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Updated February 5 2010
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Special Forces Storm Ship Seized By Somali Pirates
Ships Are Ignoring Anti-Piracy Guide (29 Jan 2010)
Greek Tanker Freed By Somali Pirates (18 JAN 2010)
Sea Shepherd Vessel Rammed and Sunk by Japanese Whaler
Anti-Piracy Highlights
INDIAN OCEAN
French navy seizes mistaken Somali pirates, 6 Oct 09. Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said. The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates. No one was wounded by the volleys from the Kalashnikov rifles directed at the (LA SOMME), a 3,800-ton refueling ship, French military spokesman Rear Adm. Christophe Prazuck said (AP).
MALAYSIA
Malaysian maritime agency arrests suspected pirates, 5 Oct 09. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency has arrested a gang of pirates in an early-morning operation in southern Malaysia, local newspaper The Star reported on Monday. The agency intercepted a suspicious fishing boat about seven nautical miles from Tanjung Tohor, a port in southern Malaysia's Johor State, at 4 a.m. on Sunday, and detained six fishermen aboard, according to the report. The fishermen, aged from 39 to 51, carried suspicious resident identities, according to a senior official of the agency. Local law enforcement officers also found two air rifles on the boat which were believed to have been used in sea robberies, he said. He said the fishermen would probably be given a jail term of seven years or a 10,000-ringgit (some 2,857 U.S. dollars) fine or both, upon conviction under the country's Firearms Act (Xinhua).
GULF OF ADEN
Australian navy thwarts Somali pirates, 20 Sep 09. An Australian warship intercepted Somali pirates stalking a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden and confiscated a cache of weapons including a grenade launcher, officials said Wednesday. Commander Ivan Ingham said officers from his ship (HMAS TOOWOOMBA) boarded the pirate ship after responding to a distress call in the Gulf on Sunday night. A surveillance plane and helicopter sent ahead of the (TOOWOOMBA) confirmed reports from the merchant ship (BBC PORTUGAL) that it was being chased by a high-speed vessel full of armed men, he said. "On reaching the suspect vessel, Toowoomba launched her boarding team to investigate, search, disarm and seize," Ingham said. "The boarding party was instructed to disarm the suspect pirates and confiscate their lethal military weapons." A rocket-propelled grenade launcher, six AK47 assault rifles and a G3 assault rifle were taken, as well as a large quantity of ammunition. The men said they were from Somalia but denied planning to attack the (BBC PORTUGAL), despite being seen disposing of a ladder as the helicopter and plane approached, Ingham said. Once the pirate ship had been cleared of weapons he said the (TOOWOOMBA) confirmed it had sufficient food, water and fuel for the return journey to Somalia and ordered them out of the shipping zone. It was the ship's first such encounter since arriving in the Gulf of Aden from the Northern Arabian Sea on a counter-piracy mission two weeks ago, he added (AFP).
NIGERIA
Nigerian rebels extend ceasefire, 16 Sep 09. The main rebel group in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta has announced that it is extending its ceasefire by 30 days. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said the move would allow more time for talks with the government on its weapons amnesty. But MEND threatened renewed strikes on the oil industry and the Nigerian military if the group's key concerns were not met. MEND’s unilateral 60-day ceasefire expired at midnight on 15 Sep 09. The rebels have been fighting to drive the army out of certain areas of the Niger Delta and allow displaced people to return to their homes. The Nigerian government has so far made no public comments on Mend's latest move (BBC).
HORN OF AFRICA
A senior commander of Somalia's insurgency has vowed to avenge the U.S. raid that killed one of Africa's most wanted al-Qaida suspects, 15 Sep 09. The al-Shabab commander told the Associated Press on Tuesday the insurgent group will try to retaliate against America for the raid that killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in southern Somalia. The commander spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. ONI Comment: While retaliatory vows of this nature are common and rarely realized, mariners are reminded to remain vigilant during calls at ports in the Horn of Africa region, especially ports of Kenya that could be well within the reach of al-Shabab (AP, ONI).
SOMALIA
Maritime Administration warns of likely increase in piracy, 9 Sep 09. The Maritime Administration today issued an advisory to mariners and ship operators that piracy is likely to increase off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean now that the monsoon season has ended. “We must apply the lessons learned from the crew of the Maersk Alabama,” said Acting Maritime Administrator David Matsuda, referring to the U.S. crew that escaped pirates last spring. “We are urging mariners to take defensive measures and not surrender at the first sign of a threat.” The advisory not only warns vessels to avoid routes where attacks have taken place, but also recommends that mariners “demonstrate a willingness to defend yourself.” Today’s update encourages mariners to travel at “maximum sustainable speed” through “high threat areas” and to continually conduct risk assessments during their voyage.
The advisory also gives mariners information on how best to check in with authorities and how to request escort service in a convoy. The Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration routinely issues advisories, which usually warn of possible hazards and inform ships at sea of the measures they can take to avert danger. The text of the advisory can be found at the Maritime Administration web site, www.marad.dot.gov. In addition to posting on the website, advisories are broadcast by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to all U.S. flag ships and to other maritime interests (MARAD).