Regional states sign pact to fight piracy off Somali coast – UN (30.01.2009)

(Quelle:UN News / International)

Indian Ocean and Red Sea countries have pledged to cooperate in seizing, investigating and prosecuting pirates off the coast of war-ravaged Somalia in a stepped-up campaign to curb a scourge that has wrought havoc with international shipping, including United Nations delivery of emergency food aid.

Japan to join anti-piracy force off Somalia (28.01.2009)

(Quelle:New York Times / USA)

Japan said Wednesday that it would deploy its Maritime Self-Defense Force to protect Japanese commercial ships off the coast of Somalia. Yasukazu Hamada, the minister of defense, said he had ordered the force to prepare for deployment, possibly as early as March. He did not offer details about the possible size of the mission.

UN meeting seeks to strengthen battle against pirates (28.01.2009)

(Quelle:UN News / International)

Regional States, countries patrolling the pirate-infested waters off Somalia, and United Nations agencies are set to adopt an agreement this week to reinforce the fight against a scourge that has seen dozens of ships held for ransom in recent years, including vessels carrying UN food aid for mil-lions of hungry Somalis.

New navy task force takes aim at pirates (23.01.2009)

(Quelle:allAfrica / International)

A new multinational naval task force is patrolling the waters off the coast of Africa to scare off pirates who have been regularly attacking commercial shipping vessels laden with oil, fertilizer and iron ore. For now, Combined Task Force 151 comprises three U.S. ships, but other nations, including the United Kingdom, are expected to join the effort that is focused on the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

UN forms group to coordinate actions against maritime piracy (22.01.2009)

(Quelle:allAfrica / International)

Twenty-four nations and five international organizations have formed a group at the United Nations to strengthen efforts to thwart piracy off the coast of Somalia. "The contact group notes with deep concern that piracy off the coast of Somalia grew significantly in 2008, and that attacks on shipping vessels can be expected to increase without enhanced international efforts," the new group said in a prepared statement January 14 at U.N. headquarters.

Piracy surges again (09.01.2009)

(Quelle:allAfrica / International)

There has been a new upsurge of piracy off Somalia, reports an agency associated with the North At-lantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). "Following a quiet period during late December, pirate activity in-creased significantly as the new year began," says the Nato Shipping Centre, the outreach arm of an agency set up to improve collaboration between military commanders and the commercial shipping industry.

Multinational force to combat pirates (09.01.2009)

(Quelle:allAfrica / International)

The United States Navy has announced the formation of an international force to provide security in the dangerous shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast. More than 20 countries are expected to contribute to the force, called the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151), which will be headed by U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Terence McKnight.

EU force “foils Somali pirates” (02.01.2009)

(Quelle:BBC / UK)

EU naval forces have forced back pirates raiding a Greek oil tanker off Somalia, the Greek govern-ment says. Pirates in speedboats abandoned efforts to board the tanker when a frigate, jet fighter and helicopter approached, the Greek merchant marine ministry reports. … The International Mari-time Bureau says increased naval patrols have sharply reduced the number of pirate attacks.

Chinese warships sail, loaded for pirates (26.12.2008)

(Quelle:New York Times / USA)

In China’s first modern deployment of battle-ready warships beyond the Pacific, a naval task force set out Friday to begin escorts and patrols in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden, state news media reported. A supply ship and two destroyers departed from Sanya, on the island province of Hainan, carrying a total of about 800 crew members,

German navy foils Somali pirates (25.12.2008)

(Quelle:BBC / UK)

The German navy says it has foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack an Egyptian cargo vessel off Somalia. Six Somali pirates were captured by sailors of the frigate Karlsruhe in the Gulf of Aden. However, the pirates were immediately released on the orders of the German government, officials told the BBC.

UN approves piracy land pursuit (16.12.2008)

(Quelle:BBC / UK)

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a US resolution allowing countries to pursue Somali pirates on land as well as at sea. It is an extension of the powers countries already have to enter Somali waters to chase pirates. Countries will need the permission of the transitional Somali government.

Regional approach crucial to bring Somali pirates to justice, says UN anti-crime chief (16.12.2008)

(Quelle:UN News / International)

The United Nations crime-fighting agency today proposed a regional approach to bringing pirates off the Somali coast to justice similar to one that has proved successful in fighting drug traffickers in the Caribbean. “Gunboats are necessary, but not sufficient,” UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said of the European, Indian and United States warships now seeking to provide protection from the rampant piracy that has seen scores of ships hijacked for ran-som, including those carrying vital UN food supplies for hundreds of thousands of hungry Somalis.

U.S. proposes going ashore to hunt pirates (10.12.2008)

(Quelle:New York Times / USA)

In an effort to curb piracy off Somalia’s coast, the United States began circulating a Security Council resolution on Wednesday that would significantly beef up interdiction efforts by permitting foreign forces to attack pirate bases on land. Until now all military action has been focused on naval measures, so the proposal to carry the fight ashore is an escalation opposed by some countries skittish about sovereignty issues.

Germany approves EU mission to fight piracy (10.12.2008)

(Quelle:Washington Post / USA)

A German official says Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet has approved a plan to contribute one navy ship and up to 1,400 troops to an EU anti-piracy mission. The 12-month mandate would focus on deterring and preventing pirate attacks that have proliferated in the Gulf of Aden and recently targeted to cruise liners in addition to cargo vessels.

Somali piracy backed by international network (10.12.2008)

(Quelle:Washington Post / USA)

Ahmed Dahir Suleyman is cagey as he talks about the global network that funds and supports piracy off the coast of Somalia. "We have negotiators, translators and agents in many areas ... let me say across the world," said Suleyman, a pirate in the harbor town of Eyl, where scores of hijacked ships are docked.

