2211 –– 2277 AApprriill 22001122

Back to temporary future? Pirates switch back to small cargo and fishing vessels to evade

detection. Attacks down on first quarter 2011 but more violent. Meanwhile another hijack as

attacks are up in HoA this week. Enrico Ievoli released with claims of $9m ransom. High-ranking

pirate convicted in US federal court facing mandatory life. As India pass piracy bill, Somali

students used as interpreters for piracy court case. Cyprus to enact 'Anti-piracy' bill, but SA says

no to private armed guards. India to work closer wth EU and 'shared strategy' with US. EU

Ambassador urges speed up piracy transfer agreement with Tanzania. Maldives warns of piracy

spread as first ever India, Maldives and Sri Lanka Coast Guards trilateral exercises off the island.

US training Yemeni coastguards on the use of tel-communication devices to improve maritime

security. Alleged that pirates extend deadline for ransom payment for MV Albedo following

shortfall of money raised by families. Indian seafarer gives a glimpse of the sufferings of those

held hostage by Somali pirates. Bodies of Filipino sailors, killed during rescue mission, return

home. "In a perverse kind of way, the Somali pirates have done West African tourism a bit of a

favor..." Short film on a Somali youth in a dilemma in choosing a life of piracy over fishing. 'Anti-

piracy water curtain'.

East Africa

Pirates armed with Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and AK47s hijacked Alabass, a

Yemeni fishing vessel, in the Arabian Sea, some 17 nautical miles south of Ras Fatark, Yemen.

The incident occurred at approximately 08:00UTC on Tuesday morning - Somalia Report.

Pirates launched the attack from Hua Laaf, a fishing vessel that the pirates had been using as a

mothership.

Of the 24 crewmembers onboard, the pirate decided to retain only four: the Master and three

others continue to be held onboard, and 20 were escorted back to Somalia in a pirate skiff. The

move indicates that the pirates are already using the vessel as a mothership. Were the gang to

sail the vessel back to the coast, there would be no need to split up the crew. Clearly, they were

unwilling to operate with such a large number of hostages on board, as they would be required to

feed them, and they could very well overpower the pirates given their number, posing a security

threat. Read more.

Pirates initiate clan conflict. Six dead and seven injured as pirates fight over hostages,

reports Somalia Report

The fighting has ended with ten people dead, including the guards of the South Korean hostages,

after local elders intervened, according to Yusuf Mohamed, a traditional leader from the region.

At least six are dead and seven were injured in clan fighting on Saturday in the Daba-Galo village

near Harardheere, initiated by pirates fighting over hostages, according to officials, pirates and

witnesses who spoke with Somalia Report.

Galmudug officials confirmed the clan fighting.

"Clan clashes occured in the Daba-Galo village, caused by pirates caused the fighting. Our

administration does not have complete authority in the region, so we hope that local elders will

play a role in stopping the fighting,” Galmudug Interior Minister Ahmed Baasto

told Somalia Report.

The fighting began on Friday afternoon. Tuur, a pirate from Harardheere, explained how the

conflict began over a group of pirates fighting over hostages.

"Pirates from the Cayr clan, holding four South Korean hostages, were in Daba-Galo. Another

group of armed pirates from the Salebaan clan were passing through the Daba-Galo area,

heading toward the Gushaaye group in Harardhere. The Cayr clan pirates suspected a plot, and

opened fire on the other pirates, friends of Guushaaye. Three pirates from the Saleeban clan

were injured. A lot of pirates from the Salebaan clan attacked those from the Cayr clan early on

Saturday, and the conflict has developed into all-out clan fighting," Tuur said. Read more.

The South African Navy has helped nab pirates off Africa's notorious eastern coastline, helping

drive a pirate vessel into the hands of South Africa’s waiting military allies – and freeing captive

hostages, reports Independent Online.

The South African Navy ship, the SAS Drakensberg, is on patrol off Mozambique’s northern

coastline, as part of Operation Copper, collaboration between South Africa, Mozambique and

Tanzania.

“It all started with an unsuccessful pirate attack on a Filipino

merchant vessel last Friday at the Northern end of the

Mozambican Channel.

The SAS Drakensberg, with anti-piracy assets onboard,

was already conducting patrol duties in the Mozambican

Channel at that time,” the navy said in a statement on

Tuesday.

“During the Monday morning, a French aircraft located the suspected pirate mother ship off the

Tanzanian coast and moving in a Northerly direction.

“The pirate mother ship, with a skiff in tow, was identified as the Sri Lankan fishing vessel

Nimesha Duwa, which was captured by pirates on November 9.

“By Monday afternoon, the Tanzanian Navy had provided permission to the SANDF to conduct

anti-piracy operations within its territorial waters and the hunt was on.”

In the days that followed, the SAS Drakensberg and its SA Air Force scoured the Tanzanian

coastline. The European and Tanzanian vessels were closing in from the north while the SAS

Drakensberg forced the pirate vessels to escape to the North into the waiting arms of the

Tanzanian forces. Read more.

