Venezuela: Armed robberies at isolated anchorages

Armed robbers are climbing on board ships anchored in the vicinity of Barcelona City, Venezuela, under cover of darkness. There have been cases in which the crew has been gagged, threatened with

IMO’s MSC issues guidelines on private security guards

IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), which met in London May 11-20, has approved an MSC Circular providing interim guidance to shipowners, ship operators, and shipmasters on the use of privately contracted armed

Pirate suspects transferred to Seychelles for prosecution

Eleven suspected pirates detained by the EU NAVFOR Spanish warship, ESPS CANARIAS on March 28, 2011 were today transferred to Seychellois legal authorities for prosecution. The suspected pirates were detained by the

ONR demonstrates laser weapon that could disable pirate skiffs

The Office of Naval Research has successfully demonstrated a weapon that could one day prove an effective means of disabling pirate attack skiffs. On April 6, the Office of Naval Research and

Piracy at record high reports IMB

Piracy at sea hit an all-time high in the first three months of 2011, with 142 attacks worldwide, according to the most recent global piracy report from the International Chamber of Commerce

Fatigue blamed in Great Barrier Reef grounding

Ship operators need to ensure that they have an appropriate process in place to properly manage the level of crew fatigue according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). The advice is

Cargo vessel pirated less than 40 miles from Omani coast

The latest vessel to be hijacked by pirates is  the 3,642 gt general cargo ship MV SUSAN K, managed by  Nimmrich & Prahm Bereederung of Leer, Ostfriesland. EU Navfor says it was

Finnish minehunter detains 18 pirate suspects

During the early morning of  April 6, the Finnish Navy minelayer FNS POHJANMAA identified a suspected Pirate Action Group (PAG) consisting of a dhow and 2 attack skiffs approximately 250 NM South

New guidance on AIS use in pirate risk areas

Regulation V/19 of the SOLAS Convention sets out navigational equipment to be carried on board ships, according to ship type.  Under the regulation, ships fitted with AIS shall maintain AIS in operation

EU Navfor to release two pirate suspects

In another example of “catch and release,” EU Navfor is to release two pirate suspects to Somalia, beacuse of “insufficient evidence to secure a prosecution.” The two were grabbed on the afternoon

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