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Pirates Loot Thai Tankship Cargo: Crew Safe
A Thai oil tanker reported missing two days ago has been recovered with all of its crew members safe but pirates who hijacked the tanker took its cargo and damaged communications gear…
Thai Tankship Believed Hijacked: IMB
A Thai diesel oil tanker with 14 crew members en route from Singapore to Indonesia is believed to have been hijacked, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Saturday…
Liberia Wraps up Kerala Hijacking Investigation
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/-27982.png)
The Liberian Registry has concluded its investigation into the pirate-hijacking of the product tanker Kerala off Luanda, Angola, on January 18, 2014. The Liberian investigation is based on evidence gathered by an INTERPOL-led multinational Incident Response Team as well as findings of its own investigative efforts. The Liberian Administration is currently in the process of publishing its report into the hijacking of the Liberian-flagged vessel.
Dangerous Business: Ecuadorian Fishing Fleet to Fit Tracker System
Leader in satellite messaging and emergency notification technologies, Globalstar, says that its Value Added Reseller, VehSmart, of Victorville, California, has…
Cost Of Somali Piracy Slumps As Attacks Fall
The cost of Somali piracy to the global economy fell by almost half last year as attacks slumped, but piracy in West Africa was on the rise, an annual security report said on Wednesday.
Cost of Somali Piracy Slumps as Attacks Fall
![MV Royal Grace following its release from Somali Pirates in March 2013. (Photo: EU Naval Force)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/mv-royal-grace-following-its-26874.jpg)
The cost of Somali piracy to the global economy fell by almost half last year as attacks slumped, but piracy in West Africa was on the rise, an annual security report said on Wednesday. The Oceans beyond Piracy report put the total cost of Somali piracy - by far the largest single threat to international shipping in recent years - at only $3.2 billion in 2013. There were still at least 50 hostages in Somali captivity in desperate conditions…
Pirates Flee Captured Dhow under EU NAVFOR Pressure
![Photo courtesy of EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-of-eu-navfor-26334.jpg)
On Saturday, April 26 the master of a dhow spoke of his relief after six armed pirates, who had taken his vessel and crew hostage, fled the scene after sightings of an EU Naval Force Spanish maritime patrol and reconnaissance (MPRA) aircraft. The master confirmed his ordeal to members of the Boarding Team from the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg, after the German warship had closed the sea area to investigate the dhow.
Australian Navy Seizes $268mln in Heroin
An Australian warship patrolling the Indian Ocean has seized more than a tonne of heroin worth A$289 million ($268 million) from a dhow in Kenyan waters, Australia's Defense Department said on Friday.
IMB: Piracy Falls to Lowest Level since 2007
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/-26134.jpg)
The International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed that piracy on the world’s seas is at its lowest first-quarter level since 2007, but warns that the threat is still present. The latest IMB Piracy Report, published today, shows 49 piracy incidents in the first quarter of 2014 – the lowest first quarter figure since 2007, when 41 incidents were recorded. In the first three months…
Global Shipping Exposed to Cyber Threats
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/-26111.jpg)
The next hacker playground: the open seas - and the oil tankers and container vessels that ship 90 percent of the goods moved around the planet. In this internet age, as more devices are hooked up online, so they become more vulnerable to attack. As industries like maritime and energy connect ships, containers and rigs to computer networks, they expose weaknesses that hackers can exploit. Hackers recently shut down a floating oil rig by tilting it…
Pirates Raid Tanker off Malaysia, 3 Mariners Taken
Armed pirates raided an oil tanker off the coast of Malaysia and took three crew members with them, Malaysian maritime officials said on Wednesday, underscoring…
Pirates Approach Tanker in Bab El Mandeb
The U.S. Navy Maritime Liaison Office in Bahrain (MARLO) has advised that on or about 12:30 UTC on 14 April, the Master of an oil tanker reported being approached…
Somali Pirate Sentenced to 12 Years by German Court
A German court sentenced a Somali asylum-seeker to 12 years in jail on Thursday, for his involvement in the pirate hijacking of a tanker in the Indian Ocean in 2010.
"Shock" incidents blight falling piracy rate
A UK maritime intelligence provider Dryad Maritime released its Q1 maritime crime figures which show an overall downturn in incidents across the Horn of Africa,…
Ashton Hosts Maritime Security Event
Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, hosted a meeting on Tuesday in Brussels…
Oil Tanker Fired Upon in Strait of Hormuz
IMB says unidentified assailants in a speedboat fired at a crude oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The crew of the unidentified oil tanker reported being…
Nonlethal Equipment Prevents Robbery at Sea
![The P-Trap installation releases lines in the water on both sides of the fishing vessel. Propellers of hostile vessels tangle in the lines, engines stall as a result of this and the intruder remains at a safe distance, meaning that pirates cannot climb aboard.](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/the-ptrap-installation-releases-lines-24923.jpg)
Westmark BV has recently performed a test in which passive nonlethal equipment served in a multilayered strategy to protect fishing crews from the threat of robbery at sea. Until now fishing vessels operating in high risk areas have been virtually unprotected. Due to low freeboard, low speed, these vessels are a vulnerable target for heavily armed criminals. Employing armed guards is not an option for these fishing boats.
Security at Sea on Agenda at Upcoming SMM Hamburg
![Image courtesy of SMM](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/image-courtesy-of-smm-24775.jpg)
At the forthcoming SMM maritime trade fair in Hamburg in September 2014 experts will present new security concepts for sea routes. Security at sea is improving: In recent months, pirate attacks on commercial ships have been repelled successfully with increasing frequency. One of the reasons is the EU-led Operation Atalanta providing military protection in the Gulf of Aden. Since 1, February 2009 commercial ships have been able to use a Transit Corridor established there.
Australian Warship Returns from Billion-Dollar Drug Interdiction
![Arrival HMAS Melbourne: Photo credit RAN](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/arrival-hmas-melbourne-photo-credit-24441.jpg)
Families, friends and well-wishers joined Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert and Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs AO, CSC, RAN at Garden Island, Sydney to welcome home HMAS Melbourne from a successful Middle East mission. Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert congratulated the 232-strong ship’s company of HMAS Melbourne on her successful deployment, which saw her intercept more than $1 billion in illegal drugs.
IMB Warns of West Africa Piracy Threat
![Parate arrest: Photo credit EUNAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/parate-arrest-photo-credit-eunavfor-24220.jpg)
The ICC International Maritime Bureau is asking ships to be extra vigilant when transiting West Africa as piracy in the region becomes a growing concern. Since the beginning of the year, one vessel, MT Kerala, has been hijacked and six were boarded in West Africa. There was also one attempted attack. The hijacking of the Liberian-flag product tanker in January by Nigerian pirates has sparked fears these gangs are venturing further south.