Archive for January, 2012
PH To Allow Private Security Guards On Ships As Anti-Piracy Measure
The Philippines has given Manila-flagged merchant vessels the go-ahead to deploy private security groups to minimize the risk Filipino seafarers face from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The move, however, is “subject to Philippine shipping companies” adherence to strict guidelines promulgated by the Maritime Industry Authority and the International Maritime Organization,” the DFA said Monday.
“In their participation at meetings to combat piracy in the IMO, the United Nations and other fora, Philippine government officials have been advocating the importance of promoting the safety of Filipino seamen. This advocacy is being supported by other governments,” it also said.
A total of 26 Filipino seamen on board three foreign-flagged vessels are still being held by pirates in east Africa.
“The longest one in detention is a crew member of the MV Iceberg 1, which was hijacked by pirates on Jan. 29, 2010 off the Port of Aden in Yemen,” the DFA disclosed.
Between 2006 and 2011, a total of 769 sailors from the Philippines were seized by pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It is believed that all but the 26 were released unharmed and upon payment by their principals of ransom.
Earlier this month, the DFA said the government had come up with a plan to protect Filipino sailors from Somali pirates.
The plan calls for, among other measures, the adoption of what the merchant shipping industry refers to as “best management practices,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez had said.
These practices–or ship protection measures–include watch and lookout arrangements, installing anti-piracy alarms and razor wire around the vessels, using water cannons that blast steam and hot water as deterrents, and wearing night vision optics.
The government is “also making arrangements with ships’ foreign principals and local manning agencies to travel along a safe corridor” in shipping routes, Hernandez told the INQUIRER.
The Philippines is a member of the 70-nation Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which also includes the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom, among other countries.
he group has “facilitated the operational coordination of an unprecedented international naval effort from more than 30 countries working together to protect transiting vessels; worked to build the capacity of Somalia and other countries in east Africa to combat piracy; and launched a new working group aimed at disrupting the pirate enterprise ashore, including its financial network through approaches similar to those used to address other types of organized transnational crime networks,” said a US State Department report posted on the website of the US Embassy in Manila.
In a related development, Koji Sekimizu, the new IMO secretary-general, is scheduled to visit Manila next month to “confer with senior Philippine government officials on the various approaches that can be pursued to resolve the piracy threat off Somalia. The Philippines will be the first country he will visit after his meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York later this month,” said the DFA.
Early this month, Ambassador Enrique Manalo, the country’s envoy to the UK and concurrently its permanent representative to the IMO, called on the IMO head at the agency’s London headquarters.
During their meeting, Manalo “highlighted the importance placed by the Philippine government in promoting the welfare of (some 400,000) Filipino seafarers and protecting them from the continuing threat of piracy off Somalia.”
Sekimizu “appreciated the concern of the Philippines, recognizing that it is one of the primary providers of seamen to the international shipping community.”
He indicated that the piracy problem “must be addressed cooperatively by the IMO, the UN and other concerned agencies and organizations as he also stressed the need for the IMO to take the lead in addressing the piracy menace.”
The IMO official added, “the problem of piracy would be more effectively addressed if resources could be channeled to support and strengthen government institutions in Somalia. Doing so can eradicate the roots of the problem rather than for the international community to continue relying on naval protection for merchant vessels traversing high-risk areas off Somalia.”
Let Western Courts Try Suspected Pirates Transfer The Convicted To Indian Ocean Prisons Once Capacity Is In Place – SaveOurSeafarers
The recent arrest by the UK naval vessel RFA Fort Victoria of 14 Somalis on a hijacked fishing boat in possession of rocket-propelled grenades, assault rifles and explosives put the UK government on the spot — perhaps unfairly given the recent successes of the Royal Navy and other navies in disrupting pirate motherships, pirate activities and the political leadership the UK, particularly, has shown.
The latest arrests, however, mean up to 46 Somali pirates are now being held by US, UK, Danish, Italian and Spanish warships operating in the Indian Ocean, evidence of the new vigour being shown by the naval forces to contain Somali piracy.
