Somali pirates threaten to kill Indian and South Korean hostages

Somali pirates are threatening to kill Indian and South Korean crewmembers if those nations do not free pirates that have been captured by their navies, reports say. A recently released video clip shown on 'Somali Channel' shows South Korean sailors surrounded by gun toting Somali pirates; the pirates say that the four hostages- believed to be from a Singapore flagged vessel that was hijacked almost a year ago- will not be released unless their demands are met.

The officers on the video- the Master, Chief Engineer, Chief Officer and Second Officer- say that they are in danger, suffer from pain and lack of food and water and are in poor health. They say that the Somali pirates are demanding, amongst other things, "millions of dollars" in compensation for the families of pirates who were killed last year by the South Korean navy. One hostage, Lee Sang-Ho, said that the pirates are also demanding the release of five Somalis taken prisoner last year who are now on trial in Korea. Pirates had released Indonesian, Chinese and Burmese crewmembers from the tanker, but- as with the seven Asphalt Venture Indian hostages- kept the South Koreans back.

Along with the US, India and South Korea have often mounted aggressive attacks on pirate mother ships last year; well over a hundred Somalis have been arrested and brought to India. Although recent reports have suggested that a deal is being struck between the pirates and Indian authorities to free the Indian crew taken ashore in Somalia when the 'Asphalt Venture' was ransomed in September last year, both South Korea and India have generally refused to negotiate with pirates. 

Robust Indian naval action against mother ships close to the country's western coast had resulted in the capture of well over a hundred Somali pirates early last year. The Asphalt Venture release later in the year brought into focus a new ploy by pirates- keeping nationals of some countries as bargaining chips even after a ransom had been paid. The Somali Ambassador to India had also requested the return of the Somali pirates held in Indian jails, even as reports emerged of ill treatment of Indians held by Somali pirates, not to speak of threats that are made periodically against their lives. 

Alastair Evitt, Chairman of SOS SaveOurSeafarers, points out that India has the second largest seafaring population and Indians constitute the second largest nationality held by Somali pirates- 65 out of 256, current figures show. "Out of the 40 additional seafarers being held ashore, with no ship to be ransomed, at least 7 are Indian. Hostages suffer both physically and psychologically while being held prisoners for ransom, and their families also suffer huge anguish for their loved ones."

Intelligence analyst Tim Hart at Maritime and Underwater Security Consultants in London says that the pirates have, today, a new motivation: revenge. "The ransom is still, obviously, very much at the top of their minds. However, they can focus an awful lot on the political aspect, especially when there has been more offensive action launched previously," he says, adding that this puts the hostages at greater risk today.

"This political turn, combined with the increased reports about more mistreatment of hostages, shows how that structured model is kind of breaking down and they are getting more and more desperate as their success level falls"

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Somali pirates demand compensation for other pirate deaths

In developments reminiscent to those of the MV Asphalt Venture where seven Indians were kept back as hostages even as their ship was released, Somali pirates holding four South Korean crewmembers on the hijacked tanker MT Gemini have now demanded compensation from the South Korean government for the MV Samho Jewelry storming by commandos earlier this year. Eight pirates were killed in that incident that left the Captain of the Samho Jewelry seriously injured. The pirates holding the Gemini, with twenty-five crew, have also demanded the release of their other pirates from South Korean jails before they release the Korean crew.


A pirates aboard the MT Gemini told the Associated Press that the current South Korean policy was “foolish treatment”, and said that his group would "reconsider holding their (South Korean) nationals in our hands” after compensation was paid and other pirates held in Korea released. The South Korean government has refused comment so far.

Analysts say pirate actions of holding back the crew will increase pressure on shipping companies to deploy armed guards since paying ransoms is no longer a guarantee that crew will be released unharmed, especially if they belong to countries that have taken robust action against Somali piracy.

Thousand man strong private anti-piracy militia being trained in Somalia

A secret anti-piracy army of more than a thousand is being privately trained in northern Somalia, reports the Associated Press. Financed by an unknown nation in the region, those involved in it include a former CIA functionary, an ex-US diplomat and a shadowy private security company. The training camp is about 200 kilometers away from a pirate anchorage and home to Islamist fighters that complain that they have been kept away from oil exploration activity in the region.


The anti-piracy militia seems to have the blessings of the Puntland government; its first batch of around a 150 trainees have completed a 13 week course, confirmed Mohamed Farole, the son of Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole. Farole told AP that the new force will “hunt down pirates on land in the Galgala mountains”.

Although details of militia armaments were not revealed, up to 120 new pickup trucks have already arrived to equip the force. Interestingly, the militia will also have six small aircraft for patrolling the coast, Farole said. “No other force in Somalia, including the Mogadishu-based central government or African Union peacekeepers, has air assets,” says the newswire. Also arrived for the militia: four armoured vehicles with gunner’s turrets donated by a Muslim country. Some analysts speculate that US $10 million on equipment, salaries and other costs has already been spent.

The semi autonomous area of Puntland in Somalia is thought to have reserves of oil and gas. It is also a transit point for arms and Al Qaeda fighters crossing over from Yemen and Eritrea and has several pirate strongholds within it. Questions are obviously being raised as to what the ultimate purpose of the militia will be. The appearance of an unknown donor with deep pockets is troubling, E.J. Hogendoorn, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told AP. "We don't know if this unknown entity is operating in the interests of Somalis or their own self-interest," he said in an interview. "If it's a company, there has to be a quid pro quo in terms of (oil and gas) concessions. If it's a government, they are interested in changing the balance of power."

Analysts say that the new militia may well be another destabilising force in the region. An unidentified UN representative told AP that the organisation was investigating to see if the new military force violated a UN arms embargo in force.

