The centre of Maritime Piracy - London?

And why doesn't this surprise me or others?

(From the Times)

The piracy racket begins here in the City

Matthew Parris

January 7 2012 12:01AM

Maritime insurance companies have it nicely sewn up – and they are encouraging the lawlessness to continue

Is the insurance industry a hidden cause of the growth of Somali piracy? This week’s report from the Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs prompts, but does not ask, the question. It skirts around it.

The committee’s recommendations are workmanlike but cautious in the extreme: a legal regime for the carriage and use of weapons for the purpose of deterring piracy (fair enough: uncertainty over the status in law of armed guards does need to be resolved). And better international co-operation to create a co-ordinated anti-piracy strategy. We all want that.

Yet no properly armed merchant ship has ever been successfully hijacked off Somalia. Think about it: how easy is it to board, from below, a great high-sided vessel at sea? So you would expect at least a recommendation that British insurers require the presence on board of an adequate force of armed guards rather than simply offer a discounted premium — motorists, for instance, cannot insure against car theft without a car alarm.

There is no such recommendation. The industry was not too keen on this idea. Think about that too. The greater part of maritime insurance is British, but very few British merchant seamen will ever be affected. You may speculate that the risk of the occasional loss of a few Filipino crewmen is preferred to a substantial hike in the cost of every voyage and the danger that maritime insurance would be driven away from the City of London.

In its conclusions the committee comments: “We are surprised by the continuing lack of information about those funding and profiting from piracy.”

They should not be surprised. Piracy is funded by pirates and insurance companies. A whole network of agents and middlemen has sprung up and is used by insurers and shippers as a semi-formalised line of communication with the Somali pirates. Many careers and many fortunes — all perfectly legal — are now founded upon this racket.

Efforts to combat the evil are failing. Despite this week’s US Navy rescue of 13 Iranian sailors, naval engagements against pirates have not succeeded and there is no evidence that our own military gives this serious priority. After nine international resolutions and three multilateral naval drives against piracy in the Indian Ocean, the average ransom has risen since 2007 from $600,000 per vessel to $4.7 million now; $135 million was paid in ransoms in 2011, as compared with $5 million in 2007. One might expect a growing sense of alarm within the shipping industry and among those who insure it. Instead, one encounters a preference for letting well alone.

In evidence to the committee, Stephen Askins, a maritime insurance lawyer, agreed that negotiation (by which he must also mean the payment of ransom) is preferred over military intervention, and “in a commercial sense, we would rather there was minimum government involvement in the negotiation process. [We] ... have a process and, on a commercial level, it works.”

In short, the insurance industry is collecting the money from world shipping, facilitating negotiations with the thieves and helping organise the payments to them. It’s all nicely sewn up. The select committee discovered that “insurance premiums have more than doubled as Lloyd’s widened the risk area to most of the Indian Ocean. However, Somali piracy has also constituted a business opportunity for some new and existing British companies, a number of which are involved in insurance.”

What interest does the industry have in messy dogfights at sea? Much to be preferred is a set of orderly arrangements for the payment of ransoms, which insurers then collect from their shipping clients in the form of increased premiums. They act as middlemen, effectively (however unwillingly) working for the pirates as well as their policyholders; and creaming off their cut from the transaction. Look at it, if you like, as a boon to the City combined with a freelance form of foreign aid. Thus has the situation evolved, to nobody’s great detriment but the ultimate customer: you and me, and the occasional poor Filipino who gets caught in the crossfire.

The logical conclusion of this evolution would be for the insurance and shipping industries to strike a deal with a consortium of the pirates for protection for certified vessels. This would save the pirates the trouble of putting to sea, save loss of life and save shipowners the distress of interruptions to their shipping.

In evidence to the select committee, representatives of the maritime insurance industry insisted that they were not profiting from piracy premiums because the cost of payouts was racing ahead of their ability to raise their premiums. If (while raising an eyebrow) we are to take them at their word, then we must accept that insurers are offering piracy cover as a hook or loss-leader to bring in more business and (as they put it to the committee) cement long-term client relationships. So losses on piracy are being recouped by raising premiums for the whole shipping industry, even clients not affected by piracy. Somali crooks have effectively instituted a levy on the totality of world shipping.

Insurers put it like this to the committee: “We would much rather [ransoms] were not being paid, but the reality of the situation is that there is no other way to secure the release of crews ... We therefore have to go past the moral consequences, engage with the pirates and pay them a ransom.”

And I think that’s true for insurers. But should we accept this insurance arrangement?

In Britain we do not criminalise individuals who cave in to blackmail (unless the demands come from a terrorist organisation). We do, though, outlaw the paying of bribes as well as the demanding of them. A British company doing business in Nigeria could not insure against having to make corrupt payments. A pirate, an insurer and shipowner, however (or their agents), can coolly negotiate a ransom payment confident that only the pirate is breaking the law, while those within reach of the law are not breaking it.

Here, then, is my own report, concluded by a very select committee of two: my researcher and I. English law could easily be tweaked to criminalise the payment of ransoms. There’s a range of ways you could do this: (1) amend the laws on proceeds of crime to make clear that a ransom can be “proceeds of crime” before it is handed over; (2) declare in statute that paying a ransom is tantamount to helping to fund the next kidnapping, and therefore already unlawful; (3) deem Somali pirates a terrorist-linked network; or (4) simply criminalise the payment of ransoms.

But there’s one huge problem about any legal change that might put a ransom-payer in the dock: public opinion in sensational and heartbreaking cases. So I propose that this be the long stop, held out as a threat to the industries should their co-operation in a more limited proposal not be forthcoming. This proposal is to require all British insurance against piracy in the Indian Ocean to be contingent upon the carriage on board of an adequate private security squad. The industry will squeal. But the policies they now offer and pay out on are an inducement to piracy. The committee should have said so.

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How secure is communication at DG Shipping?

We are all aware of how secure paper and paper communications are at DG Shipping's office, and its subordinate offices, in India. Nothing more needs to be said about an organisation where touts flourish openly outside their offices, and all documents are available, easily. At a price, ofcourse - though if you want them genuinely, it is another question.

But now look at the electronic communication part of things?

As a seafarer who was also the head of an infotech company, I got some youngsters to run an audit on the DG Shipping website, as well as the MMD website. What they told me was so shocking, that I do not wish to share it here - or anywhere else, except by printed hard copy to the relevant people.

But just as an example:-

# Private email addresses are happily used for official eMails, in direct contravention of all Government of India policies on the subject, by officials at DG Shipping. For example:-

"dgcommcentre@satyammail.net"

How secure is this otherwise open email address, then?

# While the website claims that the site is designed, hosted and maintained by the DGS Computer Cell, the truth and reality are otherwise - and very easily traced back to a certain private company with interests also in the maritime education field, amongst other things.What is this all about, then?

# The sanctity of question papers for the written exams is in doubt - this has often been rumoured about, and basis the above, needs an exhaustive audit. If the exam question papers are rattling around in the same servers, then??

# What is with the over reliance on Internet Explorer and MS, why is DGS not using technology which can be read open source too?

# The website is not optimised for usage on mobile phones or Mac/Apple.

# Most of all, the website layout is thoroughly confusing and the search functions do to not work well.

On the ground level, for seafarers, the "instructions" on the website as well as the forms on the website are not in concurrence with actual practice onsite in the offices. If seafarers have some queries, they are told to refer to the website - but then the actual practice is way different. Score one for the tout-babu nexus again.

Is it too much to expect a half-way decent website from DG Shipping, please?