Spain’s judicial authorities will prosecute the six Somali pirates who attacked the EU Navfor flagship ESPS Patino on 12 January. The UK is said to be talking with the Seychelles about transferring the 14 pirates there for prosecution.
Giles Heimann, chairman of the steering committee of the shipping industry’s SOS SaveOurSeafarers campaign, observes that many of these suspected pirates may be released because seemingly no country is willing to prosecute them.
Not enough countries are actively contributing to the fight to counter Somali piracy — especially those with interests in shipping. The shipping industry greatly appreciates the efforts of those countries whose governments have stepped up to their responsibilities to provide freedom of the seas and have deployed naval assets in the Indian Ocean.
SOS has been calling for more robust action to counter the threat of motherships and is grateful that a number of states are successfully disrupting pirate operations, helping to reduce the number of attacks and thereby safeguarding many seafarers. The naval successes in catching pirates are seriously negated if these pirates are not arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated.
The governments involved in capturing these 46 pirates have been pursuing options for regional prosecution, putting massive pressure on countries bordering the Indian Ocean to accept those being held.
The problem, we are told, is that Kenya and the Seychelles, which have tried suspected pirates in the past, are unwilling to take the latest suspects because their court systems are overloaded with piracy cases.
If the international community will not act, relying instead on an active few, many captured pirates may be released. This shows a lack of respect for the military personnel and the shipping community who are taking effective action, and for the brave seafarers who crew the world’s fleet.
So given the current situation, why not commit these people to trial in the US, UK, Denmark, or in other European countries involved, rather than trying to arrange regional prosecutions?
Spain and the Netherlands, for instance, have in the last 12 months chosen to prosecute a number of people suspected of piracy off Somalia.
“Why not other countries too?” says Mr Heimann. “Is it the cost of trials or the quality of the evidence? Is it the cost of imprisonment? Is it the fear that these people might ultimately seek political asylum? Or an alleged lack of legal framework to prosecute modern day piracy-related crimes?”
SOS recently welcomed the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee’s report Piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Although prosecution in local courts is the preferred option, the committee’s report stated that there was no legal reason preventing the UK proclaiming jurisdiction over suspected pirates and trying pirates in UK national courts, if no other state was willing to do so.
More than £11m ($17.3m) is being spent to build and refurbish prisons and courts in Kenya, the Seychelles and northern Somalia. The work may not yet be complete, but why can’t those tried in courts in Europe and further afield, found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment transfer later to local prisons as soon as the facilities are ready?
“The shipping industry finds the release of pirates who have been caught red handed, when there are viable options to prosecute them, extremely difficult to understand. It seemingly makes a mockery of the investment made in providing the military assets to deter and disrupt the pirates,” says Mr Heimann.
“Essentially, governments need to display far greater political will and resolve.”
The UK government will soon host the London Conference on Somalia including a session titled Confronting Terrorism and Piracy.
The SOS campaign hopes that the government will take this opportunity to set an example that other governments might follow, rejecting the ‘catch and release’ policy that has caused so much embarrassment, and showing the way to the whole international community.
Doing so would continue its current excellent leadership.
SOS SaveOurSeafarers brings together 30 organisations to raise awareness of the human and economic cost of piracy based on approaches to politicians and industrial leaders at the highest level.
The group, which launched in March 2011, aims to resolve the piracy problem off Somalia, to see piracy deterred, defeated and eradicated and to stop seafarers being tortured and murdered. http://www.saveourseafarers.com
Insurance Sector Rejects Idea It Can Ease Somalia’s Woes
The insurance industry has said that any call for it to boost legal commercial activities in Somalia and attract local investors is unrealistic.
Speaking at an Insurance Institute of London lecture, the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre director Pottengal Mukundan said the insurance industry could help to stimulate legitimate commerce in the war-torn and famished country.
He said an insurance product could work like export guarantee schemes to encourage people to go there and invest.
“The mood is right in Somalia to provide proper commercial activities for the villages to break the cycle of dependency on piracy for income,” Capt Mukundan said.
He added that insurers could also help combat piracy by setting high operating requirements for shipowners’ insurance contracts.
