Ecoterra – Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor – The Latest Piracy News Off the Somali Coastland

All the recent developments off the Somali coast are to be found in the new Ecoterra press release which was issued earlier today. I therefore publish it integrally.

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

Ecoterra International – Update & Media Release

A Voice for the Voiceless, who sit between all chairs, because they are not part of organized white-collar or no-collar-crime in Somalia or overseas and 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 funding.

2009-03-10 23h12:28 UTC

EA Illegal Fishing and Dumping Hotline: +254-714-747090 (confidentiality guaranteed)

EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline: +254-738-497979

Clearing-house:

News from sea-jackings, abductions or newly attacked ships --------

215 days in captivity - and the sad story of T/B Yenegoa Ocean is still not ending. Families of the abducted 10 Nigerian seafarers blame the owner as well as the Nigerian government for inactivity in solving the case, though the pirates had lowered the ransom significantly. The tugboat is still held without own communication near Hawo (while the NATO website still states falsely Boosaaso) close to the very tip of the Horn of Africa.

M/V BLUESTAR released on 4th March by her captors - with all 28 Egyptian crew members on board safe - is sailing southwards. The vessel carrying urea from Egypt to Mozambique was seized on New Year's Day and was the first merchant vessel of 2009 falling prey to pirates from Somalia, taking it just 7 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen. The Deputy-Manager of the coast guards for Aden, Abdul Rahman Mosa, openly lied, when he confirmed to the Yemen Observer that no acts of piracy had occurred in the Gulf of Aden, or in Yemeni regional waters. He went on to say that Yemen’s Coast Guards are able to deal with any acts of piracy; however he called for international assistance to enhance the capacities of the country’s 6-year old Coast Guard Authority. He said Coast Guard personnel were highly qualified, and that there are currently 1,200 staff serving in the Gulf of Aden alone, however he said the capacities of their boats remains limited.

"We have only 3 boats that can sail for 8 continuous hours. We need more boats, with greater capacity, that can sail for several days and enter international waters to engage the pirates", said Mosa. Somali pirates released the Egyptian cargo ship the state-run MENA news agency confirmed, following mediation efforts by Egyptian intelligence and foreign ministry officials. MENA made no mention of a ransom payment for the Blue Star, AFP reported, while last month, the ship's owner Cpt. Abdelrahman al-Awwa told AFP that he had done a deal with the pirates on how much would be paid. "We have reached an agreement for a million dollar ransom", he said. The Egyptian foreign ministry said at the time of the hijacking that about 15 pirates, some of them heavily armed, attacked the vessel which was carrying a cargo of 6,000 tonnes of fertiliser. The Egyptian-owned ship was flying the flag of the Caribbean island territory of St Kitts and Nevis when it was hijacked.

One of the two generators on Malaysian-owned T/B MASINDRA 7 with its Indonesian-owned barge ADM1 broke down and the vessel therefore has only for a few hours per day electricity. Food and water for the 11 Indonesian crew are reported to be very low and the vessel is getting low on fuel too. With only one anchor it, found now a better anchorage in front of Eyl and does not need to fear to be pushed against the coast, since at the moment there are neither strong winds nor a strong swell reported.

MT STOLT STRENGTH is said to be used now sometimes as pirate mother-ship. The abducted vessel and 23 crew suffer at the hands of an ignorant and cruel gang of captors, who are said to be colluding with some crew members in persisting on an exaggerated amount of ransom. The vessel has no anchors any more and is drifting when not used to follow the interests of her captors. The ship owned by Japanese investors is managed by Victoria Ship Management of Manila and has a registered ownership by Safemarine Corp SA of Panama fronting for Mr. Victoriano Miranda of Sagaana Shipping. To make the ownership-onion and responsibility game even more complex the vessel is on long-term lease to STOLT-NIELSEN (STOLT tankers), who already had with the case of MT STOLT VALOR a hi-jacking with extended suffering for the crew due to insurance wrangles and neglect. It is presently floating again off Garcad but had disappeared last week from the coast.

The case of MV JAIKUR II , held in Mogadishu harbour since 10th November 2008 due to a pending insurance and court case concerning its damaged cargo, will have to be profiled as criminal abduction, if the international crew is not released immediately. Though the owner has agreed to leave the vessel with an all-Somali core crew at the harbour as security for the pending case of its cargo, the 20 international crew (i.a. 14 Indian nationals) is reportedly still held there against their will. Those responsible for Mogadishu harbour have not allowed for the evacuation of the foreign nationals from the embattled capital of war torn Somalia, where ill crew members also can not get the medical attention required.

