Tag: pirates
Pirates move Abdullah into Somali territorial waters to avoid rescue attempt
The Somali pirates who captured the bulk carrier Abdullah (IMO 9745598) 600 miles off the African coast have moved the ship close inshore to...
Report: Al-Shabaab extends reach with offer to protect Somali pirates
After a six-year lull in major attacks, Somali pirates in December attacked four vessels as international navies relocated from the Indian Ocean to the...
Indian Navy retakes MV Ruen from Somali pirates
In a well-coordinated operation that lasted some 40 hours, the Indian Navy has retaken the ship MV Ruen from Somali pirates, rescuing the 17...
Hijacked merchant vessel Abdullah at anchor off Somalia, crew apparently safe
At least 12 alleged pirates are confirmed by Operation Atlanta personnel to be aboard the hijacked bulk carrier Abdullah, now at anchor some 600...
Bulk carrier Abdullah highjacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean as...
Pirates have seized a Bangladeshi-flagged and owned ship, the bulk carrier Abdullah, en route from the port of Maputo in Mozambique. The vessel was...
West Africa’s coast was a haven for piracy and illegal fishing...
The Gulf of Guinea – a coastal region that stretches from Senegal to Angola – is endowed with vast reserves of hydrocarbon, mineral and...
Indian Navy rescues another pirated vessel off Somalia
The Indian Navy has foiled two hijackings by Somali pirates within days, rescuing 19 crew in the latest incident off the Horn of Africa.
The...
IMB concerned about first ship hijacking off Somalia in six years
The just released 2023 International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy report notes a slight increase in incidents and expresses concern over the first successful hijacking...
Indian Navy rescues crew from hijacked ship off Somalia
The Indian Navy has rescued all 21 crew members from the MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea after it was boarded by...
EU monitoring hijacked vessel off Somalia
The European Union Naval Force (EU NavFor) is closely monitoring the hijacked Maltese-flagged merchant vessel Ruen, which remains off the Somali coast.
In a statement,...
Somali pirates are back in action but a full scale return...
An Iranian fishing vessel, Almeraj 1, was reportedly hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2023. According to media reports, the pirates demanded $400 000...
Suspected pirates apprehended off Somalia
Suspected pirates aboard a hijacked Iranian fishing boat have surrendered to Somali police after being monitored by European Union Operation Atalanta assets.
On 22 November,...
Somali pirates strike again as Iranian fishing vessel highjacked
After a lull of several years, Somali pirates are back in the news with reports of them having successfully attacked and seized an Iranian...
Here’s why Somali piracy, once an unsolvable security threat, has almost...
In 2011, pirates carried out 212 attacks in a vast area spanning Somali waters, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Gulf of...
Liberian Coast Guard rescues hijacked Chinese fishing vessel
The Liberian Coast Guard has rescued 23 crew from a Chinese fishing vessel that was hijacked off the country’s coastline.
The Armed Forces of Liberia...
Piracy in West Africa dropped in 2022, but criminals are moving...
Piracy and maritime crime continued to decline in the Gulf of Guinea last year, largely in response to heightened regional and international anti-piracy efforts,...
Bulker Nyon boarded by pirates off West Africa
The bulk carrier Nyon is the latest ship to have been attacked by West African pirates after being boarded by four armed men on...
Piracy at lowest level in three decades helps reduce annual ship...
Maritime piracy is at its lowest level in nearly three decades, with the improved situation in the Gulf of Guinea contributing to the downward...
Where climate harms fisheries, piracy prospers – study
A new study suggests that climate change is a key factor driving trends in maritime piracy off the coast of East Africa and the...
Another vessel boarded by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea
The Singapore-flagged tanker Success 9 has been boarded by pirates off the Ivory Coast in the latest attack in the region.
Security company Praesidium International...
Combating piracy in the world’s most dangerous waters
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution on combating piracy in West Africa.
Norway and Ghana introduced the initiative and led the...
ISS: Is Somali piracy finally under control?
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has long captivated the attention of the media and governments. But the expiry of the United Nations Security...
UN authorisation to fight piracy in Somali waters lapses
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has not extended a resolution for the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea within Somalia’s territorial...
Apparent decline in West African piracy should be treated with caution
A decline last year in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, which has for some time been the epicentre of maritime crime, should be...
Gulf of Guinea states must act and prosecute suspected pirates, BIMCO...
States in the Gulf of Guinea region must take responsibility and step-up prosecution efforts when pirates are apprehended by international navies, the Baltic and...
