Incident: Sweden to send anti-piracy force

The Swedish government announced it will send a contingent to the EU's operation Atalanta, including "two corvettes, one support ship, and a security force of about 160 personnel." No start date was announced but the life of the mission was given as about four months. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/29/09)

Incident: Regional states sign antipracy pact

Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and Yemen have signed an agreement to fight piracy, including in it a "code of conduct" and provisions for "three information centres in Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, and Sanaa, and a training centre for anti-piracy units in Djibouti." "The code of conduct says coastal states should make the necessary changes in their legislations to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of piracy suspects." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/29/09)

Incident: U.S. and Kenya ink pirate memo

The U.S. and Kenya have signed a memo of understanding that would allow pirates captured by the U.S. to be tried in Kenyan courts. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/29/09)

Incident: Longchamp taken

The German 3,415-tonne LPG tanker Longchamp is hijacked under Bahamian colors and its crew of 12 Filipinos and one Indonesian made hostage. "MPC Steamship contracts the operation out to the Bernhard Schulte ship management company, a longtime Hamburg shipping operator. Currently the ship is chartered to yet another company, Bridge Marine, which is registered in the Liberian capital Monrovia." (DPA, 01/30/09)

Incident: African Ruby attacked

The cargo vessel African Ruby is attacked by men in two speedboats off the coast of Somalia. The French frigate Le Floreal, in coming to African Ruby's rescue, pursues and captures nine pirates. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/29/09)

Incident: Japan announces deployment

Japan's defense minister has announced that his country will deploy anti-piracy forces off Somalia. No details available. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/28/09)

Incident: UNODC proposes anti-pirate step

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) proposes Somali piracy be fought by having "Law enforcement agents from the Horn of Africa region ... join warships as 'ship riders'"The move was authorized by the UN in December of 2008 but not implemented by navies on the scene. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/23/09)

Incident: UN hosts anti-piracy talks

The Contact Group on Somali Piracy holds its first meeting at the UN, a one-day event. US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Mark T.
Kimmitt, chairs the event organized to "discuss best management practices for ships plying the Gulf of Aden and waters near the Horn of Africa if they are attacked or seized by Somali pirates." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/16/09)

Incident: Crude tanker attacked

A crude tanker, not otherwise identified, is attacked in the Gulf of Aden by eight armed pirates in two boats.

Master raised alarm, sent distress message, contacted coalition warships and took evasive manoeuvres. A coalition warship responded and was ready to dispatch a helicopter. Pirate boats slowed down and aborted the attempt upon noticing the British security team at the bridge wings armed with axes.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Container vessel attacked

A Liberian flagged, Dutch-owned container vessel, not otherwise identified, is attacked in the Gulf of Aden by armed men in two motorboats. The ship is rescued by a Russian warship, though not before pirates fire rocket propelled grenades at both ships. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Nedlloyd Barentsz attacked

The container ship Nedlloyd Barentsz is fired upon in the Gulf of Aden; six men in a small craft fire rifle-propelled grenades (RPGs) at the ship. The Russian frigate Admiral Vinogradov sends a helicopter to rescue Barentsz and its crew wounds three of the assailants before capturing the all pirates and turning them over to Yemen for justice. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping)

Nedlloyd Barentsz is 42m long with Dutch registration. (Vesseltracker.com)

CTF-151 Formed

Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is activated specifically for counter-piracy operations as of 8 Jan 09 by The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). U.S. Navy Rear
Admiral Terence "Terry" McKnight will command the new task force which is to begin operations in mid-January. "Some navies in our [anti-terror] coalition [CTF-150] did not have the authority to conduct counter-piracy missions," said Vice Adm, Bill
Gortney, CMF Commander. "The establishment of CTF-151 will allow those nations to operate under the auspices of CTF-150, while allowing other nations to join CTF-151 to support our goal of deterring, disrupting and eventually bringing to justice the maritime criminals involved in piracy events." U.S. government sources say the operational area for CTF 151 is "in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian
Ocean and the Red Sea." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 1/8/09)

