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Piracy Reports

First half of January 2012 Piracy reports

Attack Number:006-12
Date:Thu Jan 05 2012
Type of Vessel :Container
Location detail:Callao anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:05.01.2012: 2310 LT: Posn: 12:07.7S – 077:12.3W: Callao anchoarge, Peru.

Two robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored container vessel un-noticed, stole ship stores and escaped. Duty crew noticed the theft during their routine rounds and raised alarm. Port control informed and a patrol boat sent out for investigation.

Attack Number:007-12
Date:Tue Jan 03 2012
Type of Vessel :Chemical Tanker
Location detail:Around 40nm SSW of Lagos
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:03.01.2012: 0130 LT: Posn: 05:51.5N – 003:05.8E, Around 40nm SSW of Lagos, Nigeria.

Around 10 pirates armed with guns boarded a drifting chemical tanker. The pirates destroyed the communication equipment, stole ship's cash and properties, crew cash and belongings and escaped. One crew was injured during the incident. Attack was reported to Nigerian Navy.

Attack Number:008-12
Date:Sat Jan 07 2012
Type of Vessel :Container
Location detail:Jakarta Roads
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:07.01.2012: 2215 LT: Jakarta Roads, Indonesia.

Around seven armed robbers boarded an anchored container vessel. Duty watchman found the steering gear door open and entered to investigate. The robbers caught the watchman, took him hostage, covered his eyes with plastic and stole his walkie talkie. One robber stood guard with the watchman while the others entered the engine room. After around 20 minutes the robbers left the engine room and escaped. The duty watchman went to the bridge and raised the alarm.

Attack Number:009-12
Date:Wed Jan 11 2012
Type of Vessel :Container
Location detail:Abidjan Outer Anchorage
Type of Attack:Boarded
Narrations:11.01.2012: 0001 LT: Posn: 05:13.11N – 004:02.59W, Abidjan Outer Anchorage, Ivory Coast.

Two robbers armed with long knives boarded an anchored container ship. They took hostage the duty watchman, stole his VHF, ships stores and escaped.
The watchman informed bridge who raised the alarm. Port control informed.

Attack Number:010-12
Date:Mon Jan 09 2012
Type of Vessel :Container
Location detail: Around 85nm South of Bonny Island
Type of Attack :Fired Upon
Narrations:09.01.2012: 1622 LT: Posn: 03:00N – 007:28E, Around 85nm south of Bonny Island, Nigeria.

About eight pirates armed with AK47 in a skiff launched from a fishing trawler chased, fired upon and attempted to board a container ship underway. The Master increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and crew mustered in the citadel. Later, the pirates aborted the attack and moved away.

Attack Number:012-12
Date:Fri Jan 13 2012
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
Location detail:Adang Bay Anchorage, Indonesia
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:13.01.2012:0240LT: Posn:01:41S-116:38E, Adang Bay Anchorage, Indonesia.

Five robbers boarded an anchored bulk carrier via the forecastle while duty crew were busy tending to cargo operations. When duty crew returned to forecastle, he saw two robbers who pushed him and escaped in a waiting boat. On investigting it was noticed that the forward store had been broken into and ships stores stolen.

Attack Number:011-12
Date:Thu Jan 12 2012
Location detail:Around 43nm SE of Mogadishu
Type of Attack :Fired Upon
Narrations:12.01.2012: 0235 UTC: Posn: 01:37N – 046:00E, Around 43nm SE of Mogadishu, Somalia.

Six pirates in a skiff approached, fired upon and attempted to board a naval auxiliary ship underway from the stern. The naval force-protection team from the ship returned fire in self-defense forcing the pirates to abort the attempted attack. The ships helicopter was launched to track the skiff and the pirates surrender. The injured pirates given medical treatment onboard the naval ship.

Attack Number:013-12
Date:Fri Jan 13 2012
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
Location detail:Callao Anchorage Area No.12
Type of Attack :Attempted
Narrations:13.01.2012: 1940 LT: Callao Anchorage Area No.12, Peru.

Six robbers armed with long knives attempted to board an anchored bulk carrier via the anchor chain. Alert crew noticed the robbers, raised alarm and crew mustered. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers aborted the attempted boarding and escaped. Port authorities informed and the coast guard came for investigation.

Attack Number:014-12
Date:Sat Jan 14 2012
Type of Vessel : Container
Location detail:Around 12nm NE of Bintan Island
Type of Attack :Attempted
Narrations:14.01.2012: 0800 LT: Posn: 01:24.28N – 104:42.09E, Around 12nm NE of Bintan Island, Indonesia.

Four robbers wearing masks, armed with choppers and knives in a boat approached an anchored container ship. Two of the robbers attempted to board the ship by climbing the anchor chain. Duty crew noticed the robbers and informed bridge who raised the alarm. Crew mustered and activated the fire hoses resulting in the robbers aborting the attempted boarding.

