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| Africa Horn |
| Somali pirates go 0 for 5 |
| 2008-10-29 |
| MANAMA (AFP) — A number of ships off Somalia have thwarted attacks by pirates this week, the US-led Combined Maritime Force -- which is charged with securing the dangerous Gulf of Aden passage -- said on Wednesday. Five attacks on Tuesday were unsuccessful "as a result of proactive measures taken by masters and crews" of the merchant vessels, said a statement from the force's headquarters at the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain. The ships conducted evasive manoeuvring and used fire hoses to repel the pirates, the statement added, noting that attackers fired shots during two of the assaults. "The proactive measures taken yesterday by merchant vessels are exactly what we have been recommending," said force commander Vice Admiral Bill Gortney. The statement did not say if five ships had been targeted, or whether there was more than one assault on a single vessel. It also did not identify any of the targeted ships. The International Maritime Bureau said 63 of 199 piracy incidents recorded worldwide in the first nine months of this year were in waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. In addition to coalition naval forces, NATO warships and ships and aircraft from several other nations have been deployed in the region to protect commercial shipping. The statement said that for around two months, the coalition has been working with the shipping industry and the International Maritime Organisation to recommend effective self-protection measures. Separately, a Spanish warplane used smoke bombs to deter pirates from boarding a Panama-flagged oil tanker on Tuesday. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #3 I wonder how Admiralty law treats contract anti-piracy operations? Specifically, why doesn't Lloyd's have a claims mitigation fund to retain and set bounty/bonus reserves for something akin to a "Blackwater Naval Force" to patrol the area. Clearly, the merchantmen are up to the task of identification and navigation, so it seems they either arm up, or sail under escort. Unless a "Somali" navy appears, this seems to be a case for letters of marque and reprisal, or their private counterpart. |
| Posted by: Don Vito Omeling5062 2008-10-29 19:14 |
| #2 Seriously, those commercial ships sailing by the Somali coast should arm themselves with real guns. They should use rpg's - just in the same way the pirates use. Blow the pirates up, and show no mercy!!! By the way, where is that Russian destroyer that was on its way to "solve" the problem with the hijacked Ukranian arms cargo vessel? |
| Posted by: AndyR 2008-10-29 18:59 |
| #1 A description of one attack. From Information Dissemination... To inform you of events that took place today. Situation: Vessel was under full lockdown with anti-piracy lookout posted on both bridge wings night and day and navigating in Gulf of Aden safety corridor. First attack took place at 08:00 in posn 13-26N, 48-27E. Three high speed craft approached with direct intent from port side 45degrees off the bow. Interesting was that 2 were the typical white type but the centre and forward attack vessel was actually a Yemeni skiff fitted with large outboard engine and was being used as a screen to mask the other two craft. I called the company on the telephone, I made evasive maneuvers, mayday call on vhf, mustered all in our security muster station (conference room) and kept 3/O on the bridge with a helmsman. We came under automatic small arms fire targeted at the bridge. No damage or injuries. I was also sounding the air horn whilst making S-turns and calling Mayday on VHF16. After about 10min the attackers gave up chase and stopped and re-grouped. We escaped. When I was sure the situation was under control I debriefed the crew to calm them and assured them we would remain on high alert. The 2nd attack was more serious and came at 15:00 in posn 12-54N, 46-40E where 3 fast attack boats were seen departing from a mother ship fishing vessel white in colour. I set off the Ship Security Alert System [SSAS]. The boats were same as in the photos sent out being white and had 4 men in each. I immediately called Mayday on vhf, mustered crew in safe place and was again fired upon by automatic small arms fire but with more aggression lasting about 5 minutes into the accom block. Fortunately a coalition warship (Spanish Navy) heard my mayday call and responded by sending out a Russian (Spanish?) aircraft to our scene which was patrolling the area. I was told 20min until it arrived but we were actually being fired upon at the time. The fire was a lot more intense than the morning attack. I maintained S-turns but was unable to determine visually if we had been boarded or not due to the amount of fire coming in. I maintained mayday calls and was assured by the Spanish warship on vhf that 10min to help. The attackers were then seen to yield, re-group then re-attack. I was contacted by the aircraft to tell me he had me in sight and would be there in a few minutes. I was very happy to see the echo on my radar of the inbound aircraft. The pirates were within 100m when the small fixed wing Russian (Spanish?) bomber arrived and gave a very low passing. The pirates yielded. The aircraft then proceeded to drop ordinance on them (smoke bombs?). The situation became safe very quickly with the bomber in attendance. About 20min later a French attack helicopter arrived to check our situation was under control and we alerted him as to the estimated position of the pirate mother ship. I thanked them and made communications with the office and UK MTO commanding forces to inform all ok and debrief. The danger here is absolutely real. I will be in Red Sea in 12hrs time and clear of the hazardous area. Except for some paint being damaged by gunfire, we are fine and have no damage or injuries at this time. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-10-29 16:01 |