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karatecatman · Guest

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TIMES OF INDIA

Indian navy foils another attack by Somali pirates
19 Nov 2008,

NEW DELHI: Even as the world's largest supertanker the Saudi Sirius Star continues to be in the grip of pirates of the coast of Somalia, the Indian
navy appears to have taken the lead in the fight against pirates.

After a successful operation against pirates last week when the Indian navy warship INS Tabar sank a Somalian pirate ship of the Gulf of Aden, at about 10 pm last night the navy spotted another pirate ship; it challenged the pirate ship which had several speed boats accompanying it, according to TV channel Times Now.

The pirate’s ship tried to ram the Tabar at which point the Tabar opened fire. No casualties have been reported on the Indian side.

The stealth frigate successfully repulsed the attack by the pirates and sunk their ship, an official said here on Wednesday.

“The pirates fired at INS Tabar, which is patrolling the waters off the Somali coast. The ship retaliated and sank the pirate vessel,” a navy official said.

Meanwhile the Sirius Star has anchored off the coast of Somalia in Eyl, even as pirates took over another Iranian-operated cargo vessel with a Hong Kong flag ‘Delight’. US navy commander Jane Campbell of the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said the status of the crew and cargo was not known. There are some Indians among the 25-member crew.

In the first-ever action after being deployed in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian navy on November 11 thwarted an attempt by pirates to capture an Indian merchant vessel in the region. The ship, M V Jag Arnav, had recently crossed the Suez Canal and was eastward bound when it was surrounded by pirates, who tried to board and hijack the ship, navy sources in New Delhi said.

When the 38,265-tonne bulk carrier, owned by Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Company, raised an alarm, it caught the attention of the Indian naval warship, INS Tabar, which was patrolling in the Gulf of Aden waters.

Great job!

karatecatman · Guest

HMS Cumberland, which was also in the area has also captured a few pirates.

***

Copyright pictures

The Saudi super tanker -- three times larger than a US aircraft carrier. Pirates have hijacked this ship.

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Hero of the show --- INS Tabar.
It was also involved earlier in 2006, in tsunami relief operations.

Helicopter from INS Tabar above the Indian merchant vessel MV Jag Arnav.

In action right now in the Gulf of Aden --- INS Tabar escorting MV Jag Arnav.

(These pictures were released by the Indian Navy. Thanks to source for this.)

HAWK21M · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:04 pm Post subject:

Its high time the navies of the world end this constant irritation from the pirates.
regds
MEL
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karatecatman · Guest

Ministry of Defence/Indian Navy

INS Tabar, which is currently in the Gulf of Aden for Anti-Piracy Surveillance and Patrol Operations, encountered a pirate vessel, 285 NM South West of Salalah (Oman) on the evening of 18 Nov 08, with two speed boats in tow. This vessel was similar in description to the 'Mother Vessel' mentioned in various Piracy bulletins.

INS Tabar closed the vessel and asked her to stop for investigation. On repeated calls, the vessel's threatening response was that she would blow up the Naval Warship if it closed her. Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers. The vessel continued its threatening calls and subsequently fired upon INS Tabar.

On being fired upon, INS Tabar retaliated in self defence and opened fire on the mother vessel. As a result of the firing by INS Tabar, fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored on the vessel. Almost simultaneously, two speed boats were observed breaking off to escape. The ship chased the first boat which was later found abandoned. The other boat made good its escape into darkness.

INS Tabar is on Anti-Piracy Mission in the Gulf of Aden since 02 Nov 08. The operation is being controlled by Western Naval Command since mid Oct 08. During this period, she has successfully escorted approximately 35 ships, including a number of foreign flagged vessels, safely during their transit through pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden and also prevented two hijacking attempts on 11 Nov 08. The Indian Navy has been patrolling the piracy infested water in keeping with the Government guidelines to protect our sea borne trade, instill confidence in our sea faring community as well as function as a deterrent for pirates.

rutvij · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:32 pm Post subject:

Great Job! Superb Pics as well.

Why this sudden increase in Pirate attacks?

Regds

shivendrashukla · Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject:

Well Done Navy...

Cheers
Shivendra

karatecatman · Guest

After Somalia has given the go-ahead to India to pursue pirates in its territorial waters, INS Tabar to be replaced by INS Mysore.