Attack Number:015-12
Date:Mon Jan 09 2012
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
Location detail:Around 80nm south of Bonny fairway buoy
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:09.01.2012: 2015 LT: Posn: 03:21.4N-007:12.9E, Around 80nm south of Bonny fairway buoy, Nigeria.

A suspicous boat approached a drifting bulk carrier. Duty crew spotted the boat and raised alarm. The boat closed onto and fired upon the vessel. All crew retreated into the citadel. After nearly 12 hours the crew emerged from the citadel and found no pirates onboard. However, before leaving the pirates had ransacked crew cabins and had stolen cash and ship's stores. All crew safe.

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Pirate threat on next stage of yacht race

13.01.12 They have already battled the mighty Southern Ocean, crossed the equator twice, and travelled under sail to the other side of the world.

Now the crew of the Capital’s entry in the Clipper Round the World yacht race has been warned to be on the look-out for pirates on the latest leg of their 40,000-mile journey, from Australia’s Gold Coast to Singapore.

Race organisers, including race founder, yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, have announced special precautions to try to keep the sailors safe as they pass through the Celebes and Sulu Seas between Malaysia and the Philippines.

Race director, Joff Bailey, said the organising committee had chosen the safest of several possible routes for the ten-strong fleet to take: “After significant research and discussion with regional Navy forces and the Pirate Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur the route has been selected.

“North of Papua New Guinea and through the Celebes and Sulu Seas is considered the least risky of all the options. That said, it is not without its risks as we have seen with the cyclones two weeks ago, but they are low and risk mitigating actions are being taken.

“The piracy in this part of the world should in no way be linked to the piracy that you hear of on the TV near Somalia which is on an almost industrial scale. The risk on the Clipper Race route can be better described as a mugging at sea, but it is still a risk that we take seriously.”

Since the race begin in July, the stripped-down 68ft racing yachts have been sending back location data via satellite so that supporters can track their progress at the website www.clipperroundtheworld.com, though they are allowed to hide their position for one 24-hour period during each leg – a tactic known as “stealth mode”.

Mr Bailey said racing would be suspended temporarily while the yachts crossed the areas of greatest risk, and added: “The first action that we will be taking is that once the teams enter the Celebes Sea they will go into stealth mode for approximately four days whilst they cross the area of risk. This will prevent any clever pirate from looking at the website and following the boats.

“The race team will still be tracking the yachts every hour and will put information in the daily report and on the website.

On board Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, however, the recent preoccupation has been with a lack of wind. Skipper Gordon Reid said: “Stuck in a windless hole, baking under the tropical sun, sweating like a blood donor at a vampire’s tea party, being drenched in a tropical downpour for the fifth time in four hours – we always remember what a great adventure we are undertaking.”

Despite the light winds, he said the crew – currently 12-strong – has been working hard to continually raise and lower the most appropriate sails for the changing conditions.

He said: “We are now moving and in the right direction, a true testament to the skill and determination of the crew.”

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital is currently at the back of the fleet, with 2027 nautical miles to cover.

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Passenger line put off from leaving Maldives due to piracy threat

Somali-Pirates-2 08.01.2012 - An American luxury passenger line en route to the Seychelles is stranded in the Maldivian waters due to “piracy risk”, while the passengers depart to the Seychelles through airline flights, as reported by Hawwa Lubna from the minivan news.

Secretary General of Maldives Association of Yacht Agents (MAYA), Mohamed Ali, told Minivan News on Sunday that the passenger line had arrived on December 29 and was scheduled to leave the same day after a brief stop near Male’.

However, he said the cruise captain had decided not to leave with the passengers on board due to “security reasons”, as there have been several attacks by pirates near the Seychelles.

“To avoid the risk, the 67 passengers on board were taken to Seychelles via Qatar Airways and Emirates last week,” Ali said.

As the passenger line is subjected to a daily fee of US$600 as long as it stays in Maldivian waters, he continued, “we are trying to send off the passenger line as soon as possible.”

He noted that the crew is taking the necessary security measures to ensure safety from a possible pirate attack.

“There are some maritime security companies which provide security to large cruises or shipping vessels like these. So the passenger line is arranging security before departure,” he said.

Pirate activity is predicted to be higher during November to February, with the increased number of cruise ships and yachts travelling this time of the year, according to Ali.

Meanwhile, due to increase in the pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean and the frequent encounters with Somali castaways in Maldivian territory, maritime experts have speculated that the piracy threat is growing in Maldives.

However, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) has steadily countered that the country’s territorial waters have not come under direct attack from piracy originating in Somalia.

