By BRIAN MURPHY Associated Press Writer
Posted: 01/08/2009 05:46:07 AM MST
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—A new international naval force under American command will soon begin patrols to confront escalating attacks by Somali pirates after more than 100 ships came under siege in the past year, the U.S. Navy said Thursday.
But the mission—expected to begin operations next week—appears more of an attempt to sharpen the military focus against piracy rather than a signal of expanded offensives across one of the world's most crucial shipping lanes.
The force will carry no wider authority to strike at pirate vessels at sea or specific mandates to move against havens on shore—which some maritime experts believe is necessary to weaken the pirate gangs that have taken control of dozens of cargo vessels and an oil tanker.
Pentagon officials described it as a first step to create a dedicated international structure—combining military force, intelligence sharing and coordinated patrols—to battle piracy from lawless Somalia.
Showing posts with label piracy protests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piracy protests. Show all posts
Thursday, 08 January 2009
Thursday, 23 October 2008
NATO ships to escort food convoys for Somalia
New York - NATO ships have arrived off the Somali coast to begin escorting relief convoys for Somalia, which has lost critical food supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP) to pirates in the past year, the UN said Wednesday. WFP, backed by the Somali government, requested military vessel escorts to thwart future hijacking of cargo ships carrying food and medicine supplies for Somalia.
The UN Security Council earlier this month authorized use of force by UN members to fight the wave of piracy and armed robbery endangering cargo ships as well as luxury cruise ships plying the waters off Somalia.
The Netherlands announced Wednesday it will deploy the HMS De Ruyter naval ship at the request of Somalia's transitional government. The Dutch government has decided to provide escort to replace Canada, which was to withdraw its own vessels on Thursday.
WFP said NATO vessels have arrived in the area, but have not yet begun escorting duties. Talks were being held to agree on terms of collaboration from the two sides, WFP said.
It said it will start delivering emergency supplies of highly nutritional peanut-based food in the next six months to 64,000 Somali children suffering malnutrition.
Somali officials said in Mogadishu on Wednesday that security forces in the semi-autonomous Puntland region freed a hijacked Indian ship after a gun battle, capturing four pirates in the process.
"Our forces successfully concluded an operation to free the Indian dhow without any casualties," Ali Abdi Aware, state-minister for the northern breakaway region of Puntland, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The ship and its crew were due to arrive in the port of Bosasso Wednesday morning, Aware said.
The Indian vessel was the 30th ship seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia this year, as gunmen look to cash in on increasingly large ransoms
Another ship, Ukraine's MV Faina and its cargo of 33 T-72 tanks and other military equipment bound for Kenya, is still being held by pirates.
The UN Security Council earlier this month authorized use of force by UN members to fight the wave of piracy and armed robbery endangering cargo ships as well as luxury cruise ships plying the waters off Somalia.
The Netherlands announced Wednesday it will deploy the HMS De Ruyter naval ship at the request of Somalia's transitional government. The Dutch government has decided to provide escort to replace Canada, which was to withdraw its own vessels on Thursday.
WFP said NATO vessels have arrived in the area, but have not yet begun escorting duties. Talks were being held to agree on terms of collaboration from the two sides, WFP said.
It said it will start delivering emergency supplies of highly nutritional peanut-based food in the next six months to 64,000 Somali children suffering malnutrition.
Somali officials said in Mogadishu on Wednesday that security forces in the semi-autonomous Puntland region freed a hijacked Indian ship after a gun battle, capturing four pirates in the process.
"Our forces successfully concluded an operation to free the Indian dhow without any casualties," Ali Abdi Aware, state-minister for the northern breakaway region of Puntland, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The ship and its crew were due to arrive in the port of Bosasso Wednesday morning, Aware said.
The Indian vessel was the 30th ship seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia this year, as gunmen look to cash in on increasingly large ransoms
Another ship, Ukraine's MV Faina and its cargo of 33 T-72 tanks and other military equipment bound for Kenya, is still being held by pirates.
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Ship unions accuse govt of apathy in hijack cases
22 Oct 2008, 0045 hrs IST, TNN
MUMBAI: While one more ship, an Indian cargo dhow with 13 crewmembers travelling from Somalia to Asia, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, I
ndian maritime unions declared a world-wide agitation against the governments inaction in ensuring a safe passage for seafarers in the pirate-infested area and release of the crew aboard hijacked Japanese vessel MT Stolt Valor.
A day after the agitation was launched, shipping minister TR Baalu got in touch with the unions to convene a special meeting to discuss the Japanese vessel. Under guidance from the National Union of Seafarers of India
(NUSI) and the Maritime Union of India (MUI), seafarers aboard four ships, including AB Tarapore, Desh Rakshak, Pratibha Tapi and Puneet that were scheduled to travel through the Gulf of Aden, have indefinitely postponed their departure. It would be postponed until maritime authorities furnish them with details about the action taken by the government, in MT Stolt Valor case, and also about whether it is safe for them to trade in the pirate-infested areas of Somalia.
Seafarers have already indicated that they are awaiting the response from maritime authorities failing which they will not be in a position to sail. This agitation will escalate further unless the government takes concrete steps, said general secretary of NUSI Abdulgani Y Serang.
MUMBAI: While one more ship, an Indian cargo dhow with 13 crewmembers travelling from Somalia to Asia, was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, I
ndian maritime unions declared a world-wide agitation against the governments inaction in ensuring a safe passage for seafarers in the pirate-infested area and release of the crew aboard hijacked Japanese vessel MT Stolt Valor.
A day after the agitation was launched, shipping minister TR Baalu got in touch with the unions to convene a special meeting to discuss the Japanese vessel. Under guidance from the National Union of Seafarers of India
(NUSI) and the Maritime Union of India (MUI), seafarers aboard four ships, including AB Tarapore, Desh Rakshak, Pratibha Tapi and Puneet that were scheduled to travel through the Gulf of Aden, have indefinitely postponed their departure. It would be postponed until maritime authorities furnish them with details about the action taken by the government, in MT Stolt Valor case, and also about whether it is safe for them to trade in the pirate-infested areas of Somalia.
Seafarers have already indicated that they are awaiting the response from maritime authorities failing which they will not be in a position to sail. This agitation will escalate further unless the government takes concrete steps, said general secretary of NUSI Abdulgani Y Serang.
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