Piracy & Ship Attacks June 10, 2010

• Sri Lankan crew expected to soon be released
   
• Yemeni ship avoids pirate attack
   
• Crew Abandons Ship
   
• Piracy suspect in U.S. seeks to move trial
   
• 10 Accused Pirates to Face Trial in Europe

Sri Lankan crew expected to soon be released
Somali pirates have agreed to release 13 Sri Lankan sailors of the MV NASSAR AL SAUD who have been held hostage for over three months. Negotiations between the International Bunkering Company (IBCO) and the pirates have reached a consensus over the release of the crew.

IBCO hired an expert negotiations team after pirates demanded a $20 million ransom for the release of the crew who were taken hostage March 1. The details of their consensus are unknown. The crew is reportedly safe and in good health and has been allowed to contact their families.

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Yemeni ship avoids pirate attack
The SANA’A was 4 miles off the eastern coast of the Sayhout district of Mahrah province when pirates launched their attack. Three pirate boats attacked the ship and the security team escorting the ship fired at the pirates forcing them to flee.

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Crew Abandons Ship

The crew of the North Korean merchant ship MV RIM have abandoned it after freeing it from pirates on June 2 and fleeing to open sea. On February 3 the crew overpowered the pirates who were holding them hostage in Garacad and retook their ship.

After the escape, the Spanish frigate VICTORIA, part of EU NAVFOR counter-piracy operation, prevented pirates from retaking the ship. However the MV RIM was in poor condition and the machinery shut down, leaving the ship rudderless.

EU NAVFOR dispatched the Netherlands Navy ship JOHAN DE WITT to assist with medical treatment. One crew member with gun shot wounds was transferred to the Johan de Witt to undergo immediate surgery. Two other crew members were injured in the escape and are receiving treatment onboard the Johan de Witt.

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Piracy suspect in U.S. seeks to move trial
One of 11 Somali men accused of attacking a U.S. Navy ship off the coast of Africa is seeking to have his trial moved from Norfolk, VA. Mohammed Jamah’s attorney filed a request to move the trial away from Navy Station Norfolk citing that a trial just miles near the base does not allow for a fair and impartial jury.

An attorney for one of the other accused pirates filed for a dismissal of several charges, citing a lack of evidence.

Jamah is one of six men being accused in an April 10 attack on the USS ASHLAND, 380 miles off the coast of Djibouti.

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10 Accused Pirates to Face Trial in Europe
Ten suspected pirates who were captured by the Dutch military off the coast of Somalia are now facing trial in Germany, after hijacking a German flagged ship. Human rights groups are criticizing the trial because one of the suspects is a boy, thought to be only 12 or 13 years old.

In April Dutch marines stormed a hijacked ship, where they discovered pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades on the ships bridge. The pirates eventually surrendered and were arrested.

The young boy’s attorney says he works in a repair garage in Somalia and was helping some men with their outboard motor. They paid him well and told him he must stay aboard in case they had engine problems again. Before he knew it he was on the hijacked ship and arrested with the pirates. He will face trial to determine his role in the hijacking.