Somali Pirates Seize Libyan Vessel
By MARK McDONALD - Published: February 4, 2010
A Libyan-owned merchant ship flying the North Korean flag has been hijacked by Somali prates in the Gulf of Aden, according to the European Union naval coalition in the gulf.
There was no immediate information about the cargo of the ship, a 4,800-ton merchant vessel called the Rim.
A United States destroyer, the Porter, and a helicopter from another American destroyer, the Farragut, were in the region and confirmed the hijacking to European Union officials. The American ships are part of Combined Task Force 151, an anti-piracy operation in the gulf led by the United States.
European naval officers said the pirates seized the Rim off the southern coast of Yemen on Tuesday and were taking it to the Somali Basin on Thursday.
The ship was not registered with the European Union’s force, known as Operation Atalanta, which escorts ships from the World Food Program delivering humanitarian aid. The European flotilla also conducts antipiracy patrols in the gulf and the waters off Somalia.
A piracy monitoring group, Ecoterra, said Thursday that the vessel usually carries a crew of 17, and “based on outdated crew lists it could be assumed that they are holding Romanian and Libyan nationalities.”
“It is assumed the vessel is now being commandeered to one of the Puntland pirate lairs,” Ecoterra said in a statement.
Somali pirates attacked 217 ships last year, according to the Piracy Reporting Center of the International Maritime Bureau. There were 47 successful hijackings, with 867 crew members being taken hostage.
Somali attacks accounted for more than half of all hijackings worldwide last year, the bureau said, with the numbers of attacks and hijackings both rising sharply compared to 2008.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Somali Pirates Free Greek Cargo Vessel
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 written by Abdulaziz Billow Ali
On Monday pirates released a Greek owned cargo vessel with its 22 crew members after they received the agreed ransom, Greek officials said. The Marshall Islands-flagged MV Filitisa and its crew of three Greek officers and 19 Filipinos were seized in the Indian Ocean on November 10. “The ransom for the Greek ship was received this afternoon and the pirates who were holding the ship have left it,” said Abdi Yare, a pirate leader, from the nearby coastal town of Harardhere. “But they have left some colleagues on board to give them time to vanish with the money,” he explained.
Some witnesses in the area had reported the presence of helicopters, presumably from a nearby warship belonging to an international anti-piracy naval mission, circling above the MV Filitisa. “The ship will be free once the money is properly secured but the security of those who received the ransom should be assured by their friends, who will stay onboard until sometime in the evening,” Yare added. Meanwhile, the Greek Coast Guard in a statement said MV Filista was heading towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa after being released by he pirates.
The MV Filitsa was seized some 500 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles as it was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to the South African port of Durban. Somalia waters have become a breeding ground for pirates who hijack ships and demand a ransom in exchange, this is a s a result of instability experienced in Somalia since 1991 after Mogadishu warlords toppled Siad Bare’s regime.
© 2010, Newstime Africa. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 written by Abdulaziz Billow Ali
On Monday pirates released a Greek owned cargo vessel with its 22 crew members after they received the agreed ransom, Greek officials said. The Marshall Islands-flagged MV Filitisa and its crew of three Greek officers and 19 Filipinos were seized in the Indian Ocean on November 10. “The ransom for the Greek ship was received this afternoon and the pirates who were holding the ship have left it,” said Abdi Yare, a pirate leader, from the nearby coastal town of Harardhere. “But they have left some colleagues on board to give them time to vanish with the money,” he explained.
Some witnesses in the area had reported the presence of helicopters, presumably from a nearby warship belonging to an international anti-piracy naval mission, circling above the MV Filitisa. “The ship will be free once the money is properly secured but the security of those who received the ransom should be assured by their friends, who will stay onboard until sometime in the evening,” Yare added. Meanwhile, the Greek Coast Guard in a statement said MV Filista was heading towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa after being released by he pirates.
The MV Filitsa was seized some 500 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles as it was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to the South African port of Durban. Somalia waters have become a breeding ground for pirates who hijack ships and demand a ransom in exchange, this is a s a result of instability experienced in Somalia since 1991 after Mogadishu warlords toppled Siad Bare’s regime.
© 2010, Newstime Africa. All rights reserved.
Monday, February 1, 2010
UN: Anti-piracy Measures Help In Bringing Down Successful Pirate Attacks
1/29/2010 4:44 PM ET
(RTTNews) - Anti-piracy measures have contributed considerably in bringing down successful pirate attacks off the Somali coast, said a senior official linked to the UN-backed EU anti-piracy mission off Somalia.
"The number of attacks has gone up; the number of successful attacks has gone down," Captain Paul Chivers, chief of staff of the EU naval forces, told a news conference. "It would be dangerous to assume we have overcome the threat. We need to be careful of complacency."
He said the proposed anti-piracy measures for ships include the registration of the destination and route of the vessels with the international forces operating in the region and other self protection measures designed to prevent pirates from getting on board.
Chivers said that the self protection measures that can be used by ships to prevent pirates from climbing on board included fencing with barbed wire and pieces of wood at ship entries, charged fire hydrants and zig-zagging courses for ships at sea."Most of these things, besides barbed wire, are found on ships" Chivers said. "The more a ship is able to deny pirate entry onto their vessel, the quicker we can get a warship or helicopter to them." More!
1/29/2010 4:44 PM ET
(RTTNews) - Anti-piracy measures have contributed considerably in bringing down successful pirate attacks off the Somali coast, said a senior official linked to the UN-backed EU anti-piracy mission off Somalia.
"The number of attacks has gone up; the number of successful attacks has gone down," Captain Paul Chivers, chief of staff of the EU naval forces, told a news conference. "It would be dangerous to assume we have overcome the threat. We need to be careful of complacency."
He said the proposed anti-piracy measures for ships include the registration of the destination and route of the vessels with the international forces operating in the region and other self protection measures designed to prevent pirates from getting on board.
Chivers said that the self protection measures that can be used by ships to prevent pirates from climbing on board included fencing with barbed wire and pieces of wood at ship entries, charged fire hydrants and zig-zagging courses for ships at sea."Most of these things, besides barbed wire, are found on ships" Chivers said. "The more a ship is able to deny pirate entry onto their vessel, the quicker we can get a warship or helicopter to them." More!
Somalia: Pirates Hold Couple for Nearly 100 Days
Nearly 100 days after being seized by Somali pirates, a British couple appeared in separate videos, speaking of “cruel” treatment by their captors and a longing to see one another.
Rachel and Paul Chandler are being held separately in rugged areas between the coastal village of Elhur and the inland small town of Amara. They were filmed by Agence France-Presse during a visit by a Somali doctor. More!
Nearly 100 days after being seized by Somali pirates, a British couple appeared in separate videos, speaking of “cruel” treatment by their captors and a longing to see one another.
Rachel and Paul Chandler are being held separately in rugged areas between the coastal village of Elhur and the inland small town of Amara. They were filmed by Agence France-Presse during a visit by a Somali doctor. More!
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