Pierre Prosper, an ambassador-at-large from the George Bush era, told AP he is being paid by a Muslim nation he declined to identify to work as a legal adviser to the Somali government. In a separate interview, Michael Shanklin, the CIA's ex deputy chief of station in Mogadishu 20 years ago, told AP he is employed by the unidentified donor country as a security adviser and liaison to the Somali government. Shanklin and Prosper have reportedly met diplomats in Kenya to discuss contracts between Mogadishu, Puntland and Saracen International, a private security company led by Bill Pelser, a former South African mercenary. Prosper says that Saracen is doing the militia training. Many Saracen employees are ex workers of Executive Outcomes, the South African mercenary outfit “credited with helping defeat rebel forces in Sierra Leone in return for mineral concessions,” says AP. Pelser says that its company being named in the anti-piracy training is "definitely a mistake or a misrepresentation."

Despite these worrying connections that indicate that the new militia may be more interested in protecting private players as they explore Puntland’s energy reserves, Farole, the Puntland President’s son and spokesperson, insists that the new force will fight pirates. However, he hoped that greater security in the region would bring more investors into "public-private partnerships" with the government.

"You cannot have oil exploration if you have insecurity," Mohamed Farole said. "You have to eliminate the pirates and al-Shabab."

Indian Govt. bans Dhows from operating in piracy hit area

"The linkages between terrorists based in Somalia and transnational organised crime is a cause of major concern globally"


The Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) has issued a Maritime Security advisory calling for mechanised sailing vessels, commonly called dhows, to ‘desist from operating in waters south or west of line joining Salalah and Male’, a directive that is meant to bar dhows from operating on the Somali coast. The move comes a few days after more than half dozen dhows with up to a hundred Indian crew were reportedly seized by pirates off Kismaayo in Southern Somalia.


MS Notice 3 of 2010 refers to the fact that many of these dhows are engaged in illegal trade. “Dhows may be engaged in carrying export-banned commodities, such as charcoal, illegal export of gems, precious metals, ivory, wildlife or wildlife derivatives and fish without license. There are also reports that Dhows may be involved in illegal human trafficking, drug smuggling and arms shipment”, the DGS notes. “These vessels are operating out of Kismaayo port of Somalia. It has to be noted that the Transitional Federal Govt. (TFG) of Somalia has declared that Kismaayo in southern Somalia is not an official port of entry to the country”. Compounding this problem is the fact that the TFG has declared a blockade of Kismaayo port that is held by Islamist rebels belonging to Al Shabaab, an organisation branded as an Al Qaeda affiliate by the US and the UK. Any vessel trading there, the DGS notes, “considerably, endangers the safety of innocent seafarers”. Dhows are easy to hijack. They have poor technical equipment and so it is often not even known that they have been taken. Worse, at around 400 tonnes each, they are often used as mother ships to attack other vessels.

About a hundred Indian sailors may have been taken hostage by Somali pirates last week after up to eight dhows were hijacked in what would be one of their biggest raids yet. This was revealed after a local shipping body in Kutch received a call from the crew of a boat that had escaped; almost all the dhows are from that State; Gujarati traders have been trading with East African and Arabian ports for centuries.

Indian Navy spokesman P.V.S. Satish told the Voice of America that Gujarati ship operators are reluctant to inform authorities that their crews have been hijacked, and that the Navy has “repeatedly warned shipping authorities, with little effect, about the dangers of mechanized dhows venturing into pirate-infested waters”. German environmental group Ecoterra says that Indian dhows export charcoal and other contraband from Somalia to Dubai, and are involved with human trafficking, drug runs and illegal weapons shipments.

The recent Indian Defence Ministry statement, long overdue, highlights the obvious security threats the illicit trade exposes the country to, besides endangering seafarer lives. In an annual report it says, "The linkages between terrorists based in Somalia and transnational organised crime is a cause of major concern globally"

Is it, really?
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Pirates close in on the Indian coast- Is the situation out of control?

Possible Al Qaida suicide and missile attacks advisory to merchant shipping in the region in effect.

pic BBC

With last week's hijack of the Maltese registered ‘Frisia’ coming on top of a couple of other unexplained incidents covered in this magazine, there can be little doubt now that Somali pirates/terrorists have moved their operations much closer to India than hitherto imagined: the Frisia was taken approximately 1100 miles from the Somali pirate bases, “much closer to India than Somalia’ as Cdr John Harbour of the EU’s anti piracy naval task force says, pointing out that the Turkish ship hijack marked ‘a major increase in the pirates’ range’. The area where the Frisia was taken is about 400 nm outside the normal EU NAVFOR operation area. Equally worrying is the fact, as reported in the Turkish media, that the 35,000 DWT Frisia is carrying an undisclosed amount of fertiliser. If the shipment is nitrogen based, it can be used to make explosives and IEDs.

"The EU, NATO and combined maritime forces have been taking the fight to the pirates," Cdr. Harbour told the BBC. "We've tried to stop them getting off the beaches; when they've got to the Indian Ocean, we've been very aggressive in targeting the individuals and disrupting pirate activity." The EU says that the 35,000 tonne Frisia, earlier sailing east, has now turned around and is probably heading for a Somali pirate haven. She has 19 Turks and 2 Ukrainians aboard. Meanwhile, NATO has advised vessels navigating in the Indian Ocean to consider keeping east of 60E and South of 10S whenever possible.

In the second hijack on the same day, the Bermuda flagged MV Talca was hijacked off the coast of Oman as she was heading from Egypt to Iran. The Virgin Islands owned 11000 tonne vessel had already cleared the International Recommended Transit Corridor when she was taken. She has a crew of 25, the majority from Sri Lanka, and one each from the Philippines and Syria.

