Piracy & Ship Attacks April 6, 2010
Pirate Activities Increasing
VLCC Hijacked --Update: South Korean warship catches up with seized tanker
A Samho Shipping Ltd VLCC was hijacked 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) southeast of the Gulf of Aden with crew of 24. As of the morning of April 6th, the naval unit Cheong-hae caught up with the tanker and is manuvering nearby.
Valero Energy Corp has verified it owned the crude worth approximately $160 million, which was transiting from Iraq to the US Gulf of Mexico. to catch the tanker before the pirates can secure the vessel.
The SAMHO DREAM, a 300,000 ton VLCC with a capacity to transport 260,000 barrels of crude, had a crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos.
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U.S. Warship Sinks Pirate ‘Mother Ship’ off Seychelles
Pirates attacked tanker M/V EVITA—USS Farragut attacks Mother Ship
The Sierra Leone-flagged tanker, MV EVITA, came under attack by pirates approximately 100 miles northwest of the Seychelles by three pirate skiff. The pirates fired rifles and aimed rocket propelled grenades at the ships trying to force it to stop. But, the ship was able to avoid capture by following industry recommended best management practices, which include increasing speed, firing flares at the pirates to warn them as well as contacting the IMB and UKMTO.
Coalition forces were alerted and they dispatched the USS Farragut to track down the pirates on board the three skiffs. A SH-60B Seahawk helicopter from military ship was dispatched to monitor the pirates while the suspected pirate skiffs were boarded. The Fifth Fleet said eleven suspected pirates were held briefly while the mother skiff was destroyed and sunk.
After the ‘mother ship’ was destroyed the pirates were released on the two small skiffs the Fifth Fleet statement said.
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German Ship Attacked
About 500 nautical miles east of the Somali Coast a group of pirates boarded the ship on the morning of the April 5, 2010. The German container vessel, MV TAIPAN, was on route to Mombasa from Djibouti.
However, the crew followed the recommended ‘best management practices’ established for ships transiting near the Somali coast and in the Gulf of Aden region, and retreated to a secure strong room and locked the doors securing themselves inside. The crew stop the engines and disabled the ship, and then alerted authorities that the ship had been taken.
The “HNLMS TROMP’ was dispatched to the scene and tried to negotiate with the pirates. But, the pirates resisted and the ship’s military force boarded the container ship and took control. Ten pirates were taken into custody and the crew of 2 Germans, 3 Russians and 8 Sri Lankan nationals were released unharmed.
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Two more ships attacked on April 2nd by Pirates
MV ITAL GARLAND (53, 240 dwt) came under attack by two skiffs with pirates firing small arms and rocket propelled grenades about 250 nautical miles off the Horn of Africa on route to Mombasa from Salalah.
The ship’s crew of 22 took evasive procedures to avoid the attack. The crew consisted of 9 Italians, 1 Ukrainian and 12 Filipinos. There were no casualties on board although the ship received minor damage.
In another attack, the MV WESTERMOOR, a Liberian flagged ship, also came under attack about 120 nautical miles off the Northern tip of Madagascar.
The 35,654 dwt ship with a crew of 21 (2 Germans, 2 Russians and 17 Filipinos), was attacked with rocket propelled grenades and avoided continued attack through evasive action and speed. There were no casualties or significant damage to the ship.
In both attacks EU NAVFOR’s Force Commander Admiral Gumiero onboard the Italian warship ETNA ordered Maritime Patrol aircraft to search for the pirate attack groups.