Somali News Update: More Ships Seized; Saudis Hold Talks; India Reports Sinking Ship

Area of conflict between ships and Somalis who are demanding payment for the usage of the strategic waterways in the Gulf of Aden.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

Wednesday, November 19, 2008
18:54 Mecca time, 15:54 GMT

Somali pirates strike again

Somali pirates have demanded multi-million dollar ransoms in exchange for the vessels

Somali pirates have seized three ships off the coast of the Horn of Africa, after Monday's hijacking of the Sirius Star, a vessel carrying $100m worth of oil.

A Greek tanker, a Thai fishing boat and a Hong Kong-registered vessel have been captured in the past 48 hours despite a large international naval presence in the waters off Somalia.

Andrew Mwangura, co-ordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said on Wednesday that the Greek vessel had been taken in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the Thai fishing boat had 16 crew members on board.

An Indian warship deployed to Gulf of Aden has been engaged in a battle with Somali pirates, the navy has said.

The pirates' vessel had been destroyed, and two accompanying speed boats sped away after the main vessel was blown up.

With eight ships being hijacked in the past two weeks, the IMB's piracy reporting centre has described the situation as "spiralling out of control".

Noel Choong, head of the centre based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said the pirate attacks are becoming "more violent, frequent and extending further from the attackers' bases".

The seizure of the Sirius Star, a Saudi-owned supertanker, on Monday has prompted South Korea to look at sending military vessels to join US, French and Russian warships already operating in the area.

The Sirius Star is the biggest vessel ever hijacked, and Al Jazeera has learned that negotiations have begun on a ransom demanded by the pirates.

The ship is reportedly anchored off the Somali coast at Haradheere, roughly in the centre of Somalia's coastline.

Matthew Oakely, a maritime security consultant, told Al Jazeera that security efforts may be stepped up to protect ships.

"The rules of engagement are now that the military may, if necessary, open fire on suspected pirate ships in international waters, as there was not any order to do this before," he said.

"I am not advocating that you blow people out of the water unless you can be as sure as possible that they are indeed pirates. But I think it may make a difference in due course if examples are made to these people of what the consequences are going to be if they continue with this reprehensible behaviour."

At least 13 vessels with more than 270 crew members are already being held by various pirate gangs. A Ukrainian-registered cargo ship carrying tanks and heavy weaponry remains anchored off the Somali coast.

Mwangura at the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said: "The pirates are sending out a message to the world that 'we can do what we want, we can think the unthinkable, do the unexpected'."

Choong of the IMB reported a spike in attacks, saying: "What we have seen in these last few weeks is an abnormal increase in violence and ships being hijacked despite the increased security in the area.

"The situation is already out of control. The United Nations and the international community must find ways to stop this menace.

"With no strong deterrent, low risk to the pirates and high returns, the attacks will continue."

Safer diversion

The Norwegian shipping group Odfjell has already ordered its more than 90 tankers to sail around the cape of Good Hope to avoid attacks.

Terge Storeng, the chief executive officer of Odfjell, told Al Jazeera: "We took this decision to avoid exposing our crew members to risk on their way through the Suez canal.

"We have two to three ships in this area every week. We have already had one attempt of hijacking, so we have been continuously evaluating the risk.

"Of course, this is a huge step for our company to re-route our ship to go all the way around Africa ... But for a chemical tanker to have armed people on board and the risk of a gunfight - its not a good idea."

Last week, the European Union, in its first-ever naval mission, launched a security operation off the coast of Somalia to combat piracy and protect ships carrying aid agency deliveries.

The South Korean military will now seek parliamentary approval to send naval vessels to waters off Somalia to protect the country's commercial fleet, government officials have said.

Somali pirates had recently captured a cargo vessel and held hostage South Korean sailors who were part of the crew of a Japanese ship.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies


Saudi owners 'talking to pirates'

The owners of a Saudi Arabian oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates are negotiating a possible ransom, the Saudi foreign minister has said.

