Incident: Shehenshah-E-Madina taken

The Indian dhow Shehenshah-E-Madina is taken with 18 crew and no cargo aboard. No details. (Australia.to, undated)

Incident: Bulk carrier attacked

A bulk carrier, not otherwise identified, is approached by a speedboat launched from a mother ship "approximately 300NM southeast of Socotra Island." "The men in the speed boat fired at the vessel with automatic weapons and an RPG. The captain conducted evasive maneuvers and the speed boat retreated to the mother ship. The boat and mother ship approached the vessel three more times over the course of two hours, and each time the captain was successfully able to evade before the two crafts finally abandoned their attempt." (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Incident: Chemical tanker escapes boarding

A chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, is chased by "pirates in a speed boat" equipped with "metal hooks and ropes." "Alert crew prevented the boarding and informed duty officer on bridge. Vessel made evasive manoeuvres and escaped from the pirate attack." (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Pirates attack naval vessel

The German naval tanker FGS Spessart is attacked by Somali pirates 85 miles off the port of Bosaso and returns fire. Working under EU command as part of the Atalanta operation, Spessart chases the pirate skiff with helicopter assistance, turning the chase over to a Greek Atalanta vessel which concludes a five-hour pursuit by boarding and capturing seven men. The incident involved Spanish, Dutch, and USMC assets as well. "The pirates will remain onboard the German frigate [Rheinland-Pfalz] until a final determination is made regarding potential prosecution." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report, 04/08/09)

Incident: Yacht fired upon

A yacht sailing the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, is fired upon. No details. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Yacht hijacked

A yacht and its crew of seven, not otherwise identified, is taken by pirates off the Seychelles shortly after setting off. No details. (ICC/IMB Website)

Longchamp released

The LPG tanker Longchamp, seized by pirates in January, is released, its captain and crew proceeding to Vietnam (its destination when taken).

The company gave no details of how the release was achieved or of any ransom that was paid but said: "Bernard Schulte Shipmanagement would like to thank the many parties, agencies and professionals involved for their outstanding efforts in achieving the safe release of the crew and vessel."

(Maritime Global Net, 03/30/09)

Incident: Vessel attacked

A vessel, not otherwise identified, encounters armed pirates as it is "approached by one skiff with seven men onboard armed with AK-47s. The men in the skiff fired shots in the air upon their approach. Coalition helicopters were dispatched to provide assistance." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Incident: Chemical tanker attacked

A chemical tanker sailing in the Gulf of Aden but not otherwise identified encounters two speed boats, each with five men. "Vessel enforced anti piracy measures and made evasive manoeuvres. Later the speed boats aborted the attempt." No details. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Bow Asir taken

The 23,000-ton Norwegian chemical tanker Bow Asir is taken 250 miles off the Somali coast under Panamanian colors with a crew of 27 on board. It was carrying 20,000 tons of product. "[Owner] Salhus Shipping said it so far had no indication that any of the crew, including 19 Philippinos, one Russian, a Lithuanian and the Norwegian captain, had been injured." (AFP, 03/26/09)

The Norwegian-owned, Panamanian-registered ship

was being chased by two small boats with suspected pirates on board. At 0745 her captain reported that pirates had boarded the vessel. Approximately 3 hours later Salhus Shipping reported receiving an email from the vessel confirming that 16 to 18 pirates armed with machine guns had gained control of the ship.

(Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Nipaya taken

The Panamanian-flagged, Greek-owned Nipayia is taken with 19 merchant mariners 490 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. (Naval News Service NNS090327-14, 3/27/09)

The MV is 9,000 tons capacity (SKY News), 112 m long (Vessel Tracker) chemical tanker. "A Nairobi-based diplomat said the Nipayia had 18 Filipinos on board and a Russian captain. He said the ship is managed by Athens-based Lotus Shipping..." (AP, 03/26/09)

(Wiki News gives this incident as occurring on the 27th. The ONI and IMB give it as the 25th.)

