Joy Of A Nation, Turned

Over the last few months OCEANUSLive has regularly posted articles (main site) featuring matters relating to counter piracy and its threat to the island nation of the Seychelles.

Specifically, we have, whenever possible, posted updates on the appalling situation of two Seychellois fishermen, Rolly Tambara (70) and Marc Songoire (63), kidnapped by Somali pirates 65 miles west of the island of Mahe, the main island, on 30 October, but not reported until 2 November 2011.


Following the outrageous demands by the pirates for a $20 million ransom, and prisoner swap from Seychelles and other countries, a mission to release the fishermen was undertaken.

To the exultation of the Seychellois people, the President of the Seychelles, “– who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces – congratulated the Seychelles ‘Negotiation Team’ for successfully ensuring the release of Mr Tambara and Mr Songoire in a high-risk security operation that was effected without incident”. He went on to say, "they were rescued through an operation with the help of other governments who provided necessary support.”

So, just over a year in captivity at the hands of Somali pirates, having been forced to head to the coast at Hobyo, then being moved inland to Adado, the elderly fishermen were treated inhumanly by countrymen of the same continent. The joy at their release was not only a cause for celebration of their respective families and friends, but also for the government and the Seychellois people as a whole. And celebrate they have done since the two men arrived back in the Seychelles on Monday, 5 November 2012.

However, this is the part of the saga that has surprised many observers on the island and in other countries; the lack of transparency of the operation to release the men, and why the details of the operation were not made more public. The prevailing notion is that in order for the 'negotiations' to be used as a warning to Somali pirates to make them think twice before carrying out their criminal activities near the Seychelles, or indeed, taking any Seychellois hostage. Something akin to the reputation that Russian and Malaysian forces have following previous rescue missions.

A Seychelles newspaper, Le Seychellois in a piece by Wavel Ramkalawan states the intense feeling of the islanders:

Welcome Home, Marc & Rolly

“Our prayers have been answered. God is so good.” These were the words most uttered when our two Seychellois brothers arrived back in Seychelles following a one year ordeal in Somalia as hostages of ruthless Somalian pirates.

We are all so grateful to the Almighty for having protected and given them and their families the courage to endure each day of their captivity. Our prayer is that they recover from that terrible experience and catch up with these missing 54 weeks, as they enjoy the presence of their loved ones.

Their experience teaches us a lot of lessons on human behaviour. In the first place let us take a look at the pirates who captured them. They showed no respect whatsoever for the two innocent men, both aged over 60, in a small fishing boat with engine problems. Rolly and Marc had no appearance of being wealthy people, but rather two hard working fishermen trying to earn a living. There was no compassion whatsoever on the part of these Somalian pirates.

Secondly, let us look at the masters of these pirates. Again there are no human feelings exhibited. Instead of showing some decency and realizing that these two elderly gentlemen should not be made to endure such suffering, their first thought was money. One would have thought that at least they would have seen their own fathers in Marc and Rolly and would have given an African sentiment of respect for the elderly. But it was not to be. This is an indication of how low they have stooped.

On another level, one would have expected a softer approach to negotiations. But there again, it was not to be. The two oldest Seychellois to be taken hostage were to be the ones to be kept the longest in captivity. This is what the pirates decided and this is what they executed.

These pirates who mistreated our two brothers and others before them, have the same frame of mind as those in our prisons. We respect human rights even if they don’t. Should the ones over here, with the same ruthless and merciless attitude not be taken to task for their behaviour? Should the punishment for piracy not be harsher than what they are receiving right now? I believe so. They should not be made to believe they are in a 5 star hotel on full board, medical treatment included. They should be paying for their crime and their lodging in our prison.

Somalian pirates in our prison should be on hard labour. The 100 or so of them should be made to work hard in the development of our country. One hundred strong men who exposed their lives to be
on the ocean doing wrong should now be made to use that same energy to do what is right. They should be involved in teams cleaning the environment, getting rid of all the invasive plants that are taking over our forests, making sure there is no rubbish in our rivers and marshes, planting to feed our people, and doing other jobs that will ensure that they learn a new way of living to earn a decent living.

