Somali pirates release Greek oil tanker with 26 crew

English: Map showing the extent of Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels between 2005 and 2010. Français : Carte montrant l'étendue des attaques de pirates somaliens sur des navires de transport entre 2005 et 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NAIROBI, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Somali pirates have freed Greek oil tanker with 26 crew members onboard after ten months of captivity, the vessel's owners confirmed on Tuesday.

Dynacom Tankers Management said in a statement that the vessel, MT. Smyrni which was hijacked in Arabian Sea in May 2012 off 56 the Gulf Arab state of Oman was released on Monday.

"We are very pleased to report that the MT Smyrni has been released after ten months in the captivity of Somali pirates. All of the crew are safe and well and the vessel is proceeding to a port of refuge," the company said in a statement to Xinhua on Tuesday.

The Liberian-based flagged Smyrni, operated by a Greek company, was carrying 135,000 tonnes of oil and said to have been taken to Somalia.

The vessel has a crew of 26 of mixed nationalities who were all taken hostage in the attack and sources said there was no security guards aboard the tanker when it was attacked by pirates.

The seizure of Smyrni took place on its second voyage and marked the first successful hijacking of an oil tanker off the Omani coast since February 2011.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the crew, their families, our employees and those agencies that have provided support through this long ordeal. We do not expect to make any further statements on this matter," Dynacom Tankers Management said.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden reduced drastically in 2012 as only 75 incidents including 14 hijackings were attributed to Somali pirates who continue to threaten an extended geographical region, according to a global maritime watchdog.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said in a global piracy report that only five attacks were reported in the last quarter of 2012, adding that the number of Somali hijackings was halved from 28 in 2011 to 14 last year.

The maritime watchdog said the drop is likely due to the increased active military action on suspected skiffs, military land based anti-piracy operations, preventive measures and increased use of armed guards on board ships as well as the monsoon season.

According to the report, only two crew have been killed, 250 taken hostage and one injured. The East and South Coast of Somalia including the Arabian Sea recorded 49 attacks including nine attacks in the Gulf of Oman region, with 13 attacks having been reported in the Gulf of Aden and the Southern Red Sea.

Most of the attacks involve the use of weapons which is a cause of great concern to the merchant navy fleet as it poses a serious threat not only to injury and death of seafarers but also to the ship, cargo and environment.

from XINHUA
Editor: Hou Qiang
2013-03-12 17:31:44

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Somalia: Puntland Frees 22 Pirate Hostages, Arrests 8 Soldiers for Hijacking

Galkayo — Puntland government forces rescued 22 hostages after a two week standoff with Somali pirates holding the MV Iceberg 1 off of the coast of Puntland's Mudug region, Garowe Online reports.

According to a Puntland government press release, the MV Iceberg 1 vessel and its 22 hostages were released safely on Sunday.

The press release stated that the Puntland forces conducted an operation but did not elaborate on how the operation occurred.

On Dec. 10, Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) attacked pirates holding the MV Iceberg after receiving information that the hostages and pirates were in the same vicinity.

"For a long time, the pirates kept the hostages apart at different locations, but information received by Puntland security agencies indicated that the crewpersons have been returned to the MV Iceberg 1," read a Puntland press release during the standoff, on Dec. 15.

After a failed attempt to rescue the hostages a blockade of the vessel ensued. The PMPF killed three pirates and captured 3 others trying to bring arms and ammunition to the pirates in Gaar'ad village days later.

The hostages who been held for close to 3 years finally regained their freedom on Sunday, after many reports of physical abuse at the hands of pirates.

"After 2 years and 9 months in captivity, the hostages have suffered signs of physical torture and illness. The hostages are now receiving nutrition and medical care," according to the Puntland press release.

8 Puntland soldiers to face military tribunal

In a separate case, a group of soldiers guarding a North Korean registered vessel MV Daesan found dumping spoiled cement near from Bossaso on Nov. 17 was briefly hijacked by the soldiers guarding the ship at the Port of Bossaso.

The 8 soldiers are currently being held in jail and will appear before military tribunal, according to the Puntland government press statement.