Incident: Research vessel chased

A research vessel, not otherwise identified, is chased by "two speedboats" about 600 NM off Mogadishu. "Later, the boats stopped and moved away." (ICC/IMB Website)

Two research vessels travelling together, Explorer III and Ocean Explorer, were chased by two boats but outran them. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Bowasir taken

The Bahamian-registered, Norwegian-owned vessel Bowasir and its 23-member crew are taken by pirates. They were operating more than 380 nautical miles southeast of Kismayo, Somalia. (Naval News Service NNS090327-14, 3/27/09)

Incident: Serenity hijacked

The Seychelles-registered catamaran Serenity is hijacked and three crew taken prisoner while en route to Madagascar. "The vessel is currently being held at anchor near Garacad, Somalia." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09) The government of Seychelles issued a statement deploring the incident. (Somali Marine and Coastal Monitor, 04/01/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier attacked

A bulk carrier, not otherwise identified, is chased and fired upon from two speedboats "440NM east of Dar es Salaam." "The master increased speed and took evasive maneuvers to prevent boarding. The pirates eventually aborted the attempt." No details. (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Incident: Product tanker chased

A product tanker, not otherwise identified, is chased by two men "in a small boat" 15 NM off Ras ar Ruays, Oman.

The master suspected piracy and increased speed, commenced evasive manoeuvres, activated fire hoses and informed ships in the vicinity. after around 30 minutes the boat gave up the chase and was seen to rendezvous with a white hulled fishing trawler.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Cargo vessel attacked

A cargo vessel, not otherwise identified, is fired upon "215NM off the coast of Somalia." "Vessel sighted a mother ship vessel ahead launching two skiffs with lengths about 6-7m. The men onboard were armed with automatic weapons. The skiffs chased the vessel and opened fire at it. The captain increased speed, activated fire hoses, fired rocket flares, and made evasive maneuvers which prevented the pirates from boarding. The vessel sustained minor damages but was able to continue its passage." No crew were injured. (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Container ship attacked

A container ship, not otherwise identified, is attacked in the Indian Ocean "395NM southeast of Mogadishu."

Seven men in two white colored speed boats chased the vessel armed with AK47s and RPGs. They opened fire on the vessel for approximately 30-45 minutes with the AK47s and shot two rounds from the RPG, causing damage. The captain took evasive maneuvers and escaped. The entire incident lasted approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes

(IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier attacked

A bulk carrier, not otherwise identified, is attacked in the Indian Ocean "approximately 385NM southeast of Mogadishu." It is pursued by men in two speedboats firing rifles and RPGs. "The captain increased speed and conducted evasive maneuvers. The boats eventually abandoned their pursuit.." (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Incident: Vehicle carrier attacked

A vehicle carrier, not otherwise identified, is attacked "approximately 500NM southeast of Mogadishu." "Two speed boats with pirates armed with automatic weapons and RPGs chased and opened fire," the captain of the vehicle container employing "evasive maneuvers" to escape boarding. No injuries. (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

This appears to be the Japanese-owned Jasmine Ace, which

was able to escape by zigzagging away from the pirates. The pirates were in two small vessels and fired off automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades before escaping. The 18 man Filipino crew were unharmed in the attack. The ship was heading to the Kenyan port of Mombasa when the attack occurred.

(Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Al Rafiquei boarded

The dhow Al Rafiquei is boarded by pirates in the Indian Ocean "approximately 130NM east of Hobyo."

Men in speed boats chased the dhow and then boarded it. They stole ship’s stores and crew personal belongings before releasing the vessel. The crew and dhow are safe and proceeding to a port in Somalia

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Al Rafiquei is a cargo ship crewed by 26 Indians.

The pirates beat the crew, stole their mobile phones, and removed 5 barrels of petrol and 20 barrels of diesel. The ship was on its way from Dubai, UAE to Mogadishu, Somalia when it was intercepted by the pirates. Eventually they released the ship at 13:00 (UTC) on the same day.

(Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Tanker attacked

A tanker, not otherwise identified, defeated a boarding attempt in the Gulf of Aden by pirates in a white boat with blue stripes. "Five men holding long poles with hooks were seen but as soon as the vessel altered course and alarmed coalition warships, the boat passed by turned attention to another vessel. It was reported that the attempt on the second vessel was also unsuccessful as helicopters were seen heading to the area." (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 04/17/09)

Incident: MV Titan taken

The Greek-owned bulk carrier MV Titan, sailing under the colors of St. Thomas, is taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The ship, managed by the shipping firm "Albamare City" was sailing to Korea from the Black Sea with 24 crew, three of them Greek. (Reuters, 03/19/09)

Seventeen of the crew are Filipinos. (Manila Bulletin, 04/09/09)

The attack was made by "pirates, in a speed boat armed with AK47 rifles and pistols." (ICC/IMB Website)

The ship was transporting steel and its crew included one Ukrainian, three Romanians, and 17 Filipinos. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: New NATO operation begins

NATO has launched a new anti-piracy naval operation called "Allied Protector". A total of "seven ships -- one each from the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain, with two vessels from Germany" will take part. A NATO spokesman said "They will be there for about one month, and then they will go on and do port visits, and come back and near the end of June conduct about two more weeks of counter-piracy operations." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

IncidentL Ulusoy 8 chased

The Turkish-registered cargo ship Ulusoy 8 is chased in the Gulf of Aden by men in two skiffs. "The Turkish General Staff stated that the destroyer TCG Giresun rebuffed the pirates and prevented the attack by sending a helicopter to intercept them." (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier chased

A bulk carrier sailing in the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, is chased by "Pirates, in two speed boats armed with machine guns." "The speed boats crossed the ship’s bow and came onto the port side. Master took evasive manoeuvres and prevented boarding." (ICC/IMB Q3 Report and ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Iranian Dhow taken

An Iranian dhow is hijacked off the coast of Puntland in the Indian Ocean. "According to sources, Somali villagers seized the dhow for reportedly fishing illegally without the permission of the Puntland Administration." No details. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

According to the website Iranian.ws, on this day the Iranian factory fishing ship Safari is taken by irate villagers based on fishing-related grievances. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Diamond Falcon attacked

The cargo vessel Diamond Falcon is fired on in the Gulf of Aden 50NM southeast of Al Mukalla, Yemen.

Two skiffs with men onboard armed with automatic weapons and RPGs fired upon the vessel. The captain conducted evasive maneuvers and counter-piracy measures while a Turkish warship nearby dispatched two helicopters to provide assistance along with a Danish warship. The men in the two skiffs fled the scene after the warships’ arrival, but no arrests were made. The vessel escaped but reported 40-45 shots around the bridge with minimal damage.

No injuries. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

The Vietnamese-owned vessel "transmitted SOS signals off the southern shore of Yemen" which attracted the Turkish rescue. (VietnamNet 03/18/09)

According to Vietnamese sources and Morningstar,

This was the first time the Turkish destroyer TCG Giresun joined the anti-piracy forces. The destroyer joined international naval forces at the Gulf of Aden two weeks previous. Giresun and the Danish warship HDMS Absalon immediately responsed after receiving the emergency from the Vietnamese cargo ship. Helicopters from the Turkish and Danish warships prevented the pirates from taking over the Vietnamese ship.

(Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Fishing vessel chased

A fishing vessel about 540 NM off Somalia (not otherwise identified) is chased by six men in a skiff armed with automatic weapons. "Vessel increased speed and headed into the waves / swell and thus the skiff was prevented from advancing towards the fishing vessel." (ICC/IMB Q3 Report and ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Yemen takes custody of 10 pirates

The Yemeni coastguard has taken custody of 10 pirates handed over by the Russian Navy. "Head of the Coastguard Ali Rasi said a Russian warship affiliated to the international forces captured the pirates three days ago on two boats while they were trying to take over a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden. Weapons were seized with the pirates that included machine guns and RPG launchers." The pirates now face prosecution in Yemeni courts. No details. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier chased

A bulk carrier sailing the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, is chased by a boat with "White hull with one wooded mast in the centre" and five to six men aboard.

Master took evasive manoeuvres, contacted warship and informed company CSO. After a while the boat aborted the attempt. Two warships arrived at the location and a helicopter hovered above vessel and headed towards the suspicious boat.

