Jersey boats may fly own ensign

The new design features the Plantagenet crown Jersey-registered boats could fly their own version of the UK's Red Ensign after the Queen approved a new design. The ensign is a red flag, with a union flag in one corner, flown from British-registered ships to show their origin.

Other crown dependencies have a defaced version, carrying a badge or crest, and Jersey's maritime authorities have sought one for the island. The ensign, with Jersey's coat of arms and a crown, needs additional approval from the States before it can be used. The States has opened the design up to public consultation and is welcoming comments on the move until the end of the month. The government said the crown used is the Plantagenet crown, dating back to King John, which symbolises the link between Jersey and the British Crown.

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Maritime Communications

Shore side Communications technology has improved dramatically in the last 20 years but maritime Communications has always struggled to keep up with the changes at the same pace.  This is due to a number of factors, from cost of the systems to amount of work required to refit a ship with a new communications system.  Work that can only been completed when a ship is available to go into an extended period alongside, ie drydock.

Though Communications at sea has evolved (albeit a few years behind land based systems) it still catches people out when they first go to sea, that they cannot just take out their mobile phone & ring their contacts for a chat in the middle of the Atlantic..

I do remember an incident at sea in 2004, when a Cadet, sitting in the Mess complained to the Radio Officer because the quality of his phone call to his mum made from his cabin left a lot to be desired…

The Radio Officer with over 15 years of seagoing experience at that time, slowly folded up his 2 week old newspaper & “gently” put him in the picture as to how Radio Communications were when he first went to sea & that he should be amazed that he could just pick up his own phone in his cabin & directly dial his parents home in England….sighting CW telegrams & very crackly Rad-Telephone calls via Portishead with your parents having to say “over” before you could speak….The young cadet went away with a lesson well learnt.

Which brings me on to the serious bit of the article, whilst Telecommunications at sea have been improving quickly, it must be realized that most crew members do not have access to the same telecommunications infrastructure as people ashore, although it really is obvious that the most pressing community who require great communications would be the Seafarers who spent 80 percent of the year away from their families & loved ones.  Seafarers also need to have access to more Marine specific Communications, such as :-

·         Being able to send & receive Distress Alerts or safety information.

·         Being able to communicate with other ships.

·         Being able to communicate with shore side Maritime agencies.

Due to the International nature of shipping, these Communications systems must be internationally interoperable & this is where the delay in having upto date Communications systems on ships stems from.  As the new systems must be interoperable, affordable & acceptable to the majority of Maritime Nations.

All Maritime Agencies do not advocate Mobile Phones as a substitute for Maritime Radio Distress & Safety Systems.  Although Mobile Phones do have their place onboard as an added measure of safety & with the advent of mobile Satellite Phones there is even more Communications available to the Master in the event of an emergency at sea.

Mobile phones generally cannot provide ship to ship safety communications or communications nor provide the ability to make a distress call on a Mobile phone, as only the one party you call will be able to hear you.   Most Mobile phones are designed for a land-based service. Their coverage offshore is limited, and may change without notice.  Locating a Mobile caller, if calling from sea, is almost impossible.  Even with the global phenomenon of Mobile Phones, the humble Radio Transmission still plays a vital part in Maritime Safety.  It is a vital message to pass along to others who think that the Satellite Telephone is a suitable / viable alternative.

Two United Nations-chartered organizations, the International Maritime Organization and the International Telecommunications Union, are responsible for defining and regulating maritime telecommunications systems. The most current system adopted by these two organizations is the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, or GMDSS.  Morse wireless telegraphy, used by ships for distress and safety communications since the beginning of the century ceased worldwide on February 1, 1999. 
This Radio Operator still remembers making his last CW (Morse) Transmission to a Coastal Radio Station in the afternoon 31^st of January 1999, logging it into the CW transmission log.  Ceasing watch on the circuit.  Closing the logbook & sending off to be archived for records.  A sad day.

First Female Cruise Ship Captain

Sarah Breton, 45, from Essex, is also understood by the company to be the first female captain of a cruise ship in Britain. Captain Sarah Breton, who set sail on the 1,200 passenger ship Artemis, said: “Growing up near the water I always loved boats and the ocean, so it really does fulfill a lifelong ambition of mine to be a Captain with P&O Cruises. It is made even more special to be Captain of the first cruise ship I ever served on, after joining P&O Cruises as third officer back in 1989.” Carol Marlow, managing director of P&O Cruises, added: “We are delighted that Sarah Breton has been promoted to the role of Captain on board Artemis. Sarah has worked on board P&O Cruises ships for many years and truly deserves to be Master of Artemis. We wish her every success in her new role More here

SEAFARER FATIGUE: THE CARDIFF RESEARCH PROGRAMME

Fatigue was consistently associated with poor quality sleep, negative
environmental factors, high job demands and high stress.