Somali pirate gangs are known for their creative pressure tactics used to encourage vessel

owners into paying ransoms as quickly as possible. While pirates can be patientMV Iceberg

1 has been held for over two years a decline in hijack success rates has resulted in increasingly

brutal actions towards hostages, or at least threats of this nature -Somalia Report.

This week the Master of MT Royal Grace, a UAE-owned chemical products taker hijacked by

pirates on March 2nd of this year, emailed the owners stating that one of the crewmembers had

been killed, but did not give a cause of death. Sources close to the captors of the vessel

told Somalia Report that the allegedly deceased crewmember is an Indian national, but

diplomatic sources have claimed he is Nigerian.

It is very possible that the claim is simply pirate propaganda, and an attempt to pressure the

owners into speeding up their negotiations. Pirates have not offered any further evidence of the

alleged death.

The pirate gang is currently demanding $14 million for the release of the vessel, which will slowly

reduce as negotiations develop. Initially, pirates were demanding $25 million.

Pirates hijacked the Royal Grace and kidnapped its 22 crewmembers (comprised of Indian,

Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Nigerian nationals) off the Omani coast, while the vessel was on her

maiden voyage to Nigeria. The ship was in ballast at the time.

This is not the only such claim this week. Somalia Report received reports from a variety of

sources on Wednesday afternoon that one crewmember of Taiwanese-owned, Omani-flagged

fishing vessel Naham 3 had died. Pirates did not give a cause of death. Read more.

Somali pirates are switching back to using smaller cargo and fishing boats as motherships,

hoping to evade detection as maritime security is stepped up to foil their attacks on merchant

vessels, industry and navy sources say, according to Reuters.

With the prospect of ransoms worth tens of millions of dollars, Somali pirates continue to threaten

vital shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Over 20 years of war and famine have

worsened prospects for Somalis, adding to the appeal for many young men of crime on the high

seas.

Armed gangs had started using large merchant vessels - including tankers - that they had seized

as motherships, forcing crews by gunpoint to do their bidding. The tactic, employed aggressively

in 2011, enabled them to operate further out at sea.

But vigorous actions by navies, including pre-emptive strikes, have cut attacks, forcing pirates to

adapt their model.

"We are seeing a change in tactics," said Joe Angelo, managing director with INTERTANKO, an

association whose members own the majority of the world's oil tanker fleet. "They are now

hijacking smaller dhows and they are using them as motherships which is making them less

suspicious."

Traditional dhows, used by fishermen and general merchants in the region, were first deployed

by Somali pirates before they started using larger captured vessels.

The larger vessels enabled gangs to operate for longer periods at sea with more supplies and in

harsher weather conditions, as well giving them more flexibility when launching their high speed

attack craft known as skiffs. Read more.

West Africa

More than two years after the Federal Government granted unconditional amnesty to militants in

the Niger Delta and created avenues for the training and development of the youths, disgruntled

groups of militias under the aegis of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND,

have continued to kill security agents and carry out more disruptions to oil facilities in the region -

AllAfrica.

The article goes on to state: While MEND has not been directly linked with piracy operations, its

recent warning to ships off Nigerian coast is said to have confirmed earlier reports of links

between pirate gangs and some segments of Niger Delta militants.

Multi-national oil firms in Nigerian had recently raised the alarm over the high crude theft in the

Niger Delta with one of the company declaring that Nigeria is losing as much as 150,000 barrels

of crude oil per day.

Many maritime experts have also expressed fear that the threats by MEND may internationalise

its terror attacks based on its new premise of attacking both Nigerian and South African target.

Read the full article HERE.

Southeast Asia

Pakistan Marine personnel allegedly opened fire on Indian fishermen, injuring one of them,

near the international maritime border off Jakhau in Gujarat on Thursday night, and apprehended

10 Indian fishing boats on Friday morning in another incident - The Pioneer.

Four boats were set free later but it was not clear how many fishermen were in captivity. "Daya

Bhai, one of the six fishermen on board the vessel ‘Sagar Bhuja’ sustained bullet injuries when

Pakistan Marine Security Agency personnel opened indiscriminate fire on them late last night

while they were fishing in international sea," a Marine police official said here.

The vessel is from Porbandar. The injured fisherman has been admitted to a hospital in Okha.

In another incident, "the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency personnel this morning apprehended

14 fishing boats from near the international maritime border in Arabian sea off Jakhau

coast...Four boats were set free by them (later) with a few fishermen on board," said Manish

Lodhari, Secretary, National Fish Worker Forum (NFWF).

Pirates who hijacked the Italian chemical tanker Enrico Ievoli off the coast of Oman late last

year have released the 16,631 tonne vessel and its crew, Italy's foreign ministry said on Monday

- Reuters.

The vessel, with a crew of six Italians, five Ukrainians and

seven Indians, was seized in the Arabian Sea during the

early hours of Dec. 27.

