piracy News

Africa’s Pirates Have Demands for Insurers – and a Letterhead, Too

Welcome to the Pirate Action Group. Pirate commander Jamal wishes to congratulate you on being hijacked. Kindly speak to his negotiator about your ransom, bearing in mind that his demands are similar for every vessel he seizes. This is not …

EXCLUSIVE – Somali Pirate Kingpins Enjoy ‘Impunity’ Say UN Experts

Somalia’s president has shielded a top pirate leader from arrest by issuing him a diplomatic passport, according to a United Nations investigation which criticizes the “climate of impunity” enjoyed by pirate kingpins in Somalia and abroad. The U.N. Monitoring Group …

Efforts to Tackle Somali Piracy Paying Off Says IMB

Tougher action by international navies and the use of private armed guards on ships have more than halved the number of Somali pirate attacks, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Monday. Last year, Somali piracy in the busy shipping …

Marine Protection Provider GAC Urges ‘Non-lethal’ Measures for Ship Safety

London-based GAC Protective Solutions, a company specializing in providing onboard crew training, pre-voyage preparation and defensive configurations for vessels traveling into high risk areas, has indicated that “non-lethal measures” are the “long-term key to combating sea crime.” GAC’s Group Vice …

SaveOurSeafarers Organization Lauds EU Air Strike on Somali Pirate Bases

SaveOurSeafarers, the organization that supports anti-piracy measures and aids the crews who are taken by pirates, has expressed its approval of the air strikes carried out by the naval forces of the European Union on Tuesday. Alastair Evitt, chairman of …

EU Naval Forces Carry Out First Strikes on Somali Pirate Bases

The European Union’s naval force off the Somali coastline on Tuesday carried out its first air strikes against pirate targets on shore, officials said. Maritime aircraft and attack helicopters took part in the attacks early in the morning on the …

West Africa Pirates Free Gasoline Tanker, But Steal Cargo

West African pirates have freed a gasoline tanker they hijacked last week, after stealing some of the cargo, the ship owner said on Friday, in a fresh example of a growing trend in the region to hold vessels briefly to …

IMB Report Notes Piracy Increasing in W. Africa; Somalia Still Main Threat

The latest global piracy report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) cites 102 “incidents of piracy and armed robbery” for the first quarter of 2012, “with dangerously increasing numbers in West African waters.” According to …

Willis Marine Market Review Forecasts ‘Another Difficult Year’

After an inauspicious start, 2012 could well be “another difficult and uncertain year for the maritime industry faced with the aftermath of the Costa Concordia, further problems in the euro zone, pirate attacks and increased sanctions,” according to Willis Global …

Seafarers’ Org. Lauds EU’s Extension of Somali Anti-piracy Operations

The SOS – SaveOurSeafarers – campaign announced that it “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 …