What a fantastic first paragraph.

Global concern with the extent of seafarer fatigue and its potential environmental cost is widely evident across the shipping industry. Maritime regulators, ship owners, trade unions and P & I clubs are all alert to the fact that with certain ship types a combination of minimal manning, sequences of rapid port turnarounds, adverse weather conditions and high levels of traffic may find seafarers working long hours and with insufficient recuperative rest. In these circumstances fatigue and reduced performance may lead to environmental damage, ill-health and reduced life-s short supply. A long history of research into working hours and conditions in manufacturing as well as road transport and civil aviation industries has no parallel in commercial shipping. There are huge potential consequences of fatigue at sea in terms of both ship operations (accidents, collision risk, poorer performance, economic cost and environmental damage) and the individual seafarer (injury, poor health and well-being,). Not only has there been relatively little research on seafarers’ fatigue but what there has been has been largely focused on specific jobs (e.g. watchkeeping), specific sectors (e.g. the short
sea sector) and specific outcomes (e.g. accidents). This reflects general trends in fatigue research where the emphasis has often been on specific groups of workers (e.g. shiftworkers) and on safety rather than quality of working life (a crucial part of current definitions of occupational health).

A link to the MCA report on Fatigue.

Attachments:
fatigue_research_report_464.pdf

Electronic Charting to become mandatory for most Ocean-Going Ships

The Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has voted to establish new international regulations that will eventually require most cargo and passenger ships to be equipped with an approved Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS).

The new regulations are embodied in amendments to the international Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Treaty and will enter into force January 1, 2011. ECDIS will be mandatory on any new ship whose keel is laid after that date, and the carriage requirement will be extended to cover existing ships on a phased schedule over the next seven years, starting with passenger ships, tankers and very large cargo ships. By 2018, all passenger ships over 500 gross tons (gt), all tankers over 3,000 gt and all other cargo ships over 10,000 gt will be fitted with ECDIS.

ECDIS products have been on the market for quite some time and are currently in use on hundreds of ships, often interfaced with radars
and Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) for a composite picture that shows radar targets and ID information superimposed on the electronic chart display. Some advanced fleets have gone so far as to eliminate the use of paper charts altogether, shifting to ECDIS for route planning, navigation and piloting (this is permitted under current IMO regulations only if the ship is equipped with two independent approved ECDIS systems for built-in redundancy).

The performance standards and technical specifications for ECDIS are lengthy and detailed. All ECDIS products will have to be type-approved by an organization recognized by the IMO as a certification body (e.g., the U.S. Coast Guard).

Now that the IMO carriage requirements, standards and deadlines have been established, marine electronic manufacturers are making plans to bring new products to market in time to meet the mandatory dates. At the same time, international hydrographic offices are rushing to complete their database of Electronic Navigation Chart (ENC) coverage over the world’s major shipping routes and ports. Meanwhile, the shipping industry is coming to grips with the need to establish formal training requirements, standards and courses for seafarers
to operate these increasingly complex pieces of computerized equipment.

If you’d like to know more, you can download a brief guide to the IMO ECDIS regulations here: (IMO ECDIS regulations).

edited by darylwilkes on 19/04/2010

Crew accomodation & Crew Space

A lot has been said about crew accommodation over the past few years. It is one of the main issues seafarers are having in their daily lives.

Ship Owners are cutting back on the size of the Crew accommodation due to the fact that Crew accommodation is counted towards the GRT of a ship & incurs the relevant port & Canal charges etc. They cannot reduce the Cargo / Passenger Space as this is profit / bottom line so the Crew areas are fair game. Hence year upon year crew space is becoming more of a premium.

Whilst seafarers are at sea working, they do also need down time, to recharge & ensure they are well rested to enable them to effectively keep their watch. This doesn’t just include sleep, it also includes social interaction. The lack of social areas within a ship are having a negative effect on moral, which in turn affects efficiency & even safety onboard. This also leads on to retention & recruitment issues. All this at a time of manning crisis throughout the shipping industry.

A happy ship is a competent & safe ship…..a safe ship is a profitable ship. So really isn’t in the Companies & seafarers interests to have decent recreation & accommodation onboard?

Titanic & SOLAS

As with every disaster, lessons are learnt.  The Titanic disaster was no exception & the loss served as a tragic reminder that life at sea is dangerous & unpredictable.

Out of this tragedy though came some good.  The disaster brought about a number of long overdue changes in commercial and passenger trade on the sea. In 1914, a number of seafaring nations gathered to consider the hearing information from the US Senate and the testimony given the British Board of Trade.

This was done in the wake of the great ship's loss, and the continuing public outcry for increased and mandatory shipboard safety. A convention was convened in London, and representatives hashed out new rules and regulations for human safety at sea.

Thus in 1914, two years after the Titanic disaster in which 1,503 people perished, maritime nations gathered in London & adopted the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS Convention)  taking into account lessons learned from the Titanic disaster.