Seeing the state of our two fellow citizens has hardened the hearts of the Seychellois. The Seychellois believe that a new approach should now be taken. If they could treat our respected elderly the way they did, should they not receive proportionate punishment they duly deserve? As we give thanks for the safe return of Marc and Rolly, let us also pray for the end of the scourge of piracy and a new beginning for Somalia.

As seen above, the ire is turned on the Somali pirates serving prison sentences in the comparative luxury of an improved mountainside prison, but it is somewhat of a surprise how quickly collective joy and celebration has turned to anger a resentment of the government that took the step to conduct a mission on Somali territory. The US Navy SEALs conducted a mission to rescue two aid workers earlier this year, and EU naval forces carried out a land attack on a Somali pirate logistic area, but such actions are few.

As Rolly and Marc begin the long journey to recover from the ordeal and return to a semblance of normality, spare a though for over 150 seafarers that remain hostage at the hands of ruthless pirates. No such rescue is in sight for them.

Let's Share Information

I have heard you should never start with an apology, but that is precisely what I am going to do. Why? Well, I think it is owed to you if you have read the musings from earlier posts, only to see them dry up.
Now, there is a reason for that; honestly.

Content discovery engine Outbrain composed a haiku on the subject.

“If you wrote a blog
And no one came to read it
Did you write a blog?”

Well, yes I did.

OCEANUSLive has continued to develop the information sharing capability during this time. It has brought together many maritime-related organisations and companies to a single platform to see what is going on in the seafaring community when transiting high risk areas. It has delivered a Weekly Pirate Activity Report (takes up the time that could be spent blogging), which draws on many sources to provide a round up of piracy-related matters, including piracy incidents from around the globe during the preceding week; it looks to keep the reader abreast of events, conferences, announcements, attacks, release of vessels and crew, and, well, you get the idea.
OL, the eponymous name for OCEANUSLive, has the unenviable task of bringing together the seafaring community to 'crowdsource' information of not just piracy-related events in the HRA (high risk areas - Horn of Africa, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Guinea, South China Sea & South America), but also has the ability to establish Emergency Collaboration Centres at short-notice for such disasters as an oil spill, search and rescue, hurricanes and so forth. It enables better coordination, or Command and Control, for the organisations and ships involved where others only provide in-house/inter-agency systems, omitting many valuable and relevant organisations, authorities and users who are not a part of the main group of coordinators.

Not forgetting, of course, the situational mapping that is available for each area covered. It can display where hijacks, pirate attacks, suspicious activity and even spots where fishing activity is taking place (no pun intended) to avoid confusion with pirate sightings. It displays 24-hour, 48-hour, 7 days, 30 days, 6 months or 12 months of data for the user to use for their own analysis purposes. It has range indicators to show the potential distance travelled by, for instance, a Pirate Action Group (when plotted), and the ability to add in a ruler to gauge distance between incidents or locations. It's kept in a simplified graphical format so as to avoid the confusion and clutter that you might see in some cases. The situational map for the Horn of Africa region is viewable on the homepage (button top of the page), but registration is necessary for the other regions.
Of course, verified access is required to keep a level of integrity of users online. However, there will be further changes as we move from the 'freemium' status to a 'freemium' in some cases, and 'premium' in others. How much can you have for free? This system needs the funding, so a license for access will come about in 2012. Trust me, it is worth it when you consider what is available now.
Naturally, we have Twitter and Facebook accounts, which you are free to follow. Articles are posted via both, although the immediacy of Twitter has seen the followers grow steadily with some very interesting followers from high level organisations and persons. No names, no pack drill. You'll have to check us out on Twitter to see who keeps up to date though. Obviously, there are more 'tweets' relating to the maritime community, but there are also those concerning emergencies and disaster; the occasional generalised tweet, and the odd funny or reply to a question. We have passed the 10,000th tweet mark already!


