In the Gulf, pirates are having a blast
The hemorrhage continues to hit civilian ships in the Indian Ocean. The pirates continue their momentum of the Christmas period and have boarded no less than 2 ships and a crew in recent days. We thus reach today the thirty ships in the hands of the pirates, very exactly 29 ships and 699 sailors hostages, if we rely on the accounts of the European Union (1); 47 ships and 828 hostages according to the NGO Ecoterra (which also counts the local fishing boats captured).
A Greek bulk carrier flying the Cypriot flag, the MV Eagle, was captured by pirates in the early hours of Monday morning, January 17, in the Gulf of Aden, announced the European headquarters of the anti-piracy operation (Atalanta). The ship, which came from Aqabar (Jordan) and was heading for India, was then 490 miles southwest of Salaam (Oman). The pirates aboard a single skiff first fired small arms and rocket launchers before boarding. On board, a crew of 24 Filipinos.
A Norwegian chemical tanker, flying the Maltese flag, the MV Samho Jewelry, was hacked in the Gulf of Aden on Friday January 15, about 350 miles southeast of the port of Muscat (Oman). On board a crew of 21 sailors (Burmese, Koreans and Indonesians). This tanker of more than 19.000 tons which transported chemical substances was not registered with the MSCHOA (the European system for the Horn of Africa) nor with the UKMTO (its British equivalent).
The most original capture was that of a Danish vessel, the Leopard. This ship was attacked on Wednesday afternoon (January 12) while sailing in the Gulf of Aden. In a now common practice, the pirates used a previously captured ship as a mother ship, the Taiwanese fishing vessel Shiuh Fu No 1. A Japanese armed forces maritime patrol aircraft flying overhead confirmed the presence of the pirates on board. This while the ship seemed to have all the recommendations of "best practices", such as barbed wire. Then, according to TradeWinds magazine, they entered the citadel where the crew (2 Danes and 4 Filipinos) had taken refuge. But the pirates did not keep the ship. According to an extremely rare process (used for example by the British couple Chandler), they abandoned the ship, taking the sailors hostage. The Turkish ship Gaziantep (which is part of the NATO forces) which was 250 miles away, could only see when it arrived there that the ship was empty. According to the NGO Ecoterra, this ship is known to transport sensitive substances such as nuclear substances. Although, apparently, there were none on board at the time.
A liberation
Only good news, the MT Motivator, a Greek shipowner's chemical tanker captured in the southern Red Sea more than six months ago (July 4) was freed on Sunday about 160 miles southwest of Socotra. In all likelihood, a ransom was paid. The French sloop "Enseigne de Vaisseau Jacoubet" which is part of the EUNAVFOR force was immediately sent to the scene to assist the crew of 18 Filipinos. The on-board doctor has examined, confirms all the members of the crew, we specify on the French side. And a supply of basic necessities, left without water or food by the pirates, was carried out. The Jacoubet escorts the ship to Socotra in Yemen.
(1) The last updated list
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(photo credit: Eunavfor + French navy)
Forgive me for using English, my French is too poor…
Just for your information, I've started a crowdmap to merge the information from EUNAVFOR, NATO Operation Ocean Shield, International Maritime Bureau and other sources on the Somali pirate situation which can be found at somalipirates.crowdmap.com.