The 1914 convention as superseded by SOLAS 1929, SOLAS 1948, SOLAS 1960 (The first to be adopted under the International Maritime organization) & finally SOLAS 1974.  Which with amendments & many updates is still in force to this day.

Some of the measures put into affect due to the tragedy are :

1. Adequate distress alert capability including a 24-hr radio watch.
2. Ship's public address system which is understandable by all aboard.
3. Adequacy of working lifeboats with covers to minimize exposure.
4. Well-trained lifeboat crew and those who launch the boats.
5. Information for passengers on safety precautions and drills.
6. Immersion suits for cold water travel.
7. International Ice Patrol.
8. Helicopters and rescue craft available at all times with trained SAR staff.
9. Ships must reduce speed in known danger and ice areas.
10. Evacuation chutes for escape.
11. Electronic methods for locating ships in distress and monitoring all ship traffic.
Had all of these mandates been in effect in 1912, it is probable that the loss of the RMS Titanic would have been a footnote in a maritime history book instead of a cult phenomenon.

The Red Ensign has been in decline for many a year now.

British Merchant Navy. UK Shipping.

So I thought it was time to bring her back, in any form we can.
So post your images of the "Red Duster" flying proudly from UK registered shipping.
It doesnt have to me a recent images, images from days gone by would be great too!

Slow steaming changes game

:: www.americanshipper.com

Container-shipping analysts have drastically rearranged their view of the industry at the beginning of 2010 based on the assumption that shipping lines will continue with slow-steaming initiatives, as well as other measures aimed at reducing excess vessel capacity. That ocean carriers have been so diligent in pulling capacity, even as demand surged at the beginning of 2010, suggests that severe overcapacity forecasts through 2012 or beyond may no longer apply.

“We’re now forecasting that overcapacity could go away in mid-2011,” said Tan Hua Joo, executive consultant with maritime news service Alphaliner. “But that’s still 12 to 18 months before equilibrium is reached. Of course, this is only one of several possible scenarios, and it depends on slow steaming to continue, if the current 500,000 TEUs of capacity soaked up by extra-slow steaming grows to 1 million while demand grows.”Speaking at the Trans-Pacific Maritime conference in Long Beach, Calif., held in March by the Journal of Commerce, Joo
said nearly 20 percent of excess containership capacity has been soaked up by slow-steaming initiatives.
“There are 1.1 million TEUs of capacity Alphaliner thought would have to be idled that have been removed through various measures,” he said.Of that 1.1 million, 45 percent has been deferred, 40 percent has been soaked up through slow steaming, 15 percent has been scrapped, and 10 percent has been outright canceled. Slow steaming has had the most unexpected impact on capacity.


via www.americanshipper.com

Are you having issues with slow steaming? Is your company changing their steaming tactics?
We would love to hear views from you at sea?

STATUS OF SEIZED VESSELS AND CREWS IN SOMALIA AND THE INDIAN OCEAN

I found this great article on the state of vessels who have been pirated off the Somali Coast.
It is quite a sobering read to actually see how many ships are on this list!!!

Do you think that the Maritime Nations of the world are doing enough to secure this threat?

8 April Friday, 09 April 2010 10:20 Written by Ecoterra Summary: Today, 08. April 2010, 18h00 UTC, still at least 23 foreign vessels plus one barge are kept in Somali hands against the will of their owners, while at least 364 seafarers - including an elderly British yachting couple - plus the lorry drivers from Somaliland suffer to be released. See the Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor for background info and the map of the PIRACY COASTS OF SOMALIA.

CASES NOT COMPLETELY CLOSED:

MS INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER and S/Y SERENITY - presumed sunken, but wrecks not secured.

BARGE NN - an unnamed barge (allegedly with chemical waste) is held at Kulule (near Bendar-Beyla) since mid March. Ownership and circumstances could not yet be clarified. In the meantime local people have developed some ailments. Community awareness campaign was carried out, barge is provisionally secured. The case needs an immediate solution.

S/Y JUMLA or YUMLA ? - a mysterious yacht with three Africans on board was/is kept since a long time near Dinooda on the Indian Ocean coast. Rumors say the yacht was involved in the sea-jacking of NAVIOS APOLLON and was then sighted near Hobyo.