German-owned gas-tanker MT LONGCHAMP with one Indonesian and 12 Filipinos - shuttling between Eyl and Kulub - is currently held off Kulub (south of Eyl). The core team of her captors reportedly spends most the time on land, since live on board of the vessel is tough for Somalis, who are used to smoke and roast goats over open fuel wood fires on deck of other vessels. Such is not possible due to the highly explosive nature of Longcham's cargo. Negotiations have not progressed well so far.

SEA PRINCESS II the controversial Yemeni fuel-cargo vessel now sits in front of Eyl, while the wrangles for her release still continuing between Somali businessmen, the Puntland authorities and her captors. The crew, however, is reported to still be ok.

Negotiations for the release of the Greek-owned MV Saldhana, held off Kulub (south of Eyl - between Danaane and Garcad) with 22 crew, are said to have started.

A large unmanned barge with unknown load arrived near Kulule (near Bendar-Beyla) at the Somali shore and triggered an immediate dispute which Somali group can take possession. A team to investigate the possible threat, which would be given if the barge e.g. contains toxic waste, has been dispatched by Ecoterra Intl.

The largest part of the multi-million dollar ransom handed over to Somali pirates for the release of a Ukrainian cargo ship was paid by a Ukrainian billionaire, the Kiev presidential press service stated. The ransom is believed to have been between $3.2 million. "There is no itemization in the budget for 'funds for the release of hostages", read the Ukrainian presidential press service statement. "Therefore, the amount had to be collected from non-budget sources. As the head of the presidential chief of staff and coordinator of special operations, I officially requested help from Ukrainian businessmen who are well-known for their charity projects", the statement continued. "Viktor Pinchuk financed the lion's share of the expenses - several million dollars - in order to secure the release of the Ukrainian crewmembers. These were his own funds that he, as the founder of a charity, decided to use in order to free the FAINA's crew", the statement concluded. Steel magnate Pinchuk is one of Ukraine's richest men. According to Forbes, in 2007 his wealth stood at $5 billion. He is one of the main sponsors of a charitable foundation organized by ex-U.S. president Bill Clinton. And in another twist in the saga. a 21-year-old crew member of the FAINA was expelled from the Naval Academy in the Ukrainian city of Odessa while he was held hostage by Somali pirates, as Russia’s Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reports.

Unconfirmed reports speak of a finally unsuccessful piracy attack on M/V SHANGAI VENTURE in which a sailor was injured on Tuesday evening by a stray bullet fired by attacking pirates.

Other reports speak of an armed confrontation between pirates and a Yemen fishing boat, in which one Somali guard on board of the Yemeni vessel was shot and killed.

With the latest captures and releases now still at least 9 (possibly 10 with a mystery ship off Hafun) foreign vessels with a total of not less than 138 crew members accounted for (of which 35 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 (for Somalia, incl. presently held ones) and the mistaken sinking of one vessel by a naval force. For 2009 the account stands at 32 averted or abandoned attacks and 6 sea-jackings on the Somali/Yemeni pirate side as well as one wrongful attack by 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, dumping and trafficking news ------------------

UN report warns fishing industry on climate change. The fishing industry must do more to confront the effects of climate change as well as get a grip on the perennial problem of over-fishing, said a UN report. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) report said responsible fishing practices must be more widely implemented and called for new strategies to cope with climate change. "Climate change is already modifying the distribution of both marine and freshwater species. Warmer-water species are being pushed towards the poles and experiencing changes in habitat size and productivity. And climate change is affecting the seasonality of biological processes, altering marine and freshwater food webs, with unpredictable consequences for fish production", the study said. Urgent efforts are needed to help fishing communities strengthen their resilience to climate change, especially those who are most vulnerable, said Kevern Cochrane, one of its authors. The report, compiled by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the key problem was still over-fishing and warned that communities relying heavily on fishing could face serious problems if stocks continue to dwindle. Over-fishing, which affects 19 percent of major commercial fish stocks monitored by the FAO, was being facilitated by a higher number of trawlers in operation and increasingly effective technology, it said. Areas with the highest levels of fully-exploited stocks are the northeast Atlantic, the western Indian Ocean and the northwest Pacific, the FAO said. It also criticised paltry efforts to regulate bottom-trawl fishing, manage shark fisheries and tackle illegal fishing, saying there had only been "limited progress".