INS Mysore will leave Mumbai shortly.

INS Mysore carries on board two Sea King helicopters, along with a Cheetah or a Chetak, and stock 16 Uran missiles, 100mm AK 100 Gun, four multi-barrel 30mm AK 630 gun.

Marine Commandos

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INS Mysore

6700 Ton
Length: 163 m
Beam: 17 m
Draught: 6.5 m
Propulsion: 2 shaft, 2 cruise diesels, 10,000 bhp; 2 AM-50 boost gas turbines, 54,000 shp
Speed: 32+ Knots
Range: 5000 miles
Complement: 360 (Including 40 Officers)
Armament: 16 SS-N-25 SSM (4 quad launchers), 2 SA-N-7 SAM launchers, 1 100 mm AK-100 gun, 4 x 30 mm AK-630 gatling guns, 2 RBU-6000 Anti-submarine mortars, 5 x 10-21 inch torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried: 2 Sea King Helos
The INS Mysore is a Delhi-class destroyer of the Indian Navy built in India.

INS Mysore has also hosted Nat-Geo's Mission Navy.

***
India may now send in three more additional warships. INS Virat may also be deployed for a brief period.

vivekman · Member Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: 1897 Location: BOM

rutvij · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 9:41 am Post subject:

The Navy was planning to send 4 Warships to the Gulf of Aden. However, now the thinking is more towards limiting that number to 2 and sending a Coastal Reconaissance and Patrol Aircraft.

Aseem · Member Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 2841 Location: YYZ

here is one photo of INS Tabar

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karatecatman · Guest

karatecatman · Guest

karatecatman · Guest

www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24684466-2703,00.html

Shipping giant Maersk flees Somali pirates
Catherine Philp
November 21, 2008

THE global economy suffered a new blow yesterday as Maersk, the world's largest shipping company, announced that it would no longer put its tankers at the mercy of pirates off Somalia.

Maersk's decision to stop plying the route through the perilous waters came as pirates on board the supertanker Sirius Star issued a $US25 million ($41 million) ransom demand, with a warning of "disastrous" consequences if the money were not paid.

Pressure is mounting for an international solution to the menace in and around the Gulf of Aden as world leaders urged shipping companies and their insurers not to embolden the buccaneers by giving in to ransom demands.

Arab leaders met in Egypt to discuss the crisis as Britain prepared to take charge of a European Union fleet of up to 10 warships to complement the multinational force already operating along the Somali coast.

In a rare show of unanimity, the UN Security Council adopted a British plan imposing fresh sanctions to freeze pirates' assets and curb the illegal flow of weapons to Somalia.

AP Moller-Maersk said that it had decided to reroute its 50-strong oil tanker fleet via the Cape of Good Hope because it could no longer guarantee the safety of the slow-moving ships.

The oil company BP is also examining new security measures. "We constantly monitor the security and safety of our ships," said an official at BP, which operates 77 managed vessels and a further 115 under charter. "We are looking at suitable measures to protect them."

Another British company, BG Group, which operates a fleet of four of its own and nine chartered vessels for the transport of liquefied natural gas, also said that it was reviewing the security of the areas in which it operates, which include the Gulf of Aden.

Shipping companies are aware that the threat now goes farther than the Gulf of Aden: the Sirius Star was on the Cape route when it was captured, close to the Seychelles, more than 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast.

The furore over piracy is pitting companies against governments, dragging in every seafaring country of the world. The Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, home to the Sirius Star's state-owned operators, said yesterday that paying a ransom would only bolster piracy - a sentiment echoed by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary.

“Payments for hostage-taking are only an encouragement to further hostage-taking," Mr Miliband said in London, shortly before a meeting with Prince Saud al-Faisal. The Prince went further, hinting at his support for military action.

Two accounts of the pirates' demands emerged yesterday - a purported audio recording of a pirate leader on board the Sirius Star, and a phone call from another pirate on the ship.

"We are demanding $25 million from the Saudi owners of the tanker," the man, Mohamed Said, told Agence France-Presse. "The Saudis have 10 days to comply, otherwise we will take action that could be disastrous."

The Qatar-based television channel al-Jazeera broadcast an audio tape featuring what it said was the voice of Farah Abd Jameh, a pirate on the tanker.

