Feral Jundi

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Maritime Security: US Navy Using ‘Q-Ships’ And Somalis Guilty Of Piracy In Historic Trial

     Three men jumped from a command boat into an open skiff and raced toward the target. They opened fire with AK-47 rifles as they neared the starboard side, hitting a mast and several life lines.

     No one was hurt, and the April 1 incident normally might have drawn little notice. Somali sea bandits have attacked several hundred freighters, tankers and other merchant ships this year. They have successfully hijacked 40 vessels and their crews and held them for ransom.

     But the target this time was the U.S. guided missile frigate Nicholas, disguised to resemble a cargo ship. Navy gunners fired back, and by dawn, commandos had captured five Somalis.

     The last known U.S. trial of a pirate captured overseas was in 1819. During the Civil War, crew members from the Savannah, a Confederate raider, were charged with piracy and tried in New York. But the jury deadlocked, and the rebels later were deemed prisoners of war. 

    There is actually two historic events here.  The first would be the trial itself, but the second would be the first use of ‘Q-ships‘ by the US Navy since World War 2. This last part is incredibly under reported, and hopefully some clarification can be made by the US Navy about this if it is true.

    Or maybe there was a mistake by the reporter below, or this is what the defense claimed in the trial?  Who knows, but it certainly is interesting if true.  It almost makes me wonder if the USS Ashland was set up to be a decoy as well, because Somali pirates fired on that vessel thinking it was a merchant vessel. –Matt

US jury finds Somalis guilty of piracy

November 25, 2010

WASHINGTON — Five Somalis were found guilty of piracy for attacking a US vessel in the Indian Ocean, the first US convictions on such charges in nearly two centuries, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.

A jury in the port city of Norfolk, Virginia found the men guilty of the April attack on the navy frigate USS Nicholas — which they mistook for a merchant vessel — from a small skiff in April.

The ruling marks “what is believed to be the first piracy trial conviction in the United States since 1820,” the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

According to trial testimony, the men sailed from Somalia searching for a merchant ship to raid. “They used a larger ship full of supplies, along with two smaller vessels loaded with assault weapons and a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that served as attack boats,” the statement read.

On April 1, three of the suspects boarded one of the smaller vessels “and set out to pirate what they believed to be a merchant ship.”

The men opened fire on a ship which turned out to be the Norfolk-based USS Nicholas.

(more…)

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Maritime Security: Insurance Firms Plan Private Navy To Take On Somali Pirates

Sean Woollerson, a senior partner with JLT, told The Independent: “We are looking at setting up a private navy to escort vessels through the danger zones. We would have armed personnel with fast boats escorting ships and make it very clear to any Somali vessels in the vicinity that they are entering a protected area.

“At the moment there is a disconnect between the private security sector and the international naval force. We think we can help remedy that and place this force under the control of the multi-national force. We look after about 5,000 ships and have had 10 vessels taken in total, including a seizure where one crew member was shot and killed. Piracy is a serious problem, these are criminals basically extorting funds, so why not do something more proactive?” 

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Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT), which insures 14 per cent of the world’s commercial shipping fleet, said the unprecedented “private navy” would work under the direct control of the military with clear rules of engagement valid under international law. Early discussions have also been held with the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Transport and the Foreign Office. 

*****

     I posted an article back in April that hinted at this private navy concept, and I had no idea that it would get to this level.  This is fantastic news and I totally support such a thing.  Mr. Woollerson is right and companies must do something more proactive.

    Now on to the control mechanism for this force. Perhaps now would be a time for Britain to re-evaluate their position on the Letter of Marque and Reprisal?  The Declaration of Paris might have been a nice concept at the time of ratification, but it removed a tool of the British government for dealing with non-state actors like pirates? They could actually license this private navy to do what it is doing.

     Within the terms of the license, that is where they can define who the companies answer too and what legal mechanisms they are to abide by. They can also put fail safe measures on this private navy, like an expiration date or something similar. Because if this private navy ‘would work under the direct control of the military with clear rules of engagement valid under international law’, then you guys might as well go all the way and issue the LoM?

    Another thing that I was thinking about here is that if JLT is successful with this insurance/private navy model, then will other insurance companies get the hint and be ‘proactive’ as well?  I guess time will tell and if the action does equate to a cost savings and safer voyages for the shipping industry, I am sure it will catch on.

    Finally, there is the cost factor.  It is extremely costly for the navies of the world to continue these anti-piracy operations using these large vessels/expensive air assets to go after pirates armed with AK’s in little motor boats. How is this sustainable economically? Eventually, the work load would have to be shared in order for it to continue, and perhaps private industry is looking into the future here. They are also looking at the fact that boats are still being taken, and all these fancy high tech navies are not able to stop these pirates. Nor is there anything being done on land, and the profitable piracy industry has no where to go but up.  Being proactive makes sense given the current state of things.