The Sirius Star is the biggest tanker ever hijacked, carrying a cargo of two million barrels of Saudi oil - worth more than $100m (£67m).

Saudi's Prince Saud al-Faisal did not confirm whether a ransom was likely to be agreed, but said talks had begun.

Meanwhile, the Indian navy says it has sunk a suspected pirate "mother ship".

INS Tabar sank what was believed to be a Somali pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and instead opened fire in the Gulf of Aden, an Indian navy statement said.

The captive crew on the Sirius Star include two British citizens, two Poles, one Croatian, one Saudi national and 19 Filipinos.

The Britons include Peter French, the chief engineer on board the vessel.

The other is Second Officer James Grady, from Strathclyde. Their families released a statement on Wednesday saying they hoped they would be home safely very soon.

There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia during 2008. On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates this year.

The pirates who seized the MV Sirius Star and its 25 crew on Saturday are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says the BBC Somali Service's Yusuf Garaad.

Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds.

'Scourge' of seas

Asked whether a ransom was being negotiated, the Saudi foreign minister said the decision rested with the owners of the tanker.

"We do not like to negotiate with either terrorists or hijackers. But the owners of the tanker, they are the final arbiters of what happens there," Prince Saud al-Faisal said.

"What we know is that we are going to join the task force that will try and eradicate this threat to international trade."

The tanker's Dubai-based operators, Vela International Marine Ltd, would not confirm or deny negotiations were taking place.

"Given the sensitive nature of the situation, and to ensure the safety of the crew members, we are not prepared to make any public statement on this issue," a spokesman told AFP.

The UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said piracy was "a scourge wherever it appears anywhere in the world and at the moment the scourge is focused in the Gulf of Aden".

He said the Royal Navy was co-ordinating the European response to the incident.

Shipping companies are now weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to Europe via the Gulf of Aden and Suez canal.

However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7737797.stm
Published: 2008/11/19 16:27:52 GMT


India 'sinks Somali pirate ship'

An Indian navy warship has destroyed a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden.

INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead, an Indian navy statement said.

There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.

The latest attack came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates and anchored off the Somali coast.

Vela International, operators of the Sirius Star, told the BBC no demands had yet been received from the pirates. The company also said all the crew were safe.

Indian Navy spokesman Commander Nirad Sinha describes the attack The biggest tanker ever hijacked, Sirius Star is carrying a cargo of two million barrels of oil - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m (£67m).

Analysts say the pattern of other hijackings suggests a ransom request is likely to follow. Given the value of the tanker and its cargo, that is expected to be a sizeable demand.

Two of the captive crew are British. The UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said the Royal Navy was co-ordinating the European response to the incident.

"The problem of piracy around Somalia is a grave danger to the stability in the region," he told the BBC.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife.

Explosions

India is among several countries already patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The Indian navy said the Tabar spotted the pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (528km) south-west of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening.

The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers.

When it demanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the statement said.

Pirates then fired on the Tabar, and the Indians say they retaliated and that there was an explosion on the pirate vessel, which sank.

"Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel," the Indian navy said.

Some of the pirates tried to escape on two speedboats. The Indian sailors gave chase but one boat was later found abandoned, while a second boat escaped.

INS Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since 23 October, and has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the statement said.

Last week, helicopter-borne Indian marine commandos stopped pirates from boarding and hijacking an Indian merchant vessel.

Ransoms

On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates this year.

The first vessel, a 25-crew cargo vessel transporting wheat to Iran, was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, while contact was lost with the crew of 12 on the fishing boat.

Piracy off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of Aden - an area of more than 1m sq miles (2.6m sq km) - is estimated to have cost up to $30m in ransoms this year, a UK think tank has said.

The hijackings account for one-third of all global piracy incidents this year and the situation is getting out of control, according to the International Maritime Board.

The pirates who seized the Sirius Star are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says the BBC Somali Service's Yusuf Garaad.

Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds.

Shipping companies are now weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to Europe via the Suez canal.

However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7736885.stm
Published: 2008/11/19 10:13:38 GMT