Piracy reports 10-18 October 2013

Attempted Boarding by Somali Pirates
On 11 October at 0918 UTC, pirates in two skiffs fired upon the tanker Island Splendor and attempted a boarding approx. 237 nautical miles east of Hobyo, Somalia. The armed security team aboard the tanker fired flares and warning shots, whereupon the pirates returned fire with an automatic weapons. The security team engaged the pirates which resulted in the skiffs aborting the attack. BZ onboard security!

Hijack of Oil Tanker by Malay Pirates
On 10 October at 0530 local time, nine hijackers wearing masks and carrying weapons boarded the oil tanker Danai 4 while underway 20 nautical miles southeast of Pulau Aur, Malaysia. The hijackers took the crew hostage, destroyed all the communications equipment, and held the vessel until 15 October. They disembarked taking cargo (marine gas oil), cash and personal belongings. Thankfully no injuries reported.

Hijack of Bulk Carrier by Indonesian Pirates
On 10 October at 0315 local time, five hijackers boarded the bulk carrier Port Hainan at anchor at Muara Berau, Indonesia. The hijackers held one crew member hostage while they broke into storage and stole ship’s stores. The officer of the watch sounded the alarm and the crew mustered on the forecastle. After the hijackers saw the alerted crew, they left the ship and escaped. BZ to crew for swift action!

Source: US Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Marine OPINTEL Report

Captain Phillips, review

I finally got around to watching ‘Captain Phillips’ today.

I’d give it a solid 7 out of 10. Likely an 8, but I’ll need to watch it again and catch details that I’m sure to have missed.

The US Navy was presented very professionally. There was none of the ‘all-singing-all-dancing elite ninja bullshit’ that Hollywood normally goes in for. Just low-lit ops rooms and all emotion kept in check. Just as it should be.

The USS Truxtun (DDG 103) stood in as a filming location for fellow Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), but the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Halyburton (FFG 40) played herself in the movie.

Aerial surveillance photo of the USS Bainbridge while apprehending Somali pirates, via ScanEagle UAV.

The Maersk Alabama was portrayed in the film by her sister-ship the Alexander Maersk and the clear blue waters of the Mediterranean (shout out to Malta!) stood-in for the pirate-infested waters of the Horn of Africa.

At anchor at Mombasa,Kenya during FBI investigation after the hijacking. Via shipspotting.com.

Tom Hanks delivered a tight performance as Captain Rich Phillips. That restraint is what made the emotion at the end of the film very believable. He’s got two Academy Awards. This could earn him a third.

Solid performances from the actors portraying the Alabama’s crew. No gung-ho Chuck Norris b/s and chants of “USA! USA!” which would have made the flick unbearable. Just a solid portrayal of sober professionals and a frank portrayal of the true threat that pirates present. That merchant mariners take these risks every day is remarkable. And frightening. And should make you thankful that they do.

Which brings me to the pirates, and particularly to Barkhad Abdi as Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, the hijack leader. (1) Showing us Somalia early-on as an utter toilet was a piece of genius. Yes, they’re pirates, but now we know how and why. (2) If Barkhad Abdi doesn’t win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor then there is no justice in Hollywood. His performance was incredible. He brings pathos to a character that could otherwise be a two-dimensional cartoon “bad guy.” Muse is doomed from the outset. And he is aware of his doom. Which is utterly tragic. As is, of course, Somalia.

Barkhad Abdi as Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse, Somali hijacker leader.

Go and see it. Definitely recommended.

Maersk Alabama hijack movie ‘Captain Phillips’ opens in US theaters Fri 11 October

Navy SEAL museum has lifeboat from Maersk Alabama pirate hijacking

Two things.

One. There’s a friggin’ Navy SEAL museum. Awesome.

Two. It’s got the lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama hijacking.

Visit Captain Phillips’ Maersk Alabama Lifeboat at Navy SEAL Museum

The Maersk Alabama was captured by Somali pirates on April 8, 2009. When you visit the Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, you can board the lifeboat upon which Captain Richard Phillips was held hostage for five days before being rescued on April 12, thanks to the accuracy of Navy SEAL snipers.