"Negotiators are located on board the ship and on land," he said. "Once they have agreed on the ransom it will be taken in cash to the oil tanker. We assure the safety of the ship that carries the ransom. We will mechanically count the money and we have machines that can detect fake money."

The $US25 million demand is the second-largest that Somali pirates have ever made. The captors of the Faina, a Ukrainian arms ship, demanded $US30million for the return of the crew and the cargo of 33 tanks and thousands of guns and ammunition.

Another vessel, meanwhile, was on its way home to Hong Kong yesterday after two months of captivity that ended in an undisclosed ransom payment. Sinotras Shipping confirmed that the Great Creation, a cargo ship carrying chemical fertilisers, and its 25-member crew, had been freed.

More than 250 people on board roughly 15 ships are still being held off the Somali coast.

karatecatman · Guest

Update 1
International Martime Bureau has praised India.

Somalian Government has requested India to help it solve the pirate problem.

Malaysia has praised India and says it hopes India will now take the lead in tackling the problem of piracy near South East Asia and the Malacca Straits, another very busy shipping lane.

According to the BBC, the United Nations has granted formal permission to India to enter all territorial waters in the region in 'hot pursuit' of the pirates

shivendrashukla · Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject:

Tu 142's are only at ARK. They, in all probability, will not be send to patrol there. Do 228's will be send for patrolling.

Cheers
Shivendra

Nimish · Posted: Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:28 am Post subject:

karatecatman · Guest

www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=21900
Pirate ship or Thai trawler?

11/25/2008 9:20:08 PM
The ship that the Indian navy blew up may not be a pirate ship

Ten days after the Indian Navy claimed that it had sunk a pirate mothership and got international attention and accolades from across the world, now there are reports that the India Navy could have made a mistake.

TIMES NOW spoke to the owners of the ship - Ekawat Nava 5, who claim the vessel was actually a Thai and that the Indian Navy's action has cost them dearly. The owner claims fourteen sailors are still missing and one crew member confirmed dead in the assault by Indian warship.

Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW, the ship's owner said the Ekawat Nava 5 was travelling from Oman to Yemen to deliver fishing equipment when it was set upon by pirates near the Somalian coast. The pirates were taking control of the ship when the Tabar moved in and engaged in combat after being fired upon a fight which the Indian Navy eventually won.

However, Indian authorities insisted that the INS Tabar had acted against a pirate vessel which had threatened to attack them. Speaking to TIMES NOW, Naval spokesperson said the Tabar returned fire only after the pirates launched an aggressive assault.

"As far as the Indian Navy is concerned, we fired in retaliation to the firing by the pirate ship on us. We fired in self defence. The picture of the ship in flames suggest it was stacked with ammunition. Their intention was quite violent. They did not stop when we wanted to check them out. They wanted to blow up our ship", Commander Nirad Sinha, Navy spokesman said.

"We fired in self-defense and in response to firing upon our vessel. It was a pirate vessel in the international waters and its stance was aggressive," Sinha said.

karatecatman · Guest

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/25/thai.trawler.india.navy/?iref=mpstoryview
Sunken 'pirate ship' was actually Thai trawler, owner says

Owner: One crewman found alive after 6 days adrift, one confirmed dead
Ekawat Nava 5 delivering fishing equipment when it was attacked, owner says
Indian authorities insist their ship had acted against a pirate vessel
Armed pirates seen roaming on the upper deck of vessel, India says

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Fourteen sailors are still missing from a Thai trawler that was sunk last week by the Indian navy as a suspected pirate ship, the vessel's owner said Tueday.

One crewman was found alive after six days adrift in the Gulf of Aden, and one is confirmed dead, said Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, owner of the Ekawat Nava 5.

Last week, India's navy reported that the frigate INS Tabar had battled a pirate "mother vessel" in the gulf November 18, leaving the ship ablaze and likely sunk. Wicharn said that vessel was his ship, which was in the process of being seized by pirates when it came under fire.

Indian authorities insisted that their ship had acted against a pirate vessel which had threatened to attack the Tabar.

"We fired in self-defense and in response to firing upon our vessel. It was a pirate vessel in the international waters and its stance was aggressive," Commodore Nirad Sinha, a navy spokesman, told CNN. He said the ship The Tabar fired upon was laden with ammunition.

