LATEST NEWS:
Sea-jacked
British couple, Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 60 and 58, were abducted
from their 38-ft yacht S/Y LYNN RIVAL, seized October 22, 2009 en route
to Tanzania, and are still held in Somalia. The yacht was recovered by the crew
of UK naval vessel Waveknight, after they witnessed the transfer of the
Chandlers to commandeered MV KOTA WAJAR. The yacht was brought back to England.
The elderly couple is now held on land close to Harardheere, sometimes separated
for fear of a commando attack . The case is turning more and more ugly with
pirates becoming brutal, politicians ignorant and the financially incapable
family intimidated by several sidelines, whose money-guided approach is
undermining bids by local elders, human rights groups and the Somali Diaspora to
get the innocent couple free. Some humanitarian efforts, however, are now under
way and Somali elders, respected leaders and the Somali Diaspora have renewed
their demand for an unconditional release. Latest reports from the ground say
that the couple is now treated better, though they often are kept separated for
fear of a military rescue attempt. Since the health of both elderly people at
the beginning of the year was reportedly deteriorating rapidly relief and
medicine has been sent by a humanitarian organization and was received by the
couple. Repeatedly rumours were spread concerning attacks, wounding or killing
one of the hostages and also about a release managed by the TFG, but they became
so far not true. With former British Premier Gordon Brown gone, maybe some more
rational and humanitarian minded politicians will now be at the helm in the UK,
who do not abandon their citizen and will extend help to solve the appalling
case, though also the new government in the UK made it clear that no ransom
would be paid by the British government.
UK-Flagged
Vehicle-Carrier MV ASIAN GLORY Released Against Ransom in Case of
Somali Piracy
Six hours after a ransom drop
on 11 June 2010 to the pirate group holding the car-carrier MV ASIAN GLORY
at Kulub in the vicinity of Garacad on the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of
Somalia, the vessel was released and is at present sailing free. The ship's crew
of 25 seamen with 10 Ukranians, 8 Bulgarians, 5 Indians and 2 Romanians on board
are reportedly safe and well, given the circumstances after the five and a half
month ordeal.
The UK flagged and UK/Israeli-owned MV ASIAN GLORY, with a deadweight of 13.363
metric tonnes, was sea-jacked late in the afternoon on first January 2010
approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles and 620 nm east of the
Somali coast in the Indian Ocean.
After having left the South Korean port of Ulsan en route from Singapore to the
Gulf of Aden and Saudi Arabia, the ship was transiting North West towards the
International Recommended Transiting Corridor when she was hijacked.
The company DAYER MARITIME INC fronts as registered owners of the ship and for
the management company ZODIAC MARITIME AGENCIES LTD while the real owners of the
vessel are the so-called Ofer Brothers - the Israeli brothers Sammy and Yehuda (Yuli)
Ofer.
The vessel was first held near Hobyo at the Central Somali coast. From there it
was commandeered twice out to sea to aid pirate mother-ships. The ASIAN GLORY in
both cases was - after rescuing these pirates - taken back to the Somali coast,
in the first instance to Garacad, in the second to Danaane where the floating
pirate base was then held 4.8nm off Hobyo again at the Central Indian Ocean
coast of Somalia.
Though Iranian media had reported her release already in March, stating also
that the vessel had transported weapons destined for Saudi Arabia, negotiations
to release the vessel had not reached any conclusion, when the vessel was
commandeered again to a location a little farther off the coast near Garacad.
Reports by first Iranian and then the Bulgarian media that the vessel had been
released for a ransom of US5m were, however, clearly false and the vessel was
still held while negotiations were not forthcoming for a long time.
Then and for some time the Bulgarian master was missing, but he apparently just
had been hiding himself inside the huge ship, which carried Korean-made saloon
cars.
The vessel left Garacad again on 04. April being used as a piracy launch. Ship
manager Zodiak confirmed the Asian Glory sailed to the east (about 580 miles) on
that weekend and back to off Garacad, but did not reveal that the vessel was
used in a full-fledged attack against boxship MSC ANAFI, which luckily managed
to escape.
With the advancement of Al-Shabaab groups towards Hobyo the Asian Glory then
moved from the Garacad coast to a location near Kulub from where it only now
went back closer to Garacad to be released after a substantial ransom was
delivered.