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incidentally, this is the security of our information on the DG Website, asprovided for on their own terms and conditions, here:-

http://dgship.gov.in/privacy.html

Our Disclosure of Your Information

We will not disclose your information to anyone outside of DGS or other Allied Offices, except as described in this section.

We may disclose aggregated anonymous statistics about many Users to advertisers, content and service providers and other affiliated and unaffiliated companies.

We sometimes engage third parties to perform services for us, including in connection with this Site, that require us to disclose Users' Personally Identifiable Information to them. If we make any such disclosure, we will require such parties to keep the information confidential and to use it only to perform the services.

We may from time to time wish to disclose your information to third parties that wish to market, or provide information about, their products and services to you. We will only do so after obtaining your permission. The only other times we may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information collected on this Site are as follows:

• In the event of an asset sale, merger, consolidation, restructuring, reorganization, liquidation or other similar transaction involving DGS or this Site, we may transfer some or all User information, including Personally Identifiable Information, to the successor company.
• We will disclose your Personally Identifiable Information when we believe such disclosure is required by law or for the protection of persons or property.
• We may disclose your Personally Identifiable Information with your consent, as well as when disclosure is necessary to accomplish the purpose for which you provide it. For example, when you request information from advertisers in the "Reader Services" section of our publications, we will disclose your Personally Identifiable Information to the advertisers you specify.

Humiliation and difficulties experienced while getting DCE at MMD Mumbai

One of the most frequent inputs I get from seafarers, officer and crew, has to do with the issues faced by people at MMD and DGS offices all over the country. And of all these, one of the most frequent issues is the what should be simple job of getting a DCE endorsement from MMD.

Over here, the name of one specific person, "Captain Prashant Y. Manchalwar" keeps cropping up again and again. Not just from seafarers, but also from vetting inspectors abroad, who speak with the officers and crew.

Anybody else got any inputs on this before I publish the full report, please - because this one is seriously disturbing.

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Wow, got some more inputs including tapes on one Capt. R. Johri, also at MMD, Mumbai. What is happening? Need to check for authenticity as well as double check, but as of now, seems there is a price for everything at MMD.

Good heavens.

The Indian economy and Maritime piracy - how they are related, and more . . .

Published here:-

http://www.moneylife.in/article/piracy-and-sea-cargo-economy-update/22424.html

Proposed speech here in Delhi

It does seem as though some people are beginning to agree with what I write here, especially on the issue of maritime piracy, criminalisation of the seafarer, human relations in the shipping industry and finally, the role of the National maritime authorities. As a result of which, I have been asked to speak at a rather high-level meeting in Delhi on the subject, across different departments,so am sharing the thoughts I want to get across with readers here, first.

Bullet points, which will be expanded, keeping things simple without power points or charts. Please let me know what you think and how I can improve it? This will also help me develop a longer article for the print and net media, and can not be done without help from active seafarers and others ashore.

# As seafarers, it has been made clear to us as adults that this is a risky profession, and we enter it with our eyes wide open. Ships are never going to be zero-defect, and life is not as easy as it seems, with money not being the main motivator any more since you can make much more ashore.

# The training used to be and has to be tough, not just physically, but also mentally. The need to be able to segregate everything else and concentrate dis-passionately on life while afloat has to be acquired, so that risks can be analysed, and acted upon without emotions.

# Piracy at sea is not new, nor is it that romantic feature from movies, nor the big dark guy with a scar and an Islamic head-dress. It has been more in the news now because the kidnap and hold for ransom aspect has spiralled because of Somalia.

# Where piracy resulted in material losses onboard, it never made news, in fact civil authorities will deny it and call it "theft" or they will fudge the records, both of which are nothing new or to be surprised about.

# Where piracy resulted in quick theft of ship as well as loss of life, like in the days of the LTTE around the Bay of Bengal or still ongoing in South China Sea and environs, then also it did not make news because in the book of accounts of shipping companies it became a one-line item under insurance.

# Modern day piracy is well orchestraed by the suits and boots in financial capitals. The targeted hijack of the FAIRCHEM BOGEY in August 2011 as an example.The evidence pointing to coordinated moves from bankers, insurance companies, security companies, even shipowners looking for write-offs. In addition to piracy due to disputes, which is almost legit in some parts of the world, where the ship and crew are held, arrested, kept hostage, sometimes jailed.

# The personal involvement, late Capt. RK Menon, Capt. Prem Kumar, Chirag Bahri, and others who are still stuck and can not be named. The trauma for families, the post release issues. The non payment of dues.  ASPHALT VENTURE owners now willing to pay salaries anymore.

# The invisible shipowner, the pliant ship-manager, the even more pliant DGS, unions, FOC "business" consulates, the tax haven connection, historical linkages of some dominant shipowners themselves with piracy and opium, arms, ammo and money laundering, and the fall guys therein - the seafarers.

# So, seafarer is in for risk, nothing new. But it is the reward or the security which has gone bad over the years. Today, the criminalised or pirated seafarer is ignored. What is new there? What are the solutions?

# Triple wages while in captivity for ANY reason. One to be  paid to the family and two to be placed in escrow till end of episode. Full medical expenses for family and seafarer on return. Kidnap and ransom insurance as is normal for expats in dangerous locations from specialist companies.

# Political solutions, UN, American interests, Diego Garcia, Chinese in Seychelles, Indians Lakshwadeep, Iran issues, larger political picture - all fine, but back to the seafarer and simple solutions therein, instead of just a BMP-4.

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Wonder if any of our Nautical Advisors, Surveyors, Shipping Masters, would go on board a ship through the Gulf of Aden . .

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/iaf-chief-flies-su30mki-to-assure-it-is-safe/213941-3.html

Pune: A week after a Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter plane crashed leading to grounding of the fleet, IAF chief NAK Browne on Wednesday took an hour-long sortie in the aircraft in Pune, in an exercise aimed at restoring the confidence of pilots.

The Air Chief Marshal took off from Lohegaon air base and was accompanied by Wing Commander Anurag Sharma, Commanding Officer of the SU-30 MKI squadron, based in Pune.

Addressing the air-warriors after the sortie, Browne said, "I wanted to be here to not only fly the SU-30 MKI but also to assure you that our SU-30 fleet is in good and capable hands."

IAF had temporarily grounded the fleet of nearly 120 Russian-made Sukhois to carry out checks after an aircraft that had taken off from Lohegaon base crashed on December 13.

"The Chief has been restoring the confidence of pilots and all the air-warriors in these fighter aircraft. He personally wanted to ensure that the Sukhois are safe," an IAF spokesperson said.

Browne is on a working visit to Lohegaon base, which he had commanded as the Air Officer Commanding (AOC), from 2001 to 2003.

Stressing that the force personnel have been doing an "excellent job", the air chief said the momentum of building up the new SU-30 Squadrons needs to be maintained.

"Our people should remain our highest priority because it is then, that a cohesive team translates itself in to a success story," he said.

Officials also said that the IAF chief performed several different manouvers on the plane.

"The sortie of course had a profile and the aircraft performed several tasks during the flight," they said.

The report of the Court of Inquiry (CoI), which was ordered after the December 13 crash, is yet to come but the Sukhois resumed flying duties from Monday. Russian experts have also been called in to assist in the probe.

IAF has also deployed the Sukhoi-30 MKIs in North Eastern region as well and Browne was touring one of these bases when the crash took place.

Sukhois have been serving in the IAF for over a decade and has registered a sound safety record with only three crashes so far.