OCEANUSLive reported on the Italian chemical tanker

captured by Somali pirates off the coast of Oman in December with 18 crew members has been

released, the foreign ministry in Rome said on Monday. Read more.

Diplomatic and piracy sources told Somalia Report that the oil products tanker was released on

Monday and she is presently sailing towards Italy with a team of Italian Marines on board.

It is believed that a $9 million ransom was paid for the vessel. Some pirate sources have claimed

the gang received $14 million for the release of the vessel, however this is likely an exaggeration.

Pirates frequently inflate ransom prices in order to inflate the average and encourage higher

payments, says Somalia Report.

A federal jury began deliberations on Friday in the trial a Somali man accused of being a pirate

negotiator involved in an attack on a U.S. yacht in which all four Americans on board were

eventually shot and killed - Washington Post.

Mohammad Saaili Shibin faces piracy, kidnapping and hostage-taking charges in connection with

the 2011 hijacking of the Quest off the coast of Africa.

The yacht owners, Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., along with friends Bob Riggle

and Phyllis Macay of Seattle, were the first U.S. citizens killed in a wave of pirate attacks that

have plagued the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean despite regular international patrols by

warships.

Negotiations with the U.S. Navy were under way when shots were fired aboard the yacht. The

Navy had agreed to let the pirates take the yacht in exchange for the hostages, but court

documents say the men didn’t think they would get the amount of money they had sought from

the exchange. Read more.

Washington Post later reported that a federal jury convicted a Somali man of piracy on Friday

for his role as a hostage negotiator in the hijacking of a U.S. yacht. All four Americans on board

were eventually shot to death.

Mohammad Saaili Shibin was also convicted of piracy, kidnapping and hostage-taking for the

hijacking of a German merchant ship in 2010. The mostly Indian crew was tortured to get a

higher payment. Shibin faces a mandatory life sentence on the piracy charges.

“Today’s verdict marks the conviction of the highest-ranking Somali pirate ever brought to the

United States,” U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said in a statement. “He was among an elite

fraternity of pirate negotiators — the vital link to any successful pirate attack. His skills were

essential to obtain a ransom for those who attacked the vessel and the financiers who paid for

the attack.”

Prosecutors said Shibin received at least $30,000 for his role as a hostage negotiator aboard

the Marida Marguerite, which was ransomed for $5 million. Read more.

Displaying seriousness to deal with piracy, the government today introduced a bill in the Lok

Sabha that provides for recognising it as a crime and lays down norms for prosecution of pirates

apprehended by Indian authorities with punishment up to life term -Outlook India.

The Piracy Bill, 2012, has been brought as India does not have a separate domestic legislation

on piracy and prosecution for piracy as a crime has not been included in the Indian Penal Code,

1860 or in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

The bill, brought in the backdrop of rising incidence of piracy including within India's Exclusive

Economic Zone, is aimed at bringing "certainty" and "clarity" in the law and provides sound basis

for effective prosecution of pirates held by the Indian authorities irrespective of their nationalities.

The bill, moved by Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed, provides punishment for an

act of piracy, attempt to commit piracy and accomplice to piracy and has a provision for

extradition of persons involved in an act of piracy.

It confers power on any gazetted officer of the central government or of a state government with

powers of arrest of any person, investigation and prosecution exercisable by a police officer

under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The legislation provides for setting up of designated courts for speedy trial of offences of piracy

and territorial jurisdiction of each such court. Read more.

The city police, unable to make head or tail of what the 120 arrested Somali pirates said in

court, have enlisted the help of two Somali MBA students from Pune to act as interpreters during

the trial, reports the Times of India.

The Yellow Gate police arrested the pirates in March 2011 for hijacking several ships likeVega

5 and Al-Murtuza, and charged them with murder, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation,

hijacking ships and so on. However, the police had a difficult time understanding the pirates'

language. "It was a difficult task to know what they said," said investigating officer M G Tope. The

police wrote to the ministry of external affairs to provide a professional interpreter. However, it

was unable to provide one.

The police then approached Pune University and identified five Somali students who spoke the

pirates' mother tongue as well as English. "We have hired two such students, both doing their

MBA from different colleges in Pune. They are being paid Rs 3,000 per hearing," said Tope.

The students were first called in to the Sewri fast-track court last month when charges were

framed against the 120 pirates. The accused are not brought to court; they face trial through

videoconferencing. "It is not possible to bring all 120 in one day and keep them in the courtroom.

We go to court with the interpreters and they help us continue the proceedings when it comes to

understanding the pirates' language," said an officer.

David Cameron's plans to allow British ships travelling around Africa to carry private armed

guards to combat the threat of piracy have been dealt a blow after South Africa insisted they be

military - OCEANUSLive.

Lindiwe Sisulu, South Africa's defence minister, told the Daily Telegraph she had already

received a request from Britain and other European countries to allow ships with armed

protection to pass through South African waters.

She said she would insist they were military personnel to facilitate dealings with South African

marines boarding the ships to inspect them.