Wicharn told reporters that the Ekawat Nava 5 was headed from Oman to Yemen to deliver fishing equipment when it was set upon by pirates off the Horn of Africa. The pirates were seizing control of the ship when the Tabar moved in, he said.

Wicharn said he learned the fate of his vessel from a Cambodian crew member who survived the gunfire and drifted in the ocean for six days before he was plucked to safety by a passing ship. The sailor was recovering in a hospital in Yemen, he said.

Wicharn said his ship made a distress call on November 18 as it was chased by pirates in two speedboats, but the connection was lost midway. The owners, Sirichai Fisheries, had not heard from the crew since then.

Later that evening, the Indian navy said it encountered a suspected pirate "mother vessel," with two speedboats in tow, about 285 nautical miles (525 km) southwest of the Omani port of Salalah. "Mother vessels" are often used as mobile bases to ferry pirates and smaller attack boats into deep water.

When the Tabar's crew hailed the ship and demanded it stop for inspection, the pirates threatened to destroy the Indian ship, the ministry reported.

"Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The vessel continued its threatening calls and subsequently fired upon INS Tabar," the ministry said. The Indian frigate returned fire, setting the pirate ship ablaze and setting off explosions on board, the statement said.

An international fleet has been patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa in an effort to crack down on pirates based in largely lawless Somalia. Map of piracy incidents in 2008 »

Pirates have attacked more than 90 vessels off East Africa so far this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center, which monitors piracy around the world, including a Saudi supertanker captured earlier this month.

The latest ship seized was a Yemeni freighter Adina taken last week with a crew of seven on board, including two Yemenis, two Panamanians and three Somalis, security sources in Yemen told CNN.

The government is in direct contact with officials in Somalia to work on rescuing the ship, for which the hijackers are asking for a $2 million ransom.

While the pirate take over of the Saudi super-tanker highlights the dangers facing cargo ships navigating the Horn of Africa, marine security experts are warning that racing boats, private charters and luxury yachts can be far easier pirate targets -- rich people usually carry cash, and jewels.

And competitors in the world's biggest ocean race made an unprecedented change of course this year as organizers mandated yachts steer clear of Africa's east coast.

karatecatman · Guest

No country wants the pirates. INS Mysore now has 21 Somali pirates it captured on board!!!

karatecatman · Guest

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5361682.ece
American commandos get UN go-ahead to hunt down Somali pirates

Michael Evans, Defence Editor

Pirates operating from safe havens along the Somali coast could become the target of hot-pursuit missions by American commandos for the first time, after approval was given by the United Nations Security Council to launch land and air attacks on pirate bases.

The Americans had sought a new robust mandate to attack the pirates at source to ensure that there was legal backing for chasing those who escaped confrontations at sea and headed for the safety of lawless Somalia.

Many of the most successful pirates are rich home-owners, living along the coast in a strip of expensive houses bought with the ransoms paid by shipping companies for the release of hijacked vessels.

Yesterday, in another example of the more aggressive stance taken by the international community against the pirates, the Chinese crew of a pirate-seized vessel, later aided by helicopters from a US-led maritime coalition force, fought off the would-be hijackers.

The 30 crew members of the Chinese-owned vessel, the Zhenhua 4, sailing in the Gulf of Aden, foiled the pirates by locking themselves in their cabins and radioing for help. A warship from Combined Task Force 150, an American-led naval group operating around the Horn of Africa, sent two helicopters which fired on the pirates. CTF 150, based in Bahrain, is a coalition of 20 nations, including Britain.

China, in response to yesterday's incident, was reported to be thinking seriously about sending warships into the Gulf of Aden to escort vessels and protect them from pirate attacks. If Chinese ships arrive in the region they will join an international armada that already includes warships from the US, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and Greece.

The European Union has deployed an anti-piracy naval force, including the Royal Navy's frigate HMS Northumberland, to the Gulf of Aden in a mission codenamed Atalanta.

None of the three EU ships, currently escorting food aid to Somalia, was involved in the rescue of the Chinese crew.

The band of pirates who boarded the Zhenhua 4 stayed on the vessel for several hours until the arrival of the military helicopters. “The pirates on board eventually left the ship and the master is proceeding on his course,” Noel Choong, head of the IMB piracy-reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, said.

A bigger setback for the pirates came with the new Security Council mandate authorising land, air and sea operations against them. Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, said that the resolution, which was passed unanimously, sent a strong signal to combat the scourge of piracy.