However, London Market Association underwriting senior executive Neil Roberts said an export guarantee scheme would not work and it was unlikely any underwriter would want to get involved without any security.
He added that Capt Mukundan’s second point was really an issue for shipowners.
“Best Management Practice 4 is guidance, not an underwriting document. It is very difficult to mandate any of it. Underwriters are not on board the ships so can’t enforce it,” he said.
A London market underwriter said expecting insurers to expose their balance sheets to Somalia was “pie in the sky”.
“My view is that this is an international issue and has to be addressed by the UN or other Muslim countries, some wealthy, that are near by.”
One war risk broker said the gross domestic product of Somalia is so small that it in effect has little to no cross-border trade and therefore he was unsure what any export guarantee scheme would actually be protecting.
“Moreover, the availability of such a product is unlikely to encourage investors,” he said.
“The biggest barriers to investment are political risk, lawlessness and a lack of any semblance of civilised society. These other big issues need fixing before we start looking at export credit protection.”
German Owners Threaten To Quit Flag In Anti-Piracy Row
The question whether to use private maritime security companies against pirates has opened a rift between the German government and owners’ association VDR, which has threatened to register ships outside the country unless there is swift legal change.
“Over the next two weeks, we should see a detailed proposal on how to change the trade law,” VDR general secretary Ralf Nagel told a German paper.
“Otherwise, German owners have no option but to fly a different flag when sailing through pirate-infested waters.”
Maritime co-ordinator Hans-Joachim Otto said a draft bill would be presented over the next few weeks, but was vague about the law-making process.
“The federal government is entering uncharted waters with this. Such a complex undertaking needs careful preparation,” he said.
Having initially opposed private armed forces and hoping to deploy sovereign forces to protect their vessels, owners made a U-turn last year when it became obvious that state support would not be forthcoming.
Since then, owners have been pressing for urgent amendments to laws governing the use of private companies, in line with international regulations. In particular, they want to clarify how security firms will be certified for service on board. But the process has already taken much longer than expected.
Mr Otto hit back at the owners, pointing out that most of their ships already fly foreign flags.
“Given that most pirate attacks take place against German ships under foreign flags, Mr Nagel’s comment on the necessity to flag out is completely baffling,” he said.
The German flag has seen an exodus over recent years, due to the poor financial state of many shipping companies. However, the EU is pressing for an increase in domestic or EU-flagged vessels in return for the tonnage tax regime to be maintained.
This development raises further question over Mr Nagel’s remarks.
Mr Otto said the two sides would meet again on January 31.
CMA (Connecticut Maritime Association) VIP passess
We are delighted to offer our members 10 complimentary VIP passes for the CMA 19,20 & 21 March – The Hilton Stamford Hotel, Stamford, Connecticut 06902, USA.
If you are interested please drop me a quick e-mail at kuba.szymanski@intermanager.org with your full name, position, company and postal address so I will be able to post it to you. Upon receipt of this VIP PASS, you will need to register with the organizers.
This pass provides COMPLIMENTARY admission to the exhibition during the specified hours
Monday, 19 2 pm – 5 pm
Tuesday, 20 and Wednesday 21, 10am – 5pm
Tickets for the seminar sessions, lunches and cocktail receptions will be available for purchase at the show (this pass DOES NOT provide complimentary access to those 
)
Brgds
Kuba
Dobson Ceases Trading After 18 Years
Limassol-based shipmanagement company Dobson Fleet Management has announced it is to cease trading after 18 years after it lost a lot of business following the onset of the Arab Spring.
The decision was made in November and the company is scheduled to close its doors on January 31st. Bob Maxwell, company Managing Director, told SMI: “We lost a lot of business with the Arab Spring and we gambled on the African and near east markets. We lost a lot and it got to the point where we couldn’t really gamble on the new business. We had potential business out there but it got to the stage where we couldn’t hang on and decided to pull the plug.”
Mr Maxwell said he was moving back to the UK where he will start work reporting to Bob Bishop in V.Ships’ Glasgow office.
