Medeshi Sept 8, 2008Piracy Grips Gulf of Aden
Attacks on Shipping In Mideast Raise Insurance Costs
By CHIP CUMMINSSeptember 8, 2008
Pirates have stepped up attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, increasing insurance costs for ship owners and raising the specter of military intervention in one of the world's most important sea lanes.
The waterway lies between Yemen and Somalia, and connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. It is an important energy corridor, especially for Persian Gulf oil heading west through the Suez Canal. Ships laden with some 3.3 million barrels of crude -- almost 4% of daily global demand -- move through the waters each day, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. The waterway is also an important thoroughfare for goods heading to Europe and the U.S. from Asia.
The surge in piracy has suddenly turned it into one of the most dangerous passages in the world for sea captains.
"They've been just running the gauntlet" in the gulf, says Gavin Simmonds, head of international affairs for the British Chamber of Shipping, an industry trade group based in London.
Pirates have long plied the waters along the southeastern coast of Somalia, which for years has lacked a functioning central government. But this spring and summer, bands of well-trained pirates appear to have moved north into the Gulf of Aden.
The International Maritime Bureau, a marine-crime watchdog, reported 33 attacks or attempted attacks in or near the gulf this year. That is up from 13 for all of last year. In recent weeks, reported incidents have surged: Three ships were seized by pirates within 12 hours between Aug. 20 and 21. An additional four ships were captured over a 48-hour period the following week, according to reports made to the IMB.
A handful of ships are still being held by pirates in the area, including two large Malaysian vessels and a French yacht. Pirates typically seize ships and crew, and demand large cash ransoms.
In response to the increased number of attacks, a consortium of maritime-insurance underwriters in London added the Gulf of Aden to its list of war zones in May. The designation spurred many insurance brokers to boost premiums for ship owners seeking coverage for a transit.
In late August, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said it would set up a special patrol area, monitored by American and other naval vessels and aircraft, to counter the piracy threat in the gulf. A United Nations Security Council resolution in June authorized international naval vessels to enter Somalia waters in pursuit of pirates.
Piracy has been a problem in other critical shipping lanes in the past, including in the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia, and in West African waters. But the surge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden is worrying officials because of its sophistication.
In a warning to mariners in late August, the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre described three large "mother ships" -- two Russian-made stern trawlers and a tugboat -- that officials suspect are coordinating at least some of the recent attacks.
"There is a degree of organization" in recent attacks, said Commodore Keith Winstanley, a British naval officer and deputy chief of a coalition of U.S.-led navy ships operating in the Middle East region. "Which is why we're taking action," he said.
Other governments are, too, raising the possibility of armed confrontation in the strategic waterway. In April, French forces arrested a number of alleged pirates after they released crew members aboard a luxury yacht that was captured in the Gulf of Aden. Further military action could rattle energy markets, which have reacted sharply to even minor shipping disruptions in other important choke points.
On Tuesday, Malaysian shipping heavyweight MISC Berhad said it had stopped sending its vessels into the Gulf of Aden entirely. The company is negotiating for the release of two ships seized there last month.
The MT Bunga Melati II, with a crew of 39 and a cargo of palm oil, was seized on Aug. 19. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said pirates are demanding a ransom of $3 million.
Ten days later, MISC's MT Bunga Melati V was attacked. It was carrying 41 crew members and a 30,000-ton cargo of petrochemicals bound for Singapore from Saudi Arabia. MISC said it has recently made contact with the ship.
The country's deputy prime minister was quoted last week in the local press ordering Malaysian naval ships into the waterway. A Malaysian Foreign Ministry official, contacted late Friday in Kuala Lumpur, said the government was discouraging Malaysian ships from the gulf, but he couldn't confirm whether ships were being deployed to the waterway.
Attacks on Shipping In Mideast Raise Insurance Costs
By CHIP CUMMINSSeptember 8, 2008
Pirates have stepped up attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, increasing insurance costs for ship owners and raising the specter of military intervention in one of the world's most important sea lanes.
The waterway lies between Yemen and Somalia, and connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. It is an important energy corridor, especially for Persian Gulf oil heading west through the Suez Canal. Ships laden with some 3.3 million barrels of crude -- almost 4% of daily global demand -- move through the waters each day, according to U.S. Department of Energy estimates. The waterway is also an important thoroughfare for goods heading to Europe and the U.S. from Asia.
The surge in piracy has suddenly turned it into one of the most dangerous passages in the world for sea captains.
"They've been just running the gauntlet" in the gulf, says Gavin Simmonds, head of international affairs for the British Chamber of Shipping, an industry trade group based in London.
Pirates have long plied the waters along the southeastern coast of Somalia, which for years has lacked a functioning central government. But this spring and summer, bands of well-trained pirates appear to have moved north into the Gulf of Aden.
The International Maritime Bureau, a marine-crime watchdog, reported 33 attacks or attempted attacks in or near the gulf this year. That is up from 13 for all of last year. In recent weeks, reported incidents have surged: Three ships were seized by pirates within 12 hours between Aug. 20 and 21. An additional four ships were captured over a 48-hour period the following week, according to reports made to the IMB.
A handful of ships are still being held by pirates in the area, including two large Malaysian vessels and a French yacht. Pirates typically seize ships and crew, and demand large cash ransoms.
In response to the increased number of attacks, a consortium of maritime-insurance underwriters in London added the Gulf of Aden to its list of war zones in May. The designation spurred many insurance brokers to boost premiums for ship owners seeking coverage for a transit.
In late August, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said it would set up a special patrol area, monitored by American and other naval vessels and aircraft, to counter the piracy threat in the gulf. A United Nations Security Council resolution in June authorized international naval vessels to enter Somalia waters in pursuit of pirates.
Piracy has been a problem in other critical shipping lanes in the past, including in the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia, and in West African waters. But the surge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden is worrying officials because of its sophistication.
In a warning to mariners in late August, the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre described three large "mother ships" -- two Russian-made stern trawlers and a tugboat -- that officials suspect are coordinating at least some of the recent attacks.
"There is a degree of organization" in recent attacks, said Commodore Keith Winstanley, a British naval officer and deputy chief of a coalition of U.S.-led navy ships operating in the Middle East region. "Which is why we're taking action," he said.
Other governments are, too, raising the possibility of armed confrontation in the strategic waterway. In April, French forces arrested a number of alleged pirates after they released crew members aboard a luxury yacht that was captured in the Gulf of Aden. Further military action could rattle energy markets, which have reacted sharply to even minor shipping disruptions in other important choke points.
On Tuesday, Malaysian shipping heavyweight MISC Berhad said it had stopped sending its vessels into the Gulf of Aden entirely. The company is negotiating for the release of two ships seized there last month.
The MT Bunga Melati II, with a crew of 39 and a cargo of palm oil, was seized on Aug. 19. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said pirates are demanding a ransom of $3 million.
Ten days later, MISC's MT Bunga Melati V was attacked. It was carrying 41 crew members and a 30,000-ton cargo of petrochemicals bound for Singapore from Saudi Arabia. MISC said it has recently made contact with the ship.
The country's deputy prime minister was quoted last week in the local press ordering Malaysian naval ships into the waterway. A Malaysian Foreign Ministry official, contacted late Friday in Kuala Lumpur, said the government was discouraging Malaysian ships from the gulf, but he couldn't confirm whether ships were being deployed to the waterway.
