Pirates

[Firn]

60nm off Oman's coast? CTF-151 trutly seems to have been able, aided by the weather to greatly restrict the activity of the Pirates in the controlled sectors.

All in all we hardly know all the ways in which the Pirates collect information or how much the Task forces know about it. I tend to agree with Salty Dog that AIS gets switched off in the hot zones, as it is simply a too good and too easily available information gold mine for the Pirates.

 

[gf0012-aust]

60nm off Oman's coast? CTF-151 trutly seems to have been able, aided by the weather to greatly restrict the activity of the Pirates in the controlled sectors.

as of yesterday they area under overwatch and concern is sized to 5million sq miles

All in all we hardly know all the ways in which the Pirates collect information or how much the Task forces know about it. I tend to agree with Salty Dog that AIS gets switched off in the hot zones, as it is simply a too good and too easily available information gold mine for the Pirates.

actually we do have a fair idea about how pirates get info. one of the worlds leading experts on terrorism also happens to be a leading expert on piracy. He may be singaporean, but he is regarded universally as a source of truth. He provides services to a number of countries currently involved with managing piracy. again you'll note that the sheer volume of piracy events has gone down. In fact they're had to reach out further, or change their operations to western africa to try and find easier pickings.

This has been covered in professional magazines such as JED and SIGNAL as well as being covered in others such as USNI Proceedings and Maritime News

IMO the discussion of how we can intercept and harvest that info is not something for public commentary though as it also has a relationship to the way that we globally manage terrorism intercepts and how those electronic intercepts work.

At the generalist level, thats all I'm going to contribute to this debate.

Try not to look at piracy as something that has state "governance" sized mass. We're dealing with multiple entities, who are not all co-ordinated with each other, who operate independantly and where an increase in activity is usually tied to a different control group "trying it on"

 

[Firn]

Actually we do have a fair idea about how pirates get info. one of the worlds leading experts on terrorism also happens to be a leading expert on piracy. He may be singaporean, but he is regarded universally as a source of truth. He provides services to a number of countries currently involved with managing piracy. again you'll note that the sheer volume of piracy events has gone down. In fact they're had to reach out further, or change their operations to western africa to try and find easier pickings.

Good to know that the people who should know seem to know. That various isolated actors or Pirates extend their operation while avoiding the most trafficed waters is a good sign and is the typical reaction under such circumstances.

This has been covered in professional magazines such as JED and SIGNAL as well as being covered in others such as USNI Proceedings and Maritime News

IMO the discussion of how we can intercept and harvest that info is not something for public commentary though as it also has a relationship to the way that we globally manage terrorism intercepts and how those electronic intercepts work.

At the generalist level, thats all I'm going to contribute to this debate.

Fair enough.

Try not to look at piracy as something that has state "governance" sized mass. We're dealing with multiple entities, who are not all co-ordinated with each other, who operate independantly and where an increase in activity is usually tied to a different control group "trying it on"

In this case you don't need to be worried. I'm well aware of the properties of such (political) entities . While such loosely connected, independant or competing are not very efficient their structures makes it intrinsically difficult to suppress the whole phenomenon.

 

[OPSSG]

Thus far, in this thread, there is little or no mention of what the excellent job that the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is doing in the Gulf of Aden and in the vicinity of the Straits of Malacca (on top of joint air and sea patrols by the littoral states in SEA) to keep pirates at bay.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFlZ5rKuwfM]Al Jazeera Interviews M'sian Sailors[/ame]

(i) Subsequent to the hijacking by Somalian pirates of two Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC) owned vessels (the Bunga Melati 2 and the Bunga Melati 5), the RMN dispatched KD Pahang, KD Lekiu and the support ship KD Sri Inderapura (along with a PASKAL detachment) to the Gulf of Aden (to provide security to the Malaysian team negotiating the release of both ships). Since last year's hijackings, RMN had launched Op Fajar, a rescue, escort and protection mission, with the aim of ensuring the safe passage of all MISC vessels in the Gulf of Aden. Along the way, they have also rescued other merchant ships from pirate attacks.

