At least six pirates have been killed in fighting between pirates over a ransom in the coastal town of Harardere , in Somalia ’s central region of Mudug.
The record-breaking ransom, which was estimated to be US$7 million, was taken from Greek oil tanker Maran Centaurus released on Monday.
Harardere town is the second base of Somali pirates and the battle between the two groups left at least 6 people, including civilians dead and ten others injured. Civilians were among the injured people.
"Three pirates and three civilians died in the clashes which occurred in the district, some residents were also among the wounded people with most hit by stray bullets" said Ali a resident in Harardere.
Witnesses said residents fear another armed clash among the pirates.
"The clashes occurred after pirates took ransom from Greek oil tanker Maran Centaurus, which was held for months," said Abdullahi Ali a resident in Harardere.
The pirates gave some US$200,000 dollars to the crews comprised of 28 crews, urguing that the money was goodbye gesture for their former hostages, who stayed with them longer.
Harardere elders told Garowe Online there is fear of clashes but they are trying to mediate the two groups and broker harmony.
The ransom-hunting Somali pirates have made millions of dollars from the hijacking of international vessel transiting in the Gulf of Aden , one of the world’s most busiest shipping lanes.
Source:garoweonline.com/
Showing posts with label Pirate Attacks Double. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pirate Attacks Double. Show all posts
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Greek tanker latest ship released in Somali pirate drama
It is believed that a plane dropped up to $5 million dollars in a bag onto the deck of the vessel, which would make this payment one of the largest ransoms ever.
The hijack and subsequent release of merchant vessels following the payment of ransoms has become a common occurence in the Indian Ocean waters off Somalia.
While world powers continue to patrol the waters off the troubled nation, the pirates have begun to move further out to sea.
A 'mother ship' of sorts is used to carry smaller powerboats as far as 1,800 kms from shore so that attacks may be launched on vulnerable vessels.
This may have been the case when British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were hijacked aboard their 38ft yacht enroute to Tanzania from the Seychelles.
In an emotional telephone call with ITN, Rachel said she was prepared to die, but wanted to see her husband one last time before they killed her. The couple were seperated shortly after they were captured in October last year.
Following repeated refusals by the British government to pay the ransom demanded, the pirates have threatened to kill the couple within the next three days.
A rescue operation, similar to that undertaken by the US to free Captain Richard Phillips, was ordered by Whitehall. But it has now come to light that the Special Forces operation was bungled and delayed, according to what a Whitehall official told the BBC's security correspondent, Frank Gardner.
It is necessarily unclear whether another rescue attempt will be made, and in the meantime two lives hang in the balance.
Source:haitinews.net/s
Somalia: Pirate Ship 'Was Registered in Kenya'
Nairobi — A witness told the court that he saw a document showing a suspected pirate ship was a Kenyan registered vessel.
Lieutenant David Ratner testifying against 17 Somalis charged with piracy also told the court that another document he saw indicated that MV Ishaka was a Puntland registered vessel.
Upon cross examination by defence counsel Mr Donald Muyundo, the witness who is a member of the US Coast Guard told the court that it could be true the vessel was registered in the country then in Puntland.
The witness who was giving evidence before senior resident magistrate Mr Michael Kizito said the ship was registered as a fishing vessel.
He told the court that each suspect apprehended had a separate bag with a tag in which their clothing was kept.
"I could not see any specific reason to seal weapons in the evidence bag," said Mr Ratner adding that Yemen navy took custody of MV Ishaka.
He said he was not party to the decision why the vessel was not brought into the country.
The court heard that the grenade allegedly found on the suspected pirate vessel was poorly maintained and could have exploded hence it was documented and discarded.
Another witness Mr James Powers, a helicopter pilot from the US navy told the court that on May 13 at around 9am he was on a flying surveillance mission and had contact on a vessel along the International Transit Recommended Corridor.
Mr Powers said he saw people on the deck of the vessel which he described as red in colour who appeared to be "hanging out" and that he could not recall if the vessel was in motion.
"I kept surveillance for three hours before retuning to USS Gettysburg, a US naval ship, and downloaded pictures which he took while over the vessel.
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The witness told the court that later in the day while on another flying mission he received a distress call from MV Amira saying that they were under attack from pirates who were firing rocket propelled grenades (RPG) at them.
The helicopter pilot who said he had no knowledge if fishing vessels carry firearms told the court he did not witness the attack on MV Amira.
He described the crew on the suspected pirate boat as unfamiliar since they did not acknowledge their presence.
"From the past experience fishermen acknowledge navy vessels and aircrafts by waving their hands," said Mr Powers.
The 17 Somali's allegedly committed piracy against MV Amira on May 13, last year, in the high seas.
Source:allafrica.com/
Lieutenant David Ratner testifying against 17 Somalis charged with piracy also told the court that another document he saw indicated that MV Ishaka was a Puntland registered vessel.
Upon cross examination by defence counsel Mr Donald Muyundo, the witness who is a member of the US Coast Guard told the court that it could be true the vessel was registered in the country then in Puntland.
The witness who was giving evidence before senior resident magistrate Mr Michael Kizito said the ship was registered as a fishing vessel.
He told the court that each suspect apprehended had a separate bag with a tag in which their clothing was kept.
"I could not see any specific reason to seal weapons in the evidence bag," said Mr Ratner adding that Yemen navy took custody of MV Ishaka.
He said he was not party to the decision why the vessel was not brought into the country.