FV INTMAS 6 [aka FV TAWARIQ 2]: Was missing since March 2009. FV INTMAS 6 (sometimes named FV TAWARIQ 2) with a crew of around 30 seamen went missing around the time when FV TAWARIQ 1 was arrested by Tanzanian authorities with the help of the South African coastguard for illegal fishing. Families of four Kenyan crew members, who were hired by a Chinese shipping agent in Kenya, are desperate to know the fate of their relatives, while the shipping agent is now held also in the Tanzanian prisons in connection with the arrest of FV TAWARIQ 1. When FV TAWARIQ 1 was seized also FV TAWARIQ 2, 3 and 4 fled from the Western Indian Ocean. TAWARIQ 4 is now anchored in Singapore, TAWARIQ 3 caught fire off Mauritius, which has developed into a hub for fish-poachers, and TAWARIQ 2 (INTMAS 6) and her multi-national crew comprised of Taiwanese, Chinese, Filipinos, Vietnamese, Indonesians and Kenyans was missing for nearly a year. When FV WIN FAR 161 was captured by Somalis, who had followed the vessel close to the Seychelles , the other WIN FAR vessels were called back to Taiwan. The Taiwanese real shipowner of FV TAWARIQ 1, who is said to also have had his part in FV WIN FAR 161, which recently was released from Somalia with two dead sailors on board - is wanted by the authorities too. INTMAS 6 also fled from Tanzania after the arrest of FV TAWARIQ 1 - first to the Seychelles and then to Malaysia, from where now three Kenyan crew members returned to Kenya and the repatriation of a fourth from Bangkok is awaited. While the vessel is reportedly now sailing from Malaysia to Bangkok, investigations are ongoing.

MT AGIA BARBARA: INDIAN AND SYRIAN CREW STILL WANTED FOR MURDER - vessel escaped from Somalia after the murder of a TFG policeman and the attempted murder of another to the UAE - unhindered by international naval forces. See our respective updates for details.

FV WIN FAR 161 - The freed vessel returned under mainland China's naval escort back to Taiwan, but an independent investigation into the death of at least one Chinese and one Indonesian sailor as well as into the involvement of the ship in the attack on US-flagged container vessel MV MAERSK ALABAMA has not yet been completed, while Hsieh Long-yan, president of the ship's owner Win Far Fishery, continues to be elusive and evades questions to know why he lied to the Foreign Minister of Taiwan and why he didn't facilitate relief and medical support for the crew during many month.

M.S.V. ABDUL RAZAK: Seized before February 23, 2010 and after 17 November 2008 (latest contact). The 40m ship with 9 crew of Indian nationality was captured by Somali sea-shifta. on her way from Kandala to Dubai. No information concerning the condition of the crew available.
So far the vessel had been reported only as missing or lost at sea by the owner.
Reportedly a 7 men gang of sea-shifta from Garacad, a notorious pirate den at the Indian Ocean coast of North-Eastern Somalia, is/was commandeering the vessel.
Latest informations indicate that the vessel was already misused as pirate mother-ship far off in the Indian Ocean. An intensive search by ECOTERRA Intl. along the coast revealed that it is at present not at the Somali coasts.
Upcoming information says that it might have been involved in an encounter with a French naval vessel at the end of February 2009. It apparently sunk near the UAE and all crew are said to be dead.

1 YEMENI BOAT : Missing since 11. January 2010 from Warsha Island in Alaraj area in Yemen's province of Hudaida (not yet counted on list of pirated vessels - but mentioned here as alert). Originally two dhows had gone missing on the same day, but one - MSV AL HADRAMI 73 - was found by EU NAVFOR with the vessel abandoned and the crew missing, which apparently had left the vessel with a skiff because the engine had broken down. The vessel was towed back to Yemen and handed over to the owner on 20th February.

Legal Dispute: MV LEILA - The Panama-flagged but UAE owned Ro-Ro cargo ship of 2,292 grt with IMO NO. 7302794 and MMSI NO. 352723000 , is held at the Somaliland port of Berbera since September 15, 2009 at gunpoint and under a court order in a legal dispute between Somaliland authorities, cargo owners and the ship-owner. Somali company Omar International claims cargo damages caused by fire on MV MARIAM STAR who caught fire on the upper deck while at Berbera port in early September of 2009. MV MIRIAM STAR - a fleet-sistership - is likewise still at Berbera. The expatriate crew could be freed and repatriated.

Identity of vessel and case not clear:
FV N.N.: A "SPANISH" FISHING VESSEL: Seized March 28, 2010 is reportedly still commandeered towards Hobyo or Harardheere, and allegedly carries two dead crew as well as one dead and one injured Somali on board. Maybe this is a case of mistaken identity mixing the case with the case of meanwhile relieved FV GALATE and the report concerning the deceased was just a rumour, but the information is persistent and Somali sources claim that the case is genuine and the vessel can only slowly come to the coast because it is repeatedly blocked and attacked by naval vessels.


HOSTAGE CASES IN NEGOTIATIONS:

Genuine members of families of the abducted seafarers can call               +254-733-633-733         +254-733-633-733               +254-733-633-733         +254-733-633-733 for further details or send an e-mail in any language to office[AT]ecoterra-international.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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. The health of both elderly people is reportedly deteriorating rapidly. Relief and medicine has been sent by a humanitarian organization and was received by the couple.