    Interesting stuff and I would like to know what company JLT will go through for raising this private navy?  If any readers, or even JLT can answer that one, that would be very cool. Hell, I will even post the recruitment ad for this ‘private navy’, and I will guarantee that JLT’s contractor will get a huge response. –Matt

Edit: 10/01/2010 -Be sure to check this show out in regards to the story. They discuss how the LoM could be used as a legal mechanism for this private navy.

Insurance firms plan private navy to take on Somali pirates

Somali Pirate Attacks Sink Premiums as Insurers Leap Aboard

Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Plc

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Insurance firms plan private navy to take on Somali pirates

By Cahal Milmo

September 28, 2010

Patrol boats crewed by armed guards to protect valuable ships in Gulf of Aden

Insurers have drawn up plans for the world’s first private navy to try to turn the tide against Somali pirates who continue to plague the global shipping industry by hijacking vessels for ransoms of more than £100m a year, The Independent has learnt.

The new navy, which has the agreement in principle of several shipping groups and is being considered by the British Government, is the latest attempt to counter the increasingly sophisticated and aggressive piracy gangs who operate up to 1,200 miles from their bases in the Horn of Africa and are about to launch a new wave of seaborne attacks following the monsoon season.

A multi-national naval force, including an EU fleet currently commanded by a British officer, has dramatically reduced the number of assaults in the Gulf of Aden in recent months. But seizures continue with 16 ships and 354 sailors currently being held hostage. The Independent has seen Nato documents which show both ransom payments and the period that pirates are holding vessels have doubled in the last 12 months to an average $4m and 117 days respectively.

In response, a leading London insurer is pushing ahead with radical proposals to create a private fleet of about 20 patrol boats crewed by armed guards to bolster the international military presence off the Somali coast. They would act as escorts and fast-response vessels for shipping passing through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.

(more…)

Monday, August 16, 2010

Maritime Security: Attack On Tanker In Strait Of Hormuz Shows Why Armed Security On Ships Is Essential

The lesson learned from the terrorist attack on the USS Cole – the bombing in Yemen’s Aden port in 2000 killed 17 sailors on the U.S. Navy destroyer – applied equally to supertankers, cargo vessels or cruise ships, he said: allowing small vessels alongside carries significant risks.

 Murray said companies were for various reasons reluctant to consider employing armed personnel, apparently believing security should be left to navies.

 “We believe that national navies should be reinforced by a protective presence on privately-owned ships for the same reason that banks and other firms that deal with money and money transfer use armed protective personnel who can react immediately during an event and before the local police can intervene,” he said.  

*****

     I don’t know how many other ways I can communicate the urgency here.  Today’s navies cannot be everywhere at once.  They were not able to stop this attack on a Japanese Tanker in the Strait of Hormuz (SoH), and it was pure luck that these booger eaters were not successful.  Look at the photo below?

     Let’s discuss what is at stake here. If 40 percent of the world’s oil transits through the SoH , then why are we not doing everything that is necessary to insure the SoH is not endangered by an attack on shipping like this again? If these guys destroy, or even capture a boat and purposely sink it in the SoH, that would have immense repercussions on the global economy.  A global economy already on edge and in trouble with recession. Because an attack in the SoH, would be an attack that would drive up oil prices and thus drive fuel prices through the roof.

     Now going back to the most effective strategy, and for that matter the most cost effective strategy to deal with this.  A real push by private and public leadership needs to be focused on getting the shipping industry up to speed on protecting itself.  Every boat going through the SoH should be required to have armed security that can adequately defend itself from not just one attack, but from a ‘swarming‘ attack.  Because knowing how Al Qaeda and company operate, they will more than likely attempt this type of attack again in the future and modify the attack for a better chance of success. They are learning and they will apply those lessons.

     As for the cost effectiveness? That comes from standing down Navies and limiting them to a quick reaction capacity for ships that are in trouble, as well as having them continue anti-piracy operations. Keep them on the offense. But in terms of trying to protect all ships everywhere via escort is an impossibility, and far too costly.(although I would still recommend escorting through choke points if possible, much like with the SoH)  Have the shipping industry protect it’s own assets, much like banks or jewelry stores hire security to protect their assets. A super tanker is a costly thing, with an equally valuable payload, yet companies try to go cheap when protecting these two things?  That dynamic needs to change, and having the Navies of the world allow that change to happen takes telling the shipping industry that they need to absorb this cost and take their fair share of the load in this endeavor. Besides, how does a destroyer or aircraft carrier meet the demands of the ‘many and small‘ with today’s enemies? We are talking about guys in small boats, armed with AK’s or explosive cargo?

