HMAS Melbourne apprehends pirates, destroys skiffs

HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) is an Adelaide-class frigate commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in 1992. She is currently deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations as part of Operation Slipper, Australia’s contribution to maritime security operations in the region.

HMAS Melbourne apprehends alleged pirates

HMAS Melbourne’s boarding party intercepts a suspected pirate boat.

Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Melbourne, has intercepted suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia as part of maritime security patrols in Middle Eastern waters for Operation SLIPPER.

The suspected pirates were intercepted on 15 October 2013 after the Combined Maritime Forces received two reports of attempted acts of piracy against two separate merchant vessels during the previous four days.

Under the direction of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF151), HMAS Melbourne was appointed as on-scene commander for a multi-national search operation, involving ships and aircraft from the Combined Maritime Forces and European Union Naval Forces to locate and intercept the suspected pirates.

With the assistance of other CTF 151 assets, HMAS Melbourne successfully located the suspected pirate vessels.

HMAS Melbourne closes on a suspected pirate vessel in the Arabian Sea.

HMAS Melbourne‘s highly trained boarding team made the final approach to board and search the skiffs successfully apprehending the nine pirates.

Commander Brian Schlegel, Commanding Officer HMAS Melbourne said that the Ship’s Company knew what to do and was well trained to ensure a positive outcome.

“Melbourne’s success in disrupting piracy activity in the region re-affirms the importance of Australia’s ongoing commitment to Combined Maritime Forces,” Commander Schlegel said.

“Melbourne’s Ship’s Company have worked tirelessly to contribute to a successful outcome for both Combined Maritime Forces and for the wider Maritime Community.”

HMAS Melbourne’s boarding party provided information about various items located onboard the two vessels that could be used in piracy attacks.

In accordance with the Combined Maritime Forces direction, the pirates were embarked in HMAS Melbourne and the skiffs and associated pirate equipment was destroyed.

HMAS Melbourne is currently returning the suspected pirates to Somalia.

The quick, co-ordinated and decisive response to threats in the maritime environment highlights the importance of the continued presence of multi-national forces in the Middle East region.

HMAS Melbourne is the 56th rotation to the Middle East Area of Operations since the 1991 Gulf War and the 32nd rotation since 2001.

She is employed by the Combined Maritime Forces under the Tactical Control of CTF151 who is responsible for counter piracy operations within the Middle East Area of Operations.

http://news.navy.gov.au/en/Oct2013/Operations/543#.UmG_bBCWObg

Decline of Royal Navy frigate and destroyer strength 1983-2013

‘Were I to die at this moment “want of frigates” would be found stamped on my heart.’ Horatio Nelson, 1798.

In 1983, 30-years ago (which scarcely seems credible to this old fart), in the midst of the it-seemed-hot-enough-at-the-time Cold War, in the immediate aftermath of the Falklands Conflict, the Royal Navy planned for a force of 50 frigates and destroyers (HC Deb 28 November 1983 vol 49 cc661-737).

HMS Achilles (F12) Leander-class frigate at HMNB Portsmouth, 1983.

In 1993, post Cold War, already in draw down and reaping the so-called peace dividend, the Royal Navy was facing reductions to a force of 40 frigates and destroyers (HC Deb 25 February 1993 vol 219 c717W).

HMS Amazon (F169) Type 21 frigate sold to Pakistan as PNS Babur (D182) in 1993.

By 2003, in the midst of the Global War on Terror and with the Iraq War coming to the fore, the force had been reduced to 31 frigates and destroyers… of which only 26 were operational (HC Deb 12 May 2003 vol 405 cc47-50W).

HMS Glasgow (D88) Type 42 destroyer at HMNB Portsmouth, 2003. Copyright Kev Slade.