British military sources say the plan would be "totally unworkable" because the UK lacks the

capacity to staff civilian ships with troops.

They also warned it would put Britain at risk of international diplomatic incidents such as the

recent case of Italian soldiers shooting dead unarmed Indian fishermen they thought were

pirates. Read more.

The Cyprus Shipping Chamber welcomes the adoption by the Council of Ministers, of a

relevant Bill to combat Piracy on Cyprus ships. With the approval of this pioneering Bill, an

innovative and detailed legislative framework is established for lawfully using armed escorts by

specially trained and certified guards - Maritime Executive .

The Chamber, as the official representative of the Cyprus Shipping Industry, cooperated very

closely with the Cyprus Maritime Administration and especially with the Department of Merchant

Shipping, during the preparatory stages of this important Bill, which took over a year.

The “Anti-Piracy” Law will provide a response to the current “gangrene” of the phenomenon of

Piracy affecting International Shipping, which has escalated in recent years with the illegal

seizure of vessels and detention of seafarers under inhuman conditions including torture, injuries

and even killings, against ransom payment claims on behalf of shipowners for their release. The

cost of Piracy in terms of International Trade during 2010 only, was estimated at 12 Billion

American Dollars.

The Cyprus Shipping Chamber anticipates that, with the subsequent approval of the Bill by the

House of Representatives very soon, Cyprus will become the first country in the European Union,

and possibly internationally, which will regulate in such detail this burning issue for International

Shipping and in this way, it will further enhance its maritime infrastructure, as well as its image

held today as a reliable and constantly developing Maritime Centre.

In an update briefing given to the Washington Foreign Press Center, the Principal Deputy

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Political Affairs, Tom Kelly spoke on the US response and efforts

of the US and international community, including the private sector, against Somali piracy - US

Dept of State.

MR. KELLY: Thank you very much. I want to thank, first of all, the Foreign Press Center for

inviting me to speak here today on the important subject of piracy off the horn of Africa. Today,

I’d like to speak to you a little bit about the U.S. response to Somali piracy and why I think our

efforts, and the efforts of the international community and the private sector, are making a

positive difference.

From the beginning, the United States has adopted a multilateral approach that addresses this

issue as a shared challenge. We consider the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia

as an essential forum for interaction between states and regional and international organizations.

I’m going to say a few words about some of the key issues pertaining to our counter-piracy effort,

and then I’ll be happy to take questions.

Perhaps the most significant factor in the decline of successful pirate attacks have been the

steps taken by commercial vessels to prevent and deter attacks from happening in the first place.

Industry-developed best management practices to prevent pirate boardings before they take

place remain the most effective measures to protect against and repel pirate attacks. The U.S.

Government requires U.S. flag vessels sailing in designated high-risk areas to take these

security measures.

The United States supports the maritime industry’s use of privately contracted arms security

personnel, known in the industry as PCASP, to enhance their vessel’s security. To date, not a

single ship using PCASP has been successfully pirated. The United States encourages flag

states to allow PCASP as a proven measure to repel pirate attacks.

While the safety of crews is absolutely critical, we believe that submitting to pirate ransom

demands only ensures that future crews will be taken hostage. The United States discourages

the payment of ransom, as every ransom paid further institutionalizes the practice of hostage

taking for profit and promotes its expansion as a criminal enterprise.

The United States supports enhancing the capacity of states, particularly those in the Indian

Ocean region, to prosecute and incarcerate suspected pirates. Measures that we support include

increased prison capacity in Somalia and developing framework for prisoner transfers so that

convicted pirates can serve their sentence back in their home country of Somalia. Read full

transcript HERE (includes video of the briefing).

As India and the United States work out a "shared strategy" to combat piracy, the expanding

movement of Somali pirates beyond the western Indian Ocean close to India's western coast has

emerged as an issue of concern - IndiaAfrica Connect.

"India's a critical partner in our multilateral efforts to combat piracy," Tom Kelly, principal deputy

assistant secretary for political military affairs, told foreign reporters Friday in a briefing on efforts

to counter Somali piracy.

"Obviously, India is affected in many ways. As a participant in the global economy, obviously,

India is also threatened by the pirate's attack on international mariners," he said.

"The pirates' range is expanding beyond the western Indian Ocean to areas in proximity to the

western coast of India," Kelly said, "And that's obviously an issue of concern."

As the scope for piracy activities by Somali pirates expands, it increases the importance of

commercial vessels following best management practices and considering the use of Privately

Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP), he said.

"Because even though we have an unprecedentedly large naval coalition that is participating to

try to push back against the pirates, the Indian Ocean is simply too vast of a territory for naval

forces alone to be able to control the problem," Kelly noted.

Kelly said he and US assistant secretary for political military affairs Andrew Shapiro, had recently

travelled to India to talk about their shared strategy and efforts to combat piracy.

"As Indians know very well, a very significant percentage of the hostages taken are Indian

citizens, Indian mariners," he said. Read more.