Puntland government administers northeastern regions of Somalia since the state government was established in 1998.


from allAfrica/Garowe Online
23 December 2012

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Somali Pirates Release S. Korean Sailors

English: Map showing the extent of Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels between 2005 and 2010. Français : Carte montrant l'étendue des attaques de pirates somaliens sur des navires de transport entre 2005 et 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

South Korean officials say Somali pirates have released four commercial seamen they had held for 19 months, after the payment of a ransom.

A South Korean foreign ministry official said Saturday the ministry had assisted in ransom talks between the ship's owner and the pirates, but declined to say how much had been paid for their release.  The men are now on board a South Korean navy ship.

The sailors were among the crew of the tanker MT Gemini, who were captured on April 30, 2011, while traveling from Kenya to Malaysia. 

Seven months later, the pirates freed the vessel, but broke an agreement to release all of the crew, keeping the four Koreans captive, while releasing the 21 non-Korean sailors.

The pirates released most of the crew after the tanker's Singaporean owners paid a ransom reportedly totaling $6 million.

The waters off Somalia are notorious for pirate attacks, but the presence of an international navy task force has seen such incidents fall sharply this year.

from VOA News
December 01, 2012

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Somali pirates free Seychelles fishermen after year's captivity

English: Map showing the extent of Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels between 2005 and 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MOGADISHU/VICTORIA (Reuters) - Somali pirates have released two Seychellois hostages they had in captivity for a year, officials from both countries said.

The two fishermen were hijacked last November in their boat, the Aride, some 65 miles west of Mahe in Seychelles and taken to the Somali port of Hobyo, a base for many pirates, before being moved inland to the central town of Adado, where they were held.

"The Office of the President has confirmed that - following extensive efforts by President James Michel - Rolly Tambara and Marc Songoire have been freed in Somalia, where they had been held hostage for the past year," the Seychelles president's office said in a statement.

"The two Seychellois fishermen are now in a safe area and arrangements are being made to convey them to Seychelles by the speediest means."

A pirate known as Mohamed from Adado said late on Saturday the captors had been given a $3 million ransom, but this could not be independently verified.

Somalia, which is only now getting a functioning government after two decades of chaos and civil war, is next to the Gulf of Aden's busy shipping lanes. Poverty and lawlessness have in recent years lured many young men into piracy, where ransom payments for crew and ships can yield millions of dollars.

An international naval flotilla in the region has stepped up pre-emptive action against the pirates, including strikes on bases on the Somali coast. Shipping firms are increasingly deploying armed guards and other measures such as heightened watches and razor wire to improve security on vessels.

"The two men ... have now been flown out after negotiation with the Somali and Seychelles government," Ahmed Salad, commissioner of Adado District in central Somalia, told Reuters on Sunday.

from REUTERS
By Mohamed Ahmed and George Thande

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Somali pirates release MV Orna, detain six crew

MV ORNA

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates said on Monday they have freed the Panama-flagged merchant ship MV Orna after receiving a ransom of $400,000, but detained six of the crew to get more money for them.

The ship, a bulk cargo vessel with a deadweight of 27,915 tonnes, owned by the United Arab Emirates, was stopped by pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades about 400 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles in December 2010.

Pirates said they released MV Orna held at Haradheere in central Somalia, but were still holding the captain, the engineer and four others of its 19 mostly Indian crew.

"We now hold six men, including the captain and the chief engineer," pirate Mohamed told Reuters from Haradheere

The amount of the ransom for release of the ship could not immediately be verified independently.

"We have taken $400,000 and released MV Orna. The owners towed it with other ships," pirate Abdiweli told Reuters.

"We want ransom for them, but I cannot say the amount now."

Seaborne gangs are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, and despite successful efforts to quell attacks in the Gulf of Aden, international navies have struggled to contain piracy in the Indian Ocean owing to the vast distances involved.

However, naval ships have intensified their crackdown, including strikes on the pirates' coastal bases, and shipping firms are increasingly using armed guards and defensive measures on vessels, including barbed wire.

