PVI Weekly Piracy Report
PVI round up the week’s maritime crime news and incidents.
Weekly Maritime & Onshore Security Report 11 Nov 2015
Maritime Security
High Risk Area (HRA)
Somalia: Pirates to plead guilty in Indian courts 9 November
The Somali government has reported that almost 120 of its nationals are planning on pleading guilty to charges of piracy in Indian courts. The nationals were all arrested between January and March 2011 for involvement in two alleged hijackings during which two fishermen from Pakistan and Iran were killed. In one incident, pirates held 20 fishermen from Thailand and Myanmar hostage on a mother vessel, the Prantalay 14. Coast guard personnel conducted an operation to rescue the hostages and arrested 28 alleged pirates. The trial of the suspects has been ongoing for three years. If the suspects plead guilty and their plea is accepted they will be convicted and will be permitted to serve their jail terms in Somalia.
Yemen: Houthi rebels capture base near Bab el-Mandeb 8 November
Houthi forces reportedly captured a military base in the coastal city of Dhuabab, near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Six pro-government fighters and 11 Houthis were killed in the battle for control of the base after clashes broke out on 5 November. Pro-government fighters recaptured Dhuabab in early October, giving them control over the Bab el-Mandeb, a key maritime corridor.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia: Robbers board bulk carrier in Taboneo Anchorage 3 November
Three robbers boarded an anchored Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier via the anchor chain at 0205 hrs local time in Taboneo Anchorage. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered prompting the robbers to escape. The crew conducted a search of the vessel and found a padlock had been damaged however nothing was missing.
Indonesia: Robbers board underway vessels off Pulau Nipah 16 October
Two late reports of incidents in the Singapore Strait were reported this week, both occurring on 16 October. At 0300 hrs local time five robbers armed with knives boarded a Panama-flagged general cargo vessel approximately 1nm west of Racon Delta and south of Pulau Nipah. The crew sighted the robbers and raised the alarm. On conducting a search of the vessel, the crew discovered that the robbers had escaped with stolen ship’s spares. In the second incident, a perpetrator boarded an underway Liberia-flagged LNG tanker at 0500 hrs local time around 6nm south of Pulau Nipah. The alarm was raised and the robbers escaped empty handed.
Malaysia: Authorities extend maritime curfew in Sabah 9 November
Authorities extended a night-time maritime curfew in waters of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone until 25 November. Under the curfew, operating in the affected waters between 1900 and 0500 hrs local time is prohibited, with authorities saying that a kidnap threat by southern Philippine militant groups, including Abu Sayyaf, remains serious. The affected districts include Tawau, Semporna, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Kinabatangan, Sandakan and Beluran.
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Source: pviltd.com