Interestingly, the US DOT MARAD has recently issued a terrorist warning. Posted on the Web site of the Office of Naval Intelligence and dated March 10, it says that Al Qaida ‘remains interested in maritime attacks in the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden along the coast of Yemen’, adding that any assault may be similar to the suicide attacks on the USS Cole or the tanker Limburg. (A small to mid-size boat laden with explosives was detonated in both incidents). “Other more sophisticated methods of attack could include missiles or projectiles. Although the time and location of such an attack are unknown, ships in the Red Sea, Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden along the coast of Yemen are at the greatest risk of becoming targets of such an attack”, the warning says. “Vessels are at greatest risk in areas of restricted manoeuvrability, and while in/near port or at anchor”.

The Indian authorities need to act now, because it appears that the security situation off the country’s Western coastline is deteriorating fast. Clearly, the patrolling navies will have to do more than they are currently doing: their ‘aggression’ often consists of boarding a bunch of pirate craft if at all they find them, throwing pirate weapons overboard or confiscating them, sinking all boats but one in which the pirates are released and allowed to sail happily back home.

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Growing frustration at global impotence to address piracy

“Royal Navy running welfare system for pirates?”

Close on the heels of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA) expressing frustration at “ the seeming impotence of the international community to address the continuing piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean, with around 1,500 seafarers having so far been taken hostage for ransom”, comes criticism in the British media about their Government’s handling of the crisis.



The UK Daily Mail reports that the “extraordinary revelations by Defence Minister Baroness Taylor will add to concern about the role of the Navy in tackling piracy. Suspected Somali pirates captured by the Royal Navy are being given fuel, food and water and sent on their way”. Reports say that pirates were released on three occasions even though hostages had been found and released from on board their vessels!


Baroness Taylor said there had been four instances in the last year when heavily armed Somali gangs had been given supplies on humanitarian grounds. None of the 66 suspects captured by the Navy in the last year has been taken into custody. Media reports have been very critical of the British stand after British sailors Paul and Rachel Chandler were kidnapped even as a naval ship stood by. Their captors have threatened to kill them after several attempts to ransom them out failed.


To add to the mess, former Tory Chairman Lord Tebbit says that ministers had indicated privately that suspected pirates were not being arrested because of fears they might claim asylum in the UK. He said that the Royal Navy seemed to be “hamstrung by the 'morass of human rights laws and political correctness'. Lord Tebbit revealed that the fear of asylum seekers goes back to November 2008, when the warship Cumberland arrested eight Somali pirates attempting to hijack a Dutch cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing two others. Lord Tebbit said he had been told the arrests had caused 'panic' at the Foreign Office and Home Office because of fears about legal claims for asylum.


Since then, the Royal Navy has boarded six pirate ships off Somalia that had on board a total of 66 armed pirates. Weapons seized included rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles, pistols and ammunition. Baroness Taylor said the men were all released, as there was 'insufficient evidence' to arrest anyone. In fact, the Navy provided water, fuel and food to the pirates! One former naval officer is quoted as saying that the Royal navy “appeared to be operating a 'maritime welfare system' rather than enforcing law on the high seas”. Lord Tebbit says that the seized weapons should have been enough evidence.


It is small wonder that the HKSOA has been so scathing in its statement, calling attention to “an unacceptable situation now, with seafarer’s lives being threatened on a daily basis, and Somali pirates still operating with impunity”. The statement tellingly adds, “If a similar number of aircraft passengers had been taken hostage there would undoubtedly have been a more robust response. However, many governments seem oblivious to the fact that ships carry around 90% of world trade. In effect, pirates are being given a message that their criminal activity carries very few risks in comparison to the payments. As a result, the number of pirates is growing, and there is real danger that, in the absence of a firm response, their methods of hijack and violent kidnapping will be successfully emulated by others elsewhere”.
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Pirates attack tanker off Indian Coast!

Details sketchy, but incident likely to send shockwaves across the country.

MUMBAI, 24 December: An Indian ship with a 41 member crew was attacked by pirates in the Arabian Sea alarmingly close to the Indian coast on Monday. Although details are yet sketchy, quick and decisive action by the Master is said to have foiled the attack, which saw the Indian Navy and Coast Guard swinging into action.

The Shipping Corporation of India owned tanker Maharaj Agrasen was carrying carrying crude oil to Visakhapatnam from Min Al Ahmadi in Kuwait when she was reportedly attacked by pirates with rocket propelled grenades and machine guns barely 370 miles off the West Coast of India. PTI quoted the National Union of Seafarers of India's General Secretary Abdulgani Y Serang as saying, “"The incident took place late on Monday night when a group of pirates in speedboats attacked the vessel with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. However, quick thinking by the ship's captain saved the crew members."  Other officials have confirmed the attack; one said that the Captain tried to ram the tanker into one of the pirate boats, then altered course and increased speed to prevent any pirates boarding the vessel. The crew is apparently unharmed.

The Times of India quotes officials from the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) saying that SCI had contacted them to report the incident. "The owners contacted the directorate and informed us that the vessel was under attack by eight unlit boats about 366 nautical miles west of Ratnagiri," said a DGS official. The ‘Maharaj Agrasen’ was carrying 1.34 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil when she sent out a security alert at almost midnight that day.

Last Friday, Somali pirates had hijacked the Indian vessel 'MV Neseya' with 13 crew off the coast of Kismayo about 170 nautical miles North East of Mombasa; the vessel is reported to have been taken to one of the pirate havens in the country.

In another incident, the Syrian Master of the Panamanian ship Barwaqo was shot dead when he refused to alter course away from Mogadishu; the attack took place close to the harbour when the vessel was approaching the Somali capital, much of which is not under Somali government control. African Union peacekeepers and Somali forces later took control of the ship after a gun battle. Some reports claim that the master may have been killed by “friendly fire”.

The Agrasen attack will undoubtedly send shock waves across the Indian shipping Industry and the security agencies in the country. This attack, if actually just 370 miles off the coast, is new territory for Somali pirates; questions will be asked if this is some new group operating from closer than Somalia.