Two of these crashes took place in 1999 owing to the fly-by-wire control system, which were repaired by the force.

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I wonder what our Deck side Nautical Advisor, Engine side Chief Surveyor and for that matter the Radio Chief at DG Shipping would do if they had to sail onboard a ship in the Arabian Sea piracy affected areas?

Note what the Air Chief said:- ""Our people should remain our highest priority because it is then, that a cohesive team translates itself in to a success story,"


Have any of us in all our lives EVER heard of any of our Nautical Advisors, Engine Surveyors, Radio Surveyors, Ship-management managers, Shipowners even SAY ANYTHING remotely like this, leave alone DO anything about this.


A few steps away from the office of the DG Shipping is the office of the Shipping Master and MMD. A few days ago I received feedback of what was going on there, as well as a video clip of the "activities" therein, and am currently taking legal opinion and permissions on posting the video online because the building also houses some Defence offices and there is the issue of the identity of the person involved. That should take a few days, because this is only for safety's sake, and the issue of prohibiting photography at Government Offices or premises of Public Authorities was taken care of me a few years ago in context with photography at airports and in airplanes - the DGCA subsequently issued a circular saying it was permitted here:- http://dgca.nic.in/manuals/Procedure%20Manual%20for%20Regulation%20and%20Information%20Directorate.pdf

Take a look at Chapter 11.

Why is taking photographs of illegal activities on ships and in shipping offices so important?

Well, from the seafarer's point of view, simple:- take a look at how the crew members (Master and 2nd Officer) of the RENA are looking forward to 7 years in jail for "altering records".

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/12/21/Rena-crew-faces-new-charges-after-spill/UPI-33011324473801/

Which Merchant seafarer has not altered records at some stage or the other, and will be backed up by the unknown owner for doing so?

All parts of a larger puzzle - and the solution lies at the DG Shipping office's doorsteps. They HAVE to start walking the talk on caring for their seafarers first - just like the IAF Chief did.

Technocrats are of no value after some time, if all they do is warm chairs, and prefer to be surrounded by sycophants.

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Does the West expect India to be their policeman for free in the Indian Ocean?

"Oceans Beyond Piracy" (OBP) held a 2-day seminar in Delhi on the 18th and 19th of November 2011, of which the first day was open to a larger audience while the second day was only for stake-holders.

On day-1, the speakers included the representatives of OBP and facilitators from the United Nations, as well as senior people from the Indian, Bangladesh and Sri Lankan Navies. The absence of anybody from the Indian shipping companies was indeed surprising. There were, however, many representatives of the foreign shipping company agents present in India, including people from FOSMA and MASSA companies.

OBP is a privately funded effort by a Somali origin resident of the US, who is trying to get stake-holders to do their bit in a larger holistice view of ground realities in and around the Horn of Africa. The focus is, also, on relieving the NATO, EUNAVFOR and US forces in the area if possible to look after other pressing issues in the region.

A call was made for the Indian Navy to take on more of a role. However, simple fact remains, a large proportion of the ships transitting the piracy areas and at risk are flying "Flag of Convenience" and by rights it is the responsibility of their flag states to provide security to them. This is the big issue - because most ships plying on FOC basis are owned by companies registered in tax havens - but it is the tax-payers money which is supposed to foot the bill.

There is a mis-match here somewhere which was brought out on the sidelines of the event. The Western world, with its own disputed base at Diego Garcia, can not expect the Indian Navy to play policeman for free in what is essentially a global issue - the issue of rampant FOC ships owned by owners hiding behind tax havens plying the trade lanes.

Well meaning initiative seemingly backed strongly by the US Government, but it has to be fair to other Governments and people in the Indian Ocean, also.

More about OBP here:-

http://oceansbeyondpiracy.org/

Photographs are available here in reverse chronological order:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm2827/6450802523/in/photostream

Sarosh Zaiwalla/s views on piracy and more

Cortesy ecoterra status on piracy dated 27/28 november 2011.

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MO Representative Speaks Out On The Piracy Of Freight Shipping Off Somalia (HandyShippingGuide)
Anger at the Current Situation Pervades the Industry Worldwide
Our article of a couple of days ago told of the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which is currently meeting in London and mentioned in passing that piracy remains high on the agenda. Now Sarosh Zaiwalla, a specialist in shipping law and a Permanent Representative to the IMO has commented on the current situation as regards the hijacking of bulk freight and container vessels passing through the troubled waters of the Gulf of Aden and beyond.
Mr Zaiwalla’s comments illustrate the increasing frustration which the global shipping community feels as year after year the problem of piracy worsens whilst little seems to be happening, either to address the political problems in Somalia, or to take internationally coordinated steps to deal with the situation directly using an armed response. Speaking to the Handy Shipping Guide Mr Zaiwalla said:
“In October, I addressed the Indian Shipping Summit in Mumbai. As a commercial lawyer who specialises in Shipping Arbitrations, I thought I would be asked about cargo disputes and Bills of Lading. The Indian Shipping Community however, despite always being a profoundly commercial group, had one thing on their minds that overtook even their bottom lines.
“International World Trade relies on the ability of traders to transport huge amounts of goods on giant moving structures across the most hostile seas in the world. These traders face enough challenges from nature and ill-fortune. It is nothing short of outrageous that, over the last few years, ship owners and seafarers have been forced to add the very real threat of violent piracy to the dangers of their normal lives. Piracy is a major threat not only to the shipping industry, but also to peace throughout the globe – if the world does nothing to stand up to people who use AK-47s and grenades to take the property of others, then what will stop thieves adopting the same tactics on the land?
“The Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia is now almost a no-go area for international ships. The most recent large scale act of piracy took place during the Indian summit, when the Italian ‘Monte Cristo’ was captured in this area. The crew managed to hide in their citadel, while the rest of the world wondered what could be done. It is a matter of great satisfaction that an international NATO force took charge and freed those men, but that is something that has not happened enough. More commonly, ransoms are paid for seafarers and cargo, meaning that expensive ‘Kidnap and Ransom’ insurance policies have added to the cost of shipping.
“The individual navy vessels from different countries that attempt to counter piracy are few in number and grossly inadequate for the task of patrolling the whole of the Indian Ocean. There is at present no coordinated approach. As a result, pirates are often captured only to be fed and returned to Somalia, free to go back to their old work of piracy.
“If international forces are to coordinate in order effectively to tackle piracy in the long term, I believe that they must combine their efforts into a UN Naval task force. This force could then concentrate on patrolling the coast of Somalia, from where the vast majority of the pirates emerge. I hope that we will all be surprised by the effect that could be brought about by such a force monitoring all small vessels leaving Somalia’s coastline to ensure they were genuine fishing vessels.
“With that in mind, I have used my position as a permanent member of the International Maritime Organisation (“IMO”) to force the issue. I had intended to move a resolution at the IMO for this purpose, but I will not now do so, as the Secretary General of the IMO has informed me that he himself with be moving this resolution. At the IMO’s General Meeting in November I hope to contribute to the pressure that will be required to create a Naval task force that may be able to save many lives, as well as a lot of money, by taking control of the Indian Ocean back from the pirates.
“Short of the creation of a UN naval taskforce, it is not going to be practical to control the plague of piracy. The Somalian pirates are effectively the same as any other terrorist. The only difference is that while international terrorists have so far indulged in acts of terrorism for the sake of their professed political causes, Somalia’s pirates indulge in terrorism only to fill their own pockets.
“Arming ocean-going vessels will go some way towards dealing with pirates, but for this course of action to work, many obstacles must be overcome. For example, Egypt will not allow vessels passing through the Suez Canal to carry on-board guns and ammunition. What also is of concern is the growing ‘industry’ around piracy. The total losses to the International Trade Community on account of piracy in the year so far is estimated to be US$2billion. Out of this US$2 billion, only about US$110 million represents ransom paid to the pirates, just over 1% of the total loss. The rest of the loss is mainly represented by increased insurance premiums, the cost of adapting ships to higher security standards and payments made to the specialist security companies which have sprung up to deal with piracy. At the end of the day, this additional cost falls on the consumer: they increase the freight charges and, consequently, the cost of the goods to the ultimate consumer.
“The 21st Century requires an enlightened approach to combat evils like piracy. It requires the countries of the world to come together, whether or not they share a coastline, to eradicate once and for all the Somalian piracy which has emerged in recent years. Any dragging of feet now would cause serious harm to the safety and livelihood of many innocent people, and would play right into the pirates’ hands.”
Mr Zaiwalla’s views, and those of his Indian shipping industry colleagues are perfectly reasonable but many other observers will be concerned at the thought that more freighters passing through these troubled waters might wish to carry arms, a move which may well lead to an escalation of violence by people who will have no hesitation in using extreme tactics as the disturbing video’s linked to one of our recent articles demonstrated.
Ideally a political solution to the troubles of Somalia together with an officially commissioned military response would be found, but, with the eyes of the world concentrated on a seemingly worsening financial global economy, the question will be if and when impassioned pleas from the likes of Mr Zaiwalla and his IMO colleagues can move this terrible situation on to a better place.