"The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/177 in 2007 deplored the fact that fish stocks in many parts of the world are over-fished or subject to sparsely regulated fishing effort. The relationship between excess capacity and illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing was also highlighted in COFI, the United Nations General Assembly and regional fora. There was only limited progress in the implementation of measures inter alia to mainstream the precautionary and ecosystem approaches to fisheries, eliminate by catch and discards, regulate bottom-trawl fisheries, manage shark fisheries, and deal with IUU fishing in a comprehensive manner".

This is stated in the new UN FAO report: "State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2008", which is reviewing trends in fisheries over the past two years. ftp://ftp.fao. .org/docrep/ fao/011/i0250e/ i0250e.pdf

Another FAO report "Worldwide Review of Bottom Fisheries in the High Seas" has been released by the FAO at the meeting of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in Rome this week. It contains the most up to date information on which States are fishing where, how much vessels involved, the amount and species caught, review of the information on the status of fish stocks taken in deep-sea high seas bottom fisheries etc. An electronic copy has been posted on the FAO website at http://www.fao. org/fishery/ publications/ technical- papers/en (scroll down the list of documents)

Directly piracy related news ------

Strong efforts are under way to make the 345 km long coast along the Galmudug region (south of Puntland) in Somalia a pirate-free zone. The region, which had seen with the hi-jackings of MT SIRUS STAR as well as the weapons-ship MV FAINA, some of the most widely reported cases of piracy has under Governor Dr. Mohamed Warsame now set out to become a role model for coastal and marine safety in Somalia.

The cabinet in Somalia has endorsed a proposal by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to implement Islamic law in the country, the BBC reports. Experts say the move aims to drain support for radical Islamist guerrillas who now control much of southern and central Somalia. The bill is expected to go before parliament in the next few days. The move came as the Somali president began a three-day visit to Burundi, which has peacekeepers in Somalia. "The cabinet members discussed deeply on the issue regarding the Islamic Sharia law and the members unanimously approved full implementation", said Somali Information Minister Farhan Ali Mohamoud, according to AFP news agency. "Islamic Sharia is the only option to get solutions for the problems in this country". Last month, the president agreed to proposals by local and foreign religious leaders for a truce with hard line Islamists and the implementation of Sharia law. Sheikh Sharif, a former moderate rebel leader, was elected in January following a UN-brokered peace process. But hard-line Islamist insurgent groups like al-Shabab have continued to battle the government and its allies. In Burundi's capital Bujumbura on Tuesday, Sheikh Sharif extended his sympathies to the Burundian people on the deaths of 11 of their soldiers in a Mogadishu suicide attack two weeks ago.

Fierce fighting took place on Monday afternoon in Bardere town, 370km southwest of Mogadishu. The clashes occurred between moderate Islamists belonging to Ahlu Sunna wal-Jamea and the radical fighters loyal to Al-Shabaab. At least six people, including two women, sustained injuries according to local people, when Al-Shabaab fighters attacked a mosque known as Geed Awoowe. The reason for the fight is reportedly that the Al-Shabaab authority that controls the area has prohibited the commemoration of the birthday of Prophet Mohammed, known locally as Mawlidu Nabi. Followers of Ahlu Sunna wal-Jamea, that include the Sufiya sub-sect, always commemorate the occasion, while Al-Shabaab and other radical Islamists tend to object to the rituals.