Noting that coordinated actions by independent players including India have helped enhance

security of cargo vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the European Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) feels that

more assets should be deployed by stakeholders to curb piracy at high seas, reports IBNLive.

Unlike the European forces and the NATO, India along with Russia, China and Japan operates

independently there and recently started coordinating their patrols to provide security cover to

more number of ships passing through the pirate-infested waters. The EUNAVFOR, which

operates a fleet of at least four warships under Operation Atalanta in the Gulf of Aden, has now

been granted permission by the European Union to destroy pirate logistics bases situated along

the Somali coastline without putting their boots on the ground. Around 25 warships from various

countries and groups operate in the vast region of 2.5 million square miles and "more warships

there will be a bigger deterrent" against pirates, EUNAVFOR Operation Commander Rear

Admiral Duncan L Potts told a group of Indian reporters here. He was asked if the EUNAVFOR

wanted India and other independent players to deploy more assets there. The officer said

warships of India, China and Japan have started coordinated escort patrols of cargo vessels,

which has helped in optimum utilisation of resources available for fight against the scourge. The

warships of India and other two countries coordinate under the Shared Awareness and

Deconfliction (SHADE) arrangement of the EU under which all other forces deployed there keep

each other updated through real time sharing of intelligence. Indian forces have been deployed in

the Gulf of Aden from October 2008 and operate independently there. India has been advocating

for a UN-led operation there but the EU and America-led Navies have been continuing there on

their own.

India has asked Indian Ocean region countries for a "clear" demarcation of piracy-infested

waters and sought setting up of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to promote inter-

operability and understanding among the navies active in the area - Zee News India.

During the recently concluded Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in South Africa, Indian

Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma also raised the issue of deployment of armed guards on-board

merchant vessels.

Highlighting Indian Navy's role in containing piracy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), Admiral

Verma said that there should be a clear demarcation on the zone of piracy, according to Navy's

Assistant Chief, Foreign Cooperation and Intelligence (FCI), Rear Admiral Monty Khanna. Read

more.

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Charlottetown is deploying to the Arabian Sea region,

joining Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150) to conduct maritime security operations, according

to the Defence Department. CTF 150, a multinational coalition fleet, was established in October

2001, in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom - Ottawa Citizen. It conducts maritime

security and counter-terrorism operations in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea,

and in the Indian Ocean. Much of the focus of the task force is on anti-piracy operations.

The announcement of Charlottetown’s new mission was made Sunday. The frigate has been at

sea since January and is in the midst of a six-month deployment. It had been supporting

Operation Active Endeavour, NATO’s counter-terrorism effort in the Mediterranean Sea. Read

more.

Nineteen years after the failed attempt to restore hope in Somalia, it appears the West is getting

ready for another crack at Africa's Horn, comments IBNLive . The EU Naval Force tasked with

anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden has had its mandate extended to cover "Somali coastal

territory and internal waters". This ends the policy of "no boots on the ground" in Somalia,

opening the door to land and air strikes on pirate camps, transport and logistics.

Top Indian Navy officers, just back from the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium in South Africa,

confirmed the development, one of them indicating that intervention is perhaps the only long-term

and permanent solution left for the international community.

South Block is yet to formulate a response but with Somalia's transitional government agreeable

to the European initiative, India, it would seem, could go in for similar fig leaf in the event a

decision on intervention has to be made.

Although the total number of pirate attacks has fallen, the pirate industry in Somalia is adapting

to the challenges posed by increased naval patrols and aerial surveillance. Pirate "Mother ships"

as they are called, are venturing out of the Gulf of Aden, entering the Indian Ocean and the

Arabian Sea. They are changing tactics, using mass attacks by speedboats to overwhelm and

capture merchant vessels. Read more.

European Union Ambassador to Tanzania Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi has urged the

government to fast-track approval of a pirates transfer agreement, stressing that the decision will

be for the economic, social and political benefit of the country - IPP Media .

The envoy made the call yesterday in Dar es Salaam at a press briefing that aimed to highlight

efforts on fighting piracy along the East African coast and humanitarian operations support by the

European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) in the region.

“Piracy is the current economic challenge in the region. Tanzania has an important role to play in

supporting efforts made by other countries in fighting against pirates. It is wise that the

government gets to approve the document as fast as possible,” he said.

He said Seychelles, Kenya and Mauritius had already signed the document to allow pirates to be

brought to trial in their mother country.

"The failure in signing the document infringes humanitarian rights of the pirate, cooperation with

other countries which have signed already the document and thus limit access to training," he

warned.

Earlier, when briefing journalists about the Dutch frigate HNLMS Van Amstel's visit to Tanzania,

Commander Hans Veerbeek said joint efforts were seriously needed to work on piracy along the

Indian Ocean coast. Read more.

Maldives today warned of new dangers lurking close to the Indian Ocean atolls with the rapid

spread of Somali piracy - DNA India.

"These threats have now come to our close proximity," the country's Defence Minister

Mohammad Nazim said as he flagged off the first ever India, Maldives and Sri Lanka Coast

Guards trilateral exercises off the island.

