ICC-CCS.ORG - THE WEEKLY PIRACY REPORT - REPORT SNIPPET - QUOTE:
http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php
Weekly Piracy Report
11-17 April 2007
The following is a summary of the daily reports broadcast by the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre to ships in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean Regions on the SafetyNET service of Inmarsat-C from 11 to 17 April 2007.
ALERT
Chittagong anchorage, Bangladesh
Forty seven incidents have been reported since 28.01.2006. Pirates are targeting ships preparing to anchor. Ships are advised to take extra precautions.
The 2006 Annual IMB Report on Piracy and Armed Attacks against Ships is now published. Please see the end of this page to order.
Suspicious crafts
13.04.2007: 1500 UTC: Posn 11:57N 060:23E, 350NM Eastof Socotra, Arabian Sea.
A speed boat, doig 20 kts was sighted on radar at a distance of 8NM of a bulk carrier underway. Anti piracy measures taken by crew. The suspicious craft closed to a distance of 2 Nm and then aborted the chase. The craft was seen heading towards the African coast.
Recently reported incidents
13.04.2007: 1500UTC: Posn: 11:57N - 060:23E, 350nm East of Socotra, Arabian Sea.
A speedboat doing 20kts was sighted on radar at distance of 8nm of a bulk carrier underway. Ship raised alarm, crew mustered and activated fire hoses and switched on deck lights. Boat approached up to 2.0 nm and aborted the chase. Suspected boat was seen heading towards the African coast
13.04.2007: 0900LT: Posn: 08:20N - 076:32E, off Trivandum, India.
About 100 pirates including fishermen armed with long knives boarded a barge under tow. They stole cargo and escaped.
11.04.2007: 0930 UTC: Posn: 15:14N - 052:25E, Gulf of Aden.
Pirates in two speed boats chased a product tanker underway with intent to board. The C/O contacted the Piracy Reporting Centre, in Malaysia, for assistance. The centre contacted coalition naval forces at Bahrain and a warship and a helicopter were dispatched to render assistance to ship. Meanwhile ship took extra measures to prevent boarding by pirates. When a helicopter arrived the two speed boats aborted the attempt and moved away. Ship continued her voyage to her destination port. All crew are safe.
11.04.2007: 0530 UTC: Posn: 06:32S – 039:35E, 28 miles NE of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Pirates boarded a container ship drifting. They broke open two containers and stole some cargo bags and left the vessel.
06.04.2007: 0345 LT: Dumai Anchorage, Indonesia.
A tanker at anchor was boarded by two robbers who entered the engine room via the open sky light. Crew in the engine room noticed the two robbers and when they tried to apprehend them, the robbers threatened them with long knives. Engine room crew informed the bridge and the alarm was raised and crew mustered. The robbers threatened the deck watch with long knives as they escaped from the funnel deck. The robbers escaped with some engine spares by jumping into the river. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the robbers may have boarded the vessel when one crew had gone into the accommodation to wake up the next watch and the other crew went for a security round on deck.
No injuries to crew.
29.03.2007: 0300 LT: Chittagong Roads, Bangladesh.
Two robbers using grappling hooks with ropes boarded a container ship from a small boat near the stern. The alarm was raised by the deck watchmen who were attacked by the robbers armed with knives. The crew sustained serious cuts to their hands. The robbers jumped into the water and the small boat moved away. Port control was informed. The small boat was still near the vessel but moved away when the coast guard came on board to investigate.
NOTE: The following text is a quote:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Tue Apr 17 2007 01:07:48 GMT-0700.
Worldwide Caution
April 10, 2007
This Public Announcement updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests overseas. This supersedes the Worldwide Caution dated October 11, 2006 and expires on October 9, 2007.
The Department of State remains concerned about the continued threat of terrorist attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests overseas. Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics to include assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings and bombings.
Ongoing events in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East have resulted in demonstrations and associated violence in several countries. Americans are reminded that demonstrations and rioting can occur with little or no warning.
In August 2006, British authorities arrested a significant number of extremists engaged in a plot to destroy multiple passenger aircraft flying from the United Kingdom to the United States. The September 2006 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Syria and the March 2006 bombing near the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan illustrate the continuing desire of extremists to strike American targets.
Extremists may elect to use conventional or non-conventional weapons, and target both official and private interests. The bomb attacks targeting buses carrying foreign workers in March 2007 and December 2006 in Algeria, a series of bombings in Thailand in May and September 2006 that targeted commercial and tourist destinations in the far south, and the bombings in the the Egyptian resort town of Dahab in April 2006 all illustrate how terrorists exploit vulnerabilities associated with soft targets. Additional examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools, public areas and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays. Financial or economic targets of value may also be considered as possible venues; the vehicle-based suicide attack on an oil facility near Mukalla and Marib in Yemen in September 2006 and the failed attack on the Abqaiq oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia in late February 2006 are such examples.
In the wake of the August 2006 plot against aircraft in London, numerous terrorist attacks on trains in India in 2006, the July 2005 London Underground bombings, and the March 2004 train attacks in Madrid, Americans are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems. In addition, extremists may also select aviation and maritime services as possible targets.
U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at http://travel.state.gov.
U.S. Government facilities worldwide remain at a heightened state of alert. These facilities may temporarily close or periodically suspend public services to assess their security posture. In those instances, U.S. embassies and consulates will make every effort to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens. Americans abroad are urged to monitor the local news and maintain contact with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. or outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.