Today, 2013, realpolitik, Spain rattles its sabres over Gibraltar, Argentina remains bellicose over the Falklands, there is continued instability in Libya, Syria and Egypt, there are standing demands for counter-narcotics patrols in the Caribbean and counter-piracy patrols off the coast of East Africa, and the war of terror continues, and there is always the need for a Fleet Ready Escort… well… we’re down to just 19 frigates and destroyers (13 surviving Type 23, 5 Type 45 in commission, 1 Type 45 undergoing sea trials).

HMS Dragon (D35) Type 45 destroyer, off Gibraltar, 2013. Crown copyright.

Just 19. And not a single Type 26 on order. Talked about, but not ordered. Spec’d, but not ordered. Number to be purchased undecided.

Type 26 Global Combat Ship. (Copyright © 2013 BAE Systems)

I don’t want to think about how things will be in 2023.

Map of most dangerous areas in the world due to pirate attacks

Map by Control Risks.

Korean warship rescues mariners in Gulf of Aden

The Wang Geon is on-station as part of CTF 151, supporting counter-piracy operations off East Africa… which proved fortuitous for these merchant seamen who had suffered a fire & sinking.

Warship Rescues Stranded Mariners in Gulf of Aden

A Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship has rescued a group of sailors left adrift for five days in the Gulf of Aden.

The South Korean destroyer ROKS Wang Geon picked up the mariners near a busy shipping lane after their vessel caught fire and sank.

Wang Geon was on patrol as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, CMF’s anti-piracy operation, when she spotted a bright orange life raft drifting in the water.

Launching her sea boat despite rough seas, Wang Geon’s boarding team recovered the crew from the life raft before returning them safely to the ship, where they received first aid, medical care, food and berthing.

The sailors (eight Indian, two Yemeni, one Nepalese) were the crew of the MV Al Saeed 2, which was carrying livestock between Somalia and Yemen when it suffered a catastrophic engine fire. They had gone for five days without even a bottle of water between them, and were close to dehydration.

The crew have since been safely turned over to the Yemeni Coast Guard.

Al Saeed 2’s captain, Akbar Abbas Chamadiya, said: We had almost given up hope before the Korean warship came to save our lives.

“Our deepest gratitude goes to Captain Han Young-Hee and his crew for rescuing us and providing us with care.”

Wang Geon has returned to her patrol, monitoring international waters in the Gulf of Aden and Northern Indian Ocean for pirate activity and ensuring maritime security in the high-risk waters off the Horn of Africa.

http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Warship-Rescues-Stranded-Sailors-in-Gulf-of-Aden-2013-08-13/

Japan extends maritime security operations off Somalia for another year

Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force (a Navy by any other name) will continue its presence in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa for at least another year.

Japanese naval vessels currently provide escorts to merchant shipping off the coast of Somalia.

MSDF to take on bigger antipiracy burden

The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s antipiracy escort operation off Somalia has been extended by one more year, with one destroyer set to join a combined naval task force with the United States and other nations late this year. Currently, two MSDF destroyers have been deployed in the area along with P-3C maritime patrol aircraft.

Under the MSDF’s mission, which was extended for a fourth time Wednesday, one of the ships will also join the so-called CTF151 international naval task force to respond to piracy in shipping lanes near Somalia. Although piracy-related damage has been reduced, the MSDF’s burden has become heavier as the area covered by the operation is set to be expanded.

At this time of year, strong monsoons from the African continent blow into the Gulf of Aden off Somalia, where MSDF vessels and aircraft operate.

“Visibility is poor due to dust clouds, so we are fully attentive in monitoring suspicious vessels,” Tsutomu Iwasawa, commander of the MSDF’s sixth fleet escort division, told The Yomiuri Shimbun in a phone interview on Saturday.

Cap. Iwasawa, who commands the destroyers Hamagiri and Akebono, said the two ships escorted commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden under rough conditions on Saturday, with strong winds blowing at over 15 meters per second. He said it took about two days to pass through dangerous waters stretching about 900 kilometers, during which the ship’s crew used binoculars and radar to monitor the situation.

In the latest mission, the crew intercepted several emergency reports on international radio of other commercial vessels being chased by small pirate ships.