OL has grown in reputation and is often quoted by many news agencies across the globe - yes, it does please us somewhat. However, we try to ensure the information we provide is verifiable and is not just hearsay. We now have a mutual support network with various other website news providers, and we are looking to arrange agreements with other companies to provide real-time alerts of incidents to a wider audience.
None of this happens without the support of the vessels, companies and individuals who provide the input. We, in turn, hope that we contribute to the increased domain awareness, and the enhancement of security and safety to the seafarer, after all, that is our mantra.


It does not stop there. A similar real-time capability can be provided for a company or organisation that wishes to enable their staff, vessels and crews to be able to exchange data in real-time. Why wait for email (becoming snail-email) when you can share information straight away? There are a few huge corporations who see it the same way. Exchanging documents, images and even short videos enables greater efficiency in processing data flows. Information between vessels, companies, ports, security agencies, law enforcement and maritime authorities can be easily shared. Importantly, it can be utilised in a ships' safe room, or citadel, to assistant in maintaining long-range communications vital to the establishment of contact with naval authorities.
Oceans Beyond Piracy has stated that "information regarding acts of piracy and armed robbery against merchant vessels and their seafarers and the increasing use of violence upon captured seafarers as an instrument of piratical acts is under-reported;" and further recognize "that the collection and reporting of such information will be of value to the maritime community as a whole and the global fight against piracy."


When you consider all of the points made, and the industry-wide acknowledgement that information sharing is a fundamental to improving coordination, cooperation and collaboration, then OCEANUSLive provides a solution that has been missing for some time now.


No one solution fits every need, but OL can be adapted to fit the various regional, national, or even bespoke requirements of an organisation or company, making the model pretty much available to fit those needs.


When taken in context with the improved and reliable use of powerline communications - using the electrical wiring infrastructure to provide high-speed data networks in any location; on vessels, buildings, ports & marinas, oil & gas platforms, for example, negating the mess and expense of fitting cables - an additional capability available through our partners (more on that in the future), then the ability to effectively share information, over such vastly differing locations and users, becomes simplified, reliable and secure.


After all, Information, Security, Safety; Shared says it all.

More Than Just Interesting...

It has been a while since I've had something to say, but with all the travelling and keeping up on the latest counter piracy news, it is time to rejoin the information fray.


Momentous news in many areas in the last few weeks, none more momentous than the reported "bringing to justice" of OBL - Osama Bin Laden to many.
The navy, albeit the US Navy through their highly skilled SEALS, has achieved something George Bush set out some years ago now. On hearing the news he called it a "momentous achievement."

OBL (source: BBC.co.uk)

President Barack Obama announced Bin Laden was killed following a 'firefight' in a ground operation 62 miles outside Islamabad, Pakistan, based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.
Following his death, OBL's body was taken by US forces, and breaking news stated that the body had been buried 'at sea'. How whether this affects a Muslim considering that in Afghanistan, dead Muslim are handed over to their family and friends for appropriate burial, as it is customary to bury the dead with 24 hours of death. Allied forces went to great pains to not offend in this manner, so the fate of OBL's body may become another standpoint issue for the remaining, dispirited followers. In the short-term, US, and other allied countries, will brace for possible revenge attacks, however, some commentators claim the Arab world may find it all rather irrelevant as they have their minds focused on the recent uprising.
Whilst the death of OBL may well strike at the "morale of the global jihad," says Roger Hardy in a BBC article, "it is unlikely to end it." Read more at BBC News. Incidentally, oil and stocks have reacted positively to the news. Now do the same for piracy and we could be on to an economic recovery, of sorts.


