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Golden Blessing Hijacked in the Gulf of Aden
In the early hours of 28 June, pirates took control of the MV Golden Blessing approximately 90 nautical miles off the northern Somali coast. On notification from…
ReCAAP Reports on Piracy in South China Sea
The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued a special report addressing piracy in the South China Sea. Between January and June 2010, there have been eleven reported…
Drydocks World Repairs Pirate-Attack Damage
![Bridge window cracked / shattered and bullethole damage (photo courtesy Helix Media)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/bridge-window-cracked-shattered-and-3788.jpg)
Drydocks World has completed a major repair job for a German ship owner on a container vessel extensively damaged by Somali pirates earlier this year. The work, on the 12,600mt dwt 925 teu ship Taipan, was carried out in less than five weeks between 12 April and 15 May. It involved the repair of almost 300 bullet holes and cabling in 80 spots along the 460-ft length by process of fairing and building up, then grinding flush from both sides.
First European Jail Sentences for Somali Pirates
It has been reported that the five Somali pirates recently tried by the Rotterdam courts for the failed hijack of the Sananyolu, have been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
Preview of Int’l Convention on STCW for Seafarers
Major revisions to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 (the STCW Convention), and its associated Code…
UK Flagged MV Asian Glory Released by Pirates
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-3766.jpg)
On 11 June 2010, a ransom drop was made to the pirate group holding the merchant vessel MV Asian Glory at anchor in the vicinity of Garacad on the eastern coast of Somalia. The UK flagged MV Asian Glory, with deadweight of 13.363 metric tonnes, was hijacked late in the afternoon on the 1 January 2010 approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles and 600 miles east of the Somali coast. The ship has a crew of 25 persons (8 Bulgarian, 10 Ukraines, 5 Indians, 2 Romanian).
MV Rim Crew Battles Pirates
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-3737.jpg)
On June 2, at 10:10 local time, the hijacked Libyan owned merchant vessel Rim reported that the crew had successfully retaken control of the ship. One of the crew members was seriously injured during the incident. The incident took place south east of Garacad, off Somalia’s northern coastline. The closest EU NAVFOR warship, the SPS Victoria, was immediately tasked by the Force Commander Jan Thörnqvist, to meet up with MV Rim in order give medical assistance.
Pirates Disrupted by EU NAVFOR, Seychelles
On Saturday evening, 29 of May, the Seychelles Coast Guard disrupted a Pirate Action Group, including a mother ship with nine suspected pirates on board and two fast attack skiffs…
EU NAVFOR Warship Blocks Pirate Camp
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-3706.jpg)
EU NAVFOR HNLMS Johan de Witt has effectively blocked known pirate camp on the Somali coast from access to the open sea. As an amphibious ship, HNLMS Johan de Witt is able, from a dock within the ship, to launch a number of smaller vessels, LCVPs (Landing craft for vehicle and personnel transport), that can provide a blockading role on selected known pirate areas of the Somali coast. Under orders from the Swedish EU NAVFOR Force Headquarters Ship Carlskrona…
FS Nivôse Saves Nordneptun from Pirates
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-3705.jpg)
A helicopter from the EU NAVFOR warship FS Nivôse was launched against a pirate skiff leading to the disruption of a pirate attack against the merchant vessel Nordneptun off Zanzibar, Tanzania on the morning of 25 May. EU NAVFOR continues to successfully patrol, intercept and disrupt pirate attacks throughout the EU NAVFOR area of operations. The French EU NAVFOR warship Nivôse responded immediately to a distress signal from Nordneptune…
Warship FS Nivôse Fire Fight with Pirates
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-3693.jpg)
EU NAVFOR warship FS Nivôse returned fire after being shot at, outside of Mogadishu harbor May 20. The assault immediately stopped and none of the two merchant vessels, which were tasked to escort her, were hit. Early Thursday morning, May 20, EU NAVFOR warship FS Nivôse was approaching Mogadishu, to start an escort of MS Alpha Kirawira and Petra 1, which had just unloaded supply for AMISOM, the African Union forces in Somalia.
Somali Piracy: INTERTANKO Calls for More Aggressive Approach
Given the global strategic importance of keeping the international shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean open, INTERTANKO calls on governments…
Sarkozy Presents Legion d’Honneur to Le Ponant Captain
Patrick Marchesseau Captain of Le Ponant, a cruise ship belonging to Compagnie du Ponant, a subsidiary of the CMA CGM French Group, has received from the President of the Republic of France…
This Day in Naval History – May 20
1815 - Commodore Stephen Decatur ( Frigate Guerriere) sails with 10 ships to suppress Mediterranean pirates' raids on U.S. 1943 - Establishment of Tenth Fleet in Washington…
Piracy in Somali Basin Surges
According to a May 14 report from the Xinhua News Agency, The European Union (EU) naval force protecting shipping off Somalia said that the number of pirate ships…
Middle-Man Negotiates Pirate Ransoms
According to a May 13 report from the Associated Press, a Somali “pirate middle-man” said he's made hundreds of thousands of dollars brokering deals to free ships…
Pirates Hijack MV Eleni P
The Liberien flagged, Greek owned, Eleni P was reported to have been hijacked 250 nautical miles off the coast of Oman on the morning of 12 May. The bulk carrier of 72…
Bulgarian Chemical Tanker Hijacked
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-3660.jpg)
On the afternoon of May 11, a Bulgaria flagged ship, M/V Pangea, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden approximately 100 nautical miles east of Aden (Yemen). The ship was on route from the Red Sea to India when she was attacked by pirates. MV Pangea with a dead weight of 5,848 tonnes, has a crew of 15 all Bulgarian. EU NAVFOR will continue to monitor the situation.
Crew of Spratly Islands Hijacked Tug Alive
The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued an Incident Update stating that the crew of the tug boat Atlantic 3 have been found alive. Contact was lost with the…
Warship Johan de Witt Disrupts Pirates
![Photo courtesy EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-courtesy-eu-navfor-3649.jpg)
The morning May 7, the EU NAVFOR Swedish Maritime Patrol Aircraft detected another Pirate Action Group (PAG), in the middle of Somali Basin. EU NAVFOR Netherlands warship Johan de Witt, only 30 Nautical Miles from the position, was sent to intercept the suspected pirates by the Force Commander Jan Thörnqvist onboard the Flag ship HSwMS Carlskrona. In mid-afternoon, HNLMS Johan de Witt found the PAG, consisting of one Whaler and two skiffs with a total of 11suspected pirates.