MV SOCOTRA 1: Seized December 25. 2009. The vessel carrying a food cargo for a Yemeni businessman and bound for Socotra Archipelago was captured in the Gulf of Aden after it left Alshahir port in the eastern province of Hadramout. 6 crew members of Yemeni nationality were aboard. Latest information said the ship was commandeered onto the high seas between Oman and Pakistan, possibly in another piracy or smuggling mission. VESSEL STILL MISSING.

MT ST JAMES PARK: Seized December 28, 2009 at position 12°58'4N-48°34'1E which is in the Gulf of Aden International Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC), while on voyage from Tarragona, Spain to Tha Phut, Thailand. The registered owner PHILBOX Ltd. is fronting for the management company ZODIAC MARITIME AGENCIES LTD in London, while the beneficial owners are the Ofer Brothers - the Israeli brothers Sammy and Yehuda (Yuli) Ofer . There are 26 crew members on board including the Russian captain and their nationalities are: 6 Indian, 5 Bulgarian, 3 Russian, 3 Filipinos, 3 Turkish, 2 Romanian, 2 Ukrainian, 1 Polish, 1 Georgian. The ship was registred with MSC HOA and was transiting north west towards the International Recommended Transiting Corridor that she was expected to enter 3 Jan. The UK-flagged chemical tanker sent a security alert 14:20 GMT (17:20 Local Time) she also sent an unspecified distress message which was received by RCC Piraeus. The St James Park loaded at Assemini and Tarragona her cargo of 13,175 tonnes of 1,2-dichloroethane - commonly known by its old name of ethylene dichloride (EDC) and used in the manufacturing of plastics and not dangerous in normal carriage conditions. However, 1,2-dichloroethane is toxic (especially by inhalation due to its high vapour pressure), corrosive, highly flammable, and possibly carcinogenic. Its high solubility and 50-year half-life in anoxic aquifers make it a perennial pollutant and health risk that is very expensive to treat conventionally, requiring a method of bioremediation. The vessel's last port of call was Jeddah, where she stopped for Bunkers on 24th December 2009. The tanker was held near Garacad at the North-Eastern Somali coast. During the night of 16./17. February a naval vessel came close and provoked heavy gun-fire from the pirates of MV ST JAMES PARK as well as from neighbouring MV RIM. After the incident, in which the naval vessel didn't return fire and left, MV ST JAMES PARK changed position first to Kulub and is now held off Dhinoowda Qoryaweyn. Negotiations have become difficult and are said to have not been finalized, but are ongoing.

VC ASIAN GLORY: Seized January 02, 2010. The UK-flagged, UK-owned car carrier was taken around 620nm off the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean, while after leaving the South Korean port of Ulsan en route from Singapore to the Gulf of Aden and Saudi Arabia. The 25 crew members -- eight Bulgarians, including the captain, 10 Ukrainians, five Indians, two Romanians are said to be unharmed. DAYER MARITIME INC fronts as registered owners for the management company ZODIAC MARITIME AGENCIES LTD and the real owners, the 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 now twice out to sea to aid pirate motherships. VC 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 and 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, stating it transported weapons destined for Saudi Arabia. Negotiations to release the vessel seem to still have not reached a conclusion, while 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 are false and the vessel is still held while negotiation are not forthcoming. For a time the Bulgarian master was missing, but apparently just was hiding inside the huge ship. Latest reports say the vessel left Garacad being used as a piracy master-platform. The interpreter on the pirate side seems to not be able to keep proper negotiations going.

MV RIM: Seized February 02, 2010. The North-Korean-flagged, Libyan owned general cargo vessel MV RIM was captured - en route from Eritrea to presumably Yemen - in the north-western Gulf of Aden just south of the Yemeni coast on 2nd February 2009 . Though a coalition ship USS PORTER that works closely with EU NAVFOR and a helicopter from USS FARRAGUT, both of CMF CTF 151, confirmed that the RIM had been hijacked, EU NAVFOR headquarters first declined to confirm the report on 2nd to Somalia's anti-piracy envoy - only to report it then a day later.
EU NAVFOR then stated that the vessel was sea-jacked to the north of the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), was not registered with MSC HOA and has had no communications with UKMTO, the British operation in Bahrain.
The relatively small coastal cargo ship of 4,800 tonnes is still listed in the ship registers as being owned by White Sea Shipping of Tripoli in Libya, while in reality it was allegedly sold now to another company for her last cargo trip with a load of clay and with a final destination at the scrapyards in India.
Her crew comprises at the moment of 10 sailors - all of Syrian nationality. An actual crew-list has now been provided. The vessel and crew are neither covered by an ITF Agreement nor an appropriate insurance.
The ship was first commandeered to the Somali Gulf of Aden coast near LasKorey where it encountered Puntland forces and the pirates exchanged fire with them. Then it sailed around the tip of the very Horn of Africa to Garacad on the Indian Ocean side.
The vessel has been moved from Garacad - because local elders protested - to Kulub, where it is held 5.3 nm off the shore at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia. Negotiations between the pirates and the owners have commenced, while nosy naval vessels nearby drew in one case fire from the pirates. Numerous sidelines opened by Somali brokers make the case difficult. The captors have threatened to kill the captain if their ransom demand- reported elsewhere as $3million - is not fulfilled. If rational, the reason for the high demand for a ship which is on her last leg to the scrapyards can only be found in the cargo, which - if really only clay, as stated by the owner - also wouldn't make sense.