Now, back to piracy off Somalia. Let's try to keep this brief.
Somali pirates had a bit of a spring clear out of tankers over the last couple of months, making room for the next batch. They have returned to taking dhows traversing the region which have been used as motherships. The Indian Navy has made such inroads on capturing pirates (61 captured in one incident alone) that they have taken the step to renege on releasing crew following the payment of a ransom. Allegedly, it is in response to the holding, and killing, of their brothers by the Indians. The MV Asphalt Venture was released early April but 7 of the 15 crew were kept hostage. Yet another 'game-changer', amongst many. Yes, this does change the position for negotiating any future release of vessel and crew, but importantly, it changes the view of the insurance companies who have been quite happy to accept the increased premiums paid by the shipping industry for the relatively small payouts. If the ransom payment cannot guarantee their release then there will clearly be a reluctance to pay out. Where will that leave the seafarer? The Indian Seafarers Union held a series of marches in 8 cities across the country to protest against the scourge of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
There have been many rescue operations, mainly by non-EU and non-NATO countries, with varying degrees of success. The resultant deaths on the Beluga Nomination were a tragic consequence, but there has been successes (which I am sure you will have read about). Most recently, the Seychelles coastguard carried out a rescue only 1nm off Denis Island; claims that naval units closer to the coast of Somalia have enabled the rescue of a number of hostages on land have surfaced, but no one is claiming 'responsibility' for such successes. Odd in itself as it is an opportunity to declare to the pirates of the intention to stifle their operations. Even the Iranian navy foils pirate attacks, including a recent attack off the Pakistan coast.
A few of the recently released merchant vessels have limped away from their Somali anchorages with engine trouble of some sort or another, requiring them to be towed to a safe port (Mombasa in Kenya), so it is of concern that attacks are 'trending' off Mombasa over the last couple of weeks. There is a new dynamic - one that pleases some but alarms others - where a vessel was released following a ransom drop. The pirates were counting their ill-gotten gains for the hijack of Sinar Kudus (hijacked 46 days ago with 20 Indonesian crew) when they came under fire from Indonesian forces. 4 pirates were killed, but a spokesperson for the Indonesian military said “We thought there would be more tasked to collect the ransom. But we were wrong.” Jakarta Post. Now that is a game-changer. What will be the response? It may well be similar to the threats to Indian seafarers following the Indian Navy successes. Indeed, the shipping industry has called for greater action from governments to take more action, even at the cost of seafarer lives. It may affect future negotiations to a degree not yet seen. Whether it deters the pirates is doubtful. Replacements from the interior of Somalia are always ready to grab their piece of the pie to escape the humanitarian and religious insurgency problems.


Finally, Senator Mark Kirk visited the semi-autonomous region of Puntland recently. He spoke to the Puntland President Abdurrahman Mohamed Farole, and even met a famous pirate being held in prison on an 8-year sentence for piracy. Sen. Kirk is known for his hawkish stance on anti-piracy and was conducting a whirlwind tour of the region as part of the review of NATO and US efforts. Sen. Kirk was the man who took the Illinois seat vacated when President Obama was elected, and has served in many theatres including Afghanistan and Kosovo See Somalia Report.


So, it is more than just interesting to see one global menace be negated, when will the menace of piracy off Somali be negated? Hopefully, it does not take as long as it did in OBLs case. Either way, 'GO NAVY!' 

Shipping World And Social Media

It may seem like this blog is mashing together two disparate issues, but bear with me as I attempt to bring it all neatly together.


Issue 1: The Joint War Committee has expanded the geographic area in the Indian Ocean, subject to higher insurance premiums, due to the widening scope of attacks on shipping by Somali pirates, extending the area further east, reports Lloyd's List recently. The premise of the article is how the higher insurance costs and risk of hijack continues to plague not only the shipping industry, but by simple extension of cost, also the consumer, as world economy and trade will eventually bear the burden of those costs; or at least that's what it 'could' be saying if you paid for a subscription to Lloyd's List.