"We live by selling dreams of tranquility and even a small incident in our territory could have

devastating implications for the region," he declared.

Nazim said Maldives had "never been" and "will never be a safe haven for terrorism". He said the

group of islands had enjoyed peace and tranquillity for ages, adding "we want to ensure it stays

like that".

He said his country will neither “harbour” nor "tolerate" terrorists and extremists on its soil.

Describing the joint exercise as timely, Nazim said that a collaborative approach in combating

maritime threats was the right response to them.

Nazim lauded India, saying it has "always been a close ally and has played a key role in training

and equipping MNDF Coast Guard to its current level". Read more.

German participation in the Atalanta anti-piracy mission is being expanded. Bundeswehr

soldiers will now be able to target piracy infrastructures up to a limit of two kilometres inland in

the coastal region of Somalia - German Federal Government.

The ceiling on troops will remain unchanged at 1400. The mandate should be extended until 31

May 2013 and the mission area broadened to include Somalia's coastal area and internal coastal

waters. This would allow soldiers to destroy pirate logistics on the beach. The expansion still

needs to be approved by the German Bundestag. Read more.

US experts are training Yemeni coastguards on the use of tel-communication devices that have

been lately provided by the US Government to Yemen, military sources said, according

to Yemen Post.

The sources praised US support provided to coastguards, pointing out that such training and

assistance will strengthen its abilities to secure Yemen's coasts, combat piracy and trafficking.

Meanwhile, the commands of Yemen's coastguard stated that the Yemeni coasts became more

secure and safe.

The Yemeni News Agency (Saba) quoted a coastguard commander as saying that precautionary

security measures have been taken in Aden to protect Yemen's torrential water.

The official told Saba that Yemen's security boats around the clock to protect Yemen's territorial

water and seize any illegal ships. Yemen's Interior Ministry has sated that it ordered the

Coastguards Authority to activate its patrols in all Yemeni coasts and seize any suspicious boats,

stressing the significance of securing Yemen's coasts.

In its online website, the ministry made it clear that the new measures aim at ending any crimes,

illegal immigration, and drug trafficking and combating piracy. Read more.

One hundred and two incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported in the first quarter of

2012, with dangerously increasing numbers in West African waters, according to the latest

figures collected and released today by International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) piracy reporting

center - gCaptain.

So far in 2012, a total of 11 vessels have been reported hijacked worldwide, with 212 crew

members taken hostage and four crew killed, the report states. The report adds that a further 45

vessels were boarded, with 32 attempted attacks and 14 vessels fired upon – the latter all

attributed to either Somali or Nigerian (West Africa) pirates.

West Africa Piracy. The IMB says that it received ten reports of piracy from the waters off Nigeria

in the beginning of 2012, the same number reported in Nigeria for all of 2011. An attack in

neighbouring Benin has also been attributed to Nigerian pirates. The reports from the region

include the hijackings of one product and one chemical tanker, between which 42 crewmembers

were taken hostage.

“Nigerian piracy is increasing in incidence and extending in range,” said Pottengal Mukundan,

Director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, which has been monitoring piracy worldwide since

1991. “At least six of the 11 reported incidents in Nigeria occurred at distances greater than 70

nautical miles from the coast, which suggests that fishing vessels are being used as motherships

to attack shipping further afield.”

Two crew members were killed when armed pirates boarded their bulk carrier 110 nautical miles

off Lagos, Nigeria and attacks in Nigerian coastal waters have further resulted in at least three

crew kidnapped from their anchored vessel.

“While the number of reported incidents in Nigeria is still less than Somalia, and hijacked vessels

are under control of the pirates for days rather than months, the level of violence against crew is

dangerously high,” added Mr Mukundan. Read more.

The impact of Somali Piracy - an infographic - illustrates the cost of Somali piracy on the world's

economy.

The Somali hijackers of MV Albedo have extended the deadline for payment of US$2.85

million(Dh10.4m) in exchange for the crew's release by another three days, states The National.

Although family members had hoped to defer the payment until next month, the pirates have now

asked for the funds by Thursday.

"They extended the first April 20 deadline to April 23, and now have asked for the money to be

dropped off on April 26," said Ahmed Chinoy, the chairman of Pakistan's Citizens Police Liaison

Committee, which is mediating with the pirates on behalf of the relatives of the hostages.

"Frankly, we don't have that money with us yet," Mr Chinoy said. "We are still in the process of

collecting funds."

There is a substantial shortfall of 150 million Pakistan rupees (Dh6m) in the amount the pirates

have demanded for "expenses", including medicine and food for the crew.

The money has been raised by the citizen's group, charity organisations, relatives, the Malaysian

ship owner and contributions from the public on the websitesavemvalbedo.com. Read more.

Italy has agreed to pay compensation to the families of two Indian fishermen shot dead by

Italian marines [on board MV Enrica Lexie] who allegedly mistook them for pirates -BBC News.