*To read my Yachting Monthly article on our attack go to Attacked - a lot of similarities ---
In
The
Gulf of Aden
We were attacked and robbed by 3 pirate boats in the Gulf of Aden on
Sunday March 2nd 2003.
Our position was 13*31N 48*24E
It is interesting to note that during the last five years all the attacks
on yachts heading for the Red Sea from Oman have been in a corridor between 47*E
& and 49*E. The distance off shore Yemen does not appear
to make any difference.
We were attacked by 3 old ships lifeboats the sides of which were raised
by blue plastic sheeting. The boats were crammed, with what appeared to be very
frightened Somalia people.
This description is similar to the description given by yachts attacked
in previous years - sometimes only 2 boats.
The ‘crews/pirates’ of these life boats appeared to be Arabs not
Africans. All the evidence is that
these 3 boats were in the business of ‘people smuggling’ from Somalia to
Yemen. Interestingly all the
attacks in the previous 5 years (except one on a Thursday) happened at a weekend
- Saturday or Sunday. The aborted
attack on the fleet of five boats following us happened one week later -
Saturday - The next aborted attack this year was the following weekend.
There was absolutely no evidence of the pirate boats having VHF and they
certainly did not have HF radios. We
were attacked at dawn and I am certain they were following our navigation lights
- both Josephine and Bambola were exhibiting masthead tri-colour lights.
Although the pirates fired rounds at both boats (hitting a shroud on
Josephine) they were not interested in harming us physically.
Certainly we were threatened with loaded guns but their interest was -
Cash (US $’s), Radio equipment - carefully removed, binoculars (they asked
where they were) and wrist watches. They
did attempt to remove the solar panels but they were too well bolted on.
They were not interested in other things - no demands for credit cards or
passports or cameras. They were in
a hurry to get in, grab the swag and get out.
CONCLUSIONS
The attack was opportunistic.
I am certain these boats were heading for the Yemen out of Somalia and
happened to see our navigation lights before dawn and stalked us. (I know many
yachts practiced radio silence or coded waypoints. I do not believe these ‘pirates’ have the ability,
direction finding equipment or indeed VHF radios to track radio transmissions.)
Traveling in a group will not deter them.
There were 6 yachts in the group that was attacked the following weekend.
The pirates gave chase. If they had not been able to outrun the pirates
and one boat had been boarded by armed men what would the crews of the other
yachts have done? When gunmen are
firing Kalashnikovs - AK47s and machine pistols towards you there is not much
point in resistance. The next attack was also on a group of yachts and the
pirates only gave up when an American aircraft buzzed them in response to a
Mayday.
The distance off shore Yemen is irrelevant - Do not go near the Somalia
coast - a merchant ship was robbed, with loss of life, around the same time near
to this coast.
It could be worth considering sailing without navigation lights whilst in
the danger zone.
It could be worth avoiding transiting the danger zone at weekends.
Personally I would not carry guns to defend myself with.
I would have to be a very good shot to avoid hitting the innocent
passengers in the pirate boats. I also wonder if the pirates would run or just
return fire that would outgun most yachts.
I think it worth asking coalition forces for escort.
There is normally a coalition warship in Oman. In the end the Americans
stationed a warship near the danger area and had aircraft regularly over flying
the yachts as they came through. This was a successful tactic although why they
were not prepared to ‘arrest’ the pirates on the high seas, outside any ones
territorial waters, is beyond me.
Only 1% of the yachts heading for the Red Sea are actually boarded and
robbed in any one season - I just hated being that statistic.
Some sort of escort by coalition forces
through the 'safe zone/corridor' seems to be the only really
answer if you are determined to use this route.
Tuesday, 23 September 2003
Michael Briant
SY Bambola Quatre (36ft center cockpit Moody)
La
Rochelle
If you want to read the story of the attack on Bambola as published in YACHTING MONTHLY then go to Attacked
|
has a lot of stories and information about my circumnavigation and personal 'pirate' experience There is more information HERE |
http://www.nga.mil/portal/site/maritime/
is the link to the US agency reporting on piracy world wide
A useful link for cruisers to further pirate information is http://www.onpassage.com/Emergency_Medical/Pirate_attacks.htm
Treasure Island by RLS is about pirates it was the show I directed for the BBC little knowing......