Kenya assumed custody March 5 of seven alleged Somali pirates, captured earlier by the U.S. Navy, with plans to prosecute the suspects swiftly in the Mombasa court system. The Navy turned the suspects and evidence over to Kenya under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed with the United States in January. The United Kingdom has a similar accord with Kenya -- which has agreed to prosecute pirates in its courts -- as part of a stepped-up effort to hold pirates accountable for their actions and deter future attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coastline. Vice Admiral William Gortney told a March 5 congressional hearing that the bilateral agreement took effect that very day, when Kenya accepted the alleged pirates. The Navy captured the men February 11, when a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel called for help as pirates equipped with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades attempted to board. Piracy is an international crime that is prosecuted through a number of agreements, including the 2000 United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Passengers on a European cruise-ship were forced to go through emergency drills following suspicious activity from two small craft in waters close to Somalia, representatives of operator Fred. Olsen have confirmed - as reported by Lloyds List. However, the company stressed that Tuesday’s Balmoral incident was a false alarm, and expressly denied media reports that shots were fired at the vessel or that an evacuation took place. Instead, the master of Balmoral undertook aggressive maneuvering, while over 1,000 passengers were ordered below deck and emergency calls were made to western naval forces in the region. But a spokeswoman for Fred. Olsen insisted that the ship was at no time under attack, and that there were no visual sightings of armed pirates. A statement from the operator said: "During the daytime sailing through the Gulf of Aden only fishing boats were sighted showing no sign of alarming activities. At 1945 hrs, two suspicious craft were observed on radar traveling towards Balmoral. As a purely precautionary action, the ship’s master implemented aggressive maneuvering, contact was made with the European Union Coalition Task Force, and passengers were requested to assemble in safe havens. At 2045 hrs the EU warship confirmed that the area around the vessel was clear, and the alert was stood down at 21:23 hrs. This was a suspicious incident and not an attack". Searchlights were directed at the approaching craft and flares used to indicate that it had been observed, and that action may have been mistakenly interpreted as gunfire, the statement continued. "Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines can state categorically that there was no gunfire, and that although the approaching vessel got to within 400m of Balmoral, it left the area without incident, and because of the darkness it was not possible to identify the vessel or its occupants. The master of Balmoral has reported that the mood on board was good throughout with no panic or adverse reaction from the passengers. The vessel is now continuing on its scheduled itinerary and is in the port of Salalah in Oman".

The Swedish Government has given the Swedish Navy the green light to participate in the EU’s mission to eliminate piracy off the coast of Somalia. The Swedish mission will involve the Swedish Navy corvettes HMS Stockholm and HMS Malmö, accompanied by the support vessel HMS Trossö. Kockums is currently engaged in preparing the vessels for this international operation. For Kockums, this also means organizing a rapid-response capability, in case of a serious breakdown, as well as support and maintenance services. We maintain several technical support flying squads. The Swedish force totals 160 personnel. The Navy’s mission is to protect the food transports, not to track or pursue the pirates. Even so, the mission is highly dangerous, and if support vessels are attacked, the UN’s rules of engagement permit the use of armed force. This means that the vessels would be free to use their weapons. Heavily armed pirates have transformed the Gulf of Aden into the most dangerous stretch of water in the world. When in African or other dangerous waters affected by piracy, many merchant crews electrify ships’ railings, prepare their water cannon for action and double-up their lookouts. The pirates often use support vessels, which may take the form of a larger fishing vessel. These are used to launch smaller high-speed motorboats, with as many as ten pirates in each boat. They normally attack their targets while underway, from several directions at once, armed with automatic weapons and, quite often, with recoilless antitank weapons. They board the target vessel by shooting rope ladders onto the deck and fastening them to the railings, while providing covering fire. In such situations, the crew of the target vessel often withdraw to the bridge and lock themselves in, in accordance with the owner’s standing orders. This makes it easy for the pirates to gain the upper hand and climb aboard. In some instances, the pirates have inside help from a member of the crew.

A Danish warship the Absalon, patrolling in the Gulf of Aden, stopped an attack by pirates against a Chinese freight ship, which had sent out a distress call on 23rd February. The Absalon confiscated weapons of seven pirates, who had fired on the freighter, Denmark’s navy said. The Absalon and a U.S. warship offered medical aid to possible injured personal at the Chinese vessel, which was declined, according to the navy statement. Cmdr. Jane Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, says the Danish ship HDMS Absalon received a distress signal from the Yandanghai. Danish sailors found a skiff with seven suspected pirates, armed with a rocket-propelled grenade, four AK-47 assault rifles, two grenades and a knife. Campbell says the suspected pirates were disarmed, but not detained. The navy says the Chinese sailors fended off the pirates by using their fire hoses. The Absolon is part of a U.S.-led task force, set up last month to combat piracy along the lawless coast of Somalia.