Do not misconstrue, LL provide a plethora of information relating to the shipping industry. It is one of the foremost commentators on shipping. Granted, there is much to be said for 'paid content', as some online daily newspapers have adopted, but when the matter of seafarers posting on social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, not to mention the profusion of blogs (yes, like this one!), websites and forums, the article in LL with the headline "Social media shock for shipowners" neatly demonstrates the complexity of the issue. Let me elaborate...


Issue 2: The LL article states "SHIPOWNERS ignorant about social media and its influence are largely unaware of private material crews have posted on Facebook, Twitter and other freely available websites, waiting to surface at inopportune moments". The problem within the shipping community is the vast, disparate, some areas dated, but varied aspects of the industry. No one organisation has the ability to adroitly manage the huge companies, operators, owners, charters etc in how to run social media. It seems that loose lips (keyboards and keypads) do not exactly sink ships, but they can bring shipowners into discussions they would much rather not bring out to the general purview.

It just does not work like that. The shipping industry wants the public to be more aware of the influence shipping has on the world trade and economy. Sharing information to raise awareness of the pressures, dangers and importance of the industry is a two-way channel. The public, at home with access to social media easily to hand, is reflected in the seafarers who wish to do the same at sea. The increase in social media usage is a worldwide phenomenon. The whole world is talking. Looking at the uprisings across the Middle East, the disasters which have struck Japan and New Zealand, for instance; all covered via Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. The maritime community cannot remain resolutely detached from social media. Ignorance, like in law, is not an excuse.

It is time to move on. Yes, sensitive information should be safeguarded, it makes sense, but information is a way of everyday life. This is not a data protection matter either, just the issues that affect the safety and well-being of those serving at sea. Whether work-related or personal, the seafarer has greater connectivity than ever before. Remember using Morse code, radio telephone calls, telegrams, snail mail once in harbour, then email (quickly becoming snail-like)? They are either past it or are becoming passe.

Social media provides instant access and rapid exchange of views. No company or organisation can escape being talked about, no matter if it is the general public, the customer, or the staff. The beast is too big to be controlled (unless it is Google, Facebook, Microsoft or Apple). Take a look at some of the stats surrounding social media. A 2010 study mentioned a somewhat surprising stat: "75% of employers say their business has no formal policy instructing employees on the appropriate use of social networking sites on the job." The study "Employer Perspectives on Social Networking" compiled from 34,000 businesses in 35 countries, is covered in greater depth by Brian Solis article 'The Rules of Social Media Engagement' (www.briansolis.com). As Brian says "Social Media represents the democratization of information and the equalization of influence", the problem is the confusion of effective engagement with everyday chatter. Assigning the task of social media (if the company is aware of its existence) is usually to a junior staff member, because they understand how to use it.

In the maritime industry, the junior staff coming through have grown up with the ever present Internet and see it as a natural extension of their life. In fact, access to the Internet is now a human right in some European countries. The Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said governments must "regard the Internet as basic infrastructure - just like roads, waste and water" (BBC News). So to remain resolutely ignorant, or choose to ignore social media in such a huge industry as shipping, is not exactly an offence, but could be in some countries.



As Brian Solis goes on to say "In order for businesses to maximize the opportunity present within social networks, we must place engagement in the hands of those representatives qualified and trained to do so effectively and strategically."

 
If you need more evidence of why social media is important, whether you like it or not, see what Erik Qualman has to say on his site Socialnomics - its bigger than you think. If the shipowners are shocked at what their employees are saying, they are in for a far greater shock to see what is being said by everyone else who has moved on. "It's a people driven economy stupid" (Equalman).

If seafarers are worried about sailing across pirate infested waters, they are most certainly going to talk about it, whether with their families and therefore the public, and/or their fellow seafarers. Social media at sea is growing and will only get bigger. Does that mash it together?

