Incident: Turks detain suspected pirates

Five men are detained on a Turkish frigate after shadowing two commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden's maritime patrol zone. (SETimes.com, 08/12/09)

The Gaziantep used commandos and one or more helicopters to make the arrest. Pirate equipment was found aboard the skiff operated by the arrested men. (AFP, 08/11/09)

Incident: Hansa Stavanger released

The Hansa Stavanger, captured April 4th, is released by Somali pirates. The 24-man crew was described as being in good condition. (AP, 08/10/09) A $2.7 million ransom was paid to release the ship and crew. (Reuters, 08/03/09)

Incident: Buccanneer freed

The Italian tug Buccaneer and its crew of 16 is released after having been hijacked on April 11. A ransom of $2 million was reportedly paid. (Press TV, 08/11/09) One of the pirates involved said a ransom of $4 million was paid, however Italy's "Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and the ship’s owner denied a claim by the pirates that a ransom was paid." (Bloomberg, 08/10/09) Somalia's Governor Mohamed Said Nur of Sanag says no ransom was paid but that the pirates were reimbursed the cost of "sustain[ing] the 16-member crew" - $270,000. (AP, 08/11/09)

Incident: YB Masindra 7 released

A Malaysian tugboat, TB Masindra 7, with its crew of 11 Indonesians, is released by pirates after being held for eight months and the payment of an unidentified ransom amount. The tug was pulling a barge in the Gulf of Aden when taken. (AFP, 08/02/09) The tug was hijacked on December 16. Masindra Shipping Sdn Bhd owns the vessel. "European Union Naval Force Atalanta spokesman, Commander John Harbour, told Reuters the tugboat was on its way to the Maldives. The freed tugboat is being escorted by German warship Brandenberg, on patrol for the EU as part of Operation Atlanta. " (Jakarta Post, 08/05/09)

Incident: US Navy warns of increased attacks

The U.S. Fifth Fleet has warned that "High sea states over the past few weeks in the Somali Basin have resulted in fewer attacks on vessels transiting the area, but mariners must continue to remain vigilant." The statement notes that am end to the monsoon season in September will mean better sailing weather for pirates. (Wor;d Tribune, 07/28/09)

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Analysis: Anit-pirate forces meet in Bahrain

The Combined Maritime Forces staff, which oversees Combined Task Force 151, has organized a meeting in Bahrain to "deconflict" the various flotillas operating against Somali pirates:

Representatives from nations including Australia, Bahrain, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, UK, U.S., Yemen, the European Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) and NATO took part in today’s SHADE [SHared Awareness and DEconfliction] meeting. Following the establishment of CTF 151, the CMF staff determined that it would be helpful to implement working-level meetings ashore to discuss counter-piracy coordination and deconfliction. Today’s conference marked the fourth time CMF facilitated the meetings.

The CMF claimed success for coordination:

"These efforts streamline and maximize the effectiveness of naval forces to conduct counter-piracy operations in the region," said Commodore Tim Lowe, Deputy Commander, CMF. “By synchronizing and deconflicting our efforts, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, EU, NATO and other international forces are making a difference.”

(CMF Press Release #087-09, 05/26/09)

In a spirit of optimism and good will that goes far beyond "making a difference," Capt. Richard Brown, commanding the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg assigned to CTF 151, announced that "What Gettysburg, the U.S. and our Coalition partners have been able to achieve in the Gulf of Aden is to keep the sea lines of communication free and clear." Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener, commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, complemented international naval forces not assigned to his command: "Without the assistance of our international partners in the area, our fight against piracy wouldn’t be as successful as it has been." (CMF Press Release 086-09, 05/26/09)

The military view could not be clearer: The sea lanes have been cleared of pirates (Brown) and the fight against pirates has been successful (Bener). Let's see what pirates and commerce have to say about this.