This has helped to reduce the number of incidents involving Somali pirates to 69 in the first half of 2012, compared with 163 in the same period last year, the International Maritime Bureau has said.

from REUTERS
By Mohamed Ahmed
Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:14am GMT

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Somali pirates free Greek-owned ship, say ransom was $5.7 mln

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates have released the Greek-owned bulk carrier Free Goddess and its 21 Filipino crew members after holding the vessel for more than eight months, the secretary general of the Seafarers Union of Kenya said on Friday.

Andrew Mwangura, whose role involves contact with ships sailing the Indian Ocean and catering for crews' welfare, said a ransom was dropped onto the vessel from the air on October 10.

"The Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier Free Goddess is now free and she is heading to Salalah, Oman, for ... fuel, fresh water and a crew change," Mwangura told Reuters.

Pirates said the ship had been held at Garad, a haven in Puntland that they use.

"We took $5.7 million ransom after holding the ship for months," a pirate in Garad called Mohamed told Reuters.

The amount of the ransom could not immediately be verified independently.

Mwangura is a former head of The East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, an independent organization for the welfare of seafarers and a piracy monitoring group.

International navies have cracked down on pirates, including strikes on their coastal bases, and ship firms are increasingly using armed guards and defensive measures on vessels including barbed wire, scaring off Somali seaborne gangs.

That reduced the number of incidents involving Somali pirates to 69 in the first half of 2012, compared with 163 in the same period last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

However, the commander of the European Union's anti-piracy task force has warned that pirates would "try their luck" again following a lull in attacks on the high seas off Somalia now that the monsoon period has ended.

from REUTERS
Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:22pm GMT

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Somalia: Pirates Release Ship After Ransom Payment

MOGADISHU, Somalia Jun 7 2012 (Garowe Online) - A Greek owned vessel that was captured by pirates was released after the pirates reportedly took a ransom, Radio Garowe reports.


The MT Liquid Velvet was captured by Somali pirates last October as it traveled to India. The 22 member crew - 21 of whom are Filipino and 1 Greek - was released unharmed and are now heading to Oman.


Reportedly the pirates demanded 8 million dollars for the 17 year old Japanese built tanker. After prolonged negotiations sources say that the pirates settled for much less than there initial demand.


There were reports earlier this year that the vessel was used as mother-ship for pirate operations.

According to sources the vessel was being held in the Harardheere area and was moved along the coast periodically.


Some media outlets are reporting that the owners paid an 4 million dollar ransom for the vessel but those reports are unconfirmed as of yet.


Ships captured by pirates have declined in the year 2012 after the increased presence of international naval ships patrolling Somali waters.

from Garowe Online

8 Jun 8, 2012 - 12:02:35 PM

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Danish warship stops Somali pirate vessel, 12 hostages freed

Map showing the extent of Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels between 2005 and 2010. Français : Carte montrant l'étendue des attaques de pirates somaliens sur des navires de transport entre 2005 et 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

COPENHAGEN, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Danish warship has apprehended a suspected pirate ship off Somalia's coast, and released 12 hostages held on board, the Danish naval command said here Thursday.

The warship Absalon, which is part of NATO-led anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, stopped the pirate mother ship in waters off Somalia's east coast on Wednesday.

Sixteen suspected pirates were arrested and are now detained on board the warship, the navy said in a press statement.

Twelve persons, said to be from Iran and Pakistan, and who were held hostage on the pirate ship for over a month, were released from captivity following the action. They are now sailing home, the statement added.

No shots were fired during the operation and no casualties are reported, the navy said. Danish authorities are now examining whether the suspected pirates can be prosecuted, it added.

This is the second time since February that the Absalon has stopped a pirate mother ship, arrested pirates and released hostages.

According to Danish broadcaster TV2, Danish warships have captured a total of 280 pirates off Somalia's coast, but only 37 have been delivered for prosecution, with the rest set free.

Without a functional government since 1991, Somalia has become a haven for pirates who are believed to make millions of dollars by capturing and ransoming commercial and private ships and crews.

The shipping industry and world governments spend around 7 billion U.S. dollars annually to avoid, combat, or mitigate Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean, the U.S.-based One Earth Foundation said in a report earlier February.