UN Concerned Over 'Grave Threat' of Somali Piracy

Original from Beijing Today Blog

The U.N. Security Council expressed its deep concerns about the “grave threat” caused by piracy in Somalia on Thursday, the same day an attempt by Somali security forces to free a Danish family from a pirate gang failed when would-be rescuers were ambushed.

The Security Council’s day-long open debate on Somalia was organized weeks ago by China, which holds the council’s rotating presidency. The council condemned the ongoing violence, including hostage taking, murder and other violent acts.

A senior official in Somali’s autonomous region of Puntland said five soldiers were killed and vehicles were burned on Thursday when pirates ambushed government forces trying to rescue the Danish couple, their three children and two crew members.

The family was kidnapped two weeks ago after pirates seized their 43-foot (13-meter) sailboat. In another failed rescue attempt two weeks ago, U.S. forces hoping to save four American hostages later discovered that pirates had killed all the captives.

A pirate told The Associated Press that the Danish hostages were safe and still being held.

The Security Council said it “recognizes that the ongoing instability in Somalia contributes to the problem of piracy and armed robbery” and stressed the need for a “comprehensive response” to tackle piracy and its root causes.

The 15-member body charged with helping ensure the world’s peace and security called on U.N. member states for urgent donations to support the U.N. mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM. It also called for the full deployment of 4,000 more peacekeepers to deal with the increasing violence.

Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, an attempt to rebuild national institutions after civil war, needs to speed up reconciliation among differing groups and complete a constitution before the transitional period ends in August, the council said.

Somalia has not had a functioning government in two decades. Piracy flourishes off the coast, with ransoms recently climbing into the millions of dollars and pirates holding hostages for longer periods.

The Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, told the UN Security Council debate that Somalia faced "two evils, the scourge of piracy and the plague of terrorism", and stated that "Not only are these two ills working in tandem, bu they are learning from each other." He gave a stark warning that there is the potential for the hijacking of tankers to be used "as deadly weapons" by al Qaeda's agents in Somalia, along the lines of September 2001 terror attacks in America (Reuters).

There is a great deal of tragic news going around right now; more than is usual, but the plight of the seafarers held hostage, both ashore and at sea, must not be forgotten in all of this. Recovery from disaster, no matter how devastating, does happen and people continue with their lives. The daily threat of being harshly treated, or even killed, is an ongoing torture that few have to face. In your prayers for those affected by global disasters, remember those held against their will by pirates, and the families who rarely, if at all, hear from those taken when going about their work. Where is the aid for them?

Shipping Campaign Calls on 'People Power' Against Somali Piracy

It has taken off very rapidly and has spread globally, so who are we to omit it from our blog...

Press briefing

1 March, 2011

Shipping chiefs call on ‘people power’ to pressure governments to crack down on Somali pirates now throttling vital trade routes

Ship owners and seafarers are calling on ‘people power’ to push their governments to act now and show the political will to resolve the growing Somali piracy crisis before it strangles world trade and before more innocent seafarers are tortured and murdered.

The SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign, launched today by BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Shipping Federation (ISF), Intercargo, INTERTANKO and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), is aimed at encouraging millions of people around the world to heap pressure on their national Governments to crack down on piracy. They are calling on YOUR help.

The Somali piracy crisis affects you and every one of us worldwide. The dramatic recent extension of the pirates’ operating area right across the Indian Ocean** means that there are now no alternative routes to avoid the Somali pirate gangs, especially for tankers coming out of the Gulf. Ship owners and seafarers are re-evaluating their current determination to ensure that these vital trade routes remain open, and are going to have to choose whether to trade through this area or not.

Merchant ships are being attacked daily, running a gauntlet of gunfire and rocket propelled grenade attacks from armed gangs of Somali pirates. Over 800 seafarers are currently held hostage on their hijacked ships. Subjected to physical and psychological abuse for months at a time, they are held ransom for millions of dollars.

