US Destroyer Mason Thwarts Attack on Tanker Central Park in Gulf of Yemen

On Sunday, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mason received a distress call from the M/V Central Park, a 20,000 DWT oil/chemical tanker, in the Gulf of Aden, that reported they were under attack by an unknown entity. Five armed individuals … Continue reading

Puntland Forces Free 22 Crew from MV Iceberg 1 – Held Hostage for 33 Months by Somali Pirates

Wonderful news. Forces of Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland region are reported to have raided the MV Iceberg I on Sunday and to have rescued 22 officers and crew who had been held hostage by Somali pirates for 33 months.  The Puntland forces had … Continue reading

Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Indian Fishermen by Italian Armed Guards

Two Italian marines, Latorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone, are in an Indian jail awaiting trial for the alleged murder of two Indian fisherman. They are at the center of a legal & diplomatic fight over the use of armed guards … Continue reading

New Directions in the War on Piracy – EU Airstrike in Somalia and a Private Navy in the Gulf of Aden

In March, the European Union Naval Force was authorized to attack Somali pirates in coastal waters and ashore. On Tuesday, EU naval forces and attack helicopters launched their first onshore raid on a suspected pirate supply center in Handulle village, about 18 kilometers (11 … Continue reading

“Pirates Like To Tweet” – Tracking Somali Pirates on Social Media

At first this sounded like a joke. Pirates like to tweet, have blogs and are on Facebook.  Really? According to security expert, Jessica Lincoln, director of intelligence at Rubicon Resolution, “Somalia is a very sophisticated economy, it has one of the best mobile phone communication systems … Continue reading

US Navy SEAL Commandos Rescue American and Danish Hostage in Raid on Somali Pirates

In a pre-dawn raid, US Navy SEAL commandos freed two hostages; an American, Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a Dane, Poul Thisted, 60;  being held for ransom in a pirate compound 12 miles north of the Somali town of Adado.  Members of SEAL Team … Continue reading

Captain Seog Hae-gyun Earns IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2011

On November 21st, at IMO Headquarters in London, Captain Seog Hae-gyun was awarded the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for 2011 “for his decisive, brave and courageous actions to protect his ship and crew during a vicious pirate attack … Continue reading

No Longer Three Men in a Boat – Part 1: The Pirate Stock Exchange

While an international flotilla of naval vessels continues to play “catch and release” with pirates off the Horn of Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, the pirates themselves have become far more sophisticated.   Where a few years ago, the typical … Continue reading

Hijacked MV Asphalt Venture – Ransom Paid, Hostages Kept

The MV Asphalt Venture was hijacked by Somali pirates on September 28, 2010.  After negotiating and being paid a multi-million dollar ransom, the pirates released the ship and part of the crew yesterday,  but continued to hold seven Indian seafarers hostage, reportedly in retaliation … Continue reading

Tom Hanks to Play Captain Richard Phillips in Maersk Alabama Hijacking Movie

It is being reported that Tom Hanks will play Captain Richard Phillips in a new movie about the attempted hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates in 2009.    The movie, based on Phillip’s book , A Captain’s Duty: … Continue reading

Life Plus 80 Years – Five Pirates Sentenced for Attack on USS Nicholas

On April 1st, last year, fittingly enough, April Fool’s Day, a group of Somali pirates in open boats decided to attack the 445-foot guided-missile frigate, USS Nicholas.  The outcome was predictable.   Five pirates were captured and their boats were sunk.   At the … Continue reading

Wikileaks, Russian Tanks and the Ro/Ro Faina – the Pirates were Right

Slightly over two years ago we posted about the hijacking of the Ukranian ro/ro Faina by Somali pirates.  The pirates were surprised to discover that the ship was loaded with arms, including 33 Russian T-72 battle tanks.   The pirates claimed … Continue reading

Pirates Who Attacked US Navy Ship Convicted, While French Command Ship is Attacked Again

Five Somali pirates who attacked the USS Nicholas, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate,  in a wildly misguided attempt to hijack the ship in a late night attack last April, were convicted of piracy in a court in Virginia.  The prosecution … Continue reading