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Most wanted 'Carlos the Jackal' Somali pirate seized

The war on piracy in the Horn of Africa has received a major boost following the capture of one of the world’s most wanted Somali pirate leaders, Mohamed Garad.

Garad, a former British soldier, is said to have been arrested together with 12 other suspected pirates on April 4 by Iranian commandos after they hijacked a Chinese cargo ship.

The co-ordinator of the East African Seafarers Association, Mr Andrew Mwangura, said Garad was captured after the seizure of the Chinese vessel, Xianghuamen, last week.

Xianghuamen is a Panama-flagged general cargo vessel owned by Nanjing Ocean Shipping Company of China.

“Garad had been on the run for many decades. He was elusive and sly and had slipped out of all the security dragnets before. His capture is the greatest good news in the war against piracy and terrorism,” Mr Mwangura said yesterday.

'Old hand'

The coordinator described Garad as “an old, experienced hand and a role model in the piracy world”, who has been linked to hundreds of ship hijack cases in the Horn of Africa.

“To experts and those who knew Garad, he was like Carlos the Jackal in the crime world and Dedan Kimathi to the British colonialists, mysterious and never easy to capture,” Mr Mwangura said.

The arrest of the pirate leader, Mr Mwangura said, was confirmed by one of his cousins in Mogadishu.

Rescued Chinese crew aboard cargo ship Xianghuamen wave to a welcoming Chinese delegation near Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 7, 2012. One of Somalia's most wanted pirates was captured after Iranian commandos rescued the hijacked ship. PHOTO | XINHUA |

from africareview

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British hostage released in Somalia

Map showing the location of the Gulf of Aden, located between Yemen and Somalia. Nearby bodies of water include the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MOGADISHU, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Judith Tebbutt, a British national held hostage in Somalia for almost five months by Somali pirates, was released on Wednesday amid reports of ransom paid in exchange for her freedom.

Judith Tebbutt, 56, was seized in a raid on the Kenyan island of Lamu in September and was taken to Somalia by her captors who killed her husband, David Tebbutt, 58.

"We managed to get the hostage released by her captors after lengthy negotiations with them," Omar Mohamed Diiriye, a senior official in the regional administration, told Xinhua.

The officials said no ransom was paid for the release of the elderly Briton, but reports indicate that money was paid to the pirates to secure her freedom.

Somali pirates operate in the central Somali regions and carry out hijacking of ships plying along the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

Dozens of ships as well as hundreds of their crew members are still being held hostage in Somalia. Pirates often demand hefty ransom for their release.

The raid by Somali pirates on the Kenyan island of Lamu last September was unprecedented as pirates often carry out hijacking of ships to get their hostages.

A number of countries including China have sent their navy to the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden to help fight the menace of piracy after the authorization of the UN Security Council.

While pirate activities have decreased in the area, a number of incidents have been reported along the Somali coast.

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Danish Navy rescues 16 hostages from pirates, 2 more captives killed

Danish navy Absalon (L16) with a Westland Lynx. - Image via Wikipedia

The Danish Navy said on Tuesday it had freed 16 hostages held by pirates off the Somali coast the previous day, but that two more captives were killed in the rescue operation.

During a rescue operation by the Danish navy, two people that were being held hostage by alleged Somali pirates were killed. The mission did, however, successfully free 16 other prisoners off the Horn of Africa. Seventeen pirates were arrested.
Danish warship, the Absalon, fired shots onto the suspicious boat after it ignored orders to stop. The ship is a part of NATO’s counter-piracy mission Ocean Shield.
They had the boat under surveillance for some time, and stopped it when they attempted to sneak into open waters away from the coast.

After locating the severely wounded hostages, the ship’s doctor provided immediate aid, but was unable to save their lives. The other hostages have not reported any injuries, and there were also no killed or wounded pirates.
---
The warship Absalon fired on and intercepted a pirate mother ship as it tried to sneak away from the Somali coast Monday, according to a Danish Navy statement.

