Indian Navy nabs pirates as EU force arrives

   

   The International Chamber of Commerce and the International Marine Bureau provide an interactive map showing all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Center during 2008. The live version of the map is available here .

 

Ongoing AmericanShipper.com Gulf of Aden coverage

•   Indian Navy nabs pirates as EU force arrives

•   U.S. prepares U.N. anti-piracy resolution

•   Box ship outruns pirates(12/8)

•   Analysis: Experts predict increased Somali pirate attacks(12/3)

•   CMA CGM crews to get bonus for Gulf of Aden trips (12/3)

•   Security firm Blackwater reportedly meeting with ship owners (12/2)

Guards, overwhelmed by Somali pirates, abandon ship (12/1)

•   TMT opts for Good Hope route (11/25)

INTERTANKO, BIMCO propose Somali blockade (11/24)

•   U.N. passes financial sanctions on Somali pirates (11/21)

More carriers vow to avoid area around Somalia (11/21)

•   Pentagon asks ocean carriers to do more to tackle piracy (11/20)

Hong Kong ship owners call for action on piracy (11/20)

•   Saudi mega-tanker still under pirates control (11/18)

Parcel tanker operator will avoid Gulf of Aden (11/17)

•   Security firm warns against arming crew to fight piracy (10/16)

Call for more action on Somalia pirates (10/10)

•   British naval officer advocates mercenaries to fight piracy (10/9)

UN passes new Somali piracy resolution with little bite (10/8)

•   Ship owners livid with naval response to Gulf of Aden piracy (10/30)

Naval coalition cannot guarantee safety in Gulf of Aden (9/23)

•   Piracy crisis spiraling out of control (9/19)

Kidnapping insurer sees upsurge in interest by shipping companies (9/12)

•   Hong Kong ship owners blast lack of piracy protection in Gulf of Aden(9/12)

 

The Indian Navy said it captured 23 suspected pirates who tried to take over a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden, between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, according to international news dispatches.

   The Indian Navy also confiscated two small boats, a cache of weapons and equipment, including a global positioning system receiver.

   The Indian warship involved in the incident received a distress call Saturday morning from the Gibe, a cargo vessel traveling under an Ethiopian flag, saying it was under small arms fire from two small boats.

   The Gibe's crew reportedly fired back with small arms onboard the vessel, which runs counter to normal practice among ship operators against placing lethal weapons on vessels.

   The Indian warship, which was 13 nautical miles away at the time, changed course and launched an armed helicopter.

   The pirates broke off their attack and tried to flee as the helicopter and warship closed in. The warship caught up to the attack boats -- a 24- to 30-foot dhow and a small skiff towed behind.

   The Indian Navy said it boarded the traditional Arab sailing ship and the suspects surrendered peacefully. It is unclear where the suspects will be taken.

   Last month, the Indian Navy said it sank a pirate mother ship in the Gulf of Aden, but the owner of the ship said it was a Thai trawler with 16 crewmembers that had been commandeered by pirates. The Indian Navy said it fired in self-defense.

   Also, the German military said a navy frigate and helicopter chased away pirates in speedboats pursuing an Ethiopian freighter off the coast of Yemen.

   The number of attacks by Somali pirates has spiraled up this year, with more than 100 reported attacks and nearly 40 vessels taken hostage along one of the world's busiest shipping channels, as criminal elements the poverty-stricken and stateless country operate from local ports with impunity.

   The United States is reportedly seeking U.N. Security Council support for a resolution that would allow military forces to enter Somali territory to chase down suspected pirates on land, according to several news reports.

   The proposal would expand on existing powers for navies to enter Somali waters. On Dec. 2, the U.N. Security Council unanimously extended for 12 months authorization for international navies to enter Somali waters and use ll necessary means?to combat pirate activity, including seizing and disposing of boats, vessels and weapons. Attacks on vessels carrying humanitarian aid are impeding U.N. efforts to feed millions of hungry civilians in the stateless country.

   It also asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to report within three months on ways to coordinate member states and regional organizations in efforts to provide long-term maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

   But the Pentagon on Friday doused water on landside pursuit, saying the difficulty of identifying pirates could lead to the potential for killing innocent civilians.

   The State Department confirmed, however, that it does plan to push for a broader international agreement on a more effective, coordinated military approach to dealing with pirates. That includes an international peacekeeping force in Somalia to replace an Ethiopian force soon scheduled to depart the country. There are questions as to how many countries are interested in setting up a peacekeeping force in the lawless country.

   A spokesman for President-elect Barack Obama's transition told the Associated Press that it is unlikely Somali piracy will be a top priority early in an Obama administration.

   Meanwhile, the European Union last week launched Operation Atalanta, a year-long campaign to protect merchant ships off the Somali coast. EU officials said they are recruiting Saudi Arabia, Japan, Norway, Egypt and other nations to send ships too in hopes of doubling the size of the force patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea.

   The EU commander said the EU force would average six warships and three maritime patrol planes. Frigates from Britain, France and Greece are already in the region and will be joined by German and Italian warships, news agencies reported. French and Spanish planes will operate from the French military base in Djibouti.

   The EU is taking over from a four-vessel NATO force.

   Indian and Russian naval vessels in the area are unlikely to join the mission, though they will coordinate their activities with the EU fleet, the commander said.

   One EU warship will escort vessels carrying food aid to Somalia while the rest will try to protect other merchant vessels. Armed marines will be placed aboard the escorted food aid ships.

Source: American Shipper