Analysts say that it also exposes, as an earlier incident this month where two Indian Coast Guard sailors were kidnapped for 24 hours by Sri Lankan fishermen before the Indian forces freed them, that the country’s coastline remains our Achilles’ Heel. Pirate attacks even a thousand miles from Somalia are one thing; a pirate attack just 366 miles off Ratnagiri is indeed alarming, especially in the backdrop of possible Al Shabaab, Pakistani and Al Qaeda terrorist links to the criminals.

It may be premature to comment since details of the Agrasen attack are not known so far, but it is clear that the Indian Navy and Coast Guard will have to do much more to safeguard our coastlines from any future attacks; one Mumbai is more than enough.

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Pirate ‘stock exchange’ flourishes in Somalia

“We have made piracy a community activity”

 Somalia seemed to take another few steps forward in its apparent descent into complete anarchy last week as a suicide bomber wearing the traditional veil worn by Muslim women killed at least ten people at a graduation ceremony in Mogadishu, including two Government officials.  

The tenuous hold of the Somali transitional government, long supported by US backed African troops and military equipment, does not extend much beyond a few streets of the capital Mogadishu. To make matters worse, the war zone threatens to spill over to Kenya as Al Qaeda linked insurgent group Al Shabaab seized Dhobley, a Somali town near the border last week, defeating rival Hizbul Islam rebels whose leaders have reportedly sought refuge in Kenya. Al Shabaab had threatened to attack Kenya in June, and although it has been fighting the government in Mogadishu beside the Hizbul Islam, it is obvious that there are no long term alliances between the two: a fact that bodes ill for stability in war torn Somalia.

As is further proof of lawlessness or anarchy was needed, here it is: Reuters now reports that the pirates in Haradheere, just 250 miles from Mogadishu, have set up a sort of collaborative arrangement. A criminal consortium now allows ordinary residents to participate in the funding of ship hijackings in exchange for a future share of the loot; “a sort of stock exchange meets criminal syndicate”. Although financiers from outside Somalia have long been suspected of underwriting Somali piracy, this new in house retail arrangement for funding piracy says much about the state of law and order in Somalia and about the depth of pirate support.

This is how it works. An ‘exchange’ was setup to manage pirate investments and finances. Much like a legitimate business would, pirate ‘companies’ seek financial participation from ordinary residents of Haradheere; this will fund future pirate activity and gets them local support and protection. Up to 72 ‘companies’ have been listed in the Haradheere exchange so far, up from fifteen when they started the exchange during the monsoons this year. Ten of these companies boast proven success in hijacking ships, a record of accomplishment that could make them more attractive to investors. This pirate "stock exchange" is open 24 hours a day and is booming.

A pirate told Reuters "The shares are open to all and everybody can take part, whether personally at sea or on land by providing cash, weapons or useful materials ... we've made piracy a community activity." They have also transformed Haradheere from a sleepy fishing village to a dusty pot holed town complete with traffic jams caused by brand new luxury SUVs purchased with ransom pickings, and a town in which Mogadishu has no control.  A local official says, “Piracy pays for everything.”

From the story of Abdirahman Ali, an exile from Mogadishu’s fighting who guards a hijacked Thai fishing boat to that of ‘piracy investor’ Sahra Ibrahim waiting for her cut of a ransom payment, piracy has stakeholders everywhere in a region with close to zero employment opportunities otherwise. Sahra got a rocket propelled grenade from her ex husband as alimony and contributed it to the pirate syndicate. Now she awaits her profit.

"Piracy related business has become the main profitable economic activity in our area and as locals we depend on their output," said Mohamed Adam, the town's deputy security officer. "The district gets a percentage of every ransom from ships that have been released, and that goes on public infrastructure, including our hospital and our public schools."

As coalition navies fight pirates at sea and merchant mariners dread transits through the region, people like Sahra Ibrahim are the fresh investors who drive booming pirate syndicates. As with other stock markets, greed overcomes everything. "I am really happy and lucky. I have made $75,000 in only 38 days since I joined the 'company'," she says.

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Spain to call for EU pirate blockade?

Meanwhile, pirates attacks a thousand miles from Somalia

Reports emerging from Europe say that Spain wants a European Union naval taskforce to blockade three ports in Somalia that are pirate havens. It is believed that the Spanish defence minister will push for the blockade next week, and call for a tracking of ransom payments internationally.

Many media reports had suggested sometime ago that a deal to free the 36 Spanish crewmembers of the fishing vessel Alkrana could be nearing completion after the Spanish PM commented on the hijack on a visit to Poland. There had been speculation that two accused pirates were to be released by Spain in exchange for the Alkrana; this, after the pirates on board had threatened to kill all the crew on the fishing vessel. The two Somalis were captured by the Spanish navy after the Alkrana hijack and are to face trial in Spain. Spain later denied that any deal was on, saying, however, that it would be willing to transfer the two pirates to a prison in Somalia to face trial.  

The last week or so has witnessed new worrying signs that Somali pirates are back in action after the SW monsoons. Not just that, but all indications are that they are now looking to up the ante in a region far beyond their expanded attack zones. In addition, there seem to be, sometimes, additional political and other dimensions to the attacks.

As an example, there are persistent reports that Al Mizan, a ship hijacked last week, may have been carrying short and medium range missiles. Although a pirate in control of the Al Mizan told the Voice of America that this was not true, media reports suggest that the ship had, in the past, been carrying arms to Somalia in contravention of the UN embargo on the country. Al Mizan has 15 Indian crew on board in a complement of 18. Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme told a newswire that he believed the ship was using a fake name.