He told SMI that the company has been gradually winding down its managed fleet: “The last of the fleet was going through natural wastage with scrappings etc. and Irish ferries now have their own management operation. A company has been set up with our Dublin management to manage the Irish Ferries vessels. It naturally ran down to zero. It was not a case of having 10 ships and shutting the door.”
The owners of Dobson Fleet Management said in November last year that they were considering strategic options following a number of approaches for parts of the business.
The company has operated in Limassol since 1993 and the team of 13, led by Managing Director Bob Maxwell has a vast depth of experience, providing ship management services over 18 years to the owners of a wide range of vessels, including bulk carriers, LPG/C gas carriers, tankers, container carriers, reefer vessels, passenger/freight ferries, high speed ferries and MPCs. The company has also recently been at the forefront of industry initiatives to reduce piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
IMO Aims To Act Fast On Concordia
The regulatory body is signalling that a full accident report should not be delayed by the criminal investigation.
A full accident report into the 114,000-gt Costa Concordia (built 2006) tragedy could be ready within two to three months and act as a catalyst for wide-ranging voluntary reform on safety practices within the industry.
Italian delegates at a Stability on Load Lines and Fishing Vessels (SLF) meeting at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) have told member states that it would be ready to produce a statement within a matter of a few months.
The statement has gone some way to allaying fears that publication of a report may be delayed by the ongoing criminal investigation.
Although under European Law, accident-investigation reports are intended to be wholly independent from criminal proceedings, it is unclear whether that has been written into Italian law yet. Accident investigations are still carried out by the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport (MIT) rather than an independent body, such as the UK’s Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (Maib). The Italian MIT declines to comment on the investigation.
Observers say there are a number of factors working in favour of early production of a report.
One investigator said: “The ship was registered in Italy, it was under Italian class, it had Italian officers and the accident happened in Italy, so there will be no communications or jurisdiction issues.”
Early publication of the report is vital as cruise organisations are holding fire on reforming practices while awaiting the report.
The Cruise Ship Safety Forum, an influential body made up of the major operators and other stakeholders, such as classification societies and shipyards, says it has still not made a decision on what action to take.
Chairman Tom Allen said: “It is up to our steering committee to decide but I feel at the moment there are too many unknowns and we will probably have to wait until after the investigation before we decide what will be appropriate.”
The European Cruise Council is already responding to questions sent by both the European Commission (EC) and US government on cruiseship safety that is likely to signify the start of moves toward regulatory reform.
As part of a voluntary action, all cruiseship operators are currently undergoing a review of their International Safety Management (ISM) procedures related to the ISM Code requirement for continuous improvement.
It has been suggested the results of that review could provide the basis for voluntary vacation on safety before any regulatory changes are made.
IMO To Counter Piracy On Land
A newly formed team at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is hoping to give its campaign against piracy a fresh direction by helping the failed state of Somalia to recover.
One of the first moves of secretary-general Koji Sekimizu was to appoint Hartmut Hesse as special representative for maritime security and antipiracy programmes. Working along with Hesse is Maritime Safety Division deputy director Chris Trelawny.
Hesse’s newly created role was made to take forward the work of last year’s successful IMO campaign “Piracy, Orchestrating the Response”, which was the brainchild of former secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos.
Hesse said: “The secretary-general took the step because if we are to continue the [antipiracy] exercise the country [Somalia] primarily needs more resources and his main idea is to add another layer to the high-level work we have been doing within the United Nations system.”
Hesse points out that last year much of the IMO’s work was directed toward defending ships at sea through such initiatives as establishing guidelines on security guards and self-defence measures and working with the navy. But he admited: “We are coming to the point where we cannot do much more at sea.” Instead the IMO is more focussed on developing land capabilities to counter piracy.
A key vehicle for developing the IMO’s initiative rests with the Djibouti Code of Conduct, an agreement between West African and Red Sea states on stopping piracy.
The IMO has helped develop coastguard capabilitiees and has worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on developing a judicial and penal system for Somalia’s neighbouring states to prosecute pirates. The next move is to make similar efforts in Somalia itself.
Hesse said: “We now realise much more needs to be implemented and we want to put the focus on Somalia.”