SOMALILAND LORRIES: Seized February 25, 2010. Seven lorries and at least 9 persons from their driver-crews of Isaak ethnicity from Somaliland were captured by a gang of sea-shifta from Garacad in order to press their comrades free from Somaliland jails. No financial demands have been made. According to sources close to the pirates, the trucks are been kept in small town near the pirate lair of Garacad called Kulub.

FV AL-SHURA: Seized after February 20, 2010 and most likely on 25th February with one of 9 sailors being killed by Somali pirate-attackers. Present location of Yemeni vessel and crew unknown. Navies have apparently not yet located the dhow.

BB AL-NISR-AL-SAUDI: Seized on March 01, 2010. The relatively small bunker barge Al Nisr Al Saudi was empty when it was taken in the Gulf of Aden. The captain of the ship is Greek and the nationality of the 13 other crew is Sri Lankan. All crew is believed to be safe. The 5,136 ton ship was not registered with maritime authorities and was outside the designated route that naval warships patrol.The vessel is currently held at Garacad and communications between the pirates and the owner have been established. Contrary to many other vessels the families of the hostage-seafarers are very well taken care of.

N.N.: In the early afternoon of 02 MAR 2010 a merchant vessel has been pirated in the vicinity of Aden, ICC/IMB/PRC reported. Further details and specifics of crew were not yet released.



FV SAKOBA: Seized after February 26, 2010, when the vessel was in Malindi / Kenya for bunkers, and according to the owner on 03 March, when the vessel was around Pemba Island in Tanzania. From there she went to her most southerly recorded point on 04 March 2010 at position 7º26.48' S, 42º29.88' E, which is between Zansibar and Mafia Island in Tanzania waters. At 07h04 UTC on 08 March 2010 Kenya-flagged FV SAKOBA was in position 00°52'N-046°56'E. The fishing vessel was/is used as a pirate platform and most likely also involved in the sea-jacking of UBT OCEAN.
FV SAKOBA is a fishing vessel, presently flying Kenyan flag, which has become infamous in the fish-poaching world since many years and its clandestine operations are very well known to several environmental organizations. It has a murky track record.

In 2005 FV SAKOBA, with a crew of Kenyan-Spaniards and Kenyans was involved in a serious incident, whereby a Kenyan seaman got seriously injured off the Kenyan coast. It is therefore assumed that this vessel was not necessarily sea-jacked but also operated in co-operation with the Somali sea-shifta. To be "hijacked" is a nice cover for a crooked crew to operate in criminal operations, be it illegal fishing, smuggling, trafficking or assisting in the hijacking of other vessels. In the clandestine world of vessels sailing under Flag of Convenience (FOC), FV SAKOBA is a special case. FV SAKOBA arrived late afternoon on 10 March 2010 at the Central Somali coast near Harardheere, where it is anchored now at position 4º36.88'N-48º05.64'E.
The 16 men crew consists of one Spaniard of Portuguese origin as captain, the chief engineer from Poland, ten Kenyans, two Senegalese and one sailor each from Namibia and Cape Verde. The Spanish owner of the vessel holds 99.9% of the shares in the Kenyan registered company , which exports the fish to Europe via his Spanish company. The Spanish owner is now at Nairobi in Kenya with the Spanish Ambassador and had reportedly contact with the Somali group holding the vessel. Families of the Kenyan seafarers demonstrated in Mombasa to seek support and information from the Spanish shipowner and the Kenyan government. The legal procession to hand a petition to the Kenya Maritime Authority was broken up by Kenya police, who detained one human rights activist. Meanwhile some of the Kenyan sailors on board were allowed to call home and reported shortages of clean water, food (except fish) and ship-fuel.

MT UBT OCEAN: seized on March 05, 2010. The Marshall Islands-flagged, Norwegian owned oil-product tanker with 21 crew from Burma was captured between the Seychelles and Tanzania in the Indian Ocean while heading towards Dar es Salaam at position 04°34'S-048°09'E at 06h39 UTC (0939 LT). It was said that FV SAKOBA was somehow involved in the sea-jacking of the Norwegian tanker. However, later the position of the attack was said to have been 09°12'S-044°20'E, which seems not to be plausible. The 120 m long 9,224dwt tanker belongs to shipowners Brovigtank and is managed by Singapore-based Nautictank. The tanker had been commandeered to the coast near Harardheere at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast, where vessel and crew are held now 4.3 nm off the beach.

