Ecoterra Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor. Part XXIV - MT SEA PRINCESS II Released

All the developments that ended up with the liberation of the MT SEA PRINCESS II and other piracy – related news and viewpoints are made available in 24th Ecoterra Somali Monitor that I herewith publish integrally.

Ecoterra Intl. – SMCM (Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor). Part XXIV

Ecoterra International – Updates, Statements & Clearinghouse Citations

A Voice from the Truth- & Justice-Seekers, who sit between all chairs, because they are not part of organized white-collar or no-collar-crime in Somalia or overseas, and who neither benefit from global naval militarization, from the illegal fishing and dumping in Somali waters or the piracy of merchant vessels, nor from the booming insurance business or the exorbitant ransom-, risk-management- or security industry, while neither the protection of the sea, the development of fishing communities or the humanitarian assistance to abducted seafarers and their families is receiving the required adequate attention, care and funding.

2009-04-26 08h03:15 UTC

EA Illegal Fishing and Dumping Hotline: +254-714-747090 (confidentiality guaranteed) - email: somalia@ecoterra.net

EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline: SMS to +254-738-497979 or call +254-733-633-733

"The pirates must not be allowed to destroy our dream!"

Cpt. Florent Lemaçon - F/Y Tanit - killed by attack of French commandos - 10. April 2009

Non A La Guerre - Yes To Peace

(Inscription on the sail of F/Y TANIT shot down on day one of the French assault)

None of the various, local or foreign pirate outfits we like to add -

Clearing-house

Breaking:

MT SEA PRINCESS II and her crew of 15 seafarers (including 8 Indian and 2 Yemeni sailors) is free. The coastal fuel transporter, a 1,902 gross tonnage Oil Products Tanker built in 1977, was bound to deliver 2,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to the disputed Island of Socotra, when it was seized near Jabal Al Kalb off the Bir Ali coast by an armed gang on 3rd January 2009. The St Vincent & The Grenadines flagged ship is owned by Hodduia Shipping Comp. and managed by OSSCO from Hodeidah in Yemen.

The cargo belongs to three Somali businessmen from Yemen and Somalia, which made the freeing of the vessel difficult, since the owner left it to these Somalis to find a solution. They turned to sending an armed vessel, whose owner was equipped with a Letter of Marque by the former Puntland Government. (Such Letter of Marque makes a pirate a privateer - either a government sanctioned pirate, or a "sea ranger" working on commission. An 1856 treaty called the Declaration of Paris prevents many nations from issuing Letters of Marque, but Somalia is not one of those nations.)

That "coastguard" ship drove the MT SEAPRINCESS II far down the coast into coastal areas of a clan basically hostile to the captors of the vessel and pirates of a different group. Luckily the coastal mercenaries ran out of fuel before they could engage the Sea Princess in a battle at sea, which would have been extremely dangerous due to her fuel cargo. A complicated negotiation process involving a new mediator finally brought the solution. A safe release in Somalia without any bloodshed can take time. The last pirates left this morning and right now the crew and vessel will come into Bossasso harbour, where the crew will get some rest in order to then return guarded to Yemen.

News from sea-jackings, abductions or newly attacked ships

Naval vessels from the U.S., Germany and China came to the aid of a Philippine chemical tanker MT STOLT STRENGTH (we reported) stranded without fuel in waters near Somalia days after it was freed by pirates. Maria Elena Bautista, administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority, confirmed that a U.S. Navy ship provided five days worth of diesel fuel for the MT STOLT STRENGTH, which was drifting some 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of the Somali coast. The crew as well as cargo of phosphoric acid is said to be safe.

Navies have apparently still not stopped murder ship MT AGIA BARBARA: still at large !

Crew Wanted for Murder

The position and route of the vessel with a crew of 6 Syrians and 6 Indians - wanted for murder in Mogadishu harbour - as well as at least one Somali business-agent on board are now roughly known. The small tanker with the IMO number 7616004 and call sign HO4050 flies a Panama flag (possibly now changed). Registered ship owner and manager is MEADOWLARK SHIPPING & TRADING CO. of Piraeus in Greece and the tanker is operated from an office in the UAE. Please report any sighting.

Meanwhile MEADOWLARK SHIPPING & TRADING CO. claims that it is no longer the owner of the vessel. In an unspecified e-mail an unidentified sender claimed that MEADOWLARK SHIPPING & TRADING CO. is incorrectly registered as owner in the shipping register and that the MT AGIA BARBARA was sold to new owners and would be managed by new managers since September 2008.

The sender further stated that the current owners are WORLD CHAMPION MARINE (the Buyer) not MEADOWLARK SHIPPING & TRADING CO. (the Seller). WORLD CHAMPION MARINE, however, could so far not be traced. Unconfirmed reports warn that the vessel if not stopped immediately could reach Eritrea or Sudan and the crew disappear from there.