The families will each receive 10m rupees ($189,000; £117,013), officials said. In return they

have withdrawn court cases against the marines.

The two marines, who were guarding an Italian oil tanker, are still being held in India on murder

charges.

Italy said they fired warning shots, mistaking the fishermen for pirates.

The incident took place off the coast of the southern Indian state of Kerala in February. India said

the fishermen, Valentine and Ajesh Pink, were unarmed.

Under the agreement signed on Tuesday, the compensation money will be paid to the widow and

two children of Valentine, and to two sisters of Ajesh Pink. Read more.

The scars may have faded but memories continue to haunt Ravinder Singh. He is one of the few

people who can empathise with the 13 Indians being held hostage by Somali pirates for over two

years - DNA India.

Like them, Singh lived under constant threat of death, beatings, torture and starvation when he

was held hostage for nine months. About the 13 Indian crewmembers of MV Iceberg 1 being

held hostage for over two years, he is not sure even if they are still alive.

Speaking to DNA, 32-year-old Singh gives a glimpse of the sufferings of those held hostage by

Somali pirates.

“One day a pirate suddenly charged at us. He picked an Egyptian, poured oil over him and set

him ablaze. We could do nothing. The pirates did it because negotiations weren’t going on very

well. Then they started punching a Pakistani crew member’s face and broke all his teeth. From

then on, beatings became a regular feature,” he recalls sitting in his home at Kasandi village in

Haryana’s Sonepat district.

Singh was held hostage between August 2010 and June 2011. He was one of the six Indians

onboard MV Suez who returned home, thanks to the efforts of Pakistan human rights activist

Ansar Burney. It was his efforts that led to the ransom being paid to the pirates for their release.

They used to get a meagre meal once a day and half a bottle of water. “We used to get boiled

potatoes and steamed rice but there was no guarantee when this single meal would arrive.”

Now too scared to return to sea, Singh says, “We were treated like animals. Around 15-20

pirates guarded us round the clock. Our ship was manned by 35-40 pirates at any given time.

They would beat us whenever they got drunk.” Read more.

The bodies of the two Filipino seamen who died during an Iranian Navy operation for the rescue

of the crew of a hijacked ship off the southwestern coast of India last month finally arrived home

Thursday - Inquirer Global Nation.

The remains of Zhron Monzon and Stephen Barbarona arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International

Airport (Naia) aboard a Qatar Airways flight around 8:30 a.m.

They were among the 10 Filipinos on the 23-member crew of the Iranian-owned, Cyprus-flagged

bulk carrier Eglantine, which Somali pirates seized on March 26.

Monzon and Barbarona died at the height of the rescue mission mounted by the Iranian Navy on

April 2. The rescue operation lasted two days and ended with the arrest of 12 pirates.

Monzon, 33, a native of Mauban, Quezon, was hit in the head by a bullet fired by the retreating

pirates.

Barbarona, 33, of Antequera, Bohol, suffocated in heavy smoke in the vessel’s burning engine

room, where he hid during the gun battle.

The eight Filipino survivors, who returned home earlier this month, said the pirates bound the

crew members and used them as human shields during the fire fight with the Iranian

commandos.

Thank You Somali Pirates For This Fascinating Vacation. That's who Ralph Hammelbacher, VP

of Expedition Development, credits for Lindblad Expedition's pioneering visit to Liberia this week:

"In a perverse kind of way, the Somali pirates have done West African tourism a bit of a favor ...

A number of ships that would otherwise be in the Indian Ocean are now on the West African

coast because of piracy." - Huffington Post

And that's why the 148 accomplished travelers aboard National Geographic Explorer found

themselves in the historic position of being the largest group of tourists to dock in the Freeport of

Monrovia, Liberia since the 1970s.

At the time of their arrival, the guests of Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic had been

aboard Explorer since departing Capetown on March 20, 2012, as part of our sweeping 37-day

expedition along the West African coast. For them Liberia was Day 26 of an epic voyage, part of

a kaleidoscopic encounter with West African history and culture. For Liberia, judging from their

reception, it was an epic event. Read more.

Asad, the new short film from director Bryan Buckley, is one of the strongest entries at the

Tribeca Film Festival. It only runs 18 minutes, but it packs an emotional punch -Hollywood

Soapbox.

In the movie, a young Somali boy plays on the beach and dreams of one day being old enough

to join the pirates from his local community. He watches them bypass the fishing poles and

instead head for international waters and foreign ships. For the young, impressionable mind,

they’re cool, they’re living the dream, they’re somebody.

But the boy faces reality when an older fisherman emerges on the horizon, bringing to the beach

an enormous fish to feed the family. And within this simple parable, we find the main crux of

Asad: This little boy is constantly pulled between the older, traditional ways and the new world

that emerges from the violence and poverty of the region. Read more.

Water fights appear set to move from a staple of the backyard barbecue to combating real-life

pirates on the high seas thanks to some clever engineering - Future of Tech MSNBC.