(ii) On 30 Sept 2008, a MISC company official announced that the Somali pirates have released two Malaysian oil tankers and their crews in exchange for a ransom of RM$ 6.9 million (US$ 2 million). It was also announced that the training ship (KD Hang Tuah) that was sent to the Gulf of Aden on the 4 February 2008 returned on the 14 May 2009.

(iii) In the latest development, a container ship, the Bunga Mas Lima, a vessel owned by the pirate-victimized MISC was converted into a pirate-hunter support ship (see pix) and departed for the Gulf of Arden on 3 June 2009. Owned by MISC, the 699 TEU container ship has been fitted with a helicopter deck, small-boat facilities, light weapon mounts, military-standard communication systems and a medical centre. The RMN auxiliary vessel will be manned by MISC personnel, who had completed a training programme with RMN. The crew, now taking on the role of navy reservists, will be responsible for the navigation and maintenance of the vessel. This is the first Malaysian merchant ship to be converted into an auxiliary vessel for the navy and as the ship is owned and operated by MISC, it should help defray RMN's operating costs going forward. According to Dzirhan (writing for Janes), the financial cost of the escort missions, thus far, totalled RM$ 48.5 million (US$13.91 million).

(iv) According to KL Security Review (reporting in Chinese), as the Bunga Mas Lima refurbishment work was completed ahead of schedule, the auxiliary vessel (KD Sri Inderapura) will return from the Gulf of Aden earlier than originally scheduled.

(v) The country is bulking up its offshore surveillance capabilities with the New Generation Patrol Vessel (NGPV) programme with the procurement of six Kedah- class corvettes using the Blohm+Voss MEKO 100 design. Four NGPVs are in service and two more are due to commission in 2009 and 2010.

(vi) In February 2009, Malaysia received 9 Sperry Marine maritime surveillance radar units to be deployed in Sabah (provided by the US under section 1206 funding), where pirates have attacked vessels close to the country's border with Indonesia. This will include a command-and-control (C2) centre at Tawau, a forward-looking infrared system for air platforms, a communications integration package and support systems for the RMAF's four existing Beechcraft Super King Air B200T MPAs, which were acquired in 1994.​

Any thoughts on these developments? Keep in mind that the RMN have managed to keep any further Malaysian merchant ships from falling into the hands of the Somali pirates.

 

[luca28]

US Congress kill bill outlaws pirates

09:29 GMT, June 25, 2009 defpro.com | A Republican on a US maritime congressional panel has introduced a bill that would give immunity to seafarers who kill or wound suspected pirates.

Frank LoBiondo, a New Jersey congressman, proposed the US Mariner and Vessel Protection Act (H.R. 2984) on 19 June. The purpose of the Act is to assist in the defense of United States-flag vessels against piracy and to ensure the traditional right of self-defense of those vessels against piracy.

The bill allows armed US Coast Guard officials to ride aboard and defend US-flagged vessels in pirate-prone international waters. In this mission individuals are authorized to use force (including lethal force) in the defense of a vessel against piracy. The bill clarify that “an individual shall not be liable for damages in any action brought in a Federal or State court arising out of use of force authorized under regulations under subsection by that individual.”

The bill would further direct the US to negotiate international agreements through the IMO to provide similar liability exemptions in other countries for the use of force by mariners, vessel owners, operators and masters and allow armed US crews to enter foreign ports.

The legislation was introduced two months after the US-flag Maersk Alabama was hijacked by Somali pirates.

----
Source: defence.professionals | defpro.com

 

[Firn]

Thus far, in this thread, there is little or no mention of what the excellent job that the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is doing in the Gulf of Aden and in the vicinity of the Straits of Malacca (on top of joint air and sea patrols by the littoral states in SEA) to keep pirates at bay.
.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0lRLCXv8WI"]Ross Kemp: Pirates 3[/ame]

This series should have brought the efforts of the RMN to a relative large audience. Note the key role the radar stations high upon some of the many islands play, but also how difficult is it for the few airborne assets to give the suspect contacts a look. Once again TUAV batteries would here be spot on.

I will respond to your insightful post later on. It really seems that the RMN has put in this case limited ressources to very good use.

On the other hand the series adds to the already existing impression that there are many different brains and hands in modern day piracy.