A Chinese naval patrol rescued an Italian merchant ship from a pirate attack in the waters off Somalia, China's state media reported. A Chinese destroyer, Haikou, was escorting a fleet of ships in the Gulf of Aden on February 24 when an Italian boat suffered an engine failure and two high-speed pirate boats zoomed towards it, China's official Xinhua news agency said. Haikou dispatched three special operations troops in a helicopter, which flew directly above the Italian boat and fired two warning shots to scare the pirates away, the report said. It added that it was the second successful rescue staged by Chinese destroyers after beginning a naval mission last month to tackle rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The cabinet of the Swiss government has come out in favour of sending up to 30 staff for an armed anti-piracy mission by the European Union off the coast of Somalia, Swiss Info reports. The decision, which is subject to approval by parliament, has prompted opposition by the rightwing Swiss People's Party, but the three other main parties indicated cautious approval. The mandate of the Swiss soldiers and experts would be limited to the protection of vessels of the United Nations World Food Programme. It includes, however, the protection of the Swiss cargo ships crossing the Gulf of Aden, according to the foreign ministry. "Engagement by Swiss soldiers in operation Atalanta must not exceed the mandate of a military police force. Military offensives against pirates at sea or on land are excluded", the statement said. It added that the Swiss contingent is part of the country's humanitarian policy and seeks to defend Swiss interest. The deployment includes elite troops, legal experts and a medical team as well as senior officers and no time limit was indicated. Switzerland's government had previously discussed Swiss participation in operation Atalanta several times without taking a decision. Last week Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey traveled to Brussels for talks with the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, to examine the conditions. Solana made it clear that the EU would not accept a purely financial contribution. "Frankly speaking, such an option is not a priority", he told journalists in Brussels. Landlocked Switzerland is not a member of the EU and its neutral status is enshrined in the constitution. The country has a fleet of 35 privately operated tankers and container ships.

Around 30 per cent of Swiss-bound goods pass through the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest sea lanes. The Swiss parliament is likely to debate the government plans in one of the next regular sessions. The centre-right Radicals and the Christian Democrats said the mandate was clear and Swiss elite soldiers were trained for missions abroad. The centre-left Social Democrats gave the government plan cautious approval. The rightwing People's Party accused the Swiss government of undermining Swiss neutrality. It will challenge a possible confirmation of the government proposal by forcing a nationwide vote, according to a party statement. In a similar vein, the Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland described the Swiss move as "grotesque" and a "serious mistake". In a recent event the MV NYON, a Swiss cargo ship, ended up being protected by the Indian and Russian navies after the EU force did not respond. The Swiss mission will cost in minimum SFr9.8 million ($8.4 million) - money that could be used much better to rebuild a peaceful Somalia and a proper coastguard.

Foreign warships are forbidden to pursue pirates into Yemeni territorial waters and the country denied foreign navies access to Yemen’s territorial waters whilst in pursuit of pirates. Yemen’s Deputy-Foreign Minister for Arab, Asian and African Affairs Ali al-Ayashi, denied the news currently being circulated by some websites that quoted a French diplomatic source saying the Yemeni government had permitted foreign warships to chase pirate vessels into its territorial waters on a case-by-case basis when Yemen is unable to act. Al-Ayashi said these claims were baseless, and go directly against the sovereignty of Yemen. "The issue of fighting piracy by foreign ships in Yemen’s territorial waters is baseless, and Yemen has never agreed to any such procedures", said al-Ayashi. He added that Yemen had affirmed many times that it would fight piracy in its territorial waters through the use of Coast Guard patrols, and through joint-operations between the Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard. Al-Ayashi asserted that Yemen had confirmed on many occasions that it would cooperate with all international efforts aimed at fighting piracy in international waters.

Norway is the latest nation to join the European Union’s anti-piracy operation known as Atalanta off the coast of Somalia. Although Norway is not a member of the EU, the Nordic nation will be sending a Nansen Class frigate ship to the Gulf of Aden this summer to help battle the piracy plague that has been hampering shipping in the region. The Norwegian government released a statement saying that their participation in the naval operation is aimed at providing direct logistical support to the UN effort as well as strengthening Norway’s existing humanitarian and political actions in Somalia. Around 1,000 Norwegian ships pass through the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden each year. Although several of them have been attacked by Somali pirates, no Norwegian ship has yet been hijacked. Being a major seafaring nation itself, Norway is an obvious choice to help with this issue. Its efforts will not only protect its own ships but also lend a much-needed hand to combat the increasingly bold actions of Somali pirates. The anti-piracy naval operation led by the EU known as Atalanta began last December. To date, it consists of Maritime Patrol Aircraft and naval ships from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, the UK and soon Norway.

