Incident: Red Sea and Gulf states to set up TF

Arabian Gulf and Red Sea states have agreed to set up an all-Arab anti-piracy naval task force according to Yemeni sources.

Delegates to a regional security conference in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, issued a joint statement saying the proposed task force was necessary to counter "the danger posed to their shipping, particularly vital oil and gas exports which pass via the Red Sea to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean." According to the Al Ayum newspaper, the task force would comprise warships from Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The Saudi navy will coordinate joint efforts for a period of one year, the paper said.

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 7/8/09)

Incident: Pompei released

The Belgian dredger Pompei is released after a reported 2.8 million euro ransom is paid. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: General cargo ship fired upon

A general cargo ship, not otherwise identified, is chased and fired upon by men in four skiffs armed with rifles and rocket propelled grenade launchers. The Gulf of Aden attack triggered defense measures including release of

dunnage bundles along with sharply cut empty drums. Vessel also threw sawdust over side which resulted in the pirates’ visibility being hampered. In the meanwhile coalition warships were in attendance and the pirates aborted the attack. The coalition warships stopped the skiffs and confiscated the weapons.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Note: This could be an alternate report of the Bolan incident except for the variance in skiff count and incident details.

Incident: Bolan fired upon

The cargo vessel Bolan is fired upon in the Gulf of Aden by men in two skiffs. The Bolan, employing evasive action and firing flares, summoned NATO warships to the area and a naval ship (not identified) captured the attackers. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 7/8/09)

Bolan is a 153 m long ship registered in Pakistan. (vesseltracker.com)

Incident: Maersk Phoenix attacked

The Singapore-flagged tanker Maersk-Phoenix is attacked by pirates armed with rifles and rocket propelled grenades in the Gulf of Aden off the port of Bossaso.

A Portuguese frigate [under NATO command] foiled a pirate attack on a tanker in the Gulf of Aden and captured eight pirates after firing shots at their boat, the armed forces command in Lisbon said. The (CORTE-REAL), operating with NATO forces in the region, was escorting a Pakistani merchant ship, the (BOLAN) ... The eight were freed after consultation with the Portuguese government, in line with the procedure for warships serving under NATO command...

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 7/8/09)

Incident: Serenity hostages released

Those captured on the catamaran Serenity on March 25 are released but their boat is burned in retaliation for partial poayment of ransom. The ransom demanded was one million dollars and the amount said to have been paid was $450,000. (Wikipedia, "List of ships attacked by Somali pirates," 12/31/09)

Incident: Tanker pursued

A tanker in the Bab el Mandeb, not otherwise identified, is chased by "armed men in skiffs." The target used evasive action to escape its pursuers. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 7/8/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier pursued

A bulk carrier 110NM northwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, not otherwise identified, is chased by 30 men carrying rifles and rocket propelled grenades in three speedboats. The carrier escaped through evasive action. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 7/8/09)

The crew deterred boarding with fire hoses and "high voltage cables around the ship." (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Tanker fired upon

A tanker in the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, was subjected to rifle and rocket propelled grenade fire by a single skiff. The target vessel evaded its attacker; 20 minutes later an Iranian warship and Coalition helicopter arrived on the scene. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier evades pursuers

A bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, applied evasive action to avoid approach by a suspicious craft. No details. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

Incident: Tanker pursued

A tanker in the Gulf of Aden was chased by men in "several skiffs" but evaded pursuit. No details. (Based on positional information, this is not a duplicate report - ed.) (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

The information correlates to an IMB report placing it in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab El Mandab. If the correlation is correct, this was an LNG tanker. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Tanker pursued by armed men

A tanker, not otherwise identified, is approached by four fast craft each with five to six armed men. The tanker evaded pursuers while running fire hoses. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

The attack occurred in the Gulf of Aden. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Tanker fired upon

A tanker, not otherwise identified, is fired upon in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab el Mandeb. "Several speed boats approached the vessel, crossed its bow, and opened fire with automatic weapons. The tanker performed evasive maneuvers to prevent the men from boarding."(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

The IMB says the vessel was an LPG tanker and that the attack occurred on the Red Sea side of the strait. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Chemical tanker pursued

