The Maritime Administration issued advisories to U.S. ships in the waters off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean. The warnings advise that pirate activity could increase between now and May, due to the end of the Northeast monsoon season and increased range of recent pirate attacks…
Reports have been received by EU NAVFOR that the MV Iceberg 1 has been hijacked 10 nautical miles off the port of Aden, Yemen, outside the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).The Iceberg 1 is a Panama Flagged, Roll on Roll Off vessel with deadweight of 4500 tonnes…
The afternoon, March 29, the EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from the Seychelles supported the Seychelles Coast Guard vessel Topaz to locate and apprehend a hijacked ship.Robust action from the Topaz ensured the release of 27 hostages: nine pirates have been captured…
Israeli security guards on board the Zim Africa Star repelled an attack by Somali pirates on the ship. The ship was en route from Mombasa, Kenya, to Djibouti, when 350 miles from the Somali coast, it was fired upon by a pirate boat. Zim Africa Star went on alert…
The afternoon of March 23, the Bermuda flagged British Virgin Islands owned cargo ship MV Talca was reported hijacked. The hijacking took place approximately 120 nautical miles off the coast of Oman and 180 miles south of Mazera. MV Talca was heading from Sokhna in Egypt to Busheir in Iran…
On the morning of 23 of March, the Malta flagged Turkish owned (Garanti Finansal Kiralama) cargo ship MV Frigia, deadweight 35,000 tonnes, was reported hijacked in the Indian Ocean. The hijacking took place approximately 1000 Nautical miles east of the northern coast of Somalia…
On 19th March the EU NAVFOR Spanish warship Navarra was dispatched by the Force HQ (ITS ETNA) to assist an Iranian dhow that had sent out a distress call. The Iranian fishing dhow, named UAID 400, with 13 crewmembers, had suffered a pirate attack some days before and had been left without food…
This morning, 17 March, saw the culmination of highly successful EU NAVFOR pirate disruption activities by the EU NAVFOR French warship Nivose against Pirate Action Groups (PAG) operating in the Somali basin, approximately 350 nautical miles off the Somali Coast…
Early the morning of March 17, two small skiffs made a fast approach on the EU NAVFOR Dutch HNLMS Tromp with what appeared to be a pirate attack. The Tromp fired warning shots as they approached and it was this action that alerted the “would…
The Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre (MMWC), a UK based maritime anti-piracy organization, is launching their latest countermeasure, the MMWC Propeller Arresters. This is a non-lethal countermeasure to protect vessels underway regardless of vessel type…
On March 12, after receiving a report from MV E.R. Lubeck (Liberian Flag, German owner), that pirates in two skiffs had tried to hijack her, COMEUNAVFOR initiated a surge operation to intercept and disrupt the pirate action group (PAG).The…
After busy months on patrol in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin, a task force of NATO warships on March 12 handed over their counter-piracy mission, (Operation Ocean Shield) to the new task force of NATO ships which had sailed to the area to take up the mission…
The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued an incident alert stating that a chemical tanker anchored at night off southeast Malaysia was boarded by an unknown number of robbers, who stole some engine spare parts. Masters are reminded to maintain…
EU NAVFOR units operating in the Somali Basin, between the Seychelles and the Somali coast, have discovered more suspected pirate activity. In an area close to the disruption of five pirate attack groups by EU NAVFOR, EU NAVFOR German warship…
On March 8, the chemical tanker Marshall Island flagged UBT Ocean hijacked on March 5, was reported to be in the vicinity off the pirate stronghold east of Haradere. UBT Ocean has a crew of 21 and they are all from Myanmar/Burma. UBT Ocean with deadweight of 9…
