Around the Year Change 2008 – 2009 in Somalia - Horn of Africa Piracy Annals Part 3

Held captive for more than 100 days, the MV FAINA crew members are at the epicenter of every humanitarian concern; however, this is not shared by many people among the bizarre Kiev elite where strange deals have been stricken to condemn Ukraine to inactivity as regards the negotiations.

Among the money-controlled, Kievan puppets, who impersonate important figures of the Ukrainian political and economic life, there are those who totally disregard the lives of the Ukrainian crew members of MV FAINA. They do so because their political future is totally laced with dark forces and economic groups that, although partly based in Ukraine, pursue policies dictated by other, non-European, countries.

One can identify the Ukrainian traitors easily: they are those who advise for Ukrainian state’s absence from and neutrality as regards the ongoing negotiations.

It is high time that the President of Ukraine reacts to this machination that will end up with loss of many Ukrainian lives; the incompetent governmental attitude with respect to the MV FAINA crisis must take an immediate end.

Paying the ransom and canceling the arms deal with Kenya are the two keys to the successful exit and peaceful termination of the MV FAINA crisis.

I republish herewith the 94th Ecoterra press release update that offers an across-the-board information about the Somali piracy phenomenon and the latest developments.

94th Update 2009-01-01 23h35:16 UTC

Ecoterra Intl. - Stay Calm & Solve it Peaceful & Fast !

Ecoterra International – Update & Media Release on the stand-off concerning the Ukrainian weapons-ship hi-jacked by Somali pirates and related news.

We also can make sea-piracy in Somalia an issue of the past - with empathy and strength and through coastal and marine development as well as protection!

New EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline: +254-738-497979
East African Seafarers Assistance Programme - Media Officer: +254-733-385868

While our thoughts are with all those who are held captive in Somalia, as well as with the millions of Somalis, who are trapped in the ongoing conflict and poverty, we hope and wish for all that 2009 will bring freedom and relief, new hope and prosperity to those oppressed as well as insight and enlightenment, wisdom and humanity to those at whose hands the people suffer.

- Happy New Year!

And we thank all those who have supported in the past year our work as well as the tireless efforts of the Seafarers Assistance Programme - Thank You!

Day 99 - 2361 hours into the MV FAINA Crisis - Update Summary

Efforts for a peaceful release continued, but the now over three months long stand-off concerning Ukrainian MV FAINA is not yet solved finally, though intensive negotiations have continued.

Renewed negotiation efforts led first to a setback in the negotiated ransom agreement and differences are now been sorted out, while a renewed approach by an Al-Shabaab related militia towards Harardheere creates insecurity in the coastal region.

Ecoterra Intl. repeats its call to solve the FAINA and the SIRIUS STAR cases with first priority and peaceful in order to avert a human and environmental disasters at the Somali coast. Anybody encouraging hot-headed and concerning such difficult situations inexperienced and untrained gunmen or those, who believe they are capable to try an attempt of a military solution, must be held fully responsible for the surely resulting disaster.

Clearing-house:

News from other abducted or newly attacked ships --------

Somali pirates managed to sea-jack on the first day of the new year a Egyptian owned cargo ship with a crew of 28 Egyptians near the coast of Somalia, the Egyptian foreign ministry confirmed. MV BLUE STAR is flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. About 15 pirates, some of them heavily-armed, attacked the Blue Star, which carries 6,000 tonnes of fertiliser, near Bab al-Mandab as it was headed east, said Ahmed Rizk, assistant to Egypt's Foreign Minister said in a press statement. "The crew are hostages...", Rizq said in the statement and added that Egyptian officials have contacted European authorities about the case and efforts are under way with "international and regional parties" to get the ship and crew released. Ambassador Rizk said 15 pirates hijacked the ship and that it was currently en route to an unknown destination on the coast of Somalia.

A French warship foiled a raid by Somali pirates on a cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, arresting eight suspects, France's military command said Thursday. The Premier Maitre L'Her, a French frigate patrolling the waters as part of a European Union taskforce, intercepted the would-be pirates after twice responding to a distress call from the Panamanian-flagged S. Venus. On the first occasion, the pirates had taken flight, navy captain Christophe Prazuck, spokesman for France's general staff told AFP. "The second time around the French frigate spotted two light vessels near the cargo ship, which the crew of the cargo ship identified as the pirates' assault craft, he added. The French vessel intercepted the boats and arrested eight Somalis on board, confiscating six AK47 assault rifles, a rocket-launcher and rockets, a grappling hook and two boarding ladders. The French were heading for the Somali coast to hand them over to "the authorities", said Prazuck.

