Pirate Attacks’
Somali Pirate Pleads Guilty in Attack on U.S. Navy Ship
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
This week, a Somali pirate pleaded guilty to charges arising from an attack earlier this year on a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Africa.
Jama Idle Ibrahim faced several criminal charges arising from the attack, and this week, he pleaded guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors. Ibrahim had been accused of opening fire on the USS Ashland in the Gulf of Eden. There were six men on the pirate boat. The U.S. Navy vessel returned fire, killing one person and capturing the other pirates.
This week, Ibrahim pleaded guilty to attacking to plunder a vessel, use of...
Judge Throws out Piracy Charges against Somali Pirates
Monday, August 23rd, 2010
A US District Court judge has thrown out charges of piracy against a gang of six Somali men in an attack on the U.S. Navy vessel, USS Ashland this year.
The U.S. Navy ship was attacked off the Horn of Africa in April. The six were accused of opening fire on the vessel from a small stiff. The Navy vessel returned fire. One of the men was killed, and the stiff sank. All six men in the boat were captured.
Their lawyers argued that their actions did not amount to piracy, because they did not board the...
Hostages Continue to Suffer As Media Focus Remains Firmly on BP
Monday, August 16th, 2010
Ever since the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20, the media has focused heavily on the oil spill. For a while, there was almost 24-hour coverage, and it's only now that the leak has been stopped, that the attention has dissipated a little. It's time we began highlighting the fact that even as the rest of the world had its attention elsewhere, hundreds of hostages held by pirates in the Gulf of Aden continued to suffer with no respite in sight.
The National newspaper is reporting on the plight of 24 crewmembers of a UAE-owned ship that was...
Court Rules That Ships Attacked by Pirates Remain Under Hire
Monday, July 19th, 2010
A court in England has ruled that a ship that was hijacked by pirates continues to remain under hire during the period of detention.
The Saldanha was captured by pirates in the Gulf of Aden on 22nd February 2009. She was on her way from Indonesia to Kope. After the ship was attacked, she was taken to a location off the Somalia coastline and finally released on 25th April 2009. The Saldanha had been under a standard New York Product Exchange charter. The Charterer did not pay the hire for the period of detention, claiming that ship had been seized...
Somali Maritime Piracy Continues to Be Big Business
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
In spite of international maritime patrols and despite all the right noises by the Somalia government about reining in piracy, Somali pirate gangs have no shortage of fresh young recruits who want to join what is right now, one of the country's biggest industries.
According to a report in the Washington Post, far from deterring piracy and discouraging young Somali youths from joining pirate gangs, piracy in the region is actually on an upswing. Pirate leaders speaking to the international media have confirmed that they are flush with funds to continue their business operations, and are actually looking to expand...
Could Obama Executive Order Block Ransom Payments to Pirates?
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
That's the billion-dollar question shipping companies seem to be asking after Pres. Barack Obama signed an executive order forbidding American companies from having financial dealings with offshore militant groups that threaten the peace and security of Somalia.
As a result of the order, the Treasury Department will have the authority to freeze the assets of individuals who are involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control has released a list of individuals and organizations in Somalia that it forbids American citizens from having any dealings with us.
The language of the...
Cruise Lines Change Itineraries to Avoid Pirate Attacks
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
The threat of piracy is causing cruise line operators to rethink their itineraries, and make changes to existing itineraries to avoid pirate attacks. In fact, cruise liners operating cruises from now till the end of May must take note of the Maritime Administration’s advisory warning of increased pirate attacks in the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean waters, during this period of time.
Last week, Regent Seven Seas Cruises tweaked its cruise itinerary to avoid pirate-infested areas. The cruise liner, the Seven Seas Voyager was originally supposed to call at Mombasa, Kenya, and Zanzibar, Tanzania on 6 April. Instead...
Maritime Administration Warns of Spike in Pirate Attacks
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
The Department Of Transportation's Maritime Administration is warning of a spike in piracy in the Horn of Africa and the waters of the Indian Ocean.
The Maritime Administration has issued an advisory, warning of an increased number of attacks between now and the end of May. The warnings come as the monsoon season in these pirate infested areas, has ended. This will mean calmer seas and weather that is more conducive for pirates to mount an attack on unsuspecting ships. In weather like this, it's much easier for pirates to mount operations further away from shore and their...
Seafarer Representatives Call for Harder Stance against Piracy
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
As a maritime lawyer, I have been vocal about the governments that have no problem reaping profits off the efforts of seamen in keeping the world economy moving, but falter when it comes to keeping these seamen safe from armed and dangerous pirates.
Seafarer delegates meeting in Berlin are calling for more pressure on governments to take stronger action against piracy, including dedicating more resources and committing to more aggressive measures.
Piracy continues to be a major problem, and the delegates say it is especially more acute in affected regions. Ships continue to face high risk of an attack....
Decline in Successful Pirate Attacks
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Although the number of pirate attacks across the globe actually increased by 62% in 2009, the number of successful attacks is declining. That good news comes to us via the Los Angeles Times.
The decline is slight, and not substantial enough to cheer maritime attorneys who have been calling for more protection for our seamen from these attacks. In 2009, pirates made 198 attempts at seizing a ship. That was an increase of 62% from 2008. However in 2009, only 44 of these attempts were actually successful. Last year's success rate for pirate attacks was 22%,...