A chemical tanker, not otherwise identified, is pursued by "skiffs" in the Gulf of Aden and escapes its pursuers through evasive maneuvers after contacting Coalition forces. The number of skiffs was not provided. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

The IMB reports the number of skiffs as two. (ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Charelle taken

The general cargo ship Charelle is taken by pirates 11 NM off the coast of Oman after a pursuit "of some time." (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

The IMB gives the date of incident as 6/11/09. (ICC/IMB Website) The Gulf News gives it as 6/12 (Gulf News, 6/14/09)

Charelle is "operated by Pentagon Freight Services LLC to and from Indian Ocean and Red Sea Ports" and represents the farthest easterly strike by Somali pirates to date. "The sea jacking of MV Charelle took place 60 nautical miles off the eastern coastal town of Sur in Oman." (Gulf News, 6/14/09)

Analysis: IMB urges "citadels" on board

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and EU NAVFOR urge shippers to establish "citadel space."

The citadel space should be located in an inside location without portholes, such as the steering space gear area, where all crew can retreat to after they have disabled the vessel, should pirates have managed to board. With the ship disabled and the crew secure behind watertight doors, Mr. Choong said this should allow enough time for naval patrols to be alerted and a helicopter sent to the rescue. The pirates would be “helpless”, unable to even start the vessel’s engines without the crew’s help...

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/10/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier attacked

A bulk carrier off the coast of Oman, not otherwise identified, is attacked by men in two speed boats "20NM off Ras al Madrakah." The men, armed with hook ladder, rifles, and rocket propelled grenades, are defeated by evasive action and running fire hoses. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

The attack was made by ten men in two skiffs. The

crew threw wooden and iron pieces to deter the pirates from boarding. The pirates showed hand signals to stop the engines and fired at the accommodation. After 50 minutes of attempted boarding, pirates aborted the attack and proceeded towards their mother vessel. Incident reported to Oman coast guard and coalition warships.

(ICC/IMB Website)

Incident: Combined Maritime Forces warns shippers

Based on new pirate tactics and new lessons learned, Combined Maritime Forces have issued a warning to the shipping industry:

Merchants are urged to use the weather to their advantage, planning new routing off the east coast of Somalia due to the start of the southwest monsoon season.

Additionally,

...pirates have also recently increased their number of attacks during the hours of darkness, highlighting the need for heightened vigilance of merchant mariners during both day and night time transits through the high risk areas.

Further,

The advisory provides routing advice to minimize the risk of attack during the southwest monsoon, noting that the sea conditions off the East coast of Africa during the period from end of May to early September will reduce the likelihood of successful attack. Mariners are encouraged to take advantage of areas of heightened sea state but should continue to remain at a high state of alert.

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/10/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier fired upon

A bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden, not otherwise identified, is fired upon by four armed men in a "speedboat." The target vessel increased speed, activated fire hoses and began evasive action while contacting Coalition forces. The attackers broke off the pursuit. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

Incident: Aisha fired upon

The tanker Aisha is fired upon in the Gulf of Aden by five men in a speedboat discharging 5 to 6 rounds toward the vessel.

The captain increased speed, conducted evasive maneuvers, sounded the ship’s whistle, and contacted coalition forces while the crew activated fire hoses. The speed boat eventually aborted the attack and moved away.

(ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/10/09) Aisha is a 272-m long Libyan vessel. (vesseltracker.com)

Incident: Bulk carrier fired upon

A bulk carrier, not otherwise identified, is fired on in the Gulf of Aden by four men in a speedboat. After evasive action by the captain of the targeted ship, the attack ended. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/10/09)

Incident: Vessel fired upon

A vessel in the Gulf of Aden reports being fired upon by men armed with rifles and rocket propelled grenades. No details. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/10/09)

Incident: Bulk carrier taken

A vessel with 14 Indian crewmen carrying coal from Somalia to Dubai is hijacked in the Indian Ocean 120 NM off Hobyo, Somalia. "The vessel was eventually
released 10 days later after the pirates robbed the vessel and crew of everything of value." No details. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/19/09)

Incident: Tanker fired upon

A tanker navigating the Gulf of Aden (not otherwise identified) is fired upon with automatic weapons by five men in a skiff. The captain of the intended victim increased speed, started fire hoses, and initiated evasive action, which caused the attackers to desist. (ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping, 6/10/09)