No details. (ICC/IMB Q3 Report and ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Vessel attacked

A vessel (not otherwise identified) is attacked in the Indian Ocean 410 NM east of Mombasa by assailants in one white skiffs who placed rifle and RPG fire on the merchant ship. "A second larger boat was observed in the vicinity. The alert mariners took appropriate anti-piracy measures and escaped but sustained minor damage to the vessel and one crewmember was injured." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier attacked

A bulk carrier, not otherwise identified, is attacked in the Indian Ocean by four men firing rifles from a light blue boat. "The vessel conducted evasive maneuvers and managed to escape. The captain sustained minor gunshot wounds. The incident was reported to UKMTO." (IMB via ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier fired upon

A bulk carrier "about 530 miles off the Somali coast" is fired upon by "pirates armed with RPGs and rifles in a skiff." Pirates broke off the attack after evasive action by their target. The unidentified vessel and crew are safe. (ICC/IMB Q3 Report and ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Shanghai Venture attacked

The Shanghai Venture is attacked in the Indian Ocean at night under a full moon. Pursuing in a single skiff, "The armed pirates started shooting from the port quarter and attempted to board. ... All lights on the vessel were turned off and evasive maneuvers were conducted. " Altogether, pirates make three boarding tries. "The speed boat was identified as grey colored and 5-7 meters in length. No crewmembers were injured during the attack, but the bridge window was broken and 91 bullet marks were found, with some bullets passing through the plate." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

The vessel is a 190 m long Hong Kong registered cargo ship. (Vesseltracker)

Incident: Vessel attacked

A vessel not otherwise identified is attacked in the Indian Ocean 265 NM east of Mombasa by six men in a skiff who fire an RPG at the merchant ship. "A second larger boat was observed in the vicinity but could only achieve 8 knots. The alert mariners took appropriate anti-piracy measures and escaped with no damage..." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier chased

A bulk carrier in the Indian Ocean, not otherwise identified, is pursued by an unidentified craft which attempts to close with the carrier.

Target did not transmit AIS signal and did not respond to calls on VHF radio. About 45 minutes later, target Increased speed and headed towards vessel. Vessel took evasive manoeuvres and prevented target from getting closer. Later, target was noticed aborting the attempt and moving away. Vessel resumed passage on intended route.

(ICC/IMB Q3 Report and ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Blue Star released

The Egyptian ship Blue Star, taken on 1/1/09 with a load of fertilizer and 28 crew, is released after payment of a reported $1 million ransom, AP reports. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier attacked

A bulk carrier sailing in the Gulf of Aden (not otherwise identified) is attacked by five armed pirates who attempt to board. The attack was aborted after evasive action was adopted and flares were fired. (ICC/IMB Q3 Report and ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Courier attacked

The MV Courier is attacked in the Gulf of Aden. "The vessel sent out a distress call, which was received by the German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz" which was able to arrest the pirates and turn them over to Kenyan justice. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

"The MV Courier, a freighter owned by the Hamburg-based shipping company Winter, was en route from the northern German port city of Bremen to the United Arab Emirates with a crew of 18." "The Filipino captain Willie Sulong broadcast a mayday message on the channel 16 VHF radio frequency" which was heard by American forces who sent a helicopter in advance of the German warship. (Spiegel, 04/01/09)

Incident: Container ship attacked

A container ship, not otherwise identified, is attacked by men armed with rifles and rocket propelled grenades.

Master raised alarm, sent distress message and took evasive manoeuvres. A naval warship responded to the distress call and sent a helicopter. The helicopter fired warning shots and the pirates aborted the attempted attack.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Pro Alliance attacked

The oil tanker Pro Alliance is fired on in the Gulf of Aden 45NM southeast of the port of Aden.

The Yemeni Coastguard responded to the distress call and dispatched a gunboat. The coastguard exchanged gunfire with the gunmen on the skiff, forcing them to flee the area and allowing the tanker to continue its transit. Later, a Spanish frigate boarded a suspicious skiff matching the description and conducted an inspection, but found no evidence of unlawful activity.

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 03/18/09)

Incident: Crude tanker fired upon

A crude tanker, not otherwise identified, is fired upon in the Gulf of Aden by men in "boats." "Master reported to coalition warship and UKMTO Dubai and increased speed" while adopting evasive action. Pirates broke off the attack. (ICC/IMB Website)