     The other angle that I keep thinking about is the concept of Qursaans or Jihadist Privateers.  Al Shabab obviously has contacts with some of the best pirates in the world operating off the coast of Somalia.  To tap into this industry and use it for other means would not be a stretch.  A Somali pirate captain, who was the best in his industry, could take down one of these commercial ships in the SoH and then hand it, along with the hostages over to Al Qaeda.  That’s probably if Al Qaeda offered a significant bounty for such a thing. The point being is that Al Qaeda could potentially take control of a ship and either ram it into another ship, sink it in place by blowing it and it’s hostages up, or using it as a weapon against a port (one that deals in oil). The imagination is the only limit.

     Time is also not on our side.  Jihadists know that economic problems throughout the west makes this the most opportune time to attack.  That is why I declare that this is of utmost importance for armed security to be a top priority for today’s shipping, and especially those that are running through the SoH. There should be no more debate about it, no more conflicting expert analysis, no more talk about cost, or legal debates about the right of self defense on the high seas. Because at the end of the day, all of that will be shadowed by the massive economic destruction caused by such an attack or attacks.  How long will ‘wishing’ and ‘hoping’ away reality last?-Matt

Tanker Damage Caused by Attack, Inquiry Finds

Act Now on Terror Threat to Key Oil Routes, Say Experts

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In this photo released by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), damage is seen on the side of the M. Star supertanker as it arrived at Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Emirates News Agency)

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Tanker Damage Caused by Attack, Inquiry Finds

By ROBERT F. WORTH

August 6, 2010

WASHINGTON — Investigators in the United Arab Emirates said Friday that a terrorist attack caused the mysterious damage a Japanese oil tanker suffered last week as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears of future attacks in the narrow channel that serves as a passageway for shipping crude oil from the Middle East to the rest of the world.

The damage to the tanker — which an Emirati official said was caused by “homemade explosives” aboard a dinghy — was not considered serious, and there was little immediate impact on oil markets on Friday.

But the news instantly fanned worries about shipping security. If confirmed, the attack would be the first of its kind in the volatile strait, which has long been a focal point for tensions with Iran, just across the water from the Arabian Peninsula.

About 17 million barrels of oil a day pass through the strait, close to 40 percent of the oil shipped by tankers worldwide.

The account of the attack came in a report published Friday by the state-run Emirates news agency WAM, from an Emirati coast guard official.

Earlier this week, the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a militant group with ties to Al Qaeda, claimed it had carried out a suicide attack against the tanker, the M. Star.

American officials on Friday would not confirm that the episode was a terror attack, but one intelligence official said that the damage to the tanker — a large square dent on the hull’s port side — was “from an external explosion.” The official said it remained unclear whether the group taking credit for bombing the tanker was indeed involved.

Lt. John Fage, a spokesman for the Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, said that a team of Navy divers had recently traveled to Fujairah to assess the ship’s damage.

The Japanese government was conducting its own investigation. Japan’s transportation minister, Seiji Maehara, said at a news conference in Tokyo that the government had obtained samples taken from the damaged portion of the tanker and would “conduct analyses for all possible causes, without prejudice.”

The ship, loaded with two million barrels of oil, was heading toward Japan on July 28 when a sudden force shattered windows, ripped off deck railings and blew off a lifeboat, in addition to punching the dent into its black-and-red hull. One crew member was slightly hurt.

(more…)

Friday, June 4, 2010

Maritime Security: Crew Reclaim Ship From Somali Pirates

     Thanks to Gary for sending me this.  The thing that really got me with this, and with Gary, is that this crew was put in this position of fighting for their lives and having to kill these pirates.  We are talking about seaman from all around the world, who are not trained, who are unarmed, and all they wanted to do was work on a boat and feed their families.

     It disgusts me that companies continue this practice of sending their folks into harms way, and not providing adequate protections for them.  They spend thousands of dollars on safety training for their employees, or on life saving gear like rescue boats or dry suits for cold water.  But when it comes to giving their folks the means to protect themselves from piracy attacks, or to contract with a professional security force to protect them, they fall short.  And because there is no protections provided, you have crews like this that had to live with such a horrific experience. (surviving captivity, killing pirates, etc.)  I guarantee that the shipping company CEO’s would be singing a different tune if they had to go through the same experience as this crew.

     Contracting armed security should be required, just like it is required to have safety equipment on these ships.  It is the cost of doing business in today’s violent seas and anything less is unacceptable. –Matt

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Crew reclaim ship from Somali pirates

Jun 3, 2010

The crew of a Libyan-owned cargo ship pounced on their sleeping Somali captors, disarmed the pirates and killed five of them, regaining control of their vessel that had been hijacked almost three months earlier, officials said.

A sixth pirate who survived the attack by the MV Rim crew managed to lock himself in a room and call other pirates to say they had been overpowered before the crew took him hostage, said Abdiaziz Aw Yusuf, the Garacad district commissioner. Garacad is the coastal town near which the MV Rim has been anchored.