BTW: The second part has also been posted.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGsNSwcS6lc&feature=PlayList&p=DC118AC7DD9AF844&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=28"]Ross Kemp: Pirates 2[/ame]

 

[Firn]

(iii) In the latest development, a container ship, the Bunga Mas Lima, a vessel owned by the pirate-victimized MISC was converted into a pirate-hunter support ship (see pix) and departed for the Gulf of Arden on 3 June 2009. Owned by MISC, the 699 TEU container ship has been fitted with a helicopter deck, small-boat facilities, light weapon mounts, military-standard communication systems and a medical centre. The RMN auxiliary vessel will be manned by MISC personnel, who had completed a training programme with RMN. The crew, now taking on the role of navy reservists, will be responsible for the navigation and maintenance of the vessel. This is the first Malaysian merchant ship to be converted into an auxiliary vessel for the navy and as the ship is owned and operated by MISC, it should help defray RMN's operating costs going forward. According to Dzirhan (writing for Janes), the financial cost of the escort missions, thus far, totalled RM$ 48.5 million (US$13.91 million).

Hm this sounds certainly most interesting. Given the current ebb in trade a merchant ship could be an attractive mean for many a financially restriced navy. As far as I can see with my meager experience it should be able to serve both as a platform for Helicopeters and boats with enough ressources to support other ships and a crane which enables it to do partly so. Once again I think that it would be worthwhile to acquire the service of an Scaneagle team an operate it from such a large an suited platform.

Can the navy retrieve some amount of the money spent for escort missions in some way?

 

[gf0012-aust]

Thus far, in this thread, there is little or no mention of what the excellent job that the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is doing in the Gulf of Aden and in the vicinity of the Straits of Malacca (on top of joint air and sea patrols by the littoral states in SEA) to keep pirates at bay.

not in the mainstream press, but in the trade and industry journals it has got very good airplay. The americans have been very forthright about how effective Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have worked together.

eg May 2009 Maritime Reporter has a comprehensive article re piracy and management

 

[OPSSG]

eg May 2009 Maritime Reporter has a comprehensive article re piracy and management

1. As usual, many thanks for letting us know and also directing us to more sources to read. BTW, after praising of the good work of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in the vicinity of the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea, on 4 July 2009, it was reported in Singapore's local press that there were 4 recent pirate attacks (which were incidents of armed robbery - no attempt was made to hold the crew for ransom in all 4 incidents) in the South China Sea.

(i) The Sigloo Discovery, a Singapore registered LPG tanker, and was attacked by pirates speaking Bahasa Indonesia mid-way between Pulau Tioman, off the east coast of West Malaysia and Pulau Mangkai (an Indonesian island).*

(ii) The White Tokio, a Panama registered general cargo ship was attacked by pirates 34 nautical miles off Pulau Aur (off the east coast of West Malaysia).*​

Two more incidents occurred the week before in the vicinity of Pulau Mangkai and the 4 attacks appear to be linked, as the pirates seem to be from the same gang and they were armed with crow bars, batons and knives. These South China Sea pirates were after cash and personal belongings of the crew.

2. David Foran (DF), a foreign service officer with the US State Department answered questions in a webchat on fighting naval piracy in the 21st century.

...Q: Why is it so difficult to stem pirate activity off the coast of East Africa? For example, off the coast of Somalia, I understand the pirates launch zodiac-type boats off a mother ship. With our satellite technology, why cant we stop these mother ships?

DF's Ans: The biggest problem is the huge area that pirates operate in. Mother ships are often pirated fishing boats that have crew members held as hostages. These vessels can be difficult to track. Again, there are limited assets available to try to track pirates.


Q: Do you think if the situation on Somali changed this will help

DF's Ans: Yes, I think everyone agrees that the ultimate solution to piracy lies on the land with a stable Somali government.


Q: Will arming ships get rid of pirates?

DF's Ans: That's a good question. The short answer is we don't know. The US Coast Guard recently issued guidelines to US flagged vessels that will operate near Somalia advising that they should consider the use of armed or unarmed security. There's a great deal of concern on the part of industry about potential liability arising from the use of armed security...

--------------------------
* Footnote: The piracy incidents on the Sigloo Discovery and the White Tokio were also reported in the ReCAAP incident reports dated 27 Jun 2009 and 28 Jun 2009 respectively.