Piracy in the Indian Ocean - the impact on seafarers

For the last few years I have on more than a dozen occasions and now rising rapidly, met with family members of seafarers stuck in piracy and similar captivity episodes, as well as with seafarers who have returned from such episodes. This does not include the list of people who have been victims of criminalisation of seafarers.

Let me be very clear - some common threads go through all of them:-

# Most of them do not wish to be identified. The fear is as much from the long arm of the pirates, which are said to extend to within the established routes in India, to a fear of the unknown in as much as they have to content with social pressures as well as other pressures from various "authorities".

# A few have suffered tragedies - in three documented cases, the Indian seafarers have died as a direct consequence. A few more have lost their marital relationships. Yet some more are so traumatised that they are simply unable to function, leave alone go back to sea.

# The less said about support from the employers or the authorities after release, the better, because in most cases it simply does not exist. Forget compensation, even wages on service during period onboard are subject to the whims and fancies of those who would hold up full amounts due for minor clarifications.

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Here, is one of the first most graphic reports on the subject, by the Master of the mv RENUAR, a Panamax bulk carrier which was following every rule in the book to keep pirates at bay - except strong citadels and armed guards.

http://piracy.lloydslist.com/captive-an-experience-never-forgotten/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb1VAgYkUiY



In the Master's own words:- ""The ship was 550 miles off India, 1050 miles off the Somali coast and close to the Maldives. It was heading north on a course given to it by the UK Maritime Trade Organization’s centre in Dubai, where it had been sending daily position reports, when it ran straight into a waiting pirate mothership. Capt Caniete had been putting the crew through ant-piracy drills, the ship’s railings were covered in barbed wire and the fire hoses rigged to pump water over the side of the ship at the press of a button. Dummy watchkeepers had been rigged around the side of the ship to make it look like they had more than the 25 crew onboard. But it was not enough on a large, slow drybulk vessel with a low freeboard.""


Do take a look at the enclosed video. Some pictures are traumatic and viewer discretion advised.

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Official Indian Government Indian Navy position on piracy . .

http://neptunemaritimesecurity.posterous.com/admiral-nirmal-verma-draws-attention-of-chief

October 21, 2011 Admiral Nirmal Verma Draws Attention of Chiefs of Navies to Criticality of United Action Against Piracy
An International Seapower Symposium was held in New Port, Rhode Island, USA under the aegis of the US Naval War College . The theme of the 20th edition of the symposium was "Security and Prosperity through Maritime Partnerships."
More than 110 nations, with 75 heads of Navy and 22 heads of Coast Guard, attended the Symposium. Admiral Nirmal Verma addressed the symposium in its inagural session on 19 oct 2011. Drawing attention of the world leaders of Navies and Coast Guards to the need for united action against piracy, Adm Verma reflected the Indian stand that “the international efforts towards combating piracy would benefit if there were fewer disparate task forces and independent naval operations. India’s relative autonomy of efforts towards combating piracy offSomalia can be traced to its preference for a UN mandated operations which we believe if adopted would holistically enhance the efficacy of operations”.

[NMS Note: The Admiral's full speech follows below:]



CNS’ ADDRESS AT THE 20TH INTERNATIONAL SEA POWER SYMPOSIUM

Admiral Jonathan Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy , Chiefs of Navies and Coast Guards present with us this morning, Admiral Christenson: President of the United States Naval WarCollege- our gracious host, Flag Officers, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is always wonderful to be back at the Alma-Mater. From what I remember, Newport weather has always had the reputation of a temperamental lover – warm, wonderful, or, chillingly cold –most definitely, almost always – delightfully unpredictable. Today has been wonderful so far and let us all share our optimism for the rest of the week!



At the outset, I would like to thank Admiral Jonathan Greenert and all the organisers of the International Sea Power Symposium for affording me the opportunity to speak to this august audience on a subject that has affected mariners since times immemorial and yet is very contemporary - maritime piracy.



The difference today is that piracy at sea which was previously primarily robbery has now morphed into an elaborate network of operations to extract enormous quantities of ransom. Ransom amounts have increased to an average of 5.4 million USD per ship, from just 150,000 USD five years ago. According to a recent study by One Earth Future the economic cost of piracy maybe as high as 12 billion USD a year. This translates into increased operating costs, environmental expenses view rerouting of ships and most importantly, tremendous human costs. Even as we speak, 09 ships with over 300 seafarers of a range of nationalities, including 53 of my own countrymen are presently hostages in this contentious conflict. Lethal force and physical abuse are increasingly being used by pirates to leverage ransom negotiations.

The roots of Piracy are diverse; predominantly, political instability which has created a void of governance and economic opportunities ashore resulting in the manifestation of this menace at sea. Also worth reflecting upon, are the Somalian claims that the origins of piracy can be traced back to illegal fishing by other countries and dumping of toxic waste in their EEZ. Given the complications involved, no single response will solve the problem. While there may be some ambiguities about what we can or should do, there is no doubt that the fundamental prerequisite to any solution is the collaborative engagement of a wide range of maritime nations and littoral states. In this context I would highlight the work of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) under the aegis of the United Nations, which we believe is doing sterling work for coordinating international cooperation particularly information sharing. In the similar vein are the efforts of the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) initiative and that of UK Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) which functions from Dubai. These engagements have facilitated an agreement between independently deployed navies like Japan and India to coordinate their anti piracy operations, so that international shipping has more flexible options for escort schedules.

Beyond piracy’s complex genesis, it is interesting to highlight the metamorphosis of pirate activities. Despite multinational efforts, the number of incidents and net effects of piracy are on the increase with seasonal variations on account of the monsoons and geographic shifts dependent on the presence of naval units. The international efforts off the Gulf of Aden have resulted in piracy spreading to other areas of the Indian Oceanwhich had not experienced these attacks earlier. Some of these areas have been not too distant from India’sLakshadweep and Mincoy group of islands and naturally therefore this has been a cause of concern to us. It has become evident that pirates are changing their modus of operations as they have been observed to use hijacked merchant vessels as mother ships. This has given them an extended reach of over 1000 nautical miles from the Somali coast.