Yet even when caught red handed by naval forces, 80% of pirates are released to attack again. Why? Because the world’s politicians don’t realise the severity of this critical situation. The governments give the orders. The governments hold the key to resolving this crisis. But they seem unwilling to face reality and act. Their brief to the naval forces is simply to deter and disrupt, unless it involves a national interest.

Enough is enough. The Round Table of international shipping associations (RT) and the ITF are placing hard-hitting advertisements in key major international newspapers on 1 March to kick off the SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign which highlights the plight of seafarers and, with six specific requests, brings pressure to bear on governments to show more political will and fewer legalistic excuses in dealing with Somali piracy.

Six specific requests

We are specifically asking for governments to recognise the threat to our seafarers and the world economy, and take the necessary steps to eradicate piracy at sea and ashore by:

• Reducing the effectiveness of the easily-identifiable pirate motherships.
• Authorising naval forces to detain pirates and deliver them for prosecution and punishment.
• Fully criminalising all acts of piracy and intent to commit piracy under national laws in accordance with their mandatory duty to co-operate to suppress piracy under international conventions.
• Increasing naval assets available in this area.
• Providing greater protection and support for seafarers.
• Tracing and criminalising the organisers and financiers behind the criminal networks.

SOS Save our Seafarers

The RT and the ITF have launched a new website for the SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign  http://www.saveourseafarers.com/. Just two clicks and supporters can send a pre-prepared letter, signed by them, to their chosen heads of government. The website will also have up-to-the minute information on the piracy situation, and an SOS TV page with film clips and pictures.

Piracy is out of control – background**

As pirates use hijacked merchant ships (so-called motherships) to extend their reach almost to India’s coast some 1,500 miles from Somalia, the lawlessness has spread right across the Indian Ocean through which half the world’s oil supply passes. Tankers coming from the Gulf and the Middle East can no longer avoid the pirates – and a hijacked tanker with 2 million barrels of oil represents 20% of daily oil imports to the USA.

In addition to the human cost, piracy is strangling key supply routes and costing the global economy $12 billion a year.

We rely on freedom of the seas for the safe delivery of 90% of our food, fuel, raw materials, humanitarian aid and manufactured goods. Shipping serves international trade and assists economic activity and therefore regional stability in neighbouring countries. This freedom to serve world trade is threatened.

Quotable quotes

“It’s time for Governments across the world to take firm action against the pirates that attack and hijack our ships. The current practice of releasing apprehended pirates without trial is a disgrace to our seafarers and to the international conventions. The upholding of international law and order is being grossly neglected.”

BIMCO President, Robert Lorenz-Meyer  

“Pirates are getting stronger, more violent and richer every day as a result of inertia by Governments. On behalf of all the major shipping organisations, we’re calling for help from Governments to tackle this human and economic terror being inflicted upon innocent seafarers. We hope that by working together and encouraging support from the global community we can ease the current crisis of Somali piracy.”

ITF General Secretary, David Cockroft

“Piracy is out of control. The pirates’ extended reach through the use of hijacked merchant ships (so-called motherships) means that for tankers coming from the Gulf, there is no longer an optional route to avoid the risk of hijacking – and one captured tanker with 2m barrels of oil represents one fifth of U.S. daily oil imports. Governments need to protect the world’s shipping lanes by showing political will, not political indifference.”

INTERTANKO Chairman, Capt Graham Westgarth

“Politicians don’t realise the severity of this crisis. Escalation affects our seafarers first and foremost, but the potential effect on world trade and regional stability will affect us all. Governments can no longer afford to simply to deter and disrupt the pirates.”

Intercargo Chairman, Nicky Pappadakis

“We are drawing to the urgent attention of governments and inter-governmental organizations the recent deeply concerning shift in the modus operandi of Somali pirates, particularly where torture and murder of innocent seafarers is involved. The impact of this growing crisis on the welfare of seafarers and on trading patterns has to be understood by politicians and the public alike.”