Incident: Victoria IV boarded, crew taken

The Kenyan fishing vessel Victoria IV is boarded at anchorage by "three people of Somali origin" travelling in a fast skiff. They abduct three Indian sailors, leaving Kenyan sailors and the boat behind. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Vulturnus and Donat attacked

The French warship Jeann De Vienne drives off pirates attacking Donat, a Croation cargo ship, and the Panamanian-registered Vulturnus off the Yemeni coast in the Gulf of Aden. "Eleven assault rifles, two rockets, and two rocket launchers were
confiscated from the pirates traveling in three boats, along with a boarding ladder and 1,000 liters of fuel, according to the Defence Ministry. The 19 pirates were to be turned over to Somali authorities as soon as possible." (Shown, top: Donat) (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 1/8/09)

Incident: General cargo ship fired upon

A general cargo ship sailing the Gulf of Aden (not otherwise identified) is fired upon by six pirates in a white speedboat during a boarding attempt. The master summoned help from the Coalition and "Within 15 minutes a helicopter arrived at the location. The speed boats moved away on seeing the helicopter. No injuries to the crew and no damages to the ship." (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Crude tanker attacked

Five pirates manning one speedboat attempt to board a crude tanker (not otherwise identified) underway in the Gulf of Aden.

Master raised alarm and the contacted coalition warships. The crew activated anti-piracy measures. Pirates came close to the tanker but were unable to board her due to running waters from the fire hoses. Pirates aborted the attempt.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Tanker attacked

A tanker, not otherwise identified, is attacked in the Gulf of Aden by three "speed boats" bearing men with "machine guns" who fired on the tanker. The attack is abandoned after five minutes.

The master conducted evasive maneuvers, and coalition forces were contacted. The first speed boat approached until it was at a distance of 1-2 meters on the starboard quarter, and fired five or six times. The boat had a blue hull, with five men onboard, dressed in dark raincoats. A "machinegun" was spotted on the forward part of the boat. After five minutes, they aborted the attack. The other two boats ahead began moving toward the vessel with a speed of only 6 kts, so the vessel was able to alter its course to avoid contact. There were no injuries to the crew and no damage to the vessel.

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/08/09)

Incident: Samanyolu attacked

An unidentified vessel is fired on in the Gulf of Aden. "A skiff with five pirates onboard fired upon the vessel and attempted to board. The crew members sent out a distress call to coalition forces while fighting back the pirates by firing flares and petrol bombs at them. The flares caused a fire on the pirates’ skiff forcing them to abandon ship and jump into the water." An arriving Danish warship captured five of the pirate attackers. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/08/09)

The ship involved is the Dutch Antilles-registered cargo freighter Samanyolu. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 02/12/09)

Incident: Sea Princess II taken

The Sea Princess II is hijacked and taken to Eyl. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/08/09)

This Yemeni cargo ship is taken while carrying 2000 tons of diesel underway to Socotra Island. Hijackers demand $2 million for release of the vessel. "Since the hijacking of the ship, the island has suffered a crisis caused by shortages of diesel as many institutions stopped operating." (Yemen Post, 01/16/09)

The ship, a product tanker, was taken by armed pirates in four boats with 15 crew aboard. (ICC/IMB Website)

Eight crew were aboard when captured. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Kriti Episkopi attacked

Pirates made two attacks on the Greek oil tanker Kriti Episkopi in an attempt to capture it in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia. "As soon as Greek authorities were alerted to the attack, the Ministry immediately informed the EU Anti-piracy naval mission Atalanta." An EU warplane and helicopter were sent to rescue the ship, followed by a frigate. Pirates were diven off. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 1/8/09)

According to the AP, the attempt was made by men with rifles and rocket propelled grenades in three speedboats. They were driven off by crew directing firehoses at the pirates. In the AP story, the EU aircraft arrives on the scene launched from TF 150 ships. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: France hands pirates over to Puntland

Eight pirates are remanded to the authorities in Puntland by the French Navy. Maitre L'Her captured the men while they were attacking the Panama-registered Venus after two distress calls. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/02/09)

Incident: Tanker fired upon

Pirates in three skiffs pursued and fired upon a crude tanker in the Gulf of Aden (not otherwise identified), then attempted to board. "Master raised alarm, contacted coalition warships, increased speed and took evasive manoeuvres. A coalition helicopter arrived and the pirates aborted the attempt." (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Cargo vessel chased

A cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, is chased by men in two speedboats armed with rifles and rocket propelled grenades.

