Somali Pirates Suspected Kidnapping Aid Workers October 26, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Anti Piracy, Chris Mark, kidnapping, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, somali pirates
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Somali pirates are suspected in the recent abduction of 3 aid workers who were working in Somali for a Danish aid group. The group issued a statement that said: “Today, at 3 pm (1200 GMT) in Somalia, three staff members from the Danish Demining Group have been kidnapped. One is a Somali man, two are international staff members, an American woman and a Danish man.” Earlier this month Somali gunmen kidnapped two Spanish staff working for Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) from the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya on October 13 and took them across the border into the anarchic Horn of Africa nation. A Somali pirate who gave his name as Abdi told Reuters from Galkayo that a group of pirates was behind the abduction and the captives were being taken to a coastal haven.Previously, three people had been kidnapped from Kenya by Somali pirates and one killed. As more vessels employ BMP and armed guards it is clear that pirates will simply look for new avenues to replace he revenue they are losing.
Combating Piracy Week London 2011 October 22, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Piracy & Maritime Security, Uncategorized.Tags: Chris Mark, combating piracy week, hanson wade, InfoSec, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security
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I am currently flying back from London on Delta after returning from Piracy Week. While we will provide a more in-depth update later I wanted to capture some comments. Overall the event was well worth the investment and was a very well attended event. Hanson Wade did a great job of managing the event and encouraging networking. I have spoken at well over 100 events in the past 10 years and I would say this was in the top 5%. Marie, James, Jethro, Sara, David, Miles and crew at HW did a great job.
The lineup of speakers was impressive as were the attendees. All speakers showed and provided some very good information. Some of the speakers included representatives from the Somali Government, as well as the UN, UKPTO, and IMO, among others. Of course, I (Chris Mark) was a speaker at the event. Even competitors such PVI, and Salama Fakira had speakers, as did other companies such as Rubicon advisors. Both Conrad and Dom provided very valuable information.
Attendees included numerous shipping companies and representatives. The overall view was that armed security is an important component of the overall security strategy. Numerous speakers confirmed that no armed vessels have been hijacked to date.
Overall, I would suggest that any ship owner or other stakeholder with a real interest in security may want to consider attending a Piracy Week event hosted by Hanson Wade. The hosts are great, the speakers are good and the attendees are bright and committed.
US & UK Forces Free Italian Ship! October 11, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Chris Mark, InfoSec, MV Montecristo, Piracy & Maritime Security, somali pirates
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A joint effort between US and UK forces freed the MV Montecristo and arrested 11 pirates. According to reports each country had one naval vessel involved in the rescue and took control of the vessel with a “compliant boarding”.
Italian Ship Feared Hijacked by Somali Pirates October 10, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Chris Mark, InfoSec, Maritime Security, MV Montecristo, Piracy & Maritime Security, somali pirates
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According to reports the Italian vessel the MV Montecristo was under attack by Somali pirates and feared hijacked approximately 620 miles from the Somali coast. ‘We were last in radio contact with the vessel at 6.40 am (0400 GMT) this morning and we fear that the ship may have been hijacked during the intervening 10 hours,” spokesman Alessio Melillo of the Leghorn-based D’Alesio Group told dpa. The Ship’s 23 member crew consists of 7 Italians, 10 Ukranians, and 6 Indian nationals.
Tanzanian Army Arrests 7 in Attempted Pirate Attack October 6, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Chris Mark, InfoSec, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, somali pirates, Somalia
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An article on Oct. 5th, 2011 states that the Tanzanian army arrested 7 pirates after a failed hijacking of an oil exploration ship. The army arrested the 7 after an attempted hijacking of the 
oil exploration ship. The pirates reportedly had 16 rounds of sub-machine gun ammunition and pain killers. According to Tanzanian authorities: “Our navy men opened fire in the air as a warning but the pirates did not surrender and instead fired directly at the soldiers. There was exchange of fire, the pirates were overpowered, and decided to surrender by throwing their weapons in the sea and raised up their arms,” Col. Mgawe said.
The interesting aspect of this story is that the pirates did not flee and instead chose to exchange fire with the soldiers. This once again demonstrates the increasing violence of Somali pirates and their willingness to accept greater risk in their attempts to hijack ships.
Global Security, Privacy, & Risk Management 