EU guards to deter Somali pirates (09.12.2008)

(Quelle:BBC / UK)

The British commander in charge of the EU anti-piracy mission says the force will station armed guards on vulnerable cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden. Rear Admiral Phillip Jones says his priority is to ensure safe passage for ships transporting food aid to Somalia.

UN to convene global meeting on piracy off Somali coast (08.12.2008)

(Quelle:UN News / International)

The United Nations will convene a two-day international conference in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the rampant piracy off the coast of Somalia, it was announced today. The gathering, hosted by the Kenyan Government, will begin on 10 December, when technical experts will discuss the issue.

EU launches first navy mission, in pirate-infested seas (07.12.2008)

(Quelle:Reliefweb / International)

The European Union launches Monday its first-ever naval operation, with six warships and three surveillance planes patrolling pirate infested seas in the Horn of Africa. The EU vessels face the daunting task of covering an area of around one million square kilometres, in waters that have seen nearly 100 ships attacked by pirates this year.

Legal hurdles in West slow pursuit of pirates (29.11.2008)

(Quelle:New York Times /USA)

While the pirates have been buying GPS devices, satellite phones and more-powerful outboard motors, officials in Europe have been discussing jurisdictional issues surrounding the arrest of pirates on the high seas and even the possibility that the pirates might demand asylum if brought onto European Union shores. Germany, perhaps more than any other country, epitomizes both the importance of safe passage for ships and the difficulty of reacting swiftly.

Mehr als 1000 deutsche Soldaten gegen Piraten (Germany ready to send troops to deter piracy) (25.11.2008)

(Quelle:FAZ (Germany))

Für den EU-Einsatz „Atalanta“ gegen Piraten vor der somalischen Küste will das Bundesverteidi-gungsministerium nach Informationen der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung bis zu 1400 Soldaten bereitstellen.

Somali Islamists “hunt pirates” (21.11.2008)

(Quelle:BBC (UK))

Somali Islamist insurgents have begun searching for the pirates who hijacked a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker last Saturday, reports say. A spokesman for the al-Shabab group, Abdelghafar Musa, said hijacking a Muslim-owned ship was a major crime and they would pursue those responsible. The pi-rates are thought to be trying to obtain a multi-million dollar ransom.

Bundeswehr soll schon bald Piraten bekämpfen (German Foreign Minister wants german troops fighting pirates) (20.11.2008)

(Quelle: Die Welt; Germany) Nach den jüngsten Piratenüberfällen auf Schiffe vor der somalischen Küste drängt Außenminister Steinmeier auf schnelles Handeln. Deutsche Soldaten sollten sich möglichst bald am Kampf gegen die Freibeuter beteiligen, sagte er. Ein Parteikollege Steinmeiers fordert einen Sondergerichtshof für Piraten.

Rules frustrate anti-piracy efforts (19.11.2008)

(Quelle: BBC; UK) The international effort to stop piracy off Somalia has not worked and the effort clearly needs to be stepped up into a higher gear. The response so far has been twofold: first, to assemble naval forces to try to stop the pirates on the high seas; second, to encourage a political settlement within the fractured state of Somalia to enable law and order to be established.

Lukrative Geschäfte an der somalischen Küste (Lucrative piracy business) (19.11.2008)

(Quelle: FAZ; Germany) Offenbar mehr als tausend Piraten erweitern derzeit ihren Aktionsradius in der Region Puntland. Politischen Schutz erhalten sie von den mächtigen Stämmen, denen auch der somalische Präsident angehört. Die Lösegeldforderungen steigen derweil: Bis zu 6 Millionen je Schiff.

EU launches anti-piracy mission off Somalia (11.11.2008)

(Quelle: Middle East Online, Great Britain) The European Union formally launched Monday an anti-piracy security operation off the coast of Somalia -- its first ever naval mission -- the EU's French presidency said. The mission, dubbed Opera-tion Atalanta, was endorsed by the bloc's defence ministers at talks in Brussels. EU ships will also help protect UN and other vulnerable vessels seeking to transport aid into strife-torn Somalia.

Security firms join Somali piracy fight (26.10.2008)

(Washington Post) Blackwater Worldwide and other private security firms - some with a reputation for being quick on the trigger in Iraq - are joining the battle against pirates plaguing one of the world's most important shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia.

Somali pirates 'hard to defeat' (22.10.2008)

(Quelle: BBC) The commander of Nato's anti-piracy patrol due to start soon off Somalia says it will be difficult to defend ships from pirate attacks. 'The time that a pirate unveils himself to the time that he's onboard ship is such a short period of time,' Admiral Mark Fitzgerald told the BBC. Earlier, he said rules of engagement were still being debated by Nato.

India 'to guard Somalia waters' (17.10.2008)

(Quelle: BBC) India says it will send warships to the Gulf of Aden to protect its container vessels from pirates operating off the coast of Somalia. A defence official said one warship would be deployed immediately and that the number could be increased later.

Nato warships head for Somalia to combat piracy (15.10.2008)

(Quelle: Mail and Guardian) 'Seven ships from six Nato navies ... are transiting the Suez Canal today [Wednesday] on their way to conduct both anti-piracy duties and to visit Nato partner nations in the Gulf region,' (Nato) spokesperson James Appathurai said. The ships - from Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey and the US - include four frigates, two destroyers and a supply ship, and most are expected to begin anti-piracy duties within two weeks, he said.

EU mulls military action to tackle Somalia pirates (15.09.2008)

(Quelle: Mail & Guardian) European foreign ministers on Monday agreed to set up a 'coordination unit' to help tackle the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia, with the possibility of a European Union naval mission in future.