As the reports came from vessels sailing a few hundred kilometers away, naval ships from other nations handled the cases.

However, Iwasawa said, “If it [a commercial vessel being chased by pirates] was within easy reach, we’d have to fly a chopper into the area to confirm the situation there, making us tense.”

Key traffic zone

Sandwiched between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf of Aden is a strategic zone for maritime traffic linking Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal.

Of vessels directly connected with Japan, about 2,000 ships sail through the gulf, transporting about 1.5 million cars, or about 20 percent of Japan’s auto exports.

As damage from Somalia-based pirates became more noticeable, countries concerned dispatched naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden and neighboring waters in response to a U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in June 2008.

The Japanese government sent two MSDF destroyers in March 2009 in accordance with its order for maritime policing operations. In June that same year, the Diet enacted an antipiracy law authorizing Self-Defense Forces to protect any commercial ship from pirates, regardless of whether the ship has any connection with Japan.

The Democratic Party of Japan and other opposition parties opposed the law’s enactment, saying, “Pirates should be dealt with by the Japan Coast Guard.”

Thanks to such international dispatches, piracy-related damage has been on the decline, falling to 75 cases in 2012 from over 200 in 2009.

The MSDF has sent a combined total of 30 destroyers, 26 P-3C aircraft and about 8,000 personnel so far. The number of commercial escort operations totaled 471 as of the end of last month.

According to a government source, there were 45 cases in which a destroyer or P-3C aircraft spotted and intercepted a suspicious ship. A spokesperson of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association said, “We are thankful for the MSDF’s work.”

However, pirates are now targeting commercial vessels off the Arabian Peninsula instead of the Gulf of Aden, which has stricter antipiracy patrols. In response, the United States and Britain have teamed up with other countries to form the CTF151 to patrol a much wider area.

At the request of U.S. military forces, the MSDF will dispatch one destroyer operating there to the multilateral task force later this year.

As a result, the MSDF will only have one destroyer available to escort commercial vessels, thereby increasing their burden.

“The SDF’s international cooperation activities have so far been mainly in the rear-area logistic support, such as building roads. By joining the CTF, through which we can directly contribute to establishing safety, we can make a greater appeal to the international community about our contributions,” said a senior Defense Ministry official.

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000408620

Nigerian Navy cannot cope with pirates, oil thieves

EUNAVFOR and CTF-151 operate on the East Africa littoral, but clearly there is a need for a similarly constituted maritime force to operate in the Gulf of Guinea. The Nigerian Navy is outrun by the pirates and an international standing force should be established ASAP. Additional consideration should be given to increasing the operational strength of West African navies via foreign military sales (and donations) and enhanced training & mentoring.

Nigeria: Navy – We Can’t Stop Oil Thieves

By Temitayo Odunlami, Victor Edozie and Ibraheem Hamza, 30 June 2013

Nigeria Worse than Somalia on Global Piracy Report

The Nigeria Navy, an integral force in federal government’s battle against the increasing cases oil theft, may not be able to contain the scourge, Sunday Trust’s investigations have revealed.

Reliable naval sources confided in this publication last week in Port Harcourt that efforts of the Joint Task Force, comprising the Army, Navy and paramilitary agencies, in combing the creeks to arrest oil thieves have not been rewarded with prompt prosecution of the suspects. More significant, the sources added, the barons behind the crime are wealthy, influential and untouchable Nigerians whose continued engagement in the illegal trade would always make nonsense of the efforts of the task force.

“Apparently, government lacks the political will to take on the big men behind big-volume oil theft, hence, the continued perpetration of the crime. It is another aspect of monumental corruption that binds top political leaders, retired army generals and navy admirals, and their business cronies together,” a JTF major in the Niger Delta told Sunday Trust. “They operate, as they always do on big issues of corruption, like a cult. Only themselves can undo themselves,” he declared.