The court heard that the grenade allegedly found on the suspected pirate vessel was poorly maintained and could have exploded hence it was documented and discarded.
Another witness Mr James Powers, a helicopter pilot from the US navy told the court that on May 13 at around 9am he was on a flying surveillance mission and had contact on a vessel along the International Transit Recommended Corridor.
Mr Powers said he saw people on the deck of the vessel which he described as red in colour who appeared to be "hanging out" and that he could not recall if the vessel was in motion.
"I kept surveillance for three hours before retuning to USS Gettysburg, a US naval ship, and downloaded pictures which he took while over the vessel.
Relevant Links
East Africa
Somalia
Kenya
Crime
Transport
Business
The witness told the court that later in the day while on another flying mission he received a distress call from MV Amira saying that they were under attack from pirates who were firing rocket propelled grenades (RPG) at them.
The helicopter pilot who said he had no knowledge if fishing vessels carry firearms told the court he did not witness the attack on MV Amira.
He described the crew on the suspected pirate boat as unfamiliar since they did not acknowledge their presence.
"From the past experience fishermen acknowledge navy vessels and aircrafts by waving their hands," said Mr Powers.
The 17 Somali's allegedly committed piracy against MV Amira on May 13, last year, in the high seas.
Source:allafrica.com/
Pirate Attacks Off Somalia Nearly Double
The International Maritime Bureau in London reports piracy incidents on the high seas increased nearly 40 percent in 2009 from a year ago. Pirate activities off the coast of Somalia accounted for more than half of all attacks worldwide.
In its annual report, the maritime watchdog said the number of attacks off the coast of Somalia doubled in 2009 from 111 to 217. According to the bureau, pirates successfully hijacked 47 of those vessels and took 867 crew members hostage, earning them untold millions in ransom payments.
The director of the International Maritime Bureau, Captain Pottengal Mukundan tells VOA that although the number of attacks was significantly higher, the number of successful hijackings were proportionately lower than the previous year.
"In the Gulf of Aden, from the 8th of July until the 28th of December, there were no vessels hijacked although the attacks continued. And that is because of the actions taken by the naval forces there and secondly, because of the maneuvering and self-protection measures taken by ships going through that area," he said.
The Gulf of Aden, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, was the main target of Somali pirates in 2008. Relentless pirate attacks and dozens of hijackings in the area prompted the United States, the European Union, China, Russia, India and other nations to send warships to protect commercial and private vessels transiting the narrow waterway between Somalia and Yemen.
As many as 30 warships now patrol the gulf at any given time.
But the focus on protecting the Gulf of Aden has had a negative effect in the Indian Ocean, particularly off the southern and eastern coasts of Somalia.
Using hijacked vessels as "mother ships" to tow fast skiffs and to utilize as floating homes, pirates can operate far from shore for weeks at a time. Since October, the International Maritime Bureau has recorded 33 attacks on ships in the Indian Ocean. The bureau says 13 vessels have been seized.
Mukundan says he believes fighting piracy in the vast Indian Ocean requires a different approach.
"It is the key risk area, where we do not have the naval protection that we have in the Gulf of Aden," he said. "In that environment, it appears that the tactical response is very strong, robust action to be taken against the mother ships, which launch these attacks. And more effort should be made to identify clusters of these mother ships. We need assets to board them, to inspect them and not allow them to carry on with these illegal activities. That is what is required."
Mukundan says piracy in other African waters is also on the rise with 28 attacks reported off the coast of Nigeria in 2009.
Source:voanews.com/
In its annual report, the maritime watchdog said the number of attacks off the coast of Somalia doubled in 2009 from 111 to 217. According to the bureau, pirates successfully hijacked 47 of those vessels and took 867 crew members hostage, earning them untold millions in ransom payments.
The director of the International Maritime Bureau, Captain Pottengal Mukundan tells VOA that although the number of attacks was significantly higher, the number of successful hijackings were proportionately lower than the previous year.
"In the Gulf of Aden, from the 8th of July until the 28th of December, there were no vessels hijacked although the attacks continued. And that is because of the actions taken by the naval forces there and secondly, because of the maneuvering and self-protection measures taken by ships going through that area," he said.
The Gulf of Aden, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, was the main target of Somali pirates in 2008. Relentless pirate attacks and dozens of hijackings in the area prompted the United States, the European Union, China, Russia, India and other nations to send warships to protect commercial and private vessels transiting the narrow waterway between Somalia and Yemen.
As many as 30 warships now patrol the gulf at any given time.
But the focus on protecting the Gulf of Aden has had a negative effect in the Indian Ocean, particularly off the southern and eastern coasts of Somalia.
Using hijacked vessels as "mother ships" to tow fast skiffs and to utilize as floating homes, pirates can operate far from shore for weeks at a time. Since October, the International Maritime Bureau has recorded 33 attacks on ships in the Indian Ocean. The bureau says 13 vessels have been seized.
Mukundan says he believes fighting piracy in the vast Indian Ocean requires a different approach.
"It is the key risk area, where we do not have the naval protection that we have in the Gulf of Aden," he said. "In that environment, it appears that the tactical response is very strong, robust action to be taken against the mother ships, which launch these attacks. And more effort should be made to identify clusters of these mother ships. We need assets to board them, to inspect them and not allow them to carry on with these illegal activities. That is what is required."
Mukundan says piracy in other African waters is also on the rise with 28 attacks reported off the coast of Nigeria in 2009.
Source:voanews.com/
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