 

[OPSSG]

...in the vicinity of the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea, on 4 July 2009, it was reported in Singapore's local press that there were 4 recent pirate attacks (which were incidents of armed robbery - no attempt was made to hold the crew for ransom in all 4 incidents) in the South China Sea.

(i) The Sigloo Discovery, a Singapore registered LPG tanker, and was attacked by pirates speaking Bahasa Indonesia mid-way between Pulau Tioman, off the east coast of West Malaysia and Pulau Mangkai (an Indonesian island).*

(ii) The White Tokio, a Panama registered general cargo ship was attacked by pirates 34 nautical miles off Pulau Aur (off the east coast of West Malaysia).*​

Two more incidents occurred the week before in the vicinity of Pulau Mangkai and the 4 attacks appear to be linked, as the pirates seem to be from the same gang and they were armed with crow bars, batons and knives. These South China Sea pirates were after cash and personal belongings of the crew.

Two New Incidents on the 12 July 2009:

1. Masked parang-wielding pirates robbed a Singapore-registered tug boat towing a granite-ladened barge in the Straits of Singapore Sunday morning. 'Weihai 5' was towing 'Jovan 1', the barge loaded with granite from Lumut, Perak enroute to Singapore, when five pirates boarded it in the east bound lane of the Singapore Straits from their speed boat. Four of them wearing masks and armed with parangs, snatched mobile phones, money and other valuables from the six Indonesian crew on board the tug boat.

2. A Singapore-registered tug boat, Kenryo towing barge Al Jabber 35 carrying a load of oil rig equipment was east of Raffles Lighthouse, in the Singapore Strait when five robbers boarded the tug boat from a speed boat. The incident occurred when the tug boat was underway to Singapore from Batu Ampar, Indonesia. Four of the robbers worn masks and armed with parangs. The robbers took away mobile phones, money and other valuables from the crew of Kenryo. They also damaged the communication equipment onboard Kenryo before fleeing in the speed
boat. The 12 crew who are Indonesians were not harmed.​

I would expect these 2 incidents are related to the same Indonesian gang.
--------------------------
* Footnote: The above piracy incidents were reported in the ReCAAP incident reports both dated 12 Jully 2009.

 

[John Sansom]

Those latest two incidents souind like more of the same to folk like yours truly who are trying to keep abreast of things....but how about the western media? My somewhat parochial experience of late leads me to believe that the media has pretty well forgotten about piracy.

There seems to be a hey-it's-not-happening-here attitude in both print and electronic quarters. If it weren't for you lads, I'd be in the dark on both this and a number of other matters.

What's the media word in Oz, the UK, and the US (or anywhere else for that matter)? Has piracy been forgotten by the news media there?

 

[gf0012-aust]

For those who have access, there is a very good article on Piracy management and control issues in the June edition of Maritime Reporter and Engineering News.

Those in a related industry or who demonstrate qualification (not sure how robust they are in defining that!) can get it for free

Too big to quote in here hence my lazy approach to alerting those interested.

 

[John Sansom]

Thanks, Lurker. The qualificattions chase is on!

 

[alexsa]

The cargo letter also details piracy attaches (the July data base is in complete at this stage) as well as vessel casualties.

Quite interesting

The Law Offices of Countryman & McDaniel

 

[dragonfire]

NEW DELHI: The Indian and French navies have managed to ensure the safe release of 14 Indian hostages by scaring off the pirates who had hijacked their dhow in the Gulf of Aden on July 10.

"The close coordination between the two Navies helped in freeing the 14 crew members of Indian dhow `MV Nafeya', which was hijacked by seven heavily-armed pirates off Boosaaso near Somalia. The hostages were, however, robbed of their cash and valuables,'' said an officer on Thursday.

Indian, French navies free dhow from pirates - India - NEWS - The Times of India

There seems to be a hey-it's-not-happening-here attitude in both print and electronic quarters. If it weren't for you lads, I'd be in the dark on both this and a number of other matters.

What's the media word in Oz, the UK, and the US (or anywhere else for that matter)? Has piracy been forgotten by the news media there?