A day after the Al Mizan incident, in the longest range pirate attack ever, a Hong Kong Registered crude oil tanker was fired at a thousand miles from the Somali coast and 400 miles NE of Seychelles. The 330 metre, 160,000 tonne BV Lion caught fire briefly but evaded capture; the long range nature of the attack sent shockwaves throughout the industry, showing once again that the pirate's logistical, seamanship and navigational skills extended far beyond the Somali coast. The EU Naval force Navfor, while confirming the attack, is obviously not in a position to patrol thousands of square miles of the Indian Ocean. "This was the longest range of a pirate attack off the Somali coast ever," EU Navfor said in a statement. Pirate attacks continued unabated elsewhere in the region: 12 in the last month alone. Up to a dozen vessels and 200 crew are said to be held by the pirates presently.

Meanwhile, the figures for casualties on land in Somalia have been rising as well. The country has suffered 18 years of civil war and hardline Islamist insurgents linked to Al Qaeda are now fighting President Ahmed's U.N. backed government. In the last two years alone, a reported 19,000 civilians have been killed and a million and a half made homeless.

A blockade, in fact, seems to be the only solution. That, and finding a solution to the civil war within Somalia.

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Somali hijackings: the kill zone widens

MANAMA, Bahrain, April 7: The Combined Maritime Forces Task Force, a conglomeration of anti piracy global naval forces, has issued an updated Special Maritime Advisory message to the global maritime fleet after a dramatic escalation in hijackings hundreds of miles off the South Eastern coast of Somalia as far away as the Seychelles Archipelago. The advisory ennumerates the large number of recent assaults on ships and asks merchant mariners to be increasingly vigilant when operating in those waters.


The statement follows an unprecedented spate of hijackings last fortnight in what were earlier considered safer areas. Well organised pirate gangs have hijacked yachts and ships in incidents almost too many to count during this period. There have been numerous other reported attacks on shipping in the Indian Ocean far away from the well patrolled Gulf of Aden as criminal gangs venture much further out to sea than ever before with their ‘mother ships’ providing logistical support and a higher range of operations. Attacks almost a thousand miles from the Somali coast have been reported.


“We continue to highlight the importance of preparation by the merchant mariners and the maritime industry in this message,” said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, the commander of the Combined Maritime Forces. “We synchronize the efforts of the naval forces deployed to the region. However as we have often stated, international naval forces alone will not be able to solve the problem of piracy at sea.”

“Piracy is a problem that starts ashore,” the Admiral added.


Many analysts agree with the last statement; many have been crying themselves hoarse about the need to tackle the menace on a war footing on land. Meanwhile, Somali pirates have become increasingly daring and flexible, shifting operations into vast swathes of the open Indian Ocean that are impossible to effectively patrol. After the high profile hijacking of the Sirius Star in November 2008 almost 500 miles Southeast of Somalia, they seem to have well understood that mariners and their ships are easy pickings hundreds of miles off the southern and eastern coasts of Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania.


The CTF151 (Combined Task Force 151 which is the EU, NATO and international naval alliance) notice says quite clearly that their ships and aircraft are unlikely to be close enough to provide support to vessels under attack. The waters off Somalia, Kenya and the Gulf of Aden equal more than a million square miles; the Somali coastline is about the same length as the entire Eastern Seaboard of the United States. The nearest naval vessel could be days away from effective support in the event of an attack on a merchant ship, and naval aircraft are of limited use in such emergencies.The CTF advisory highlights that merchant seamen are the first line of defence, and that many have successfully repulsed pirate attacks with a combination of evasive manoeuvring and other defensive measures.


However, the fact remains that in April alone, half a dozen vessels, including a yacht with a child on board, have been hijacked in the Indian Ocean. VOA quotes IMB director Mukundan as saying that the maritime community is alarmed not only by the number of vessels seized in such a short period, but where some of the hijackings are taking place. "I think the important change has been the fact that there are now attacks taking place hundreds of miles southeast of Mogadishu. And that is the big change," Mukundan says, pointing out that the area around Seychelles and the Comoros Islands seems to be particular vulnerable, given that there are no international patrols there.

Although the Royal Naval ‘Northumberland’ has been stationed south to protect the southern flank of the Indian Ocean, the fact remains that it is impossible to patrol the massive waters there effectively, or to escort ships as is being done in the narrow waters around the Bab El Mandab Straits off Yemen.


The global maritime community and the Task Force are reacting to the pirate’s actions right now; the initiative in the conflict is on the side of the criminals. Until they take the fight to the pirates and on land in Somalia, the situation is unlikely to improve.
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Two Tankers hijacked within twenty four hours in Indian Ocean.

Mogadishu, March 28 The cat and mouse game between international navies from a dozen countries and Somali pirates continues. Last week, in the biggest attacks of 2009, two European tankers were hijacked in a twenty four hour period, prompting Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme in Kenya to say, “The pirates are showing they are very much alive”. Others were more forthright. A diplomat who tracks piracy information is quoted as having said, in an obvious dig at the navies of the United States, the European Union, Russia, India, China and Japan: "Once again, the Somali pirates are making fools of all of them."


Last Wednesday, two chemical tankers, reported to be the ‘Bow Asir’ and the ‘MV Nipayia’, were hijacked in the open waters South and East of Somalia. More vessels were attacked over the same twenty four hour period. The news came even as observers had claimed in recent times that the success rate of attacks had come down, partly due to maritime patrols and convoys, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, but also partly due to greater vigilance and anti piracy measures by ship crews.


The 9,000 tonne MT Nipayia is a Greek owned and Panama registered ship. Reported to have 19 crew on aboard, she was reportedly attacked and overcome about 450 miles South East of Somalia. Conflicting reports are emerging as regards her cargo, some claiming that she was carrying lubes and others stating she is in ballast. The MT Bow Asir, believed to be carrying caustic soda, is Norwegian owned and Bahamian registered, and was hijacked around 250 miles off Somalia in the same general vicinity in the huge Indian Ocean. She is reported to have a crew of 23. Both ships are reportedly heading for the infamous pirate bases of Eyl or Hobyo on Somalia’s east coast at the time of writing this report.


