Pirate attacks continued apace this week. Pirates attacked seven vessels, of which one resulted in a successful hijack. The London Conference on Somalia brought 55 delegations to the table, and resulted in a number of developments in the counter-piracy field. In Puntland, onshore counter-piracy operations came to a close, which could result in a new boost in activity. Despite local authorities claiming the operation was a success, the region remains a major pirate hub.

Developments On Land

Piracy On The Agenda At London Conference

Piracy was just one of the focal points at the London Conference on Somalia, and much was achieved in terms of the international counter-piracy effort. Top developments from the conference were:

1. Foreign Secretary William Hague signed a memorandum of understanding with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Bernard Membe to allow the UK Royal Navy to transfer suspected pirates to Tanzania for prosecution.

2. The semi-autonomous region of Somaliland signed an agreement with the Seychelles to transfer convicted pirates to prisons in Somaliland, with the first transfer (of 19 convicted pirates) will take place by the end of March.

3. On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary William Hague announced that the UK would donate £550,000 ($870,000) for the construction of a new Regional Anti-Piracy Prosecutions Intelligence Co-ordination Centre in the Seychelles. The purpose of the centre is to coordinate and analyse intelligence to inform law enforcement operations, and to track pirate financiers.

A comprehensive and detailed communique adopted by the conference called for, among other things, full implementation of the IMO-led Djibouti Code of Conduct and the adoption of an Exclusive Economic Zone. It also welcomed current work on international guidance on the use of private armed security companies.

Private Companies Make Their Counter-Piracy Mark

As the international community continues on its slow mission to combat piracy, private maritime security companies are thriving, and are offering a number of services to shipping companies operating in the high risk zone. Dryad Maritime is one such company, andthis week established a new global anti-piracy centre in Portsmouth, England.

Counter-Piracy Operations in Puntland Come to A Close

Counter piracy operations in Mudug region have come to an end, according to local officials in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, The operations, which were ongoing over the last five months, and targeted pirates in Jariban district in particular, were deemed a success by Jariban authorities.

Abdi Karim Kaytoun, the chairman of Jariban District, toldSomalia Reportthat pirates had been arrested, and only two hijacked ships remain off the coast of Garacad. He added that the next step would be to ‘remove these ships’, however the way in which they will achieve this remains unclear.

Over the course of the counter-piracy operations, Puntland police reported that they thwarted a number of operations, and arrested ‘many pirates’ in the process. Earlier this month, for example,one successful operation resulted in the arrest of 11 pirates in Gabac village, near Eyl.All of these pirates are now in Jariban and Garacad jails, and they are awaiting trial in Puntland’s courts.

Despite these reports of success, in reality, pirates remain a powerful force in the region. The majority of Puntland's pirates operate with impunity; in reality, major counter-piracy successes occur infrequently.

Somaliland Parliament Approves New Piracy Law

Somaliland parliament approved on Tuesday a new anti-piracy law, criminalizing acts of piracy for the first time. Lawmakers gathered in Hargeisa and voted on the draft, which passed by 46 votes to four.

This is Somaliland’s first anti-piracy law, and proscribes a jail sentence of between five and 20 years for those convicted of piracy. Suspects will be tried in Somaliland’s courts, so long as the crime did not take place in another country’s territorial waters. In addition, the law specified that any pirate property seized by law enforcement will be transferred to the state.

The anti-piracy law also sentences owners of any ship involved in pirate activity to between 10 and 20 years in prison. The law also clearly indicates that any Somaliland officer found to be involved in pirate activity will be sentenced to between 10 and 25 years in jail.

Somaliland president, Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo, is expected to sign the law upon return from the London Conference on Somalia. Last year, the United Nations spent $1.5 million on a prison in Hargeisa to hold about 400 inmates, the majority pirates. Somaliland has been working on an anti-piracy law since last year.

Somali Pirates Await Trial in Mombasa

This week, four suspected Somali pirates were brought before the Mombasa law court. According to the charge sheet, the suspects are accused of attacking FV TAHIRI between December 1 and 2 of last year. The pirates in question were armed with AK47s and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), and have been accused of employing violence against the crewmembers.

The second charge shows that they hijacked the ship between December 1 and 2 last year.

Danish naval officers handed the suspects to Kenyan authorities on February 18, and they were arraigned before Mombasa law courts on February 20.

Their legal representative, Jared Magolo, raised legal issues he felt needed to be addressed before the suspects could take their plea. Their lawyer, Jared Magolo, says that the two charges are one and the same, and wants the charge sheet amended before the defendants take their plea.

The case will be heard next month. Currently over 140 suspected Somali pirates are undergoing trial in the Kenyan law courts. The average of the cost of prosecution per suspect in Kenya is $77,000.

FV SHIUH NO 1 Crew Taken Onshore

Somalia Reporthas received information that pirates holding the Taiwanese-owned FV SHIUH NO 1 were using the vessel as a mothership last month. In January, the ship went to sea but soon returned to shore as monsoon waves affected its movement. Sources stated that despite being beached, pirates reportedly managed to fix the vessel and replace the engine.

The vessel is currently anchored near El-Dhanane, and all of the crew, bar the captain(who had his hand cut off by the pirates last month), have been taken onshore. The group responsible, led by Fatxi (from the Hawiye clan) is a well-known gang operating in Harardhere and Mudug.