The same news in the newspaper was restricted to a 2 column 3 cm box (incdlg a thumnail pic) within the nuc-sub launch news item, which says a lot for the priority that the newspapers have for piracy related news, and am sure even tht would have been ignored if it wasn't an Indian boat/ship and Indian sailors

 

[John Sansom]

Thanks, Dragonfire....

I've been considering just what useful ways there may be to keep this stuff in the public eye.....Well, at least in Canada.

 

[dragonfire]

Thanks, Dragonfire....

I've been considering just what useful ways there may be to keep this stuff in the public eye.....Well, at least in Canada.

No Probs, my pleasure,

I guess ppl lose interest if it doesnt touch their lives

I have noticed that you are more active on this thread as compared to other threads, would invite you to be active on more threads too

Cheers

 

[John Sansom]

Gotcha, Dragonfire. Escalating daily overloads have been keeping me away from all sorts of sites and threads...but I'm trying to correct the situation.
Your invitation is well taken....sand thanks.

 

[OPSSG]

...on 4 July 2009, it was reported in Singapore's local press that there were 4 recent pirate attacks (which were incidents of armed robbery - no attempt was made to hold the crew for ransom in all 4 incidents) in the South China Sea...
--------------------------
* Footnote: The piracy incidents on the Sigloo Discovery and the White Tokio were also reported in the ReCAAP incident reports dated 27 Jun 2009 and 28 Jun 2009 respectively.

Two New Incidents on the 12 July 2009...

I would expect these 2 incidents are related to the same Indonesian gang.*
--------------------------
* Footnote: The above piracy incidents were reported in the ReCAAP incident reports both dated 12 July 2009.

The Malaysian marine police rescued the 16 crew members of the PNG Express (a Malaysian registered ship) in waters off Johor state and detained 5 suspected Indonesian pirates. A sixth suspected pirate escaped arrest by jumping into the sea.

 

[OPSSG]

On 31 July 2009, RSS Persistence returned to Changi Naval Base, Singapore from her 3+ month deployment under Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) in support of the international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean speaking at the Overseas Service Medal Presentation Ceremony for the returning servicemen and women said:

"...As a maritime nation, Singapore is committed to supporting the international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden. The successful deployment of the Task Group has demonstrated that Singapore can make a useful and meaningful contribution to these efforts.

We are honoured that the Combined Maritime Forces HQ has requested Singapore to consider commanding the multinational anti-piracy Combined Task Force 151. Singapore has agreed to this request and a Singaporean Naval Officer, supported by a core command group, will take command of CTF-151 from January to March 2010. This will be a valuable opportunity for the SAF to work with other navies operating in the Gulf of Aden, and to coordinate the military efforts so that we can better tackle piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Today, we recognise the contributions of the 296 servicemen and women from the Navy, Air Force and Army who have been deployed these past four months to undertake this challenging operation in the Gulf of Aden. This was Singapore's furthest operational deployment to date - some 4000 nautical miles from Singapore. The SAF Task Group was tasked to deter and disrupt pirate attacks against merchant shipping, often in poor weather and difficult sea conditions..."​

According to Pioneer Magazine, no pirate attacks occurred in the RSS Persistence's assigned area of operations and she performed sector patrols (of about 40 to 60 nautical miles). The RSS Persistence spent 68 days out at sea in her sector patrol, responded to 57 calls for assistance and launched 80 helicopter sorties. Operations Officer Major Chang Chiz Hau found the experience to be an extremely meaningful one and he said:

"Although some of the calls for assistance turned out to be false alarms – usually the case of mistaking innocent fishermen for pirates, the whole process was still very meaningful. When I receive the call for help, I can hear and distinctly sense the genuine fear and panic in their voices."​

Aircrew specialist Second Sergeant (NS) The Jia Fu (of the RSAF), a chemical processing technician, volunteered to serve beyond his 40 days of In-Camp Training said:

"When my squadron called me up in January to tell me about the mission, I told them I was interested on the spot. Luckily, my boss and my parents were very supportive of my decision... It was a good opportunity to utilise the skills I learnt as an active serviceman."​

In addition, the crew helped to coordinate operations by facilitating information-sharing between CTF-151 and other navies operating in the region such as ships from the PLAN.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRRJUwk870k"]Mindef Video[/ame]