Latest piracy news (November 25, 2012) (Update)
(BRUSSELS2) A pirate attack group was located north of the Bosasso area by the maritime anti-piracy coalition on 20 November around 10 am. A skiff with a ladder and two outboard motors was thus detected at 30° North and 2° East but neutralized shortly after and its occupants arrested. Read : Turks and Romanians, helped by Swedes and Luxembourgers, arrest 9 pirates Despite the deterioration of weather conditions, due to the arrival of the northeast monsoon, anti-piracy specialists fear a resurgence of piracy in the area and urge vigilance.
631 pirates sentenced worldwide
According to the US State Department, 631 pirates have been convicted worldwide, including 98 in Seychelles alone. In addition, 440 suspects have been brought to justice in 21 countries, including the United States.
Le King Ferdinand of Romania in Dar es Salaam
The Romanian ship, Regele Ferdinand, which is taking part in the European Union's anti-piracy operation (Eunavfor Atalanta) made a refueling stop at the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The opportunity to train Tanzanian sailors. Romanian sailors held four workshops, covering navigation, "force protection", first aid and firefighting. The training included theoretical instruction, in classrooms, as well as practical exercise. The frigate also received on board the deputy chief of the navy for operations and training, General AA Mwenjudi.
Le HMS Northumberland arrives in the gulf
The British frigate HMS Northumberland is currently in Crete to complete a 5 day training within NATO facilities. After which, she will take the direction of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for anti-piracy, anti-narcotics and anti-terrorism operations for a period of six months, to replace her "sister ship" there on HMS Sutherland. The Royal Navy frigate is returning from intensive training within the Franco-British exercise Corsican Lion in the Mediterranean Sea. And previously underwent a major overhaul at the port of Plymouth (Read: The Royals surround Corsica). Type 23, it has a Sonar 2087 and a Merlin helicopter suitable for anti-submarine warfare. She is commanded by Paddy Dowsett.
Norway at the head ofOcean Shield for the second half of 2013
NATO has asked Norway to take command of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) for the second half of 2013. The Norwegian frigate (which will be a new generation) and its command will therefore also take the reins of Operation Ocean Shield. This is not the first time that the Kingdom of Norway has contributed to anti-piracy missions. It had sent a frigate for Operation Atalanta from August 2009 to January 2010 and an Orion maritime patrol aircraft on Ocean Shield in 2010.
14 pirates sentenced in Madagascar
The 14 Somali pirates of the Mv Aly Zoulficar, this Comorian ship, which shuttled between the Comoros and Tanzania, were condemned, on November 19, in Madagascar, reports the local press. 13 of the 14 pirates were sentenced to five years of forced labor for acts of piracy, arbitrary confinement, assault and battery, violence and assault, and attempted rape in Madagascar. The 14th, a minor at the material time, was sentenced to 30 months in detention and released on bail. They had captured the ship off the coast of Tanzania in November 2010. It had been liberated in February 2011 by a combined operation of Comorian and Malagasy forces, assisted by reconnaissance planes from Operation Eunavfor Atalanta and of the French CROSS of Reunion, according to information from B2.
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The French anti-submarine frigate Dupleix rescues a Yemeni dhow
The Yemeni fishing boat"Al-Fahad" was drifting in the busy shipping lane in the western Gulf of Aden due to a mechanical problem. Her distress call was received at USNAVCENT, the US Naval Command Center in Bahrain. A Japanese maritime patrol aircraft and a frigate helicopter RSS Intrepid from Singapore then took off to locate the boat and confirm the engine problem. The second part of the rescue operation took place at sea. CTF 465, that is to say the command of Operation Atalanta on board the Italian vessel ITS San Giusto, off Monbasa, commanded the French anti-submarine frigate, the FS Dupleix, which is also taking part in the Eunavfor Atalanta operation, to provide assistance to fishermen. On the night of November 21, the Dupleix mechanic made a makeshift repair on a very tired engine. While the medical team on board provided some care to the crew, just as exhausted. The dhow was then able to resume its journey to Bossasso (Somalia). As to Dupleix, he joined the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) where he will carry out his anti-piracy mission.
(updated 26/11 at noon)
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