Given their changing tactics and operations, it is as Clausewitz would tell us imperative to strike at their centre of gravity, ‘the hub of all power and movement, on which all else depends’. To my mind, their Centre of Gravity is the elaborate network of financers that fund operations and facilitate revenue collection. A recent UN report revealed that of the ransom paid in each incident of piracy only 20% reaches the pirates, while financers and sponsors hive off 50%. The question that begs to be answered is that how do they manage to divert funds in so unfettered a manner? Therefore, there is a need to build a strategy beyond multinational maritime counter piracy operations to facilitate tracking of the fiscal trail.



It is important that our efforts be cultivated before what is at present a relatively benign problem of piracy, develops a nexus with radical terrorism which has a cancerous potential.



Moving on to what we are doing and some thoughts about what it is that we can collectively achieve.



What we are seeing today is a hitherto unprecedented, full and willing cooperation between a wide range of navies to combat piracy by providing credible deterrence thereby enhancing commercial confidence and facilitating the freedom of navigation in the global commons.



What is required is the collaborative engagement of both major maritime powers as well as the littoral states. The importance of littoral states towards a viable solution was best amplified by the success of the South-East Asian countries to combat piracy. While it is obvious to highlight that Somalia is a failed State, in stark contrast to the economically vibrant Southeast Asia, nevertheless, Somalia does have comparatively stable neighbours who could contribute to a regional response and international efforts could provide impetus to the fledgling Somali Coast Guard. Larger maritime forces could facilitate training of local navies and coast guards.

We in India are particularly concerned about the safety of mariners in the Indian Ocean since we are geographically centred aside the major shipping routes in the region. Units of the Indian Navy have been tasked to carry out escorts in the Gulf of Aden, irrespective of their nationality, since October 2008. So far, of the nearly 1800 ships that have been escorted by the Indian Navy in the Gulf of Aden, more than 80% have been flying flags other than Indian. I had mentioned about the shift in the areas of operations of the pirates closer to our island territories and consequently we have had to increase our anti piracy deployments. This resulted in four pirate mother ships being intercepted by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard earlier this year. Consequently, there has been a reduction of piracy incidents in the area and we intend to maintain this posture to assure international shipping.

Subsequently, we also noticed a shift in the ISLs in the Arabian Sea as merchant vessels attempt to avoid piracy prone areas. Some of these new routes are 15 to 20 nautical miles off our coast and there have now been instances wherein regular fishermen have been mistaken as pirates. In this cycle of ‘cause-effect-cause’, there is a real danger of innocent casualties on account of mistaken identities. We have therefore issued advisories on this aspect.



If piracy is to be deterred, the present ‘risk versus reward quotient’ must be inverted exponentially by the development of appropriate laws and Rules of Engagement. These require both national and international consensus which can be facilitated by an exchange of the first hand operational experience of navies presently involved in anti piracy operations, beside ideas from legal and academic circles as well as the expertise and local knowledge of the regional players.



Naval forces have been facing a major dilemma about apprehending pirates at sea, due to the inadequacy or ineffective legal mechanisms to prosecute pirates who have been arrested. It is estimated that 9 out of 10 apprehended pirates benefit from the 'catch and release' policy followed by most navies till now. In India we are presently faced with the challenge of prosecuting over a hundred pirates apprehended by the Indian Navy and held in our country. We have moved to make new and effective domestic laws, and we hope to have these in place. I am sure similar challenges are being experienced by other countries as well and if we can share experiences in this regard, it will be a positive step in our collective fight against piracy.

While many of these are policy issues that may take time to craft consensus, there are operating procedures that can be adopted immediately.

The Best Management Practices that have been published suggest a variety of planning and operational practices for ship operators and masters of ships transiting through high risk areas. This is a noteworthy initiative which includes suggestions such as having high freeboards, proceeding at high speeds, use of barbed wire and water cannons, employment of sentries and establishing ‘citadels’ or ‘safe rooms’ onboard. One measure that is increasingly gaining preference is the use of armed security guards. In this context the maritime community has to be cautious of cases of mistaken identity which I had alluded to earlier.

To mitigate such risks we have been using acoustic devices that have long range capability with built inphraselators that facilitate passing instructions in Somali language.



Towards minimising the possibility of situational escalation we have resorted to a rather unique measure of using our ship’s life rafts. Once the mother ship has been forced to stop, the pirates and crew are made to leave the mother ship and get on the life rafts released by the naval ship. This ensures that the pirates cannot carry arms; after which, they can be brought onboard for further investigation.



The shipping community could consider installation of mechanisms to disable their engines once it becomes evident that pirates are succeeding in gaining control. This may discourage their attempts to commandeer the vessel with of course the attended risk of force escalation by the pirates on account of their frustrations. This reemphasises the importance of establishing a citadel onboard.



Finally, I would conclude with the reflection that, the international efforts towards combating piracy would benefit if there were fewer disparate task forces and independent naval operations. India’s relative autonomy of efforts towards combating piracy off Somalia can be traced to its preference for a UN mandated operations which we believe if adopted would holistically enhance the efficacy of operations. Our Prime Minister in his speech at the UN General Assembly last month called upon the comity of nations to evolve a comprehensive and effective response to the problem of piracy and has assured the world of India’s readiness to work with other nations in this regard.

With these thoughts I conclude my remarks.

This article was posted by Neptune Maritime Security via pib.nic.in. To find out more, please visit www.neptunemaritimesecurity.com

Racism evident in the way New Zealand is tackling the RENA grounding issue?

An interesting and topical article, appended, seeing how the complete "system" in New Zealand seems to be coming together to criminalise the Second Officer and the Master of the RENA, who happen to be Asians (Philipinos), while conveniently ignoring the consequential and direct responsibilities and accountabilities of the people who in the first case set the schedules for this ship and MSC's CAPRICORN SERVICE and then also approved it.

If the New Zealand authotities had even the least bit of interest in finding out why this grounding really happened, then they need to get further with the shipping lines, MSC or competitors, and see what sort of complicity there was in setting thee schedules. Maybe some inconvenient truths will then emerge - who are the people who push such brutal and killing port rotations?

Even a taxi driver in New Zealand is not permitted to work more than 10-hours a day, here within National territorial waters, seafarers often work double that amount per day, basis schedules approved by the authorities.

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/rena-highlights-flag-convenience-issue/5/105014

Rena highlights flag of convenience issue
:
Voxy News Engine Friday, 21 October, 2011 - 09:41 Manila - The International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation, laments the tragic incident involving the vessel MV Rena of Liberian registry, which ran aground the Astrolabe Reef at the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

The damage to New Zealand's ecosystem is enormous, with the oil spill that has already claimed the lives of 1,290 birds, 4 other animals, and that has injured seals, marine life and birds.

The trauma, fear and physical sufferings of the mostly Filipino crew on board, who were made to stay on board the tilting ship for six days without rescue, highlights the human and environmental damage that this incident has caused.

This is further worsened by some racist and extreme right elements in New Zealand who blame the national origin of the Filipino crew for the incident, in order to launch a racist attack on the some 20,000 Filipino migrants who are now in New Zealand.

This is an accident that is waiting to happen. Without pre-empting the results of the on going maritime investigation, this incident reveals the half a century old problem of substandard shipping and the use of Flags of Convenience by unscrupulous shipowners to reduce cost and to amass more profit.