Fight over Ransom for FV ARIDE Hostages Ongoing

The group of pirates holding the two hostages from the Seychelles fishing vessel FV ARIDE continue to fight over the prospective ransom amount.

Ali Duulaaye and Mohamed Garfanje, two of the pirate leaders, have said that they will only be happy with a $4 million ransom, whereas the investors have said that they want to be paid as soon as possible, and so they are prepared to release them for less.

Bakayle, a pirate from the Saad clan (a sub-clan of the Habir Gedir, inhabiting the coastal areas of central Somalia), has taken on the role of mediator between pirates and investors.

Pirates moved the two hostages to land on December 5 last year, and they are now being held in Ceel-Huur village. After being used as mothership, the FV ARIDE sank on February 2, after monsoon waves hit the Ceel-Huur area. Pirates managed to salvage the motor.

Developments At Sea

SQUIRELL Confirmed NOT Pirated

On February 22Somalia Reportreceived reports that armed pirates had seized a Mombasa based supply vessel SQUIRELL while she was underway off Comoros. It later became known that Comoros police had detained the SQUIRELL off the island. Pirates were not involved. Relatives of the Kenyan crew members of the ill-fated vessel had toldSomalia Reportthat the vessel was taken Wednesday evening by pirates along with her eight multi-national crew and six security guards believed to be Kenyan police officers. It is not yet clear what the Kenya police officers were doing in Comoros territorial waters.

The SQUIRELL operates in Tanzanian territorial waters as an offshore supply craft for gas and oil exploration vessels.

There are currently several companies prospecting for oil and gas off the coast of Tanzania. These companies have invested heavily in exploration, and Tanzania stands to benefit immensely if the explorations lead to substantial findings.

Many underwater oil exploration vessels such as the Marshall Islands-flagged oil exploration research vessel, Ocean Rig Poseidon, have been carrying out drilling work in Tanzanian territorial waters for Brazil’s Petrobras corporation since last year.

MV LEILA Moved to Eyl

As reported in last week’s Piracy Report, MV LEILA, a Panama-flagged Roll-On/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) vessel, was hijacked off the coast of Oman. Despite initial speculation as to whether the hijack actually took place, it has now been confirmed by maritime authorities in the region, andSomalia Report’sown sources. This week, the hijacked ship arrived in Bargal, a district in the east of Puntland’s Bari region.

Shortly after arriving, the local population encouraged pirates to move the vessel. The chairman of Bargal District Ahmed Gurey spoke toSomalia Report, and said, “The hijacked vessel MV LEILA Arrived in Bargal this week, but local residents asked pirates to move the vessel from the area near the city, and they did so. They moved from Bargal on Wednesday, and relocated to Eyl.”

The hijackers relocated the vessel to Eyl on Wednesday, where they were joined by more pirates.

MV ALBEDO Soon To Be Released

After months of failed negotiations, Malaysian-flagged tanker MV ALBEDO will soon be free.Somalia Reportsources have reported that the pirates and vessel owners have agreed upon a $4 million ransom, which will soon be delivered to the ship.

Pirates attacked the vessel on November 26, 2010 while underway some 293 miles west of the Maldives. The vessel was heading to Mombasa port from Jebel Ali, Dubai. The crew is made up of Bangladeshi, Iranian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan nationals.

Incidents

Hijacks: 1(Additional to confirmation of the MV LEILA hijack last week)

A Panama flagged United Arab Emirates (UAE) owned car carrier, MV LEILA, was hijacked by armed pirates on February 15 while underway 50 nautical miles south-southwest of Sadh, Oman. At 1500hrs GMT on 23 February, the vessel was placed at 0607 north-04909 east.

The UAE-owned MV SAVINA FAHAD was hijacked earlier this week. The vessel was carrying charcoal from Kismayo to the UAE when pirates managed to board and take control of the vessel. The hijack is reminiscent of that which occurred in December last year, when a vessel carrying charcoal was hijacked off Kismayo.

Unsuccessful Attacks: 6

On February 22, armed pirates attempted to hijack a Marshall Islands-flagged, UK-owned LNG tanker MT GOLAR MARIA while she was underway in position 1012north-06903 east. Two skiffs approached the vessel, one from the stern and the other from the bow. Upon sighting, the Master increased speed and evaded the attack. The vessel and crew are reported to be safe.

On February 22, the same day, two other merchant vessels NAHIDE and ICTAS 2 were attacked by pirates on two skiffs while underway in position 1752 9 north-056503 east. The vessels increased speed and evaded the attack.

On February 22 a group of pirates approached, Hong Kong-flagged MT ALPINE MYSTERY while underway in position 0529 south- 06402 east, some 500 nautical miles south east of Seychelles.

On February 22, heavily armed pirates in a yellow skiff with a red band attempted to hijack a Singapore-flagged crude oil tanker MT NORTH SEA while underway in position 1331 north-05022 east. Six armed pirates fired on the vessel, and the security team on board fired warning shots in response. The crew barricaded themselves in the citadel, and the pirates then aborted the attack.

Again, on February 22, armed pirates attempted to hijack a Bahamas flagged crude oil tanker MT GOTLAND SPIRIT. The Master altered course and increased speed and returned to her true course after the gunmen aborted the attack.

Hostages Held By Pirates:

On Vessel: 267

On Land: 26

Total: 293