The "Anti-Piracy Water Curtain" is an array of high-volume, on-board water fire hoses going full

blast as other newfangled hoses wiggle around wild and crazy.

The intent is to scare off would-be attackers from a distance and make life wet, slippery and

miserable for those who dare attempt to board.

"If a pirate boat approaches, with this system, the first line of defense is to threaten to capsize

the pirate boat by filling it with water at the rate of over 1 cm per minute," Kensuki Mori, the

project’s principal researcher at Japan’s Monohakobi Technology Institute and NYK Group, told

online video news site DigInfo TV.

"Another tactic is our patented hose, which is a new idea. By spraying water from the nozzle tip,

the hose is made to move around unpredictably, using a very small amount of water," he added.

See the Video.

Hijacks:

Gulf of Aden - Yemeni fishing dhow, Alabass, was hijacked by pirates at 1700 UTC in

position 15:20N - 052:12E, approximately 17nm S of Ras Fartak. Reported (via NSC) 21

Apr. See above report.

Unsuccessful Attacks/Robberies (All regions):

Gulf of Aden - LATE Report | Singapore-flagged container ship, Kota Laju, pursued by

two skiffs from the starboard quarter, and closed to a distance of 2.4nm at 1042 LT in

position 11:53N - 043:51E, E of Djibouti. The master initiated evasive manoeuvres to

prevent boarding. The skiffs pursued Kota Laju at speed between 17.5 knots and 18.5

knots for about 1.5 hrs. At 1212 LT, the skiffs abandoned their pursuit and altered course

towards the Somali coast when a military aircraft arrived on scene. Reported to Djibouti

Navy and UKMTO 19 Apr.

Red Sea - Pirates in 3 skiffs approach and attempted to board a Tuvalu-flagged

chemical tanker, Theresa Pelintung, underway at 0400 UTC in position 14:58.2N -

042:01.8E, around 53nm West of Al Hudaydah, Yemen. Master raised the alarm and

alerted the crew. Onboard security team fired warning shots resulting in skiffs aborting

attack. Reported (via IMB) 22 Apr.

Gulf of Aden - Sierra Leone-flagged Ro-Ro, Petra 1, chased by 2 skiffs with 8 pirates at

2145 UTC in position 12:27N - 048:09E. Master raised alarm, increased speed, ordered

evasive manoeuvres and crew mustered in citadel (except essential Bridge team).

Security team fired warning shots which resulted in skiffs aborting attack and return to

mothership. Reported (via Somalia Report) 22 Apr.

Somali Basin - Four skiffs surrounded Antigua and Barbuda-flagged, German-owned

general cargo ship, BBC Maryland, at 1940 UTC in position 04:49N - 054:47E, Somali

Basin. Security team fired flares as warning; pirates fired a single shot before aborting

attack. Vessel is safe. Reported (via NSC) 24 Apr.

Somali Basin - S Korea bulk carrier, Ever Young, attacked by PAG in position 14:58N -

042:25E. 7 pirates in a skiff with RPG and guns sighted. UKMTO informed. Reported 26

Apr.

Gulf of Aden - Bahamas-flagged, Greece-owned crude oil tanker, Samos, attacked by 4

skiff & 1 mothership in position 11:56.9N - 044:39.3E, 19NM from IRTC point A, GoA.

Security team opened fired shots to try deter 6 pirates in 2 skiffs. After 30 minutes pirate's

attack was prevented & UKMTO was informed. Reported 26 Apr.

EUNAVFOR (latest) figures state 8 vessels and an estimated 227 hostages held captive (Updated 17 Apr). Somalia Report indicates 236 hostages held from 19 captured vessels with a further 25 land based hostages, bringing to a total of 281 hostages. TheInternational Maritime Bureau (IMB) figures are:

Worldwide Incidents: updated on 23 April 2012

Total Attacks Worldwide: 121

Total Hijackings Worldwide: 13

Incidents Reported for Somalia:

Total Incidents: 51

Total Hijackings:11

Total Hostages: 158

Current vessels held by Somali pirates:

Vessels: 12 Hostages: 173.

Vessels are reminded that the coalition forces' warships may not be in the vicinity of a pirate

attack, subsequently, it is emphasised that seafarers can greatly reduce their chances of being

pirated if they follow precautions as recommended in the Best Management Practices, increasing

speed and carrying out evasive manoeuvres is a proven deterrent to piracy attacks. BMP version

4 is available at the link above; a high resolution version can be downloaded here.

Vessels are advised to exercise extreme caution when navigating in the vicinity of any reported

positions of attacks and maintain maximum CPA with any ship acting suspiciously. Additionally,

registration of vessel movement with MSC(HOA) prior to transiting the region is recommended.

Horn of Africa Pirate Activity (Click on Map for Larger View)

OCEANUSLive.org permits the reproduction of this image providing source and link are published (Map ToU)

Any suspicious activity should be reported to UKMTO in Dubai (Email UKMTO or Telephone+971 50 552 3215)

and on entering the UKMTO Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) bound by Suez, 78E and 10S.