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Somali Pirates Hijack Iranian Fishing Vessel
Somali pirates hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel on Tuesday to use as a base to attack bigger, more valuable ships, the mayor of a Somali town said, part of an…
CrowdStrike: Countering Maritime’s ‘Invisible Pirates’
![© donvictori0 / Adobe Stock](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/donvictori0-adobe-stock-74049.jpeg)
“Maritime has been described as ‘the next playground for hackers,’” said John Titmus, Director, EMEA - Cybersecurity Strategy Advisor at cyber security specialist CrowdStrike. “It’s an industry revolving around high value assets, moving valuable cargoes, that is transitioning to an increased reliance on digital systems. CrowdStrike, alongside the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), will appear at Nor…
Yemen War Adds to Shipping Fears in Horn of Africa
![Photo: EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-eu-navfor-73593.jpg)
Yemen's worsening conflict is contributing to a spike in piracy in the region, with Somali pirates taking advantage of a reduced international naval presence and more readily available weaponry to carry out attacks. "The regional instability caused by Yemen is important," Colonel Richard Cantrill, chief of staff with the European Union's counter piracy mission EU NAVFOR, told Reuters last week. Fighting…
China Transfers Three Pirates to Somali Authorities
![OS35 (Photo: EU NAVFOR)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/os35-photo-eu-navfor-73493.jpg)
A Chinese navy ship handed over three suspected pirates to Somali authorities on Friday, police said, underscoring the determination of international naval forces to stamp out a resurgence of piracy this year. The pirates were involved in the attempted hijacking in April of the OS35, a Tuvalu-flagged cargo ship that was rescued by the Chinese navy after the crew sent a distress call. "A Chinese navy ship handed over three pirates to Puntland today…
Maritime Piracy on the Rise -Report
![In March fuel tanker Aris 13 was attacked by armed pirates off the coast of Somalia (Photo: EU NAVFOR)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/in-march-fuel-tanker-aris-73427.jpg)
Pirates and armed robbers attacked 43 ships and captured 58 seafarers in the first quarter of 2017, slightly more than the same period last year, according to the latest ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy report. The global report highlights persisting violence in piracy hotspots off Nigeria and around the Southern Philippines – where two crew members were killed in February. Indonesia also reported frequent incidents, mostly low-level thefts from anchored vessels.
Armed Piracy in West African Waters Rise
Bulk of attacks occurred off Nigeria. Armed attacks on ships in West African waters nearly doubled in 2016, with pirates increasingly focused on kidnapping their crew for ransom off Nigeria's coast…
Life Sentence for USS Ashland Attacker
![Suspected pirates skiff burns after being burnt near the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland in 2010. (U.S. Navy photo/ Harry J. Storms)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/suspected-pirates-skiff-burns-after-73163.jpg)
A 31-year-old Somali man was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday for engaging in piracy and other offenses in connection with an attack on a U.S. Navy ship seven years ago, the U.S. Justice Department said. Mohamed Farah, 31, of Somalia was sentenced on Wednesday to life in prison for his role in the attack, the Justice Department said in a statement. Another five Somalis have already been tried and convicted for their roles in the attack and are serving prison terms…
Armed Pirates Thwarted off Somalia
![Boarding team on board MV Costina (Photo: EU NAVFOR)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/boarding-team-on-board-mv-73100.jpg)
A European Union counter-piracy patrol helped thwart a piracy attack close to Somalia’s east coast on April 22. Late on Saturday evening, EU NAVFOR’s Spanish flagship, ESPS Galicia, received a SOS distress call from the master of Sierra Leone flagged merchant tanker vessel MT Costina to say that his vessel was being attacked by a number of armed pirates in a fast-moving skiff. ESPS Galicia, which was 14 nautical miles away…
US Sees Piracy Increase off Somalia Tied to Famine
![Cargo ship MV OS-35 was recently attacked by suspected armed pirates in the Gulf of Aden (Photo: EUNAVFOR)](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/cargo-ship-mv-os35-was-73039.jpg)
The United States is closely watching a recent increase in piracy off the coast of Somalia, a senior U.S. military official said on Sunday as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited an important military base in Djibouti. The rise in piracy attacks has at least partially been driven by famine and drought in the region, the top U.S. military commander overseeing troops in Africa said during Mattis' visit as part of a week-long trip to the Middle East and Africa.
Somali Forces Clash With Pirates, Free Indian Ship Crew
Somali security forces clashed with pirates early on Wednesday and freed nine seamen kidnapped on an Indian cargo ship this month, officials said. The pirates seized…
Somali Security Captures 10 Pirates
Somali forces who have surrounded pirates holding hostages taken from an Indian ship secured the surrender of 10 members of the band on Tuesday and enlisted the…
Indian Navy Fought Off Pirate Attack in Gulf of Aden
A distress call was received from a Foreign Merchant Vessel MV OS 35 (Tuvalu registered vessel), which was attacked and boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Aden late night on 08 April 2017.
Somali Pirates Flee Hijacked Dhow, Taking Crew
Somali security forces rescued a hijacked Indian cargo dhow on Monday, but pirates took the 11-member crew with them when they fled to land, authorities said. The…
India, China Navies Thwart Somali Pirate Attack
A Chinese navy ship supported by an Indian navy helicopter thwarted an attack by suspected Somali pirates on a Tuvalu-flagged merchant ship, India's defence ministry said on Sunday.
Hijacking Suspected By Somali Pirates
Somali pirates are suspected of hijacking a bulk carrier ship on one of the world's crucial trade routes, Reuters reported. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations…
Seized Indian Vessel Moved to Undisclosed Location
Pirates who hijacked an Indian cargo dhow with 11 crew on board have moved the vessel to an undisclosed location within Galmudug waters off the Somali coast until their ransom demands are met…
Seized Indian Dhow in Vicinity of Hobyo, Somalia
An Indian registered cargo dhow that was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates on April 1 is now in the vicinity of Hobyo, a major meeting point of pirates when they were most active in 2011…
Somali Pirates Hijack Indian Commercial Vessel
Pirates have hijacked an Indian commercial ship off the coast of Somalia, the second attack in weeks after years of inactivity, industry and security sources said on Monday.
Aerial Drone Scans for Pirates off Somalia
![Photo: EU NAVFOR](https://images.marinelink.com/images/maritime/w200h200c/photo-eu-navfor-72296.jpg)
A team of antipiracy personnel currently on patrol off Somalia has deployed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to help scan for potential pirate activity in the region. As part of the counter-piracy military operation EU NAVFOR Somalia, also known as Operation Atalanta, the UAV crew from Spain’s 11th Squadron has been conducting air surveillance and reconnaissance patrols off the Somali coast using its ScanEagle drone from the deck of Spanish Navy ship ESPS Galicia.
Pirates Seize Somali Vessel to Use as Floating Base
Pirates have seized control of a Somali fishing boat to use as a base from which to attack larger ships, police said on Friday, a week after Somali pirates hijacked…