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Houthi Explosive Drone Boat Attacks Escalate Red Sea Danger
Yemen's Houthis are sending drone boats packed with explosives into the Red Sea as they intensify their attacks on merchant ships that have little defense against the "sophisticated shift" in tactic, maritime security sources say.Iran-aligned Houthi militants first launched aerial drone and missile strikes on the trade route in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. In over 70 attacks…
Philippines Tells Beijing Words Must Match Actions in South China Sea
The Philippines urged China on Wednesday to avoid actions that endanger sailors and vessels in the South China Sea, saying peace could not be achieved if China's words did not match its behaviour in the disputed waters.The Philippine foreign ministry denounced as "illegal and aggressive" China's actions during a routine resupply mission on June 17, which the Philippine military said had severely injured…
Cargo Ship Freed from Suspected Pirates off Somalia
The European Union's anti-piracy force in the Indian Ocean and Red Sea said on Friday the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel Basilisk had been freed from suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia and its 17 crew members were safe.The ship was attacked by suspected pirates on Thursday around 380 nautical miles east of Somalia's capital Mogadishu while sailing north, the EU Naval Force said in a statement.The EU said its forces boarded the Basilisk from a helicopter on Thursday night, having sent o
Merchant Vessel Reportedly Boarded off Somalia
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said on Thursday that it had received a report of a merchant vessel being boarded 420 nautical miles southeast of Merca, Somalia.UKMTO said in a statement that an unknown number of unauthorized people from two small craft were reported to have boarded the vessel.Between 2008 and 2018, Somali pirates caused havoc in the waters off the country's long coastline.
Suspected Somali Pirates Taken to Seychelles
A group of suspected Somali pirates has been aprehended and transported to justice officials in Seychelles, EU counter-piracy forces said.The six men are accused of attempting to hijack the Marshall Islands-flagged merchant tanker vessel Chrystal Arctic in the Gulf of Aden on May 10.After the failed attack about 100 naautical miles north of Bosaso, the suspected pirates were arrested by ATALANTA forces and treated for injuries of varying severity.Then…
Vessel Hijacking Attempt Reported off the Coast of Yemen
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization said on Friday it had received a report of a failed hijacking attempt of a vessel 195 nautical miles east of Yemen's Aden.The vessel's master reported being approached by a small craft carrying five or six armed people with ladders.Houthi militants in Yemen have launched drone and missile attacks on shipping in and around the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean to show support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war.Maritime sources say pir
Somali Pirates Release Ship after Ransom Paid
Somali pirates released a hijacked ship, MV Abdullah, and its crew of 23 early on Sunday after a $5 million ransom was paid, according to two pirates."The money was brought to us two nights ago as usual... we checked whether the money was fake or not. Then we divided the money into groups and left, avoiding the government forces," Abdirashiid Yusuf, one of the pirates, told Reuters.He added the ship…
Indian Navy Rescues Iranian Fishing Vessel Hijacked by Pirates
The Indian Navy said it had freed a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel from nine armed pirates in the Arabian Sea on Friday, rescuing its crew unharmed.The fishing vessel, Al-Kambar 786, was southwest of the Yemeni island of Socotra on March 28 when it was reported to have been boarded by pirates, according to a statement from the navy late on Friday.The ship was intercepted by the INS Sumedha and INS Trishul…
India Brings 35 Somali Pirates to Mumbai
The Indian navy handed over 35 Somali pirates to the police in Mumbai on Saturday, after 100 days of anti-piracy operations east of the Red Sea, where piracy has resurfaced for the first time in nearly a decade.India, the largest national force in the Gulf of Aden and northern Arabian Sea region, captured the pirates from the cargo ship Ruen last week, three months after it was hijacked off the Somali…
Somali Pirates' Return Adds to Crisis for Global Shipping Companies
As a speed boat carrying more than a dozen Somali pirates bore down on their position in the western Indian Ocean, the crew of a Bangladeshi-owned bulk carrier sent out a distress signal and called an emergency hotline.No one reached them in time. The pirates clambered aboard the Abdullah, firing warning shots and taking the captain and second officer hostage, Chief Officer Atiq Ullah Khan said in an audio message to the ship's owners."By the grace of Allah no one has been harmed so far…
