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'Aero-Citadel', Anti-piracy, Pro-energy, Ship Superstructure
The Aero-Citadel is a superstructure with a slim streamlined shape which combines ship's accommodation, engine room , and funnel casing. Wind pressure during navigation will be reduced by 25-30% (ahown by wind tunnel testing). In a Cape size bulk carrier, the modular superstructure will enable a decrease of about 2% in fuel consumption (at normal output, about 9m/sec. in a Beaufort force 5 head wind).
Tankship Seized by Pirates on W. Africa Coast Pillaged, Released
Pirates have freed a gasoline tanker they hijacked, after stealing some of the cargo, the shipowner reports, in a fresh example of a growing trend in the region to hold vessels briefly to offload valuable oil products. The fully-laden BW Maritime owned 75,687 dwt product tanker BW Rhine was forcibly removed from a safe anchorage position off Lome, Togo on 28, April 2012. On 4, May, owners reported BW Rhine hasf been released off Nigeria by its captors. All 24 crew members were reported safe.
Italian Ship to Depart after 3-Month India Detention
Agreeing that Italian ship Enrica Lexie is not the “object of crime”, the Supreme Court has allowed the detained vessel to leave Indian waters and continue with…
U.S. Seeks Death Penalty for Three Somali Yacht Hijackers
Federal prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against three Somalis charged with murder in the fatal shooting of four Americans aboard a hijacked yacht last year.
Piracy in West African Waters on the Increase
One hundred and two incidents of piracy and armed robbery have been reported for the first quarter of 2012, with dangerously increasing numbers in West African waters…
Anti-Piracy and the Use of Force
The recent incident involving the MV Enrica Lexie off the coast of India highlights the increasing carriage on merchant vessels of armed security guards (whether military personnel or private contractors) to ward off attacks by pirates and robbers. I will not speculate as to what may have occurred on board the tanker or on the fishing vessel where two individuals unfortunately lost their lives. Suffice it to say that this is a tragic incident for all involved.
Pirates Beware – US Navy to Test Robotic Drones
Navy unmanned aircraft will be able to distinguish small pirate boats from other vessels when an Office of Naval Research (ONR)-funded sensor starts airborne tests this summer, officials said. Called the Multi-Mode Sensor Seeker (MMSS), the sensor is a mix of high-definition cameras, mid-wave infrared sensors and laser-radar (LADAR) technology. It will be placed on a robotic helicopter called Fire Scout.
Piracy – Another Pirate Attack Group Snaffled
The French Navy frigate Acconit was heading towards a position in the north of the Horn of Africa to join with Spanish frigate Infanta Elena, to take over the escort of a World Food Programme ship, then FS Aconit spotted a whaler towing a skiff. The long way off-shore location, nearly 600 km, and the absence of fishing activity raised the suspicion of Aconit's command and the order was given to intercept the whaler.
Iran Warship Wrests Chinese Ship from Pirate Control
All 28 Chinese crew members aboard a China-linked cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates have been rescued, the Chinese embassy in Tehran said. The cargo ship, Xianghuamen…
Piracy – Two More Warships Join Task Force
The counter-piracy taks force sent by the European Uniion to patrol the waters off the Horn of Africa, has been joined by two additional warships. The Dutch multi-purpose frigate HNLMS Van Amstel has arrived in the area, as well as the Spanish frigate ESPS Reina Sofia. Both ships have helicopters embarked that are capable of searching large areas of sea to look for suspect pirates. These warships…
Somali Pirate Hijackings Increase to 15-Month High: AKE
Somali pirates hijacked 10 ships in March, the most since December, 2010, and may attack larger merchant vessels this month, AKE Intelligence said, Bloomberg reported.
Piracy – Hijacked Ship Freed by Iranian Commandos
Military sources informed the report that Iranian commandos stormed the Iranian-owned, Bolivian reglistered bulk carrier Eglantine, which is steaming towards the Omani port of Salalah…
EU NAFVOR Disrupts Pirate Action Group
EU NAFVOR warship FGS BERLIN has successfully engineered the release of an Indian flagged dhow and crew, disrupting a pirate action group and destroying two attack skiffs. EUNAVFOR Warship FGS BERLIN received a distress call from a merchant vessel, reporting that they had successfully repelled a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden. The BERLIN dispatched one of its helicopters to the position and quickly located a skiff and an Indian-flagged and crewed dhow.
Piracy Off the Horn of Africa
Remarks by Andrew J. Shapiro, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, given to the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC (March 27, 2012).
Ship Bonded to Leave Port After Marines Accidentally Shot Fishermen
Nearly six weeks after marines on board the Enrica Lexie allegedly killed two fishermen, mistaking them for pirates, the Kerala High Court has cleared the decks…
Piracy – Pirates Scuttle Own Boat, Sent Home 400 Miles Empty Handed
EU Counter Piracy Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) have tracked down and stopped a group of suspected pirates who were believed to have tried to attack a Hong-Kong flagged tanker approximately 400 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. EU Naval Force warship FS Aconit was called to investigate after the tanker came under attack on 26 March 2012. Aconit was directed onto the fleeing pirates by a Luxembourgish Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA).
Piracy – Warship Frees Captives off Somalia Coast
The EU Naval Force Flagship ESPS Patino located a Yemeni registered dhow that was suspected of being involved in acts of piracy off the Somali coast. The previous day a merchant vessel had reported that it had evaded an attack by two skiffs. As she was close by, ESPS Patino was tasked to investigate the scene, and when her helicopter arrived, it located a capsized skiff, with suspected pirates embarking onto the Yemini dhow.
SOS Welcomes Robust EU Action on Somali Coast
The SOS SaveOurSeafarers campaign welcomes the extension of the EU counter- piracy operation until end 2014, and the EU decision to broaden the scope of its naval operation in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean by extending the naval forces’ area of operations to include Somali coastal territory which allows it to take more robust action on the Somali coast. This is a bold step towards the goal that…
Piracy – EU Naval Force Extends Mission, Sends Ships
The decision to extend the mission will enable Operation Atalanta Forces to work directly with the Transitional Federal Government and other Somali entities to support their fight against piracy in the coastal areas. In accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the Somali government has notified the UN Secretary General of its acceptance of the EU’s offer for this new collaboration.
Piracy – Security Guards Access Weaponry from 'Floating Armories'
Private security firms are storing their guns aboard floating armouries in international waters so ships that want armed guards for passage through pirate-infested…