Pentagon planners are taking a long look at the role unmanned robot boats, or "bot boats", might play in preventing piracy and thwarting terrorists who approach their targets from waterways. The remote-control craft, which can go untended for longer periods than manned ships and can communicate with other airborne or seaborne vessels, are being considered in light of the increasing incidents of piracy off the coast of Somalia and the Mumbai terror attacks last year. In that case, the terrorists made their way to the city after hijacking a fishing trawler at sea. "They have the ability to be the eyes and ears of the fleet at sea, but also of the forces protecting our ports and harbors", said Capt. Paul Siegrist, the Navy's lead for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). Capt. Siegrist said the craft "will significantly reduce the risk to our manned forces, providing 'force multiplication' to accomplish missions much more effectively - and perform tasks that manned vehicles can't". The Navy's Littoral Combat Ship is the first ship designed to carry USVs. The USVs have advanced military multi-band network radios and satellite communications and the craft also can be outfitted with remote-operated small arms and grenade launchers, plus "non-lethal deterrents", such as long-range sound-blast devices, intense lights, laser dazzlers, and water cannon. as well as counter-sniper systems. Unmanned drones from the US-American Navy's USS Mahan, a destroyer on duty off the coast of Somalia, scour already the sea and relay photos of suspected pirate "mother-ships". The drones – with nicknames such as Jack Sparrow – have led to the capture of more than a dozen suspected pirates. An "unmanned aerial vehicle" weighs about 40 lbs. It can fly up to 65 miles at an altitude of up to 16,000 feet. They're equipped for either night and day photography. The Mahan has played a role in capturing two separate pirate vessels and 16 suspected pirates.

Yemen and France are planning to build an artificial harbor off Yemen’s Myon Island to help in the international campaign against piracy, according to a French diplomat. Speaking after the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the diplomat said: "This anchorage will facilitate the missions of vessels helping in the fight against piracy". France, Yemen and Djibouti are preparing a letter of intent on an "agreement in principle" to create the harbor on Myon, which lies in a strategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti, the diplomat added. Kouchner said he and Saleh had explored ways in which their countries could join forces to battle threats at sea. "We had very sincere talks, which centered on an increase in visits to Yemeni ports by foreign ships engaged in the fight against piracy, and assistance in the area of training for Yemen’s Coast Guards", the French Foreign Minister said. "We must look to step up regional cooperation to avoid security problems", commented Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, noting that humble fishermen had been targeted by foreign vessels on counter-piracy operations. Yemen wants to create an operations coordination center, since we "must help the fishermen earn their living", Qirbi said. The country currently operates only a small anti-piracy monitoring center.

The General Prosecution of Yemen has launched investigations into 4 Somali pirates who were being held in Aden last Sunday. The Russian Navy in the international waters of the Arabian Sea captured 12 suspected pirates, and handed them over to the Yemeni Coast Guard last month. The Indian Navy had also captured 10 Somali pirates, handing them over to Yemen’s Coast Guard two weeks ago. The Deputy-Manager of the Yemen’s Coast Guard in Aden, Abdul Rahman Mosa said they received the Somali pirates from the Russian and Indian Navies, and referred them to the security authorities in Aden for investigation and eventual trial. The leader of the suspected group of pirates captured by the Russian Navy, Ahamd Abdullah Mosa, also known by the alias ‘Hamri’, denied that he and his companions were pirates. "We are fishermen, and we were captured in Somali waters while fishing", said Hamri. However he admitted that he and his companions had 12 Kalashnikov assault rifles and an RPG launcher. "All Somali fishermen need weapons when they go fishing to protect themselves against pirates or rival tribesmen", said Hamri. He added that there is no justifiable legal framework for either their arrest by the Russian Navy or their detention by Yemeni authorities. Hamri blamed coalition forces for exploiting the crisis in Somalia to carry out illegal activities in Somali waters. He accused international forces of allowing giant fishing ships to fish illegally in Somali waters, using explosives in deep waters to bring fish up. The leader of the second group captured by the Indian Navy, Abdul Rashid Jama, 31, also denied that he or any of his companions were pirates. He said they came from the Billa district, 370 kilometres from Boossasso, and the Indian Navy had arrested them as they were fishing in the Indian Ocean. He confessed that he and his companions had seven Kalashnikov machine guns when they were arrested by the Indian navy. "These countries have created a code of conduct for fighting piracy, which is a practical mechanism for securing maritime routes", said al-Ayashi. He also stressed that to fight piracy, the international community should support the newly elected Somali government, in order to enable it to control its coasts, and ensure its security both on land and at sea. Colonel Abdul Rahman Mosa stated that he believes former personnel from the Somali Navy, as well as Somali tribesmen and fishermen have been using former navy equipment in the commission of acts of piracy.