Salhus Shipping AS, owners of the Bow Asir, told Reuters that it had received a security alert from the ship saying it was being chased by two small boats. Confirmation of this attack was received later; it is now believed that about 18 heavily armed pirates boarded the vessel and seized her. No ransom demands have been received, and the crew is reported unhurt.


These two hijackings mark the biggest successful attacks since the Sirius Star incident. It has become clear in recent weeks that pirates are shifting their operations away from the heavily patrolled areas around the Gulf of Aden and attacking ships in the vast Indian Ocean, effectively choosing low risk areas. Analysts are particularly concerned about the waters near Seychelles, which threatens to become a favoured hunting ground for pirates operating from mother ships. A yacht en route to Madagascar was hijacked from near the Seychelles with two men on board not so long ago. Another ship, the ‘Preventor’ defended itself 450 nautical miles southeast of Dar es Salam with water cannon and evasive manoeuvres recently.


In the aftermath of the ‘Nipaya’ attack, Greece has called on the navies of the EU to play a more active role in cracking down on piracy, ‘The Australian’ reports. A Minister said that navies should "expand the rules of engagement and the area patrolled by the European naval force". Coalition forces including the US navy point to the difficulties in patrolling the gigantic region. Officers in the US task force CTF 151 have indicated that between 12 and 16 coalition warships and others from non coalition navies are on patrol in the Gulf of Aden and the Maritime Safety corridor at any given time. CTF 151 operates primarily in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Red Sea, but naval officials say that even this region required 61 naval warships if it is to be patrolled effectively.


Jane Campbell of the US 5th fleet told journalists that monitoring an area as large as the Indian Ocean is very complex. That may well be an understatement; another US official called it a ‘monumental challenge’. “To put the challenge into geographic perspective, the area involved off the coast of Somalia and Kenya as well as the Gulf of Aden equals more than 1.1 million square miles,” he said. “That is roughly four times the size of the U.S. state of Texas, or the size of the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined.”


Clearly, Somali pirates are proving to be more nimble than the navies of the world.
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Somali Piracy ransoms fund Terrorism

Mogadishu, March 5 The new Somali Defence Minister Mohamed Abdi Mohamed made a statement last week, saying that piracy emanating from his country must be fought on land. In fact, he felt that it was one of the first things that needed to be done. Talking to Reuters, he said, "If anyone wants to fight piracy, it has to start from mainland Somalia, because the unstable situation on the mainland is largely responsible for the piracy on the water." His statement assumes greater importance as elections are scheduled in Somalia later this month, although many observers say that these are likely to be postponed in the present chaos in the country. This is a clear and present danger, as terrorists funded by pirate warlords plan to bomb Somali cities and destabilise the country, they say.


Although he candidly admits that his experience of defence issues is limited, Mohamed, called ‘Ghandi’ within the country, is widely seen as a moderate who intends to make efforts to stop the fighting in war torn Somalia. “I don't have experience in the affairs of defence, but I will try to understand how we can get a new Somali army that can stabilise Somalia," Mohamed told Reuters.


Contrary to claims made by international navies patrolling the region, piracy off Somalia seems to be actually increasing. The International Maritime Bureau says there have been 49 piracy attacks this year, up from 35 in the same period last year. That is actually a staggering 40 percent increase.


The Defence Minister wants to talk to the Al Qaeda linked al Shabaab and another smaller group, Hizbul Islam, to stop the civil war raging in Somalia, one that has made pirate warlords extremely powerful. Just one of them, Colonel Abdullahi Ahmed Jama (Ilka Jiir) runs an illegitimate government in the Puntland region, and is said to be a major financier and controller of scores of pirates. He has also been implicated in the kidnappings of foreign aid workers across Somalia. Intelligence sources quoted in Western media say that Ilka Jiir plans to use piracy ransom booty to send terrorists to bomb Somali cities in the run up to the March elections: they also allege that Jama’s pirates include fighters trained by Al Qaeda, pointing once again to the alarming depth of the menace facing commercial shipping.


Pirates are widely regarded as heroes in Puntland, move freely there and live lavish lifestyles. Reports have recently emerged in Somali media speaking of large gangs of pirates that go out every morning to ‘hunt’ ships, just as fishermen go fishing. The local administration and police are allegedly involved.


Somali media says that Fu´aad Warsame Seed (Fu´aad Xanaano), a friend of Ilka Jiir, is another leading figure in piracy and kidnapping the foreigners. He is supposed to be the mastermind behind the ‘Sirius Star’ hijack, and has made millions of dollars from the piracy ‘business’.


Fu´aad Xanaano has purchased anti aircraft missiles and has formed his own army. He has also financed Ilka Jiir in his political ambitions. Somali observers call the Puntland ‘government’ the ‘Pirate Government’, since most members of the illegal administration are involved in piracy. The ‘President of Puntland’, Cabdiraxman Faroole, apparently does better: He prints fake Somali currency at his office.


The situation on land is now getting worse. Reports in the local newspaper ‘Hargeisa Times’ suggest that militia linked to the pirates have now mounted anti aircraft guns on vehicles around Eastern Sanaag (Ceel Buh village) and are forming a new pirate ‘base’, one that will attack ships between Elayo and Lasqoray, relatively safe areas thus far. Another aim is to destabilise Somaliland during the upcoming elections.
The prospects for anti terrorism in the region in general, and for commercial shipping in particular, are indeed frightening if this base is fully operational.


Mohamad, the new Defence Minister in Mogadishu is hopeful that “wisdom will prevail over violence, because the Somali population is very tired and fed up with war."


