Following the recent scare on Fred Olsen's Balmoral, it appears that Cruise Ships have now yet more to fear from the Rag-Tag Pirates of Somalia that prowl the waters in the Gulf of Aden and beyond, picking off their prey with apparent ease.
In shocking fashion the ransom-hunting Pirates seem to be winning the battle of the east African coast. Equipped with merely skiffs, guns and grapnels in the past few days they staggeringly seized no less than 5 ships in a micro period of just 48 hours. The most recent of which occurred on Monday with a British cargo ship and a Taiwanese fishing vessel.
The statistics say it all with more than 130 attacks, including close to 50 successful hijackings, being reported in 2008. Such events has threatened the security of one of the worlds vital shipping lanes, subsequently spurring the international community into joint naval action, yet by all accounts of recent seizures, the Pirates render such forces as ineffective. The skillful Somali pirates have now seized ships from majors powers such as France, Britain, Germany, Taiwan and nearby Yemen, once again defying the world's naval powers by reaching further out in the Indian Ocean to target their victims.
So here we are in the 21st Century in the Nuclear age with advanced war-fare and technology; it seems astonishing to me that at least 17 ships and more than 250 hostages are still currently in Pirate hands.
The Italian-operated British-owned ship and Taiwanese vessel were captured near the Tourism rich Islands of the Seychelles. The Seychelles government said it received a distress call saying a Taiwanese fishing vessel, the MV Winfar 161, and its 29 crew was hijacked in its exclusive economic zone, north of Denis island. It was reported that the Transport Minister Joel Morgan commented that military forces had been deployed to intercept the pirates, amid reports that three more Taiwanese ships were trying to escape capture.
Meanwhile at the information centre of the European Union's anti-piracy naval mission Atalanta confirmed Monday's second hijacking. It was Ecoterra International, an environment group that monitor illegal marine activities in the region, reported that a small French yacht was captured on Saturday about 640km off Ras Hafun in northeast Somalia and was heading towards Somali Puntland. The French foreign ministry commented it was checking the report but Ecoterra said brief satellite phone contact was made with the vessel on Sunday.
It appears thah the Pirates are becoming creative, as local marine observers stated the attack was reportedly launched from a captured Yemeni fishing vessel in the Indian Ocean, Ecoterra said.
The tactics are simple, they operate from skiffs towed by pirate "mother ships", which are often former hijacked fishing vessels. Last year, their haul included a Ukrainian cargo loaded with combat tanks and a Saudi supertanker. Once the ship is captured, they take care of the Crew considering them as valuable to the negotiations and final ransom payment.
Last Sunday, a Kenya-based maritime official confirmed Pirates had also seized a German container vessel. The ship was taken on Saturday about 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles. Ecoterra also reported an Indian cargo ship, the Shehenshah-e-Medina, and its 18 crew were recently released by Somali pirates after being held for close to a week.
Some Pirate groups have moved the Goal Posts for the international community, by venturing far into the Indian Ocean, southeast of Somalia, to target ships further out at sea, away from heavily patrolled shipping corridors.
Just prior to posting this report, we learned that Somali Pirates have attacked yet another vessel. This time the Maersk Alabama is the victim, which was commissioned to transport humanitarium food aid when it was seized off the east coact of Somalia. It appears events were quite dramatic and after a 12 hour long struggle, the crew managed to overpower the Pirates, according to U.S. officials. Unfortunately the vessels captain was captured and still remains to be a hostage. This latest event is the first Pirate attack in more than 200 years against a U.S.-flagged vessel.
Attacks are almost becoming a daily event now and we fear its only a matter of time before a Cruise ship becomes a casualty. Susequently, we urge all Cruise Lines to reconsider itineraries that require navigation in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding area.
Off Radar will bring more detailed reports on the Somali Pirate situation in future issues, including how to fend off the Pirates when a LIVE assault occurs.
Meanwhile, please sail with caution.
Grant Holmes
Publisher, Off Radar
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