The ship immediately contacted the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre for help. Duty officer at the, 24 hour manned, IMB Piracy Reporting Centre advised master to take evasive manoeuvres to delay and prevent boarding and then immediately contacted coalition naval forces for help. Two warships were dispatched. Meanwhile ship’s crew used various preventive measures and prevented boarding.

Pirates aborted the attack. (ICC/IMB Website)

This may be the Panama-flagged cargo ship S Venus which underwent two attacks on this day. The French frigate Premier-Maître L'Her "scared off the pirates, but several hours later they tried again to approach the ship. That time, the French frigate captured and boarded the boat. French forces then arrested eight men." (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Vessel attacked

A vessel, not otherwise identified, is attacked in the Gulf of Aden by four men firing from a speedboat. The attackers gave up after the vessel began evasive maneuvering. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/08/09) The ICC/IMB Website identifies this ship as a bulk carrier.

Incident: Abdul Kalam Azad fired upon

The Abdul Kalam Azad is approached in the Gulf of Aden by a small craft whose occupants open fire on the merchant's bridge. "The pirates tried boarding and continued firing their weapons. There were seven persons onboard the boat wearing military style uniforms." Coalition helicopters drove off the attackers. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping)

The military intervention was made by non-Coalition forces, two helicopters from "the Malaysian warship Sri Indera Sakti and an unnamed Saudi Arabian warship." (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

The Abdul Kalam Azad measures 238 meters and is registered in India. (Vesseltracker.com)

Incident: Blue Star taken

The Egyptian ship Blue Star is taken in the Gulf of Aden by 15 armed pirates while crewed by 28 and carrying 6,000 tons of fertilizer. The ship was exiting the Red Sea when hijaked. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 01/01/09) The ICC/IMB Website dates this incident to Jan. 2.

Incident: Vessel attacked

A vessel, not otherwise identified, is attacked by eight men in a speedboat armed with rifles and RPGs. The pirates "attempted to attach a hook ladder to the side of the vessel, but due to evasive maneuverings conducted by the captain and quick reactions by the crew, the pirates were unable to board and aborted their attempt." No details. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09) The ship in question was a Ro-Ro according to the ICC/IMB Website.

Incident: Container ship evades boarding

A container ship in the Gulf of Aden (not otherwise identified) evades boarding by men in three giving chase in speedboats. Pirates broke off the boarding attempt after evasive action by their intended victim. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Crude tanker fired upon

A crude tanker sailing the Gulf of Aden (not otherwise identified) came under automatic weapons fire from men in two skiffs. "Master increased speed and made evasive manoeuvres, and sent a distress message via VHF radio. A warship and a helicopter were sent to assist the tanker. Upon seeing the warship and helicopter the skiff moved away." (ICC/IMB Website)

Note: This may be the attack on the Kriti Episcopi described per the ONI under the heading January 2, however the IMB lists the date of attack as January 1. The same ship was attacked twice on according to the ONI. The IMB describes a second, similar attack, also on January 1, as follows:

Two skiffs approached the bulk carrier from aft. Pirates in both skiffs were armed with automatic weapons and RPGs. Ship made evasive and preventive measures to prevent boarding. Pirates opened fire with automatic weapons at ship. One skiff came very close to ship’s port side. Due to aggressive preventive measures, the pirates aborted the attempted boarding. A warship arrived at location and detained the pirates who claimed that they were fishermen. Pirates threw their weapons into the water. Warship contacted vessel to obtain concrete evidence against the pirates.

(ICC/IMB Website)