"They are well trained and equipped to engage in combat, however they know our capacities, so they haven’t engaged in piracy in Yemen’s regional waters, said Mosa. However, he stressed the necessity of providing the Yemeni Coast Guards with suitable ships with greater capabilities. Colonel Abdul Majid Dhulman, captain of the Yemeni Coast Guard’s three advanced boats in the Gulf of Aden stated he wished his boats were equipped with missiles, to cope with pirates armed with RPG’s and heavy machine guns. "We are well-trained, and have undergone several training exercises in the past five years", said Dhulman. He added that they had undergone joint marine exercises with a number of foreign navies including the French, German and British navies. "During one of our exercises last year, we captured a Pakistani boat loaded with 24 tons of hash in the Indian Ocean", said Dhulman. The suspected pirates arrested by the Indian and Russian navies said that all hijacked ships and tankers are being kept in a harbor called Jebel Kalb, "Dog’s Mountain", but they said they had never visited this area. Some security experts doubted the suspect’s claims that they were fishermen. "Fishermen’s hands are usually toughened, not soft, as a result of dealing with fishing tents and ropes. These men’s hands are soft, which indicates they were not fishermen", said a security source at al-Mansoura prison in Aden where the suspects are being held. The source added that some of the suspects, including the leader of the second group, had communicated with pirates in Somalia to provide them money and support while in prison.

U.S. Admiral Accuses Yemen of Aiding Piracy while Yemeni Coast Guard Officials deny. Somali pirates, who have disrupted lucrative international shipping trade, are getting fuel and engine parts from individuals in Yemen, Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, a NATO commander and the top U.S naval officer for Africa said. "The fuel for instance, is coming from Yemen, a lot of the logistic supplies, things like motor boat engines, and so we just need work with the government there to start tightening up controls", Fitzgerald added. In this regard a Yemeni Official source in the Coast Guard denied what the American admiral; Sir Mark Fitzgerald has said. The source added that Yemen is the most affected country by the acts of sea piracy at the Somali coast and off Aden Gulf where many commercial ships and Yemeni fishermen, who were even used as human shields, were affected by the piracy acts. He confirmed that Yemen is making all it can to fight piracy and support the international efforts in this regard, stressing readiness to strengthen those efforts to serve the international navigation security and safety as well as stability in the region.

Though due to rough seas and as a consequence of cooperative naval efforts, the number of pirate attacks has dropped from an average of seven per month in the last quarter of 2008 to only two a month in the first months of 2009, witnesses and members of the US Congress, who considered the implications of piracy off of Africa, agreed that there will not be a long-term solution to regional piracy until conflict in Somalia ceases. To that end, the United States supports the U.N.-led Djibouti Peace Process, a mechanism by which the Somalis can make political and security decisions with help from international donors as they address the need for political reconciliation.

Nine Somali nationals suspected of piracy were turned over March 3 to the Puntland Coast Guard from the U.S. Navy for purposes of their release. The nine individuals were apprehended in the Gulf of Aden Feb. 12, after the Indian-flagged Motor Vessel Premdivya sent a distress call to all ships in the Gulf of Aden reporting that she had been fired upon at night by a small skiff and that pirates were attempting to board it. The nine individuals were stopped in the general vicinity of the Indian motor vessel after the attack and were found to possess weapons and equipment commonly used to facilitate pirate attacks. While maintaining custody of the Somali nationals, the U.S. Navy evaluated the situation and determined there was inconclusive evidence to support their prosecution. As a result, the nine Somali nationals were transferred to the Puntland Coast Guard to facilitate their safe return to shore. While aboard U.S. Navy ships, the Somali nationals were treated humanely, receiving food and medical care. Seven suspected pirates are still being held by the U.S. Navy. Those individuals will remain in custody while the details of their transfer are finalized. Piracy is a global problem that requires international cooperation. The U.S. Navy is committed to supporting operations that counter and deter piracy - and other criminal activities in the maritime environment - to create a lawful maritime order.

Germany turns Somali pirates over to Kenya for prosecution, DW reports. The nine pirates captured by the German Navy off the cost of Somalia shall now be prosecuted in Kenya despite an arrest warrant that was issued by a German court in Hamburg. The nine alleged pirates arrested for attacking a German merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast last week by a German frigate last week were handed over to Kenyan authorities in Mombassa today, but not immediately presented to a court. The German navy frigate Rheinland Pfalz had seized the men when they alleged used bazookas and firearms to attack a German-owned merchant vessel. Since there were no German crew members and the vessel was sailing under an Antiguan flag, prosecutors in Berlin stated that national interests were not sufficiently at stake to try the captives in Germany. The German frigate that apprehended the nine men is part of the EU's anti-piracy mission Atalanta. The German Defense Ministry said the frigate "Rheinland-Pfalz", where the pirates have been held since Tuesday last week, had apprehended them when the pirates attacked the German merchant vessel "MV Courier" off Somalia with anti-tank missiles and firearms. This was the first time in Germany's modern history that its navy had made any apprehensions at sea. According to a report by broadcaster ZDF, prosecution officials said there were enough grounds for prosecuting the pirates in Germany. However, the court must first decide whether German interests were at stake during the attack.