India to Prosecute 35 Pirates Who Hijacked Ship Off Somalia
India will bring in and prosecute 35 Somali pirates its navy captured on a hijacked ship off Somalia, a navy official said, in a departure from its recent practice of rescuing vessels and crew but leaving the disarmed pirates at sea.The captured pirates are due to arrive in India on Saturday and will be handed over to the law enforcement agencies, the official said. He declined to be identified as…
BIMCO: 13% of World Seaborne Trade Under Attack from Houthis and Somali Pirates
One of the largest of the international shipping associations BIMCO has reported increased threats associated with maritime shipping amid Red Sea risks related to Houthi strikes and rise of piracy activities offshore Somalia.Since November 2023, the threat to shipping has increased as the Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Simultaneously, piracy activity off the East coast of Somalia has risen and since December…
Somali Forces, Foreign Navies Prepare Attack on Hijacked Ship
Somali police and international navies were preparing on Monday to attack a commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates last week, the Puntland region's police force said, two days after Indian commandos rescued another cargo vessel held by pirates.The MV Abdullah was hijacked off the coast of Somalia last week, the latest of more than 20 attacks since November by Somali pirates who had laid dormant for nearly a decade.On Saturday, the Indian navy rescued another cargo vessel, the Maltese-flagg
Indian Navy Seizes Ship from Somali Pirates and Rescues 17 Crew
Indian naval forces including special commandos seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing 17 crew members, a spokesperson for the navy said on Saturday.The navy said in a post on social media platform X that all 35 pirates aboard the ship, the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo vessel Ruen, had surrendered, and the ship had been checked for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition…
Hijacked Ship May Have Been Used in Attack near Somalia
Somali pirates who seized the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo ship Ruen in December may have used the vessel in the takeover of a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia two days ago, the European Union naval force said on Thursday.Somali pirates caused chaos in important global waterways for a decade leading up to 2018, but had been dormant until a resurgence of attacks starting late last year.If confirmed…
Armed Pirates Board Cargo Ship Off Somalia
Twenty armed people have boarded a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia and have taken control of it, a maritime security firm said on Tuesday.The vessel is the latest to be targeted following a resurgence of attacks by Somali pirates in recent months although the maritime security firm, Ambrey, did not specify that it was Somali pirates who boarded the ship.Ambrey said the ship was a Bangladesh-flagged…
FMC Mulls Investigation into Suez and Panama Canal Impacts
The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) held an informal public hearing examining impacts from attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on February 7.Opening the hearing, Commissioner Carl Bentzel, voiced concern about safe access through both the Suez and Panama Canals.“What is at stake is severe international economic disruption. The United States is still recovering from the…
UK Supreme Court Piracy Ruling Gives Guidance on War Risk Provisions in Charterparties
In a well-timed decision given the current situation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the UK Supreme Court recently handed down judgment in Herculito Maritime Ltd v Gunvor International BV [2024] UKSC 2, a decision that arose from seizure of a ship by Somali pirates.Key factsThe vessel MT Polar was chartered to carry a cargo of fuel oil from St Petersburg to Singapore. The most direct route would be…
India Deploys Unprecedented Naval Might Near Red Sea
India has deployed at least a dozen warships east of the Red Sea to provide security against pirates and has investigated more than 250 vessels as Western powers focus on attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, Indian officials said.India has not joined the U.S.-led task force for the Red Sea and does not have any warships there. But it currently has two frontline warships in the Gulf of Aden and at least 10 warships in the northern and western Arabian Sea…
Sri Lankan Trawler Rescued from Somali Pirates
Six crew members of a Sri Lankan fishing trawler hijacked by suspected Somali pirates have been rescued, Sri Lankan officials said on Monday.The hijacking on Sunday was the latest in a series of attacks that have fueled fears of a resurgence of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea waters after years without a successful raid.Pirates who caused chaos in the key waterways from 2008 to 2018 appear to be taking advantage of disorder caused by attacks on shipping by Yemen's Iran-aligned Hout