Maritime momentum in West Africa
On 15 May 2020, 10 pirates boarded the Chinese-flagged Hailufeng 11, subdued the 18 crew members and turned off its automatic identification system (AIS)....
Six crew kidnapped off container ship in the Gulf of Guinea
Six crew members have been kidnapped from the container vessel Tonsberg in the Gulf of Guinea in the latest pirate attack in the region.
The...
UN Security Council adopts resolution to keep Somali pirates at bay
The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to combat the continuing threat of piracy off the coast of Somalia, as shipping and protection...
Danish frigate kills four pirates in Gulf of Guinea
A Danish frigate has killed four pirates in waters south of Nigeria in an operation to protect shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, the...
Russian Navy fends off pirates in the Gulf of Guinea
A Russian Navy destroyer has fended off a pirate attack on a container ship near the western coast of Africa, Russia’s Defence Ministry said...
Iran’s navy thwarts pirate attack on Iranian tanker – report
Iranian naval forces intervened on Saturday to repel pirates who attacked an Iranian oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden, Iran's state media reported.
Pirates...
Piracy down, but African countries still need to do more to...
The seas off West Africa, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea, have been a hotspot for increasingly violent maritime crime, particularly piracy. In 2020,...
Crewmember apparently kidnapped by pirates off Gabon
Pirates operating off Libreville, Gabon, appear to have kidnapped a crewmember after boarding the offshore supply vessel Tampen.
Dryad Global reported that the vessel was...
Change in piracy threats in Indian Ocean prompts redo of High...
A continued downward trend in Somali piracy has prompted a number of global shipping organisations to reduce the geographic boundaries of the ‘High Risk...
Vessel attacked by suspected pirates off Somalia
A vessel was attacked in transit whilst six nautical miles offshore of Somalia in a rare incidence of attempted piracy off the Horn of...
Crew kidnapped from Ghanaian fishing vessel as West African piracy continues
Five crew are reported kidnapped off the Ghanaian fishing vessel Iris S in the Gulf of Guinea in the latest incident of piracy in...
Tuna fishing vessel crew kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea
Five crew members of the fishing vessel Atlantic Princess were kidnapped after pirates boarded her south of the Ghanaian port Tema.
According to Dryad Global...
Fifteen crew kidnapped in Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea remains one of the most dangerous bodies of water worldwide for seafarers with the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) urging ships...
Pirate action group believed to be operating in Gulf of Guinea
A pirate action group (PAG) has been operating along the West African coast since 6 February and is believed to be using a captured...
CSIS: A Transatlantic Approach to Address Growing Maritime Insecurity in the...
The recent news headline said it all: “Pirates kidnap 15 Turkish sailors in attack on container ship” off the Nigerian coast in the Gulf of Guinea....
Pirates who kidnapped Turks make contact to talk ransom: media
Pirates who kidnapped 15 sailors from a Turkish-crewed container ship in the Gulf of Guinea on Saturday have made their first contact with the...
No word from pirates who seized sailors off Nigeria, Turkey says
Pirates who seized 15 sailors when they stormed a Turkish-crewed container ship in the Gulf of Guinea two days ago have not yet made...
Explainer: Why are pirates attacking ships in the Gulf of Guinea?
Pirates are stepping up attacks on ships in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, defying regional navies. On Saturday, pirates off Nigeria kidnapped 15 sailors...
Pirates kidnap 15 sailors in attack on Turkish container ship off...
Pirates off Nigeria’s coast kidnapped 15 sailors from a Turkish container ship in the Gulf of Guinea on Saturday in a brazen and violent...
Gulf of Guinea attacks continue
A pair of tankers, one Greek-flagged and the other Maltese-flagged, was unsuccessfully approached by pirate action groups (PAGs) in the Gulf of Guinea over...
Another vessel boarded in the Gulf of Guinea
A product tanker has been boarded in the Gulf of Guinea but the crew are safe in what was the 14th such incident in...
No more hostages held by Somali pirates
Over the past five years Somali pirates took more than 3 600 people hostage in attacks on ships varying in size from tankers through to...
Suspected pirate attack off Ghana
A Denmark-flagged tanker has been approached by a suspicious boat off the coast of Ghana but managed to avoid a potential attack.
This is according...
Ship boarded, crew members kidnapped south of Lagos
Two Russian crew members of the cargo vessel Water Phoenix were kidnapped by pirates this week south of Lagos port, Nigeria’s largest and busiest.
Dryad...
Two South Koreans reportedly kidnapped from fishing vessel off Ghana
Unidentified gunmen have apparently kidnapped two South Korean nationals from a fishing vessel south of Lome, Ghana.
The vessel appears to be hijacked, according to...