Latest piracy news (October 8, 2012) (Update)
(BRUSSELS2)
Turkey took command of CTF151
Rear Admiral Oğuz Karaman of the Turkish Navy took over from his South Korean counterpart, Rear Admiral Anho Chung, at the head of CTF151, the coalition of ships led by the Americans in the Gulf of Aden. An appointment which took place on September 19. During the period of Korean command, no ships were pirated. This corresponds to a trend which now seems to be measured in months and no longer in weeks, of a notable drop in piracy. And at CTF 11 HQ, we are especially pleased with “ excellent coordination » between the three anti-piracy coalitions: CTF 151, CTF 465 of the European Union (EUNAVFOR Atalanta) and NATO CTF 508 (Ocean Shield), with regular, daily communications at the tactical level and weekly meetings by chat without forgetting two meetings of the “Big 3” held in the summer, on July 30 and August 24, 2013. To outsiders, our mission may seem like an easy task. But our enemy is very determined and dangerous » explained Wang Geon during his farewell speech aboard the Roks. “ As long as the rewards far outweigh the risks, they will continue to find ways to hijack merchant vessels, but we are committed too. On any given day, there are a number of naval warships operating in the area, patrolling assigned sectors in the IRTC, conducting convoy operations, assisting the World Food Program in the Somali Basin, launching and recovering helicopters, and simply doing what they have trained to do. »
Information exchange agreement between NATO and Interpol
An information sharing agreement between the Atlantic Alliance and Interpol during the maritime anti-piracy operation was at the center of discussions on Friday (5 October) between NATO Assistant Secretary General Rick Froh and Interpol. A joint pilot project should be launched at the end of 2012. Lasting three months, it aims to share with the central national offices of Europol the information collected in the area, in the manner “as wide as possible“, taking into account the possibilities”national restrictions“. Information which will be processed in accordance with Interpol rules, the management of this organization is told. The objective is to identify criminal piracy networks and to link evidence found at sea to current or potential legal proceedings. Interpol's database already contains 11.000 records, including details of more than 1.100 suspects. “ Interpol's support encourages uniformity in the pursuit of evidence for investigations carried out in multiple locations" said on this occasion, Pierre St Hilaire, the head of the Interpol “piracy” task force.
Greek ship pirated in the port of Abidjan in Ivory Coast
The Greek tanker “Orfeas” which was carrying 32.000 tonnes of fuel suddenly disappeared from the port of Abidjan during the night from Friday to Saturday at 1 a.m. Its manager, the company Grace Management, confirmed on Monday (October 8) that it had lost all contact since October 6 with its modern ship, the Orfeas built in 2008. The last position indicated that it had taken the route to Lagos , in Nigeria. All attempts to regain contact with the ship were unsuccessful. 24 crew members are on board: 2 Greeks and 22 Filipinos.