MNDF Spokesperson Major Abdul Raheem earlier told Minivan News that despite small vessels originating from Somalia washing up in the Maldives’ territorial waters – often with engineering problems – no reported attacks or activities linked to piracy were believed to have occurred in the country.

According to the Foreign Ministry, 37 Somali “castaways” are under police custody and are waiting for repatriation. They had been joined by three other Somalis, discovered last month on board a small dinghy drifting near Gaaf Alifu Atoll.

Potential pirate threats remain a major problem in ensuring the security of the archipelago, which depends on tourism for as much as 90 percent of its economy.

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Piracy Reports 10-25 December 2011

· Attack Number:419-11
Date:Sat Dec 10 2011
Type of Vessel :Crude Tanker
Location detail:Dumai Inner Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:10.12.2011: 0340 LT: Posn: 01:42N - 101:29E, Dumai Inner Anchorage, Indonesia.
Three robbers boarded the tanker at anchor and entered into the engine room. They took the motorman hostage, stole engine spares and escaped. Port control and agent informed.

· Attack Number:420-11
Date:Mon Feb 21 2011
Type of Vessel :Container
Location detail:Manila North Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:21.02.2011: 0317 LT: Posn: 14:36 -120:52E: Manila North Anchorage, Philippines.
Robbers boarded an anchored ship unnoticed and stole ship’s properties and escaped. Later duty A/B on deck patrol noticed padlock to the forward store broken and ship’s property stolen. Incident reported to CSO and port control.

· Attack Number:421-11
Date:Mon Aug 08 2011
Type of Vessel :Crude Tanker
Location detail:Dumai Quarantine Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:08.08.2011: 2359 LT: Posn: 01:42.5N - 101:29.6E, Dumai Quarantine Anchorage, Indonesia.
Three robbers armed with long knives boarded an anchored tanker. They entered into the accommodation and threatened the duty A/B. Once the robbers escaped, the A/B informed the bridge. All crew alerted and a search was carried out.

· Attack Number:422-11
Date:Tue Dec 13 2011
Type of Vessel :Tug
Location detail:6.4nm SSW of Pulau Kukup Island
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:13.12.2011: 0100 LT: Posn: 01:13.05N - 103:21.00E, Indonesia.
Six robbers armed with knives boarded a tug towing a barge and took hostage the six crew members. The robbes stole crew personal belongings and cash before escaping in their speed boat.

· Attack Number:423-11
Date:Mon Dec 19 2011
Type of Vessel :Crude Tanker
Location detail:Gulf of Aden
Type of Attack :Fired Upon
Narrations:19.12.2011: 0820 UTC: Posn: 12:36N - 047:03E, Gulf of Aden.
Two skiffs approached and fired upon a tanker underway. A ladder was sighted on one of the skiffs. Master made evasive manoeuvers while the armed security team onboard fired warning shots. The skiffs slowed down and returned fire resulting in the security team responding. Later the pirates aborted the attempt and moved away.

· Attack Number:424-11
Date:Thu Dec 22 2011
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
Location detail:Surabaya Inner Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:22.12.2011: 0400 LT: Posn: 07:05.00S-112:39.77E, Surabaya Inner Anchorage, Indonesia.
Duty crew onboard an anchored bulk carrier noticed two boats moving away from the vessel with mooring lines trailing in the water. Alarm sounded and all crew mustered. Authorities informed via local agent.

· Attack Number:425-11
Date:Thu Dec 22 2011
Type of Vessel :Crude Tanker
Location detail:Talara Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:22.12.2011: 0400 LT: Posn: 04:34.2S – 081:18.8W, Talara Anchorage, Peru.
Unnoticed robbers boarded an anchored tanker and entered teh orward store. Alert duty watchman noticed the hawse pipe cover pened and alerted the OOW who raised the alarm. Seeing the crew alertness the robbers escaped empty handed. Incident reported to the Harbour Master through the agents.

· Attack Number:426-11
Date:Sat Dec 24 2011
Type of Vessel :Tug
Location detail:Western Boarding Ground 'B', Singapore Straits
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:24.12.2011: 0930 LT: Posn: 01:10N – 103:39E, Western Boarding Ground ‘B’, Singapore Straits.
A tug towing a barge was approached by suspected robbers in boats trying to sell articles. Some of the robbers aproached the barge from right astern, boarded it and stole properties. Later a Singapore navy ship approached and chased the boats away. When the naval vessel departed, the small boats once again approached the tug and barge but were unsuccessful in boarding.

· Attack Number:427-11
Date:Sun Dec 25 2011
Type of Vessel :Chemical Tanker
Location detail:Dumai Inner Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:25.12.2011: 0100 LT: Posn: 01:42.4N – 101:28.6E, Dumai Inner Anchorage, Indonesia.
Three robbers boarded an anchored chemical tanker. They entered the engine room through the engine room sky light door and stole generator spares. The 4th engineer sighted the robbers leaving the engine room and raised the alarm.