A crew member was seriously injured during the struggle, the European Union’s anti-piracy naval force said in a statement. The crew had reported to the force that they had retaken control of the ship on Wednesday morning. The EU said it is believed some of the pirates were killed during the incident.

(more…)

Monday, April 19, 2010

Somalia: Pirate Training, Swarm Tactics, And the Expansion Of Piracy Operations

     “I came here with my friends. They had a gun and were immediately recruited and joined companies. But I’ve never had a gun so, after a fairly long process, I was told to take part in training for a month and now I can join,” he told Reuters by phone from the coastal, pirate haven of Haradheere.

     The new 20-year-old recruit is just one of hundreds of youths in Haradheere desperate to sign up in the hope of earning a tiny slice of hijack ransoms worth millions of dollars.

     The steady stream of new recruits suggests that patrols by European Union warships since December 2008 to deter hijackings and arrest the seaborne gunmen have done little to dent the enthusiasm for piracy in the failed Horn of Africa nation.

*****

   Pirate training?  So now pirate training companies have popped up in order to help job seekers to get a position with the pirate companies? Boy, something has to be done in order to make this less attractive.  We can start by making it illegal to pay ransoms and we can also mandate that companies use security on their boats. This should be a start, but we have to do a lot more than that in order to destroy this industry.  Or at least make it highly unprofitable and risky for these clowns.

   As to the pirates themselves, the only thing I can come up with that makes sense is that you must create an industry to fight this industry.  The money from ransoms is what is driving the pirate industry, and the counter industry would be one that takes the pirate’s assets or one that bounties are given for each pirate that is captured or killed. But you need a legal system set up to prosecute these guys. As it stands now, all we have is a catch and release program or kill the bastards during their assault on the boat.  Pffft.

   Now we could continue with these massive naval shows of force, but if you remember, the new rules of war are now being exhibited quite well by the Somali pirates. Here they are:

Rule 1: “Many and Small” Beats “Few and Large.”–Pirates armed with AK’s and RPG’s, cruising in small motor boats versus destroyers, jets and aircraft carriers?

Rule 2: Finding Matters More Than Flanking. –Pirates hiding in captured friendly vessels, blending in with other civilian craft, in the massive expanse of the ocean.

Rule 3: Swarming Is the New Surging. –1000’s of pirates swarming on vessels, gambling that one or two will make it in for the take down.

   Not to mention that even a top admiral is saying that today’s navies cannot continue their operations indefinitely and that shipping should consider armed guards.  What happened to the Master and Commander music? lol

   Perhaps it is time to reconsider another strategy.  A hybrid strategy that involves private industry, and aggressive legal system to prosecute pirates, and the good work of professional navies.  If we did go down that path, the Letter of Marque will be an essential tool for governments.  I will end this with a quote below from the last LoM paper I posted.  Something to think about.-Matt

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This “Golden Age of Piracy” peaked around 1720 and reached an abrupt end in 1725. More than anyone else, the man responsible for bringing this age of piracy to an end was Woodes Rogers.

  In an early example of the “revolving door” between the private and public sector employment, Rogers was a privateer before being appointed  as the Governor of Bahamas, then the pirate capital of the Americas. In order to reform this territory, Rogers dispersed the pirates of the Caribbean with privateers.

  The piracy problem during this era was solved through a combination of tactics:

(1) the British Parliament passed legislation allowing overseas piracy trials, rather than requiring suspected pirates to be brought to England;

(2) captured pirates were publicly tried and executed;

(3) pirates who turned themselves in were pardoned;

(4) naval patrols were increased;

(5) rewards or bounties were promised for the capture of pirates; and

(6) private ships were licensed to attack and capture pirates.

  Of these methods, the last is the most relevant here.

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Somali pirate reach

Somalia pirates undaunted by navy patrols

By Mohamed AhmedFriday, April 16, 2010

MOGDISHU (Reuters) – Adam Shine waited months for the chance to join one of Somalia’s growth industries. He has now completed his training and is ready to use his boat-handling and global-positioning skills to hijack ships.

“I came here with my friends. They had a gun and were immediately recruited and joined companies. But I’ve never had a gun so, after a fairly long process, I was told to take part in training for a month and now I can join,” he told Reuters by phone from the coastal, pirate haven of Haradheere.

The new 20-year-old recruit is just one of hundreds of youths in Haradheere desperate to sign up in the hope of earning a tiny slice of hijack ransoms worth millions of dollars.

The steady stream of new recruits suggests that patrols by European Union warships since December 2008 to deter hijackings and arrest the seaborne gunmen have done little to dent the enthusiasm for piracy in the failed Horn of Africa nation.

(more…)

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