However, many intelligence analysts stress that the menace of Somali piracy will not be solved without international intervention in that country. Not least because the link between piracy and terrorism is getting stronger by the day.
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Indian Maritime Security: A resurgent threat from Sri Lanka

New Delhi, February 11 Security analysts and senior diplomats are now getting increasingly concerned about the potential fallout of the conflict in Sri Lanka on Indian maritime security. The ongoing military action by the Sri Lankan forces continues to gain ground in the hitherto LTTE controlled areas of Sri Lanka like Kilinochchi, giving rise to fears in India that the LTTE cadres may try to escape to Tamilnadu. Experts fear that Indian sea blindness, exposed in the Mumbai attacks, has only partially lifted, and that the Southern coastline remains particularly vulnerable to infiltration by men and material.


Sri Lankan forces captured Prabhakaran’s bunker last week; the wily and dangerous LTTE Supremo is now said to be engaged in a desperate battle for survival, and given old links and support in parts of India, may send at least some of his followers here. Indian security experts believe that the LTTE is almost certainly in touch with extremist elements in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and that India will have to be extremely vigilant in patrolling its southern coastline. This coastline may be as penetrable as the one in Gujarat at the time of the Mumbai attacks last year, a fact used by terrorists to devastating effect.


The apprehensions come just a month and a half after a police operation was launched at Dhanushkodi and surrounding areas near Rameswaram after five bullet pockmarked and bloodstained abandoned boats were found on that southern Indian coast. At the time, intelligence officials confirmed that up to five unidentified bodies were also washed ashore, and Ramanathapuram DSP Velan had said that there was information that arms could have been smuggled into the country. It is thought that LTTE militants fleeing the recent Sri Lankan army offensive could have found their way to India. The LTTE has gotten increasingly anti Indian in the last couple of months, as can be seen from the organisation’s website; it is obviously angry at the relative lack of support it has received from Indian quarters, and is now desperately trying to create anti Indian sentiment in Tamil Nadu.


Thirty seven countries including India, US, the UK and the EU have declared the LTTE a terrorist organisation. With Prabhakaran coming under increasing international pressure, and with dwindling support even in Tamilnadu, the group may finally be on the verge of annihilation. Analysts point out, however, that the LTTE, which gave the world its first suicide bomber, has a phoenix like ability to rise from the ashes, and it would be premature to write it off. It may well form a caucus with extremist groups in Bangladesh, Pakistan and even Nepal, where the recent violence has not been linked to any religious group but has been as extremist in nature. India, in that eventuality, may find itself surrounded by neighbours with a significant presence of extremist anti Indian groups.


There are signs that India is taking the new threat seriously. Just a few days ago, Home Minister Chidambaram announced that the country was planning to constitute a "grassroot" coastal command under the Home Ministry to strengthen the country's Coast Guard in guaranteeing coastal security. “To counter the sea threat and ensure integrated security, the Centre has ambitious plans and the Coastal Command is part of it. The coastal force would keep vigil at the grassroot level," Chidambaram said, speaking in Kerala.
In connected developments, Indian external affairs Pranab Mukherjee has said to have spoken to his Sri Lankan counterpart during his recent visit to the country about the urgent need to capture Prabhakaran.
Another story doing the rounds: US defence major Raytheon is trying to sell its airborne standoff radar (ASTOR) as the ideal solution for Indian homeland security.
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US to lead new anti-piracy force

even as Somalia slips into greater chaos

Mumbai, January 8 Amidst reports of greater instability in Somalia and decreased ship hijackings last month, the US navy has announced that a new international task force to combat piracy will begin operations later in January. This new group will be headed by US Navy Rear Admiral Terence McKnight and called Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151), according to a release by the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The new task force will operate in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Indian Ocean.


A representative for the force, Commander Jane Campbell, said that France, the Netherlands, the UK, Pakistan, Canada and Denmark would be amongst a group of 20 countries that would participate in this new initiative. She said that a flotilla of about sixty warships would be required to patrol the area effectively; the task force has a much smaller number at its disposal at present.


The move comes soon after the European Union began operations with its own task force in the pirate infested zone in December, in an area that is larger than the Mediterranean. Analysts say that the CTF151 will not have any wider mandate to hit pirates at sea or on land than what already exists, questioning the new force’s effectiveness. Commander Campbell admitted as much, saying, “This task force does not does have any greater rules of engagement. It does, however, bring a greater focus to counter piracy operations under one command." She said that the task force would be better equipped to gain information on pirate operations and attack them at sea.


More than a dozen ships with around 200 crewmembers are hostage in Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Amongst the ships are the Saudi fully laden VLCC “Sirius Star” and the “Faina”, a Ukrainian ship carrying heavy weapons and tanks. There have been only two successful hijackings in December, even though many ships continue to be attacked. The presence of warships and crews that are more vigilant are two reasons said to have contributed to the recent successes against hijackings.


There are more than a dozen warships guarding Somalia's waters. Countries including the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia and India have naval forces off the Somali coast or on patrol in the ‘maritime safety corridor” established in the Gulf of Aden to protect one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.


Reports from Somali, meanwhile, speak of a country that is now increasingly unstable. President Abdullahi Yusuf resigned recently, admitting he had failed to live up to his promises when he took office. This has thrown the country into greater chaos, with US backed Ethiopian troops fighting hardline Islamist elements in large parts of the country. There is alTop of Form
so infighting between moderate and hardline Islamic groups as they jockey for power. One of these groups, Al Shabaab, is linked by the US to Al Qaeda. Soldiers loyal to Yusuf are deserting the army. Parts of Mogadishu have been attacked by rebel forces, and people are fleeing the city.


Somalia may well be heading for a period of greater anarchy, according to many analysts. The fear is that the power vacuum in the country may yet embolden the pirates in the northern Puntland region even further.
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Are Somali Pirates expanding the war zone?

