Piracy activity off Somalia is a business that grows faster than China’s import of iron ore according to Martin Stopford, chief analyst at Clarkson Research. The average ransom has increased from USD 2 million to 4 million. Including costs for three months’ off-hire, negotiators, ransom delivery, cargo loss or damage, repairs and welfare costs for seafarers and their families, the average cost for a hijacking adds up to USD 10 million.
The last two years, around 1,500 seafarers have been taken hostages by Somali pirates that so far this year have hijacked 48 merchant vessels.
Most shipping companies do what they can to protect their vessels and to prevent boarding, from passive measures such as barbed wire, dummies, fire hoses and oil drums ready to be thrown off the ship’s side, to armed guards.
When the Norwegian seismic vessel “Geo Barents” came under fire on Sunday off the Kenyan coast, the fire was returned and the pirates fled. The incident is confirmed but at the time of writing there is no confirmation from where the fire against the pirates came. According to the shipowner, Uksnøy & Co in Brattvåg, there are no arms on their vessel, writs Norwegian daily Sunnmørs-Posten. For the rest, the company refers to the operator Fugro-Geostream, working on behalf of Dominion Petroleum. According to unconfirmed information, the fire came from Tanzanian naval forces, supported by a British security team.
The incident has led to speculations whether Somali pirates have been inspired by the pirates operating off West Africa and have found a new “business area”. Oil prospecting and production off East Africa is on the rise and kidnapping of personnel from oil companies and their suppliers could be a profitable business.
Simultaneously, EU Navfor informs that pirates have abandoned the 4,281-DWT dry cargo vessel Lugela that was hijacked this Saturday. The crew consisting of twelve Ukrainian nationals were well prepared when the pirates boarded the vessel and locked themselves in the engine room with sufficient food and water. Failing to take control of the vessel, the pirates abandoned the vessels after less than 48 hours.
The last two years, around 1,500 seafarers have been taken hostages by Somali pirates that so far this year have hijacked 48 merchant vessels.
Most shipping companies do what they can to protect their vessels and to prevent boarding, from passive measures such as barbed wire, dummies, fire hoses and oil drums ready to be thrown off the ship’s side, to armed guards.
When the Norwegian seismic vessel “Geo Barents” came under fire on Sunday off the Kenyan coast, the fire was returned and the pirates fled. The incident is confirmed but at the time of writing there is no confirmation from where the fire against the pirates came. According to the shipowner, Uksnøy & Co in Brattvåg, there are no arms on their vessel, writs Norwegian daily Sunnmørs-Posten. For the rest, the company refers to the operator Fugro-Geostream, working on behalf of Dominion Petroleum. According to unconfirmed information, the fire came from Tanzanian naval forces, supported by a British security team.
The incident has led to speculations whether Somali pirates have been inspired by the pirates operating off West Africa and have found a new “business area”. Oil prospecting and production off East Africa is on the rise and kidnapping of personnel from oil companies and their suppliers could be a profitable business.
Simultaneously, EU Navfor informs that pirates have abandoned the 4,281-DWT dry cargo vessel Lugela that was hijacked this Saturday. The crew consisting of twelve Ukrainian nationals were well prepared when the pirates boarded the vessel and locked themselves in the engine room with sufficient food and water. Failing to take control of the vessel, the pirates abandoned the vessels after less than 48 hours.