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Pirates Take Italian Tanker
Reuters reported that pirates seized an Italian tanker carrying a cargo of diesel fuel in the Gulf of Guinea off Cotonou, siting a source from the Italian Foreign Ministery.
Piracy: Attacks Getting Bigger, Bolder
According to data released July 14, 2011, by the International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks off Somalia and in the GoA/Indian Ocean region climbed dramatically in the first six months of this year.
Regs4ships Updates Services to Comply with STCW Changes
With major changes to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) for Seafarers and Code imminent, Regs4ships Limited…
USS Philippine Sea Rescues Crew off Aden
![Photo courtesy U.S. Navy](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-us-navy-5914.jpg)
USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) responded to a distress call issued by the Marshall Islands-owned, Liberian-flagged, motor vessel Brilliante Virtuoso at approximately 3:30 a.m. (local time) July 6. Brilliante Virtuoso, a 144,000-ton very large crude carrier, was approximately 20 nautical miles southwest of Aden, Yemen when they issued the call which stated they believed they were under attack by suspected pirates and required assistance.
Capt. Hae-gyun Awarded Exceptional Bravery After Pirate Attack
The Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has unanimously endorsed the decision of a Panel of Judges that the 2011 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery…
SaveOurSeafarers Campaign Responds to Piracy Threat
![](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/-5827.jpg)
62 seafarers have died in the past four years as a direct result of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, through deliberate murder by pirates, suicide during the period of captivity, death from malnutrition and disease, death by drowning, or heart failure just after the hijacking. This figure has prompted the shipping industry’s SOS SaveOurSeafarers campaign to give even greater emphasis to its worldwide call for government action to tackle the issue.
UPDATE: EU NAVFOR Disrupts Suspected Pirates in Gulf of Aden
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-5819.jpg)
Further analysis of the approach by a suspected pirate skiff to the MV EJNAN in the Gulf of Aden on 19 Jun indicates that the initial assessment that a pirate attack was underway was incorrect and that the VHF call made by the ship was not a distress call. EU NAVFOR regrets any misinterpretation of the situation and thanks the Master of the MV EJNAN for reporting the location of the skiff which resulted in the suspect pirates being apprehended and their piracy paraphernalia being removed.
Somali Pirates Rescue Crew as Ship Burns
According to a report from Voice of America, Somali pirates said they have evacuated 19 crew members from the hijacked ship, Panama-flagged cargo carrier MV Orna, that caught fire on June 15.
EU NAVFOR Warship Sinks Pirate Skiffs
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-5796.jpg)
On the morning of 10 June, the EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Niedersachsen detected a suspected Pirate Action Group (PAG) whilst conducting a routine patrol in the Southern Somali Basin. The PAG, which is suspected of carrying out a number of attacks on merchant vessels in the area, consisted of a fishing dhow and 2 attack skiffs. Small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG)s were also seen on board.
Vessel Owner Statement: Release of MT Zirku
Cairo-Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Company (AMPTC) announced that the vessel M/T Zirku and its 29 officers and crew held by Somali pirates since March 28 2011…
Kuwait Denies Ownership of Hijacked Tanker
According to a report from Reuters, Kuwait Oil Tanker Company, a subsidiary of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), said in published remarks on Sunday…
MV Yuan Xiang Released by Pirates
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-5779.jpg)
Earlier this week, EU NAVFOR confirmed that on 8 May the MV Yuan Xiang had been released from pirate captivity after being held for 207 days. She was pirated on 13 November 2010 approximately 650 nautical miles East of Salalah (Oman). The vessel has a crew of 29 Chinese and is heading to a safe port. No further information on the crew is available at present.
PIRACY: Dockwise Appeals to Dutch Government for Help
Dockwise urges the Netherlands government to allow for better protection on its vessels to counteract piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. As the ability…
Naval Coalitions Rely on TracPhone V7 for Counter-Piracy
Commercial ships are the most cost effective and fastest means of transporting goods globally but pirate activity is a significant threat that costs the world economy…
MV Khaled Muhieddine Released by Pirates
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-5696.jpg)
On the morning of 26 May, the MV Khaled Muhieddine, which was pirated on 20 January 2011, was released from pirate control after 126 days. The crew of 22 Syrians and 3 Egyptians are all well.
Piracy in the Indian Ocean
Somali based pirates continue to cause serious challenges to merchant vessels transiting the Indian Ocean. At the time of writing, EU NAVFOR statistics indicate…
French Warship Disrupts Pirate Attack Group
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-5478.jpg)
During the afternoon of the 13 May, the EU NAVFOR French warship FS Nivôse disrupted a Dhow that was suspected of being used as a Pirate Action Group (PAG) mothership since it was pirated over a year ago. The Dhow, which is suspected of having carried out several recent attacks in the Arabian Sea and which still has her original crew on board as hostages, was spotted by an EU NAVFOR German Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) earlier the same day.
AKE Supports Unarmed Solution to Piracy
On the day a South Korean ship was attacked by pirates, the “Security Threats to Korean Business Operating Overseas” conference, run by Assist Card Korea, heard…
EU NAVFOR Assists Italian Ship After Pirate Attack
On the 5 May, the EU NAVFOR warship ITS Espero assisted the Italian Merchant Vessel ITAL Glamour after it was attacked by pirates on the previous day. The attack…
Shipping Companies Urge Governments to Tackle Piracy
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, ship owners are stepping up pressure on governments world-wide to take a stronger role in policing the waters off Somalia and prosecuting hijackers…