On Wednesday, April 8, 2009, four Somali pirates hijacked the U.S.-flagged cargo ship, Maersk Alabama. The ship’s captain, Richard Phillips, prevented the initial takeover by ordering his crew to lock themselves in a secure room while he remained on the bridge. To safeguard his crew and free the Alabama, Captain Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates and boarded this lifeboat to be taken ashore in Somalia.

The next day, the U.S.Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge arrived on the scene and began negotiating with the pirates for the release of Captain Phillips. While negotiating, the crew of the Bainbridgee stablished a “control net” around this lifeboat to prevent the pirates from receiving support from pirate mother ships in the area.

On April 10, Captain Phillips noticed a lapse in the pirates’ security and attempted to escape from the lifeboat to swim to the Bainbridge. The pirates shot at him with their AK-47s and recaptured him. His situation became dire as the pirates became more desperate under conditions of extreme heat, unsanitary conditions, high winds and the effects of chewing quat and sleep deprivation. They hoped to drift closer to the Somali coast and have greater negotiating leverage.

On Saturday April 11, the pirates agreed to be towed by the Bainbridge as one of them came aboard to begin negotiating for the captain’s release. Later that day, a team of Navy SEALs parachuted into the area and were brought aboard the Bainbridge. They took position on the fantail of the Bainbridge, trained their sniper rifles on the lifeboat tethered behind the ship and waited in the 100+ degree heat. On Easter Sunday, April 12, the captain of the Bainbridge, Commander Frank Castellano, determined that Captain Phillips’ life was in danger and ordered the SEAL snipers to take the shot.

You can board the Alabama lifeboat at the Museum and see the holes left by the SEAL bullets as they opened fire simultaneously, firing three bullets and killing three pirates.

The Maersk Alabama lifeboat arrived at the Museum on in April, 2009. The museum assisted the makers of the motion picture Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks, due out in October, 2013.

http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Visit-Captain-Phillips-Maersk-Alabama-Lifeboat-at-Navy-SEAL-Museum-2013-09-05/

US judge releases Somali pirate before trial

Ali Mohamed Ali was indicted over the hijacking of the CEC Future. In “ye olde days” we hung pirates. Now they’re released to wander the streets.

Judge to Release Alleged Pirate Before Trial

A federal judge said Wednesday she will release an alleged Somali pirate ahead of his trial this fall, saying it was “pretty extraordinary” to hold someone presumed innocent in jail for more than two years.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle said at a hearing that she will issue an opinion Thursday that releases Ali Mohamed Ali. He’ll be subject to 24-hour monitoring while awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin with jury selection on Oct. 31.

Ali is accused of negotiating a ransom payment during a November 2008 pirate takeover of a Danish merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden.

It will be the second time that Huvelle ordered Ali released pending trial. She also did so in July 2012, after the government appealed one of her pretrial rulings in the case. But an appeals court quickly reversed her and ordered Ali back into custody.

The government indicated it will appeal this latest ruling, too. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez asked Huvelle to suspend her ruling while the government appealed it; the judge said no.

The government argued Wednesday, as it did last year, that Ali posed a flight risk. But Ali’s lawyer, Matthew J. Peed, noted that his client didn’t try to flee when he was out for 10 days last year. Other than that, he’s been locked up since April, 2011.

“It’s a long time to be locked up in D.C. jail,” said Huvelle, adding that the jail is not set up for long-term stays.

Huvelle said that the jurors probably won’t reach a verdict in the case until after Thanksgiving.

“Imagine if they find him not guilty and he’d been in jail for 32 months,” said Huvelle, an appointee of President Bill Clinton.

Huvelle briefly addressed Ali directly, telling him she’s ordering him released because she believes in the Constitution and due process. She also said he’ll be in a better position to prepare for trial outside of jail.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/judge-release-alleged-pirate-trial-20155884