An agreement with Somalia’s Trans Federal Government (TFG), known as the Kampala Process, has put a system in place that will help the IMO develop its initiatives in the country.
Trelawny said: “As a state Somalia is fragile but it works. The TFG is in power but it has little authority. It is the regional authorities in Puntland that are making progress.”
He points out that the police in Puntland have been active in taking action against pirates and estimates there are hundreds of pirates awaiting trial in the region.
The IMO’s roadmap for Somalia is based on developing the maritime sector and in the long run it hopes the support will lead to the state developing economically and being more capable of containing piracy and providing alternatives for the young who are inevitably attracted to crime.
The initiative also involves improving the coastguard and search-and-rescue capabilities and in the long term, developing the fishing industry, ports sector and setting up customs procedures that should help the economy grow. The IMO is even working with Somalia for it to sign up to the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas) convention.
Hesse admits it is a long-term and strategic approach that may not bring immediate results in terms of defeating piracy. But his experience has shown that unless the root cause is solved, the problem will never go away.
Pirate Tactics Turn Gruesome
Somali pirates holding the crew of the hijacked Taiwanese flagged FV Shiuh Fu No 1 shifted to a new and graphic tactic to push owners to pay ransom.
Pirates and other local sources informed Somalia Report that they had cut the hand off the captain of the ship. This marks a significant turn in the way pirates manage hostages and the first noted instance of forced amputation by Somali pirates in recent years.
After the owner refused to pay the demanded $3 million ransom, pirates amputated the hand of Chao-I Wu, the captain of the vessel, according to pirates and the hostages’ family members.
Ever since pirates hijacked this vessel, negotiations about releasing the vessel and hostages were ongoing. In fact, more than twice the negotiations were stalled. Months later the negotiations restarted and the pirates finally demanded $3 million in ransom. The owner refused to pay, causing a direct conflict between pirates, the owners and relatives of these hostages, said the pirate.
The conflict forced the change in tactics, according to the pirate.
After weeks of discussions and failure to come to an agreement, the pirates finally decided to cut off the right hand of captain of the vessel. His name is Chao-I Wu. They also beat the deputy captain,” he added.
After the forced amputation, the Vietnamese crew members called their families to notify them of the new tactic and urged them to pay the ransom. They also reported the captain’s arm, not just his hand, was cut off.
This group of pirates allowed the crew to call their relatives for only a few minutes – just long enough to tell their families about the amputation. They begged their relatives to pay and some of them were crying. It was a message to the owner and their families that if the owners don’t pay this amount of ransom that they will hurt another crew, said the pirate.
Vietnamese newspaperTuoi Tre Newsconfirmed that hostage crew member Tran Van Hung called home on January 20th to report the amputation and urged the shipowner to make the ransom payment. The pirates, the newspaper reported, “allowed 12 Vietnamese fishermen and some other Chinese ones to call home for 5 minutes each.”
Pirates Deny Shabaab Influence
While new to pirates, forced amputation is a regular punishment by al-Shabaab militants in Somalia. The pirates claim the militants did not have any influence on their decision to cut off the captain’s limb.
We dont have direct relations with al-Shabaab. Its true that we have a business relationship, but we don’t take their advice. This decision was only to force the owners to pay, said the pirate.
Pirates recently purchased two Spanish aid workers from al-Shabaab militants, making a direct and public link between the pirates the militants.
Crew are in poor health
After being held for more than a year, several of the crew are suffering from a number of ailments, according to the pirates.
My friends informed us that a number of crew are not in good health because of the climate, food and water. Four are very ill and need a doctor because of their headaches and stomach aches,” said another pirate in an interview withSomalia Report.
The vessel, now being used as a mothership, was hijacked on December 25, 2010 approximately 120 nautical miles off the north east tip of Madagascar. Her 26 crew (13 Chinese, 12 Vietnamese and one Taiwanese) are being held captive on land near Harardhere area in Somalia’s Mudug region, according to pirates sources.
When contacted bySomalia Report, neither Taiwan nor China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs were available to comment due to the Chinese New Year.
Dispatches No.88
Please visit our website and submit your petition to your local government to END THE PIRACY www.intermanager.org
IMPORTANT !!!