The MV Rena is flying the Flag of Convenience of Liberia although the real or beneficial owners are Greek.

It is an old and substandard vessel that was built in 1990.

For the past 36 months, 50% of inspection for deficiencies resulted in the detention of the vessel.

Last July, 21, 2011 it was inspected and detained in Fremantle , Australia for 17 deficiencies. It is not surprising then, that this vessel would figure, sooner or later, in an accident of this sort.

Many incidents involving substandard vessels flying Flags of Convenience tragically led not only to massive oil spills but to the loss of human lives.

This is regardless of the color of the skin, or of the racial origins of the officers and men crewing these vessels.

We at ISAC condemn the Flag of Convenience system and the proliferation of substandard ships that is the root of maritime disasters occurring all over the world. We are one with the people of New Zealand who shall be battling the effects of this environmental tragedy for many years to come.

Finally we stand in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of seafarers of all races and nationality who are driven by extreme economic hardships at home and who have no other recourse but to work on substandard ships and Flags of Convenience, undaunted by the serious risks to their lives and limbs.

Oppose the Flag of Convenience system! Ensure decent work for seafarers! Keep our seas safe! - International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation - www.isac.org.ph - isacinfo.seafarers@gmail.com

Monte Cristo yet another hijack in the Gulf of Aden area

http://www.somaliareport.com/index.php/post/1737/MV_Montecristo_Hijacked_by_Somali_Pirates

Another hijack, with Indians and others onboard, of a brand new bulk carrier this time.

More details follow soon.

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Update 13oct'11:- All seafarers onboard were rescued by the NATO led forces, Royal British Navy and US Navy, and all pirates held.

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/SID-D9C32FCD-5C79A24A/natolive/news_79242.htm

DP World Ports Valarpadam/Cochin Terminal - a Big unitised scam??

By some indications, this is a scam of larger proportions than the Commonwealth Games fiasco. Take a huge unnecessary project, inflate the costs, get your cronies to cover the inflated expenses by bringing in a private player like DP World in this case, and when the project obviously fails, cry wolf, and then get out 

http://moneylife.in/article/dp-world-ports-vallarpadam-container-terminal-the-numbers-behind-point-towards-another-huge-scam/20131.html

If anything, a full & proper enquiry should be done on how this high-cost white elephant came into being in the first case. There is room for good Kerala cuisine in Tihar Jail, too.

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FAIRCHEM BOGEY pirated from Salalah Anchorage

http://thoughtso.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/thats-a-dare-pirates-catch-omanis-napping-21-indians-to-pay-the-price/

Here's Jugal Purohit's blog on the subject of the FAIRCHEM BOGEY piracy from Salalah (Oman/Muscat) anchorage in broad daylight.

More follows.


Pirates of the Somali basin, early this morning, took their prowess a notch above when they managed to whisk out a chemical/oil tanker right from under the nose of the authorities at the Port of Salalah. The MT Fairchem Bogey (IMO: 9423750; GRT: 15190; Flag: Marshall Island) was at anchorage, barely 4-5 nautical miles from the shore after entering the port in the early hours of August 18.
The Fairchem Bogey was to load 20,000 tonnes of methanol later today and sail out on August 21.
Even though the disease of piracy has forced the Europeans and Chinese to deploy naval assets to safeguard their economic interests, it was only today that this neighbouring port which claims to be a ‘worldclass transshipment hub’ was woken up to the reality of being in a conflict zone. Unfortunately though, the price for this folly is being paid by the hijacked crew of 21 Indians on board the ship.
Latest positions reveal the ship as travelling south-west, towards Somalia and has logged atleast 90 nautical miles since being taken over. As far as the news of this development, which can affect ‘business interests’, it is learnt that it may just be relegated to the cold storage in Omani media.

Sequence of events
According to a source, it was a dhow (Ocean-going trawler) which was used by the pirates to work its way up to the ill-fated ship and hijack it. “For a dhow to be in the anchorage is very normal, unlike in the other ports. That is because, this area sees a lot of unregistered trade which dhows carry out. The reach of these dhows extends from the Gujarat coast in India till the Horn of Africa,” said a source located in Salalah.
However, an alert sailor on watch duty onboard the Fairchem Bogey actually detected something amiss and raised an alarm. “Immediately, the crew hurried to the strong-house or citadel and locked themselves up. From there, they pleaded with the port authorities for help,” the source added. Simultaneously, an unknown number of pirates’ managed to climb onboard the ship. “It was the crew’s misfortune that one or two crew members could not make it to the citadel and were left out. This worked to the pirates advantage as the well-armed bandits apprehended the isolated crew members,” the official added.
A practice followed very religiously is that once even a single crew member falls into the hand of an armed pirate, then all means of using force to secure their fate are withdrawn. This is done to avoid risking the life/lives of the crew member/s.
With that act of apprehending, the fate of the 21 Indians onboard, thus was sealed.
In addition to this, the pirates also got two full hours to force the remaining crew out of the citadel and complete their mission. Once done, the ship charted its course to the Somali badlands. As per information available, the captain of the ship also communicated to the authorities that armed pirates had taken charge of the ship and thus all action be suspended.
Security Level 1
Speaking to a local operator, aware of the inner-workings of the Salalah port, it was understood that despite the proximity to the Somali and Yemeni coast – the springboards of the modern-day piracy – the state of alert at the port was at level one. Effectively, this would translate into a ‘normal’ state of affairs with hardly any enhanced security measures in place. Could this have been averted? “Of course. The authorities here have rather been lax as something as daring as this has never even been conceived,” he stated.

“At present, the authorities are desperately seeking clues on this spectacular raid. Inquiries are being made and rumours mills are working over-time. But the fact remains that they have little or no lead,” added the source.
Helpless in such cases: DG Shipping
In a document accessed, the DGS, which has often attracted flak for being unable to react effectively to this malaise, has admitted that it has virtually no jurisdiction to tackle cases like this even where Indian interests are involved.
The port authorities meanwhile did not immediately offer a comment.

The mv PAVIT - yet another ship founders off Mumbai, a derelict this time!

http://www.moneylife.in/article/the-pavitmdashyet-another-attempt-to-hit-mumbai/18556.html

The Pavit—yet another attempt to hit Mumbai?
August 01, 2011 03:29 PM |
Veeresh Malik

 

The grounding of the Pavit off the coast of Mumbai cannot be, once again, attributed to bad weather and coincidence. It is amply clear that something is afoot, and that our security agencies are absolutely clueless—despite all the big talk—about what is happening right off our jetties and wharfs. Somebody or something is trying to do more than play marbles or video games with dead ships let loose near the city

What exactly is happening, why and how are derelict ships with suspicious antecedents drifting to Mumbai's shores, so frequently; and more importantly, what can be done about it?

The media is full of reports about how yet another ship is gracing the Mumbai coastline, and reports seem to centre around how a small tanker, the MV Pavit, with a lower freeboard, does not look as impressive as a not-so-large container ship with high cubics and taller freeboard. There is the usual reportage, the expected pass-the-buck kind of response, and the truth of course lies somewhere else. Here are some facts.

# About a month ago, towards the end of June 2011/early July 2011, the Pavit, (IMO number 9016636) with a complement of 13 Indians on board, on a voyage from the Persian Gulf towards Somalia, reported engine trouble and sought assistance after being adrift for three days. Read an account of the rescue operation in the report titled, (Fleet Air Arm helicopter rescues seamen off Oman.)