CHARCOAL SHIP ex Dubai: Seized March 17, 2010 after the vessel left Kudah port in Southern Somalia loaded with charcoal for illegal export. Composition of crew not yet known.

MV FRIGIA: Seized March 22, 2010. The Turkish owned, Malta-flagged 35,244-dwt bulker with Israeli-owned cargo of phosphate was hijacked off the Indian coast before midnight at Posn: 11:41.53N - 066:05.38E - 670nm east of Socotra Island and arounf 900nm from Somalia. At 0137 UTC a distress signal was sent. The vessel has a crew of 21 sailors - 19 Turks and two Ukrainians. The vessel is held at Garacad at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia.

MV TALCA: Seized March 23, 2010. The British-managed, Bermuda-flagged reefer was on her way to Iran from Egypt with a 22 men crew - 20 Sri Lankans, one Filipino and one Syrian, and was seized 120nm off the coast of Oman at 13h33 UTC
by 2 skiffs in position 17º27N - 05º642E. The vessel is reportedly commandeered southwards to the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia, where it first arrived at Baargaal on March 25, 2010 -possibly only for a stopover on her way to Garacad. Reza Nourani, head of the fresh fruits importers and exporters union, said the 5000-tonne ship belongs to two members of the Iranian union and is carrying $4 million worth of Egyptian oranges. A serious dispute among the captor broke out concerning the question if the vessel shall stay in Baargaal or proceed to Garacad or even Harardheere.

MSV VISV(A)KALYAN (VRL) (aka VISHVA KALYAN = Global Peace): Seized March 26, 2010. The Indian-owned Dhow had left Kismaayo harbour in Southern Somalia with an illegal consignment of charcoal. It was subsequently captured by a Somali gang of sea-shifta in the Kisimaayo channel. Reportedly, the owner of the vessel is Dubai (UAE) based. Present position and course or number of crew not known.

MSV NAL NARAYAN (aka MSV NARNARAYAN): Seized March 26, 2010. Indian-flagged dhow, disp 1,200 tons, white navy blue in colour, is loaded with charcoal from Kismaayo. Present position and course or number of crew not known. Max Speed 7-8 Knots. Captain and 14 other crew of Indian nationality.

MSV SEA QUEEN: Seized March 26, 2010. Indian-flagged launch, disp 500 tons is white-green in colour and loaded with charcoal from Kismaayo. Max speed 7-8 knots. Owner based in Dubai.

MSV AL IJAJI (aka MSV AL IJAZ): Seized March 28, 2010, at 1530 hrs in approx position S 03-38 E 51-31. The Indian-flagged launch , disp 500 tons is white-green in Colour. Max speed 6-7 Knots. Captured along with meanwhile released MSV Al Kadri.

MSV ATCT: Date of capture not yet known. The Indian-flagged launch, disp 800 tons has a max speed of 7-8 Knots.

MSV AL FARARI: Seized March 29, 2010. The UAE registered but Indian-owned cargo vessel has a crew of 16 Indians and was captured after leaving Mogadishu harbour for a port in Somalia, which the owner only specifies as "Ismail" near Mogadishu.

MV ICEBERG I: Seized March 29, 2010. The UAE-owned Ro-Ro vessel MV ICEBERG 1 with her 24 crew members was sea-jacked just 10nm outside Aden Port, Gulf of Aden. The vessel is now held off Kulub at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia.

FV JIH-CHUN TSAI 68 (日春財68號) : Seized March 31, 2010. The Taiwan-flagged and -owned fishing vessel was attacked together with sister-ship Jui Man Fa (瑞滿發), which managed to escape. The vessels are operating out of the Seychelles. The crew of Jih-chun Tsai No. 68 consists of 14 sailors - a Taiwanese captain along with two Chinese and 11 Indonesian seamen. The vessel is now held at Kulub at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia.

FV NN - IRANIAN FISHING VESSEL: Seized before April 02, 2010. The gang of sea-shifta, which had captured the Indian dhow MSV KRISHNA JYOT and ran out of fuel near Sokotra, seized the Iranian fishing vessel and set the dhow free with her crew unharmed while going off with the Iranian fishing vessel. The vessel has not come to any shore in Somalia and is believed to be used as piracy platform.

VLCC SAMHO DREAM: Seized April 02, 2010. The Marshall Islands-registered "Samho Dream", a 300,000t oil tanker owned by South Korea's Samho Shipping, was seized by three Somali pirates in waters some 1,500 km south-east of the Gulf of Aden at around 16:10 Seoul time (0710 GMT).There are a total of 24 crew members on board, including five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos. The 319,000 dwt very large crude carrier was on its way from Iraq to Louisiana of the United States.The Samho Dream, which was built in 2002, is carrying crude oil that could be worth as much as $170 million at current oil prices. The vessel had been commandeered to Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast - trailed by South Korean destroyer Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin - and is now anchored 4.6nm off the beach.