Two further attacks occurred in the Gulf of Aden: One, which actually consisted of three consecutive attacks by first 3 skiffs than by a pirate mother-ship and then by 2 skiffs over a period of two hours from 07h55 local time onwards and one at 12h30 UTC, whereby a single skiff with 4 armed men tried to approach a merchant vessel. In both cases no shots were fired and the attacks were aborted

These together with the already reported attack on Indian MT ABUL KALAM AZAD with 40 crew on board brings to five the number of attacks on New Year's day. There were no injuries to the tanker crew but the tanker sustained some damage, Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre said, adding that if the Malaysians hadn't arrived the tanker "would have been certainly hijacked".

With the latest captures and releases now at least 18 foreign vessels with a total of at least 350 crew members (of which 92 are Filipinos) are held in Somali waters and are monitored on our actual case-list, while several other cases of ships, which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without trace or information, are still being followed. Over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) have been recorded for 2008 with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases (incl. the presently held 18). For 2009 the account stands at 5 attacks and 1 sea-jacking. Mystery pirate mother-vessels Athena/Arena and Burum Ocean as well as not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the hi-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (also not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last ten years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list, though in some cases it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail. In the last four years, 22 missing ships have been traced back with different names, flags and superstructures.

Directly related news ------

A new 66-member parliament for the northern Somali breakaway state of Puntland was sworn in Thursday, a committee of elders said.

The meeting of government elders was attended by Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, who became Puntland's president in 1998 and resigned as Somali president on December 29. "I am urging you to be united and respect each other, also think about your people", Yusuf, who stepped down as head of neighbouring Somalia's transitional administration on Monday, told the lawmakers. Puntland's leading elder Islan Iise Mohamed told AFP that the newly-appointed parliament would elect the territory's president on January 8, with a three-year mandate. "The main priority in Puntland is for peace and people living together in harmony", he said. Fifteen candidates are vying for the post, but the frontrunners are believed to be incumbent president Adde Musa Hirsi, and opposition contenders Abdurahman Farole and Ali Abdi Aware. The coast of Puntland is a major hub for the ransom-seeking pirates that have turned the Gulf of Aden into the world's most dangerous waters, wreaking panic in the world's shipping industry.

The prime minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Nur Hassan Hussein, has urged the Sana Cooperation Group to send peacekeepers to Somalia who will take part in returning peace to the country. Speaking during the summit of Sana Cooperation Group, which constitute Yemen, Sudan and Somalia, the prime minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, Nur Hassan Hussein (aka Nur Adde), urged these countries to step up their involvement in the peacekeeping mission of Somalia. Nur Adde expressed his dissatisfaction with the UN which he said was dragging its feet to send peacekeepers to Somalia. Nur Adde requested the countries of the Sana Corporation Group to step up their efforts towards their involvement in peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The summit was attended by the leaders of Yemen, Sudan and Somalia. Besides the current situation of Somalia also the piracy activities along the coast of Somalia were discussed. All three countries have agreed that Somali pirates were causing many problems affecting the global trade and that it was important to find a solution to stop the pirate activities. The prime minister said there were many problems facing Somalia and has asked the international community to play a vital role on ways to overcome the current crisis facing the country, particularly addressing the present political crisis in Somalia the urgent need to establish lasting peace.

The BBC reports: Washington has said little about its covert war in Somalia [since 2001], but it has little to show for years of effort and hundreds of millions of dollars. With Somalia now without a president or an effective parliament, and with the Islamists stronger than before Ethiopia invaded, American policy towards the Horn appears to have run into the sand.

Impacting news from the global village ----

While Muslims gathered today around the world at numerous locations, including Mombassa / Kenya, for special prayers in support of the Palestine, the UN Security council failed to agree on the text of a draft resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza. The US ambassador at the UN said that the UN should not impose one. Israel rejected on day 6 of the war a French proposal for a 2-day truce, while Nizar Rayyan, a senior Hamas leader, was killed by an Israeli air strike on his home in the Gaza Strip. The UN says at least 25% of the 402 Palestinians killed were civilians and Palestinian medical officials say more than 2,000 people have been injured.

End of the Ecoterra Press Release Update