# The seafarers were transferred to another merchant ship, the Jag Pushpa, and repatriated to India. The Pavit was apparently left to her fate in the waters of the Arabian Sea. There are rumours that the Pavit was acting as a supplier of marine fuel to Somalia to facilitate piracy activity, and that this was one of the reasons why the crew chose to abandon the ship. Why the owner, or the insurers, did not send one of the many ocean-going rescue tugs to tow the ship back is not known.

# The Pavit, in all appearances, is a well-maintained ship. It is not old, either, or decrepit. If an engine failure for three days in mid-ocean meant seafarers started abandoning ships, then probably a large percentage of the world's fleet would have been derelict by now. The simple fact that the Pavit after she was abandoned did not sink, means that there was some intervention by somebody to ensure that she stayed afloat. This was likely by way of a tow as well as some basic minimal repairs in the reported leakage from the stern gland. Incidentally, stern glands leak all the time, and repairing them while at sea is a very normal and fairly simple practice.

# This time of the year, winds and currents do not push ships southwards down from the Omani coast towards India. Quite the opposite, actually, as any basic knowledge of what happens during the south-west monsoon will reveal. Even if it has drifted due to some freak weather, the prevailing tendency would have been to move towards the Gulf of Kutch. To reach without any assistance the coast of Mumbai is absolutely impossible.

# There is no information from the Director General of Shipping on whether an inquiry or investigation was carried out on the Indian crew and complement of the Jag Pushpa as well as the Pavit when they landed in India. There is no information on who the registered agents for the Pavit were, what information they may have provided about the status of the ship after it was abandoned, and most importantly, what attempts were being made, if any, to regain control of the Pavit.

So, what could have been done?

# A dead ship drifting around in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world is certain to have been noticed by a vast variety of ships and reported in. Especially if she was not transmitting any recognition signals on her AIS (automatic identification signals). However, if she was transmitting her AIS, then certainly there was somebody, somewhere who was tracking her as she got closer and closer to the Indian coast; this is standard operating procedure for owners and insurers.

# One of the easiest measures would be for satellite tracking of all ships which are within 12 miles, or even more, of the Indian coast. This data is freely available. The big question is which agency will take this data, analyse it, spot the odd ones out which are not transmitting their AIS signals, or are too close without any business to be there? A proposal that seafarers, who are between exams, to be deputed to handle such information under a Vessel Tracking Scheme has been hanging fire for decades now, as the assorted ministries still try to get their act together.

# Rescue co-ordination, even if done in the Indian Ocean by a British warship, is monitored in India. The Jag Pushpa, by law, is supposed to provide full information on the episode to the Indian authorities. This information then becomes the core of an inquiry and investigation, especially since the seafarers on the Pavit were also Indians, and this could easily have provided ample advance information on the true antecedents of the Pavit as well as the shape of things to come.

Interim, on the basis of educated opinion as well as circumstantial evidence, it can safely be surmised that this ship, also, was somehow brought to within miles of the Mumbai coast and then released. That it landed on the coast of Juhu and not somewhere else, is more a question of nature favouring us again than anything else.

An article on piracy and steps on board from January 2011

This was first submitted for publication in SAILOR TODAY in January 2011, and is even more valid today, so here goes, repeated . . .

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It is now about time that a simple demand be made by seafarers working on Indian flag ships - that a contingent of Indian Navy personnel be carried onboard all our ships operating in blue waters between Aden, Singapore and the Southern Indian Ocean. Attacks within Indian Economic Zone as well as not too far from the oil exploration areas are now becoming commonplace, and before tragedy strikes or they become another accepted danger of being at sea, a strong, message needs to be sent across clearly that any Indian merchant ship is going to not just be safe in Indian waters but also respond vigorously internationally.

It has also to be stated and is an open secret that more than a few foreign shipping companies are openly carrying armed personnel on board, and the crew as well as officers onboard are certainly benefitting from this, lifeboat capacity and other minor issues be damned. It is easy for those sitting in their little ivory towers in Mumbai and Delhi to pontificate on rights of innocent passage - what do they know, many of them have armed guards to protect their petty little backsides the moment they step out of their offices.

So what are seafarers supposed to do, then, about this reality? Especially for those sailing under the Indian flag . . .

1) Insist with your shipowners that they provide armed guards onboard in case the vessel is trading Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean. The current defined danger area is bounded by the Indian coast, Arab coast and African coast as well as 15 degrees South and about 78 degrees East already, as per a NATO report. Look on a map, and see how far this gets us?

2) Insist on vastly increased levels of personal insurance and danger pay. There has to be at least 15-20 years worth of salary, protected by inflation, as insurance. In addition, triple pay, at least. This is the least that people who are putting their lives on the line need, and close to keeping in line with much lesser than what those in the Armed Forces get.

3) Make this point very clear during the revalidation classes, as well as every possible interaction with the company ashore, preferably in writing. Take the trouble to get in touch with the Union, MUI or NUSI, both have been very pro-active of late, and there is every reason to cooperate with them - especially Mr. Abdul Gani Sarang, whose doors are always open, as personal experience shows.

4) Reach out to the media, print and television, and let them know what you feel. Get on to the internet, blogs and all, including photos. Write to your elected representative, Ministry, and others. File pre-emptive RTIs. The pen is your strongest weapon, and the keyboard a force multiplier.

At the end of the day, WE shall have to make our voice heard, and dignity as well as safety restored. The pirates, such as they are, don't dare venture near Israeli flag ships, as well as ships of some companies they know are carrying armed personnel on board - about time they ran and turned tail when they see the Indian red ensign too.

Veeresh Malik

Capt. Prem Kumar, RAK AFRIKANA, and the Indian consul in Dubai . . .

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Tale-of-fortitude-ends-in-tragedy/Article1-699628.aspx


Their strikes and demands are getting audacious but what Somali pirates, who continue to infest the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, do to the hostages is terrifying. Sanjay Verma, India's consul general in Dubai, would know. For 11 months, he worked for the release of Seychelles-flagged RAK Afrikana, without telling anyone that his brother-in-law was the captain of the 23-member crew, 11 of who were Indians, held hostage by the pirates. He didn't think it was professional.


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Read the rest of the article at the link provided.

Jugal Purohit's blog on DG Shipping and the State of Affairs there . . .

This one by Jugal Purohit (of Times Now) is eminently readable . . .


http://thoughtso.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/piracy-dgs-reacts-leaves-none-impressed/

On May 11, 2011, the Mumbai-based Director General (DG) Shipping, under fire for being unable to react effectively to the scourge of piracy affecting Indian men and waters, finally reacted as the agency issued an ’Order’ (available on the website: www.dgshipping.com). For an organisation, long seen as being on sedatives even by its own community of seafarers, this was a sizeable step. However, on closer analysis with various stakeholders, the verdict seems to echo the timeless phrase, ‘too little, too late’.


(Here;s the actual DGS order . . . 


http://www.dgshipping.com/dgship/final/notices/dgsorder4_2011.htm

SITREP: 06may'11 - Indian Government not to negotiate with Somali pirates . . .

Let us try and analyse this dispassionately, though this is difficult after hearing the first hand accounts as well as conveyed accounts of torture and worse onboard RAK AFRIKANA and ASPHALT VENTURE, especially aimed at Indian seafarers. So, some dispassionate observations:-


1)The main negotiator on the ground in Somalia, apparently handling over a dozen ships, is the by now famous "Ali". It has been reported variously that he is of Philipino origin, and travels frequently all over, including on flights that must by geographical fact over-fly India. One way of getting hold of this person. Ofcourse, the banks that are known to support him, as well as the insurance companies, are all also located in India - and it would take just one phone call from the Ministry of Finance or the Reserve Bank of India to have them report to the authorities in Delhi.