When our reporter contacted the Nigeria Navy headquarters, Abuja, to speak on record on why the security agency cannot stop oil theft, officials declined to give an formal response, but admitted that the navy alone cannot tackle oil theft scourge on and off Nigerian waters, and that it would take international collaboration among countries in the Gulf of Guinea to completely succeed in combating it.

The headquarters referred to a recent meeting in Cameroon along this line and forwarded to our reporter a statement by the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon commending West and Central African leaders for coming together to fight maritime crimes. The UN scribe described piracy as remaining a “serious threat to the security and economic activities of the affected countries.”

The JTF and the paramilitary agencies, after enforcing arrests of oil crime suspects, are not empowered by law to prosecute them in court. Prosecution lies mostly with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Yesterday, the Commission quickly rose to its defence on the allegation that prosecution of oil thieves handed over to it has itself been suspect.

Responding via a text message to a question from Sunday Trust, EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, described the allegation as “frivolous”. Uwujaren pointed to an EFCC arraignment last Tuesday in a Federal High Court, Lagos, of 14 persons for offences bordering on oil theft.

The federal government, American government and oil multinationals operating in Nigeria have lately been expressing grave concerns over the extensive damage oil thieves are wreaking on the Nigerian economy. Two weeks ago, West and Central African heads of state met in Cameroun to deliberate on increasing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, the meeting Ban Ki-moon referred to. Maritime criminality (arising mostly from oil theft originating from Nigeria) in the Gulf of Guinea, which encompasses waters off Nigeria, is now understood to have overtaken the notoriously high piracy in Somalian waters. Last year, pirates were recorded to have attacked 966 sailors in the Gulf of Guinea and stolen oil originating from Nigeria worth $25 million and 75 million euros (N33 million and N100 million).

Managing Director and Country Chair, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, SPDC, Mr Mutiu Sunmonu last Wednesday in Port Harcourt put Nigeria’s annual loss to oil theft at $6 billion. To Sunmonu, the crime has assumed “a crisis situation.”

http://allafrica.com/stories/201307010582.html

UN chief welcomes anti-piracy strategy adopted by leaders from West, Central Africa

Reductions in piracy along the East African littoral are thanks to the activities of Combined Maritime Forces and EUNAVFOR. However, West Africa requires some work.

UN chief welcomes anti-piracy strategy adopted by leaders from West, Central Africa

Photo: EUNAVFOR

27 June 2013 – Secretary-General Ban-Ki-moon has welcomed the adoption by a summit of African leaders of a regional strategy against piracy and other illegal maritime activities in West and Central Africa.

“The Secretary-General welcomes the successful conclusion of the Summit of the Gulf of Guinea Heads of State and Government on maritime safety and security, which took place in Yaoundé, Cameroon,” said a statement issued yesterday evening by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

The two-day meeting included Member States of the region, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC).

Mr. Ban commended all the participants for their high level of engagement and collective efforts to address and prevent piracy, “which remains a serious threat to the security and economic activities of the affected countries.”

He also welcomed the adoption of the “Code of Conduct concerning the Prevention and Repression of Piracy, Armed Robbery against Ships, and Illegal Maritime Activities in West and Central Africa,” which defines the regional strategy and paves the way for a legally binding instrument.

“He encourages all Member States of the region to sign and implement it, and calls on bilateral, regional and international partners to provide the necessary resources,” the statement said, adding that the United Nations stands ready to continue to support this process, including through the work of the Secretary-General’s Special Representatives for Central and West Africa.

In a statement delivered to the opening meeting of the “milestone” summit, Mr. Ban recalled that less than two years ago, the Security Council issued its first-ever resolution on this issue, calling on countries of the Gulf of Guinea to develop a comprehensive response to piracy and armed robbery at sea.

“You have met this challenge head on,” he said, stressing the international community’s collective responsibility to keep the situation from escalating. “We must strengthen our efforts and cooperate even more closely.”

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=45281&Cr=piracy&Cr1=#.UcxWd5zudlM