The Somali Government has officially requested all navies and coastal authorities to immediately impound the vessel and to arrest the crew. Vessel picture: http://www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=70209

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 16 foreign vessels (17 with an unnamed sole Barge which drifted ashore, 18 with JAIKUR I who with its last 5 members of the original crew are still held in Mogadishu harbour) with a total of not less than 273 crew members accounted for (of which 84 are confirmed to be Filipinos (plus maybe 16 of newly captured MV PATRIOT) 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 (for Somalia, incl. presently held ones) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by a naval force. For 2009 the account stands at 69 averted or abandoned attacks and 31 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as at least two wrongful attacks (incl. friendly fire) on the side of the naval forces. Mystery pirate mother-vessels Athena/Arena and Burum Ocean as well as not fully documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-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.

Illegal fishing and dumping

Bishop says Somali piracy is 'fight back' against globalisation
by Jennifer Gold

The Anglican Bishop in the Horn of Africa, has said that piracy in the region is "almost an industry" and is a way for Somalis to "fight back" against injustices caused by globalisation. In recent weeks, attacks by Somali pirates have risen markedly and drawn the attention of the media – particularly after the capture and then miraculous rescue of American cargo ship captain Richard Phillips. A second ship carrying donated food to Rwanda for World Vision was attacked last earlier in the month by pirates off the coast of Somalia. No one was hurt in the attack and the ship was later allowed to continue to its destination.

The Rt Rev Andrew Proud, who is currently visiting the UK, is the suffragan to the President-Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, the Most Rev Mouneer Anis and is based in Ethiopia. "My understanding is that, in the last 20 or 30 years, there has been a lot of illegal fishing off that coast, and perhaps nuclear waste being dumped, and this had led to the people wanting to fight back", he said, according to the Church Times. "It’s got to the stage where it’s [piracy] almost an industry. They are highly organised pirates, although it does surprise me they are able to take these ships over. It’s a lawless region, and it’s part of wanting to have a piece of the cake. Globalisation works two ways. It’s profoundly depressing, but life is so tough for the people living there. After the Ethiopian army went in, people left in droves. Somalis are desperate to settle down and have some stability, but I can’t see that happening". The bishop said that Somalia is an extremely dangerous place to be for Christians. Last year David Mohamed, who converted to Christianity from Islam, was placed under house arrest and killed. The last Anglican church in Somalia was destroyed 30 years ago.

Impacting news from the global village

China unveiled its nuclear submarines this week at an international fleet review marking the 60th anniversary of its navy, official media reported. The first known public appearance of the craft, off the northern port of Qingdao, will underscore the growing might of the People's Liberation Army navy and its attempts to build goodwill by increasing transparency. China's nuclear submarines have gained prominence lately thanks to participation in the fleet battling pirates off the coast of Somalia - the first active mission outside the Pacific - and a confrontation with the U.S. in the South China Sea last month. The Chinese navy's commander, Admiral Wu Shengli, said the celebrations, which would include 21 ships from 14 foreign countries, would show his country as a force for "peace, harmony and co-operation" at sea, the Liberation Army Daily reported. "Suspicions about China being a 'threat' to world security are mostly because of misunderstandings and lack of understandings about China", Wu's deputy, Vice-Admiral Ding Yiping, told the state news agency Xinhua.

"The suspicions would disappear if foreign counterparts could visit the Chinese navy and know about the true situation". He added: "It is not a secret that China has nuclear submarines, which are key to safeguarding our country's national security". Chinese media have speculated that the government will also use the celebrations to announce more details of its plan to build an aircraft carrier, which is seen by many as emblematic of its ambitions. The United States and governments in the region are concerned about China's growing naval power, sea boundary disputes and rivalry for resources. "The fleet review and Somalia are being used by China to try to show that even as it projects its power it is not a threat to anyone", said Christian Le Miere, senior analyst for Asia at defense publication Jane's Country Risk. He said the PLA had sought to portray itself as transparent and a responsible partner, rebuilding military-to-military links with the U.S., added that the U.S. and Japan would be watching warily.

"The incident in the South China Sea was a very clear indication of the fears of both sides ... China is increasingly concerned by U.S. monitoring of its activities and the U.S. is increasingly concerned that the Chinese are developing longer-range blue-water capabilities", he said. Last month the U.S. accused Chinese boats, including a naval vessel, of harassing the USNS Impeccable in international waters, while China said the surveillance ship should not have been operating in its "exclusive economic zone". The stand-off took place 75 miles south of a major naval base. The PLA navy has more than 225,000 personnel and is thought to have as many as 70 submarines, 10 of them nuclear-powered. It also has about 72 combat ships. But it is continuing to invest heavily in expanding and upgrading its fleet, with much of the PLA's hefty budget increases in recent years going to the navy. "Under the somewhat opaque 'Project 48' we are likely to see an aircraft carrier as well", Le Miere added.

Press Contacts:

ECOP-marine
East-Africa
+254-714-747090
marine[at]ecop.info
www.ecop.info

ECOTERRA Intl.
Nairobi Node
africanode[at]ecoterra.net
+254-733-633-733

EA Seafarers Assistance Programme
SAP Media Officers
+254-722-613858
+254-733-385868
sap[at]ecoterra.net

End of Ecoterra Press Release

Note
Picture: the coast of Bir Ali in Yemen where, on January 3, Somali pirates reached and managed to successfully abduct MT SEA PRINCESS II that has been released a few hours ago.