Since the "MV Courier", which is owned by a Bremen-based shipping company, had been sailing under an Antiguan flag with a non-German crew, this could be questionable. Also, the German Interior Ministry earlier this week had said there were no grounds for a German prosecution of the captured men, as no German interests were considered endangered in the attack. For this reason the deal with Kenya was crucial, as it has cleared the way for the nine men to be handed over to face prosecution there. Theoretically, the pirates could also apply for asylum in Kenya once on land. Kenya, which borders Somalia to the southwest, has a justice system that meets the requirements set by Germany, although human rights advocates have been critical of prison conditions there. Human Rights Watch has said that inmates could be held in detention for months without any charges being pressed and are often denied legal counsel. Tuesday's handover was only possible after an agreement between the European Union and Kenya had paved the way for Somali nationals to be prosecuted in Kenya. The EU had specified in a deal last week that the captives cannot be subjected to torture or the death sentence. They would have the right to appear before a judge in a short period of time, would be entitled to legal representation and would be provided with an interpreter if needed.

Kenya's marine police commander Stanley Lenamai told the Associated Press that the suspected pirates, who had arrived in the port city Mombassa on Tuesday, will be taken to court as soon as interpreters for them are found. However, the German authorities earlier had stated that they were looking into the possibility of the pirates facing trial in Germany. If this is possible, the nine men would not be surrendered to the Kenyan authorities, but could be flown to Germany via Djibouti. The European Union and Kenya only last Friday signed an agreement facilitating the transfer to Kenya of suspected Somali pirates detained as part of the EU's Atalanta anti-piracy naval mission. The agreement was in Nairobi signed by Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula and the Czech ambassador to Kenya, Margita Fuchsova, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. "By enabling EUNAVFOR to bring pirates to justice, this agreement will enhance the deterrence effect of the operation", the EU naval mission in Somalia said in a statement. "This is an important framework agreement on the transfer to Kenya of suspected pirates detained as part of Operation Atalante", one of the diplomats who negotiated the agreement told AFP. "It includes guarantees on the rights of the detainees... Kenya is the only coastal country that has agreed to such a deal so far", the diplomat added. Under the agreement, Kenya accepts to take suspected pirates detained by EU navies patrolling Somalia's waters and prosecute them in Kenyan courts. Some countries involved in anti-piracy naval operations had been reluctant to transfer pirates back to Somalia, arguing there were insufficient guarantees that due process would be followed. Dozens of suspected Somalia pirates are being held in Kenya and several have already been brought to courts in the port city of Mombassa. In the latest such case, seven suspected pirates captured by the US navy during a botched attack against the MV Polaris last month were charged with piracy on Friday by Mombassa chief magistrate Catherine Mwangi. The nine suspects bring the total number of people delivered to Kenyan courts by foreign navies to 24.

Nine earlier prosecuted pirates serving a seven year sentence at the infamous Shimo La Tewa prison have filed an appeal at the high court, but heir case hearings are permanently delayed.

Impacting news from the global village -------

The United Nations investigator into extra-judicial killings said on Wednesday last week that Kenya's police chief and attorney-general should be fired because of hundreds of alleged murders by security forces. "Kenyan police are a law unto themselves and they kill often and with impunity", Philip Alston, U.N. rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions, said at the end of a 10-day visit to the east African nation. The Australian official backed accusations that security forces have killed among others 500 suspected members of the outlawed Mungiki sect, 400 political demonstrators during the post-election crisis last year, and 200 suspected rebels from the remote western region of Mount Elgon. Kenya's coalition government, facing criticism from foreign donors and the public for allowing and even fanning both corruption and rights abuses, rejected Alston's conclusions. The police and military deny all the allegations.

Press Contacts:

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

ECOTERRA Intl.
Nairobi Node
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EA Seafarers Assistance Programme
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Note
Picture: Yenagoa Ocean in ‘safer waters’, before being held captive off the Somali coast. From an interesting blog: http://tugster.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/whatzit/