MOGADISHU December 10: After heavily armed Somali pirates attacked a Dutch container ship off the coast of Tanzania on Saturday, maritime observers are now getting increasingly concerned that Somali pirates are expanding their operations Southward into the vast swathe of the Indian Ocean off the East African coast. The vessel was about 500 miles east of Dar Es Salaam when she was fired at by eight pirates and set on fire.


"The problem is that the pirates are no longer just attacking ships off the Somali coast but are going further east and south where there is no naval protection," Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur told AFP. Eight pirates reportedly fired on the Dutch operated and Hong Kong registered vessel with assault rifles and RPGs. The vessel evaded them after the Captain increased speed to outrun the pirate boats.


The Sirius Star hijack had sent shockwaves around the world a couple of weeks ago; the fully laden VLCC, on a passage around the Cape of Good Hope, was attacked on Nov 15 in the same general area, hundreds of miles away from the Gulf of Aden. This latest attack on the Dutch vessel has resurfaced fears that even ships deciding to go around the Cape instead of transitting the hitherto pirate infested seas of the Gulf of Aden may not be safe any longer. The Eastern coast of Somalia was a hunting ground for pirates a few years ago before they shifted operations to the more frequented (and lucrative) waters around the Horn of Africa. Shipmasters must be undoubtedly wondering how far they would have to stay off the African coast now to be outside the range of the marauding pirates, who operate out of mother vessels and can thus extend their tentacles almost anywhere.


Military ships from Denmark, India, Malaysia, Russia, United States, NATO and the EU have been powerless to reduce the number of attacks on merchant shipping despite wider rules of engagement. No doubt, the pirates are becoming bolder now. The latest attack took place even as the EU’s naval ‘Operation Atlanta’ took over protection duties from NATO warships and is seen as a slap in the face for the international community. The EU's first naval operation has been described by EU foreign policy head Javier Solana as one with ‘robust’ rules of engagement, “with the possibility of using all means including force to protect, to deter and to prosecute all acts of piracy."


The challenge facing the EUNAVFOR Atlanta mission was huge even before the expansion of the kill zone. Half of the 80 attacks reported in the past three months have been in the ‘safe’ corridor patrolled by coalition navies. "This is impossible," said Jean Duval of French maritime security firm Secopex.
Piracy in the region threatens to choke an industry already struggling with collapsing freight rates as the result of the slowdown in economies worldwide. It now seems that the pirates have expanded the ‘war zone’ to include areas hundreds of miles away from the Somali coast, and, in the words of one observer, “impossible to police without a huge armada of warships and aircraft.” Analysts remain convinced that the solution to the piracy problem lies in resolving the civil war like situation in Somalia, a country without any effective government since 1991. There is no hope of that happening anytime soon, though.

Mercenary vessel to combat hijackings

Blackwater’s “MacArthur” offers protection in Gulf of Aden.

[Mumbai, October 24] Blackwater Worldwide, the controversial private military contractor headquartered in North Carolina, USA, revealed last week that it has plans to dispatch the MV MacArthur, a 55 metre vessel, to the Gulf of Aden to provide escort services for clients’ ships. The MacArthur, a multipurpose vessel redesigned in 2006 to support military training, carries an armed crew of 14 and has helicopter landing facilities. The ship and its helicopters are able to patrol in the vicinity and route of client merchant vessels’. Blackwater’s selling proposition seems to be that owners would not need to pay for onboard private guards, an alternative that has legal and operational problems. The company later plans to expand its presence in the region by increasing its fleet to two or three such vessels.


In a press release, Bill Matthews, executive vice president of Blackwater Worldwide, “Billions of dollars of goods move through the Gulf of Aden each year. We have been contacted by ship owners who say they need our help in making sure those goods get to their destination safely. The McArthur can help us accomplish that."


A Blackwater spokesperson has confirmed that the company will need a State Department license to sell its services to a foreign government or business.


Analysts say that some ship owners, hit by insurance costs for the region which have risen tenfold, ‘war zone’ allowances to crews and by ransom payments if vessels are captured, may well be exploring options such as Blackwater has to offer. One expert told Marex that he felt that the hijacking of the Ukrainian ship Faina with military armament on board was the flash point that triggered Blackwater’s clients’ interest in the region.


The outfit, described as mercenary and trigger happy by many of its critics, was started by ex Navy seals Eric Prince and Al Clark in 1997. Mired in controversy in Iraq and elsewhere, its licence to operate in that country was temporarily suspended after it killed 17 Iraqis in September 2007 , 14 of them ‘without cause’, according to an FBI report. The shadowy organisation continues to garner 90% of its revenues from US State Department contracts and is the largest private security firm employed by the US Government. A majority of these contracts are ‘no bid’ contracts, adding to the unease with which the organisation is viewed internationally. Senior officials at Blackwater Worldwide include ex CIA personnel and Navy Seals.


Industry experts say that ship owners are getting increasingly worried as Western naval coalitions express their inability to successfully control hijackings off Somalia, and in fact seem to be recommending private security firms such as Blackwater. The recent dispatch of an Indian naval vessel to the region does not inspire much confidence either; its rules of engagement and its place in the naval coalition are still unclear and it is reported to have limited endurance and coverage abilities.


It is also felt that Blackwater’s services would be expensive, though may be partly set off against presumably lower insurance premia. An industry source said that he saw US oil companies with deep pockets as Blackwater’s main clients, as “many smaller shipowners will not be able to support these costs”.


Another analyst was cynical. “Given Blackwater’s murky connections with US administrations, this seems to be another attempt to secure the oil flowing into that country without overt or official US government involvement”, he said. “This should not be seen as an anti piracy measure by the rest of the world.”


It is felt that there may be considerable industry disquiet at this development, given Blackwater’s controversial history and reputation.

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