Chairman of ICS/ISF, Spyros M Polemis

Contacts:

The Round Table of international shipping associations:

BIMCO  Peter Grube  pg@bimco.org  Phone +45 44 366800

ICS/ISF  Simon Bennett  simon.bennett@marisec.org Phone +44 20 7417 2857

INTERCARGO  David Jones  david.jones@intercargo.org Phone +44 20 7977 7035

INTERTANKO  Bill Box  bill.box@intertanko.com   Phone +44 20 7977 7023

ITF Sam Dawson  dawson_sam@itf.org   Phone +44 20 7940 9260

Memoirs of 8 Months with Somali Pirates

The following tale is an account of being held captive by Somali pirates. The Vietnamese seafarers' experiences at the hand of the notorious Somali pirates includes how they were used as a mothership to rob other vessels, and tellingly, how the crew managed to be released from pirate control. 

Sailor Tran Van Tri

VietNamNet Bridge – “While we were dropping an anchor, we saw a high-speed canoe approaching. Somali pirates holding machine-guns got close to the ship, overpowered the captain and other sailors,” Tran Van Tri, 22, who has just returned home after eight months seized by Somali pirates, recalled.

Tri, from Quynh Long commune in the central province of Nghe An, became a fisherman after leaving junior secondary school. In September 2009, his parents borrowed money from a bank to cover labour exporting fees for him. Since then, Tri was recruited as a sailor of Tai Yuan 277, a tuna fishing boat of Taiwan.

 In May 2010, while fishing tuna in the Indian Ocean, Tri’s vessel was seized by a group of Somali pirates. “Several minutes later, another group of Somali men appeared with machine-guns. They forced all sailors to go to the board and searched through the boat to take all cash and assets. The pirates told the captain to steer the ship to Somalia. The ship was ordered to land in a closed and wild sea, where many other fishing boats were detained.

“In Somalia, the pirated classified sailors into Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, etc. and forced them to do different works. They beat anyone who opposed and threatened to kill them,” Tri recalled.

The pirates allowed the captain to get contact with the Taiwanese ship owner but they could not contact the owner. The pirates were very angry and they asked the captain to seek way to get contact with the owner to ask for ransom. As they could not contact Taiwan, the pirates used the ship and sailors to rob other ships. Two months after the arrest, Somali pirates permitted sailors to call home for three minutes.

“I was crying on my bed when I heard a strange phone call. I had a feeling that this was my son’s call. We talked for three minutes but I cried for two minutes,” said Tri’s mother, Tran Thi Hue.

On January 20 2011, after robbing a big fishing ship in the Indian Ocean, the pirates asked the captain to steer the ship to its dock. While the ship was running, the chief mechanic told the pirates that the ship was out of fuel. Five pirates searched the ship but they didn’t see any oil can left. They thought that the ship was out of oil so they released the ship and all sailors.

“When the pirates left  the big ship that they had just robbed, we embraced each other for happiness. All of us cried because they were released by the pirates unconditionally,” Tri said.

After a while, all sailors were very worried because the ship was out of fuel but the Chinese chief mechanic laughed and told sailors that there were over ten tons of oil hidden in the ship. “We hurriedly supplied fuel for the ship and run to Sri Lanka,” Tri continued.

The ship landed in Sri Lanka 12 days later. The captain got contact with the Taiwanese Consulate in Sri Lanka. Sailors called home and they were assisted with their journey home. On March 3, Tri and two other Vietnamese sailors from Ha Tinh and Kon Tum provinces arrived home safely.

Tri’s father, Tran Van Uon, said: “I heard that my son was captured by pirates. I though that he would not return but I still had to encourage my wife and my mother. We prayed for him everyday and he has returned”.

Nearly 1000 young people in Tri’s commune – Quynh Long – work as sailors on foreign fishing ships. Tri said that Somali pirates don’t kill or maltreat Vietnamese hostages because they know that Vietnamese sailors are very poor. He said that hostages were also supplied with rice and water.

Source: VNE