanding tradition of unarmed sailing amid escalating violence on the high seas. And pirates, who once used small arms as their weapon of choice, now resort to heavier armaments such as grenade launchers, shipping and security firms say. Besides, they note, recent armed conflicts have had some success repelling pirates.
Still, the majority of the international maritime community resists using lethal force because it "poses incredible logistical challenges, potentially violates many national and international laws, and is contrary to maritime conventions," says James Christodoulou, chief executive of Industrial Shipping Enterprises Corp. More!
By JOHN W. MILLER
Freighters that ferry goods in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia have a new and unusual cargo: armed guards.
Shipping firms in the modern era have resisted packing heat even in areas where attacks are common. Their reasoning: A firefight leading to lawsuits, damaged goods or a sunken ship could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, a sum far exceeding the few million dollars in ransom that pirates usually demand.
But some shipping companies and fishing vessels are tacking away from a longstanding tradition of unarmed sailing amid escalating violence on the high seas. And pirates, who once used small arms as their weapon of choice, now resort to heavier armaments such as grenade launchers, shipping and security firms say. Besides, they note, recent armed conflicts have had some success repelling pirates.
Still, the majority of the international maritime community resists using lethal force because it "poses incredible logistical challenges, potentially violates many national and international laws, and is contrary to maritime conventions," says James Christodoulou, chief executive of Industrial Shipping Enterprises Corp. More!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Somali pirates hijack ship with Hyundai and Kia cars
Asian Glory, a ship operated by EUKOR Car Carriers Inc, was hijacked by Somali pirates on Jan 1 while on its way to Saudi Arabia from Ulsan, according to statement today from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritimes Affairs. The vessel was carrying 2,405 cars, including 2,388 from Hyundai and Kia, plus 25 crewmen. I t was hijacked 1,000 km off Somalia’s coast. More!
Asian Glory, a ship operated by EUKOR Car Carriers Inc, was hijacked by Somali pirates on Jan 1 while on its way to Saudi Arabia from Ulsan, according to statement today from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritimes Affairs. The vessel was carrying 2,405 cars, including 2,388 from Hyundai and Kia, plus 25 crewmen. I t was hijacked 1,000 km off Somalia’s coast. More!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
EU Navy Rescues Pakistan Ship Left By Somali Pirates
NAIROBI (Reuters)
A European Union warship rescued a Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel Somali pirates had seized last month and used to hijack another ship, EU naval force Navfor said in a statement.
Pirates hijacked MV Shahbaig 320 nautical miles east of Socotra, an island off the Horn of Africa in early December.
EU Navfor said the Shahbaig was involved in the hijacking of British-flagged vehicle carrier Asian Glory on New Year's Day and had been abandoned by pirates off the Seychelles before EU warship FS Surcouf found it.
"On January 2 ... the Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel ... with a crew of 29, all from Pakistan, was released approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles," the EU Navfor force said in a statement on its website.
"The Shahbaig was boarded by crew from FS Surcouf and found all crew members to be in good health except for one member whose leg was broken," the statement said.
FS Surcouf offered its crew fuel, medical assistance and food to resume the journey to Pakistan. One crew member with a broken leg remained on board awaiting a transfer to hospital.
Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars from hijacking ships for ransom in the Gulf of Aden, connecting Europe and Asia, and are preying farther into the Indian Ocean to avoid foreign navies sent to protect commercial shipping.
EU Navfor said in a separate statement that Singaporean-flagged chemical tanker M/V Pramoni -- also seized on Friday -- was anchored off a Somali pirate lair east of Eyl.
M/V Pramoni, a tanker of 20,000 dead weight tonnes with a crew of 24, was hijacked when heading for Kandla in India.
NAIROBI (Reuters)
A European Union warship rescued a Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel Somali pirates had seized last month and used to hijack another ship, EU naval force Navfor said in a statement.
Pirates hijacked MV Shahbaig 320 nautical miles east of Socotra, an island off the Horn of Africa in early December.
EU Navfor said the Shahbaig was involved in the hijacking of British-flagged vehicle carrier Asian Glory on New Year's Day and had been abandoned by pirates off the Seychelles before EU warship FS Surcouf found it.
"On January 2 ... the Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel ... with a crew of 29, all from Pakistan, was released approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles," the EU Navfor force said in a statement on its website.
"The Shahbaig was boarded by crew from FS Surcouf and found all crew members to be in good health except for one member whose leg was broken," the statement said.
FS Surcouf offered its crew fuel, medical assistance and food to resume the journey to Pakistan. One crew member with a broken leg remained on board awaiting a transfer to hospital.
Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars from hijacking ships for ransom in the Gulf of Aden, connecting Europe and Asia, and are preying farther into the Indian Ocean to avoid foreign navies sent to protect commercial shipping.
EU Navfor said in a separate statement that Singaporean-flagged chemical tanker M/V Pramoni -- also seized on Friday -- was anchored off a Somali pirate lair east of Eyl.
M/V Pramoni, a tanker of 20,000 dead weight tonnes with a crew of 24, was hijacked when heading for Kandla in India.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Somali pirates hijack second British-flagged ship
Somali pirates have seized another British-flagged ship, this time deep in the Indian Ocean, only days after a British chemical tanker was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.
Two other vessels have also been hijacked in the past week despite the presence of dozens of international warships and the heavy seas and high winds of the current monsoon season which usually bring a lull in piracy.
The 14,000-tonne Asian Glory was hijacked in the Indian Ocean 620 miles off the coast of Somalia on Friday evening.
It marked a difficult start to the year for Zodiac Maritime Agencies, the London-based shipping company that owns Asian Glory and St James Park, the British tanker seized on December 28. More!
Somali pirates have seized another British-flagged ship, this time deep in the Indian Ocean, only days after a British chemical tanker was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.
Two other vessels have also been hijacked in the past week despite the presence of dozens of international warships and the heavy seas and high winds of the current monsoon season which usually bring a lull in piracy.
The 14,000-tonne Asian Glory was hijacked in the Indian Ocean 620 miles off the coast of Somalia on Friday evening.
It marked a difficult start to the year for Zodiac Maritime Agencies, the London-based shipping company that owns Asian Glory and St James Park, the British tanker seized on December 28. More!
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