Pirates have carried out more than 100 attacks in the shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean so far this year. Last month they hijacked the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star, carrying two million barrels of crude oil, and demanded a $25 million (£17 million) ransom.

It is one of about 17 ships, including a Ukrainian vessel filled with tanks and armaments, that are currently in pirate hands.

British diplomatic sources said that, under the rules of engagement for the Royal Navy, British commandos and sailors already had the right to pursue pirates at sea and on land although until now only the French have chased hijackers to their front door.

“The Americans, however, wanted a new mandate and we voted in favour,” one source said.

At present HMS Northumberland has only a small complement of Royal Marines for boarding ships. The British force does not have the capacity to go in pursuit on land. Ministry of Defence sources said that no decisions had been made to send special troops out to the ship to be ready for land operations.

An official at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that there were no plans to increase Britain's military capabilities in the Gulf of Aden. The EU force, which is still assembling its full complement of warships, currently has French, British and Greek vessels - one each.

The Germans have sent a ship but parliamentary approval must be given tomorrow before it becomes operational. Spain also wants to send a ship and the EU plans to build up a force of ten vessels by April.

Three other ships were captured in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday. Pirates seized a yacht crewed by two people and two commercial ships, a Turkish-owned cargo vessel, the Bosphorus Prodigy, and a tug serving as an oil industry support ship.

The three Turkish and eight Ukrainian crew members of the cargo vessel were reported to be safe. The tug, owned by Muhibbah Engineering of Malaysia, also has a crew of 11.

Mr Choong said: “Despite the European Union armada to patrol the Gulf of Aden, the pirates manage to attack and hijack ships because the number of warships is insufficient to secure the vast sea.”

And as usual, India's contribution gets left out. Cool

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www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5368675.ece
Chinese crew used beer bottles to fight off pirates
(AP)

Chinese crew fight off pirates
Anne Barrowclough

The crew of a Chinese ship attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia have described how they used beer bottles and water cannon to fend off their attackers before they were rescued.

The ship, Zhenua 4, was one of four vessels seized by pirates on Wednesday, shortly after the UN Security Council authorised countries to pursue the renegades by land as well as by air.

Nine pirates armed with rocket launchers and machine guns boarded the ship, according to Xinhua, China's state news agency.

The vessel's 30 crew members fought for four hours with home made incendiary bombs and beer bottles, said an official with China Maritime Search and Rescue Centre.

The pirates abandoned their attempt to take the ship when a multilateral force, including a warship and two helicopters, arrived after the crew locked themselves in their cabins and radioed for help.

"Seven of the nine pirates landed on our ship, all with weapons," Peng Weiyuan, the captain of Zhenhua 4, said in a telephone interview with China Central Television.

"Our crew, who had been well trained and prepared, used water cannon, self-made incendiary bombs, beer bottles and anything else that could be used to battle with them. Thirty minutes later, the pirates gestured to us for a ceasefire.

"Then the helicopter from the joint fleet came to help us."

Pirates have carried out over 100 attacks on the shipping lanes of the Gulf if Aden and the Indian Ocean this year, earning themselves as much as $120 million a year and losing the shipping industry millions.

At least 16 ships are being held for ransom close to the pirate lairs of Eyl and Haradheere. Among them are the Sirius Star, a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million (£67 million) of crude oil, and the Faina, a Ukrainian cargo ship carrying 30 Soviet-era tanks bound for southern Sudan.

The revelations of the Chinese crew come as China said it would send a warship to the Gulf of Aden to join international efforts to curb the pirates.

The country's announcement that it would join the fight against piracy was greeted enthusiastically by the head of Pacific Command.

Admiral Timothy Keating said it would lead to a revival in military relations between China and the US.

I hope the Chinese do (send ships to the Gulf of Aden) and we'll work closely with them," Keating told reporters.

"I think this could be a springboard for a resumption of dialogue between PLA forces and US Pacific Command forces," he said.

China suspended military contacts with the United States in October in protest over US arms sales to Taiwan valued at $6.5 billion.

the_380 · Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 11:19 pm Post subject:

Clash of pirates eh? Wink

Chinese "piracy kings" and Somali pirates Laughing

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Aseem · Member Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 2841 Location: YYZ

karatecatman · Guest