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Piracy Report 4 to 13 Dec 2011

· Attack Number: 414-11
Date:Sun Dec 04 2011
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
Location detail:70nm east of Masirah, Oman
Type of Attack :Fired Upon
Narrations:04.12.2011: 0915 UTC: Posn: 20:39N-060:00E, 70nm East of Masirah, Oman. (Off Somalia)
A bulk carrier underway was chased and fired upon by pirates. Master took preventive measures and the onboard security team returned fire resulting in the pirates aborting and moving away.

Attack Number:415-11
Date:Tue Dec 06 2011
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
Location detail:Adang Bay Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:06.12.2011: 0515 LT: Posn: 01:42.16S-116:37.75E, Adang Bay anchorage, Indonesia.
Duty crew onboard an anchored bulk carrier noticed six robbers moving away in a speed boat with one mooring line in tow. Upon inspection the forecastle store was found broken into. Local police and agent informed.

Attack Number:416-11
Date:Tue Dec 06 2011
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
Location detail:Alexandria Inner Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:06.12.2011: 0035 UTC: Posn: 31:10.5N - 029:51.9E, Alexandria Inner Anchorage, Egypt.
Three robbers armed with knives boarded an anchored bulk carrier. They stole ships stores and escaped in a motor boat. Crew alerted the armed guard and reported the incident to port control. A police patrol boat arrived for investigation.

Attack Number:417-11
Date:Thu Dec 08 2011
Type of Vessel :Bulk Carrier
- Location detail:Banjarmasin Inner Anchorage
- Type of Attack :Boarded
- Narrations: 08.12.2011: 0040 LT: Posn: 03:41.7S - 114:25.9E, Banjarmasin Anchorage, Indonesia.
  Robbers boarded an anchored bulk carrier using grapnel hook. They opened the bolted hawsepipe cover and were seen by the alert duty cadet on deck watch. He raised alarm via walkie-talkie and the D/O sounded the general alarm and blew the fog horn continuously. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers escaped through the hawse pipe. Two boats were seen moving away from the ship. Ship attempted to contact port control but received no response.

· Attack Number:418-11
Date:Sun Aug 07 2011
Type of Vessel :Fishing Vessel
Location detail:45nm NW Off Pangkor Island Malaysia
Type of Attack :Hijacked
Narrations:07.08.2011: 0310 LT: Posn: 04:25N-099:50E, 45nm NW Off Pangkor Island Malaysia.
Four pirates in a speed boat attacked and hijacked two fishing vessels carrying out fishing operation. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) received information from the owners and coordinated with the Royal Malaysia Navy and despatched two coast guard boats, one warship and one Navy helicopter to investigate and assist. Upon reaching the location they sighted the pirates were sailing the vessels towards Indonesian waters. The warships and CG boats detained the boats and two pirates. The remaining pirates jumped overboard and escaped in a speed boat.

Attack Number:419-11
Date:Sat Dec 10 2011
Type of Vessel :Crude Tanker
- Location detail: Dumai Inner Anchorage
- Type of Attack : Boarded
- Narrations: 10.12.2011: 0340 LT: Posn: 01:42N - 101:29E, Dumai Inner Anchorage, Indonesia.
  Three robbers boarded the tanker at anchor and entered into the engine room. They took the motorman hostage, stole engine spares and escaped. Port control and agent informed.

Attack Number:420-11
Date:Mon Feb 21 2011
Type of Vessel :Container
Location detail:Manila North Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:21.02.2011: 0317 LT: Posn: 14:36 -120:52E: Manila North Anchorage, Philippines.
Robbers boarded an anchored ship unnoticed and stole ship’s properties and escaped. Later duty A/B on deck patrol noticed padlock to the forward store broken and ship’s property stolen. Incident reported to CSO and port control.

Attack Number:421-11
Date:Mon Aug 08 2011
Type of Vessel :Crude Tanker
Location detail:Dumai Quarantine Anchorage
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:08.08.2011: 2359 LT: Posn: 01:42.5N - 101:29.6E, Dumai Quarantine Anchorage, Indonesia.
Three robbers armed with long knives boarded an anchored tanker. They entered into the accommodation and threatened the duty A/B. Once the robbers escaped, the A/B informed the bridge. All crew alerted and a search was carried out.

Attack Number:422-11
Date:Tue Dec 13 2011
Type of Vessel :Tug
Location detail:6.4nm SSW of Pulau Kukup Island
Type of Attack :Boarded
Narrations:13.12.2011: 0100 LT: 01:13.50N - 103:21.00E, Indonesia.
Six robbers armed with knives boarded a tug towing a barge and took made hostage the six crew members. the robbes stole crew personal properties and cash before escaping in their speed boat.