We would like to ask all our members to consider placing SOS website link http://www.saveourseafarers.com/
on their websites.
———————————
Intermanager activities:
————–
Last Week:
17 January – London MPHRP Steering Committee Meeting – Kuba attended
Very Important Issue for those who have not picked this up yet – Pilipino Seafarers are only allowed to work abroad after completing Pre – Joining Piracy Awareness Course.
19-20 January London – Passenger Safety Conference – Alastair Evitt chairing – HR Session
———————–
This Week:
Several meetings with London based members and potential mebers.
—————
Looking forward:
31st January Warsash Maritime Academy. The 15th meeting of the Human Element Advisory Group (HEAG15) on Tuesday
- Kuba Szymanski attending
01st-02nd Feb Hamburg – Digital Shipping + KPI Seminar – Markus Schmitz and Kuba Szymanski attending. ADMISSION FREE
06th Feb Copenhagen – Shipping KPI and Pro Active Risk management seminars – Codan and InterManager joint seminar
07th – 08th Feb Copenhagen RoRo Shipping Conference Alastair Evitt attending and Kuba Szymanski Charing
13th February – KPI working group – Singapore
14th & 15th February Singapore, Maritime Insights Communication South East Asia – InterManager co-organises it –
15th Feb – Singapore – KPI Seminar on the – FREE ADMISSION to all Shipping Companies
Please accept this free-of-charge invitation to attend the Maritime Insights conference,.
The GVF (www.gvf.org) will chair the Broadband Maritime stream and Intermanager – the Shipping KPI Project session.
Please visit http://www.uk-emp.co.uk/6th.BMSEA.SG.2012/index.htm
, or contact myself or Paul Stahl (paul.stahl@uk-emp.co.uk) to register your delegates.
19th – 20th Mar CMA – Alastair Evitt, Roberto Giorgi, George Hoyt attending
11-12 April Singapore 10th Maritime HR and Crew Development Conference ACI – Ole Stene – providing Key Note
24-25 April, Singapore 3rd Annual Asia Green Shipping 2012 – Ole Stene representing InterManager
Discounts and offers for members:
————————–
09 and Friday 10 February – 5th Intermodal Asia 2012 Australia Exhibition and Conference – 3 Members of InterManager free of charge – please contact Kuba Szymanski
—————————-
14-15 Feb – Singapore – , Maritime Insights Communication South East Asia – InterManager co-organises therefore admission FREE for all FULL members and heavily discounted for Associate members
—————————-
20th-21st February – Noise and Vibration- Bonhill House, London InterManager members entitled to a discount of 20% off the lowest tier of brochure fees as follows:
Register by 20th January: £1399-20% (£279.80) = £1119.20 + Tax
Register after 20th January: £1499–20% (£299.80) = £1199.20 + Tax
Contact: Roxanna Kashfi will be pleased to assist with bookings. Please quote VIP Code TT22. Email: Roxanna.Kashfi@informa.com or by telephone +44 (0) 207 017 77161.
http://www.informaglobalevents.com/FKT2324TT
———————————
29th February – 1st March Hamburg – Full spectrum maritime security Forum
Combating organised and opportunistic crime in shipping, ports, offshore infrastructure and local supply chain
www.maritime-crime.com
Are you confident that your security strategy is providing the maximum level of protection for your assets?
For more information:
Call: +44 20 3141 8700
Email: info@hansonwade.com
—————————-
29 and Friday 30 March – 6th Indian Ocean Ports and Logistics 2012 Mauritius Exhibition and Conference 3 Members of InterManager FREE ADMISSION – please contact Kuba Szymanski
—————————-
11-12 April Singapore 10th Maritime HR and Crew Development Conference ACI – please contact mmulazzi@acieu.net for discounted seats
—————–
24-25 April, Singapore 3rd Annual Asia Green Shipping 2012 – please contact Win.Min@ibcasia.com.sg for discounted seats
—————–
Capt. Kuba Szymanski
Secretary General
InterManager
+44 7624 498 266
web: www.intermanager.org