It says Absalon crew members boarded the ship and found 17 suspected pirates along with 18 hostages from the ship's original crew.  It says two of the hostages were found badly injured and died, despite medical attention.
---
The Absalon follow proper protocols when engaging with the pirate boat; direct fire to parts of the vessel was a last resort in the attempt to halt the pirates. The Navy will still conduct a thorough investigation into this situation nonetheless.
Reuters reports that the captured pirates would be held aboard the Absalon until Denmark could determine if it could hand them over to a country in the region to be prosecuted.

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Navy captures 13 Somali pirates (+video)

Thirteen Somali pirates were captured on a dhow in the Indian Ocean on Friday by a combination of Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel.

 The capture took place as dawn broke on Friday 13 January 2012 and involved RFA Fort Victoria joining USS Carney to ascertain the business of the dhow, which had been identified as a vessel being operated by pirates in the shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean.

A Military Operations news article 

In a combined show of force, both RFA Fort Victoria and USS Carney manoeuvred towards the dhow with the intention of encouraging her to comply with the counter-piracy forces. This should have been intimidating, given the size of the two military vessels, but the pirates were determined to carry on with their activities. RFA Fort Victoria was tasked to take positive action to disrupt the progress of the vessel.
RFA Fort Victoria deployed her Royal Navy Lynx Mk8 helicopter with Royal Marines maritime snipers on board who issued various clear warnings to the suspects to stop.
Despite these measures, the dhow failed to comply with repeated instructions to stop and verify her intentions. Immediately afterwards, Royal Marines in speedboats approached the vessel and successfully boarded it. The pirates surrendered as the Marines took control of the dhow.
13 Somali pirates were found to be on board together with a selection of weapons.

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British navy nabs 13 Somali pirates in Indian Ocean

Image via Wikipedia

LONDON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The British Royal Navy captured 13 Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Friday, Defence Ministry said.

A British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) supply ship and a U.S. Navy vessel intercepted the pirates' boat, which refused to stop despite warning shots fired from a British helicopter.

The British navy then sent commandos to board the boat, capturing the 13 pirates and seizing their weapons.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the British troops, part of a NATO-led counter-piracy force, could be "proud" of the success.

Captain Gerry Northwood, who leads the operation, said the capture will "send a clear message to other Somali pirates that we will not tolerate their attacks on international shipping."

Earlier this week, the same British ship, RFA Fort Victoria, foiled an attempt by Somali pirates to attack cargo ships in the Indian Ocean, the Defence Ministry added.

In the operation on Tuesday, the British navy blocked the pirates' attempt to sail the hijacked tanker Liquid Velvet from the Somali coast into the Gulf of Aden where they would have used it as a mother ship to attack passing ships.

Fort Victoria "cut off Liquid Velvet's progress after she had sailed 90 miles (145km) from the coastline, forcing her to return to Somalia", the Defence Ministry said.

The Greek-owned chemical tanker Liquid Velvet had been held to ransom since last November.

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Somali Pirates Release Tanker – MV OLIB G and 18 Sailors

The MV Olib G. Photo: EU NAVFOR

Somali pirates have released the Maltese-flagged tanker M/V OLIB G and her crew of 18, according to a report by the Somalia Report.

The vessel and her crew, consisting of 15 Georgians and 3 Turks, was hijacked while transiting the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor, an area set up by EU NAVFOR (Task Force 465), the NATO (Task Force 508) and Combined Maritime Force (Task Force 151) to coordinate the patrol of maritime transits.

Somalia Report says that the vessel was released after a ransom of $3 million was paid to the pirates belonging to a group that is “not particularly well known” in the area. The ransom paid was far less than the $9 million originally requested by pirate negotiators.

The crew is said to be safe and in good health.

In November, the crew of the OLIB G were videotaped as they discussed the conditions they have been subjected to. The video offered unique glimpse into the lives of hostages being held in Somalia, something we don’t see very often. If you listen closely, they speak of the harsh conditions, little food rations, no medicine and little help from the companies that they work for.

Read more:

• Somali Pirates Release Tanker - MV OLIB G (gcaptain.com)

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