MV YASIN C: Seized April 07, 2010. After a prolonged attack in the Indian Ocean since 12h43 UTC in position 0459S 04352E - around 270nm east of Kenya - the Turkey-flagged 36,300-dwt bulk carrier was overpowered by Somali pirates in the afternoon.
The Turkish-owned vessel carrying wheat from Ukraine to Kenya has a crew of 25 sailors - assumed to all be of Turkish nationality - and was destined for Mombasa port in Kenya. The exact crew-list has not yet been transmitted. The ship is now commandeered towards Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast.


THIS INFORMATION IS ALSO A WARNING TO VESSELS TRAVERSING THE SOMALI BASIN TO BE AWARE OF LARGER VESSELS BEING USED AS LAUNCHING PADS AND DECOY FOR PIRACY ATTACKS .
All vessels navigating in the Indian Ocean are advised to consider keeping East of 60E when routing North/South and to consider routing East of 60E and South of 10S when proceeding to and from ports in South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya.
The Indian Government has issued a NOTICE on 30th March 2010: All Indian-flagged motorized sailing vessels are - with immediate effect - no longer permitted to ply the waters south and west of a line joining Salalah (Oman) and Malé (Maldives).



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With the latest captures and releases now still at least 23 seized foreign vessels (25 sea-related hostage cases since yacht SY LYNN RIVAL was abandoned and taken by the British Navy) with a total of not less than 364 crew members (incl. the British sailing couple) plus at least 9 crew of the lorries held for an exchange with imprisoned pirates, are accounted for. The cases are monitored on our actual case-list, while several other cases of ships, which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without trace or information, are still being followed too. Over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) had been recorded for 2008 with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases for Somalia and the mistaken sinking of one sea-jacked fishing vessel and killing of her crew by the Indian naval force. For 2009 the account closed with 228 incidences (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 68 vessels seized for different reasons on the Somali/Yemeni captor side as well as at least TWELVE wrongful attacks (incl. one friendly fire incident) on the side of the naval forces.
For 2010 the recorded account stands at 65 attacks resulting in 30 sea-jackings as well as the sinking of one merchant vessel (MV AL ABI) by fire from the Seychelles's coastguard boat TOPAZ and the wrongful attack by the Indian navy on a Yemeni fishing vessel.
The naval alliances had since August 2008 and until March 2010 apprehended 826 suspected pirates, detained and kept or transferred for prosecution 419, killed at least 53 and wounded over 22 Somalis. (Actual independent update see: http://bruxelles2.over-blog.com/pages/_Bilan_antipiraterie_Atalanta_CTF_Otan_Russie_Exclusif-1169128.html).
Not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (although not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last ten years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list, though in some cases it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail - like the S/Y Serenity, MV Indian Ocean Explorer.Present multi-factorial risk assessment code: GoA: RED / IO: RED (Red = Very much likely, high season; Orange = Reduced risk, but very likely, Yellow = significantly reduced risk, but still likely, Blue = possible, Green = unlikely). Piracy incidents usually degrade during the monsoon season and rise gradually by the end of the monsoon. Starting from mid February until early April every year an increase in piracy cases can be expected.

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Were you sleeping, mate?

Were you sleeping, mate?

A dozing first mate may have contributed to the grounding of a bulk carrier on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, authorities have hinted. Shen Neng 1. Federal investigators are exploring whether the first mate of the stricken 70,000-dwt Shen Neng 1 (built 1993) was asleep while on duty as the bulker rammed the reef at full speed this weekend, reports say.



Interviews with the crew are taking place today with the alertness of the first mate both before and at the time of the crash one focus, says The Australian newspaper. The development came as prime minister Kevin Rudd revealed the master of the Shen Neng 1, Captain Wang Jichang, could face jail if he is found to have breached any laws. Rudd, in an interview with national radio, also said the ship’s owner could be hit with a fine of up to AUD 5.5m ($5.08m).

The Shen Neng 1 is owned by Chinese electricity generator, Shenzhen Energy. It crashed into Great Keppel Island on Saturday evening and has since leaked some fuel oil into the ocean. Salvage experts say they will soon be ready to begin pumping fuel from the ship, which has suffered severe damage to some of its tanks. Booms have been placed around the vessel to contain any further spills.

Patrick Quirk, general manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, said: “This isn’t a race, we’re here for the long game, and we want to get to the finish line. “We’re continuing to assess the condition of the ship and have a monitoring system in place to help us assess what action we take next. “We have our spray aircraft on standby if more oil leaks and it was effective when used in the early stage of the incident.”

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