(Interesting side observation here - for decades now, DG Shipping has been directly party to supporting the business of shipowners and their cohorts operating through tax havens, by permitting care of type of addresses especially for FOC  ships on which Indian seafarers are sent through DG Shipping channels, using the RPS companies. This, in an observation made to me by a friend in the Finance part of things, is almost like one Government department encouraging tax evasion, and then coming back to the same Government for help when things obviously go wrong. So, investigation possible - who brought about this change, of permitting "care of" kind of untraceable addresses at DG Shipping??)


2) The Government has its stated position, of not negotiating with kidnappers, hijackers, terrorists - but this has been relaxed in the past and is likely to be relaxed in the future too. This will depend a lot on a variety of factors, not least of all the public and media support, which is currently in short supply but slowly building up. The agencies, owners and Government are on the other hand trying to stress to the families that they should not go to the media, with veiled insinuations of various sorts.

(The tactic of telling the seafarers, don't go to the media, is very one-sided and selfish. What the pirates have to do to their victims, they will do, and nothing will change things. The truth, however, has a bad habit of coming out slowly but steadily. And the truth is - psychological trauma from the moment the skiff comes into sight, explosives, AK47s, RPGs, magnetic mines on shipsides, mini-submarines with torpedoes, burning, beating, flaying of skin, cutting off of balls, locking into freezers, keel-hauling, drowning, leaving naked on steel decks, hung upside down, starvation . . .and worse)


3) There is absolutely no post-release de-brief, support, analysis or even database. The approach is the same as after any, say, railway accident - disperse the people, cover up, and if too severe, make a committee for an enquiry report which is of no use. Take a look at the MSC CHITRA / KHALIJA III report, for example.

(The reason for this is simple - any post episode enquiry will force accountability - who was responsible for sending Indian seafarers through official DG Shipping channels, on to these obviously unsafe and unseaworthy ships, not equipped to fight the pirates? It will also bring out the truths on how salaries were not paid, compensation not provided, families not permitted to enter DG Shipping offices, the works.)


4) The owners / agents are safe and secure with their 10000/- rupees per head limitation of liabilities. Salaries are paid if the P&I cover or K&R cover provides for it, which is not the case in more than half the ships currently under hijack, and this includes some that were sent through DG Shipping via RPS companies/agencies. The families, therefore, know this - and keep quiet because each month's allotment amount is like so much for them.


(I have over-heard the absolutely crude and impolite way in which certain agencies and companies speak when the families call up. Maybe it is the fault of the person who picks up the phone, but is it too much to expect that the direct numbers of a senior Designated Person for Families of distressed seafarers be provided, which does not have to go through Board lines and durbans and secretaries and chowkidars and people who have no idea or concern about what is going on?)


5) DG Shipping, the truth is that more than a few families have told me how they have not been able to go past the reception desk, in Jahaz Bhavan Mumbai. Many of us can well believe this. It is easier to meet Ministers and Politicians in Delhi, and surprisingly, they had to reach the office of the Minister of Shipping in Delhi before the DG Shipping condescended to meet them - in Delhi.

(Direct appeal to Mr. S.B Agnihotri - you appear to be fresh here in DG Shipping as DG Shipping - will you wait till Crime Branch of some Police does to DG Shipping what Delhi Police Crime Branch are doing to DGCA? It is lucky that DGS is in Mumbai and there is no office in Delhi - but fact remains, please clean things up.)

6) The larger issue, of impacting India's economy, is still wide open. And the even larger issue of how working closely with FOC ships registered in tax havens worldwide has worked against the interests of Indian flag shipping as well as Indian seafarers, is a scandal and a shame that must be exposed.

More soon.

Indian Government's Official Position on Maritime Piracy

This is what our kachraa munceepaltee gormint has to say about what their position in context with piracy - you there now, drink your tulsi ka juice, sit in the corner, gormint munceepaltee of the Jahaz Bhavan chowkidar will not let you in but ALL IS WELL? Sorry for the hyperbole, but dealing with the human element of 3 separate sea piracy episodes, is enough to drive people round the bend. And worse.


http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_govt-rules-out-talks-with-pirates_1539467


""decided to "wait and watch" ""


Now I really know why Captain Ramdas K. Menon from the RAK ARIKANA / RAK SINDBAD world in Ras al Khaimah died. His heart literally broke when he heard about the truth. And I know why another very dear batchmate looks and sounds so tense all the time. And why these are some of the realities in connection with piracy, not really revealed . . .

#  balls being burnt off.

# legs being tied with your face in a gunny bag with rats inside being dipped head first into water and AK47s being fired around you.

# being tied naked into the freezer room (minus 17 degrees centigrade) and hung up with your hands behind you.

# fed only plain rice with no salt/veggies/daal anything for 11 months.

# being regularly sodomised or threatened with same.

# owner trying to skim off the insurance money for himself

# being left naked on hot steel decks face down while birds peck you

 

#  And then, come back to India, and die.

 

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The chiefmost negotiator on the ground, wait for this, the famour "Ali" - is reporedly a Filipino. On to around 8-10 negotiations at any given time.

 

More than one release has been delayed because the various people in between have tried to skim off the insurance ransom pay-out.

 

Families of the ASPHALT VENTURE stranded and distressed officers yet not released have never been contacted by the DG Shipping, and more than once, were unable go up to meet anyone there.

 

And as for the late Capt. Prem Kumar of RAK AFRIKANA, bravest of the brave from 1980-81, his batchmates and he are proving once again the strength of the "batchmate bond" - which is confusing to some, but understood by a few.+

 

 

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I have attended a few piracy seminars, and have now stopped going there, choosing to read up on the reports and papers circulated - as well as network separately. My own association with seafaring and the commercial as well as fiduciary elements of trade including especially shipping also extends to some work done in assisting and providing intelligence on the recovery of moveable stolen assets of any sort - especially when they cross international borders - automobiles is one of them.

 

But I have not been as shaken up as on hearing reports from seafarers, Indian seafarers, returned from piracy episodes, in my whole life, and I have seen some terrible things, like:-

 

# children trapped in a school-bus that went off a bridge and sank underwater in a river.

# college girls being burnt in a bus.

# a man being taken off a bus, beaten and burnt by a crowd.

# been at the New Delhi Railway Station when a post 1984 train came in.

# hangings after stonings in public.

# the trade in human body parts and foetuses

# bodies on the ground after massacre of "natives" in Laurenco du Marques.

 

Many of my friends will say -oh, don't even think of these things. But does that make them go away, does that give the government the right to say "wait and watch".

 

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What can you do as a seafarer?

 

The option of a "strike" is laughable. Our same wait and watch Government will not think twice before declaring ESMA and arresting a few. In any case, are we united enough to do so?

 

What you can do, however, is this:- work only on ships where flag state provides you some element of safety. The larger issue with piracy is that it is mostly the FOC / tax haven registered kind of ships which are caught and where negotiations are pro-longed.

 

Next, simply avoid and refuse to sail in the affected waters, and if you must - then ensure that your conpany and ship's insurance and P&I provide ample cover. One piracy episode will probably spell an end to your maritime career. There are currently marine engineers and deck officers who returned or otherwise willingly working as cargo surveyors at salaries paid to tally clerks.

 

Make a noise. Join hands with the impacted families. Go to the nearest MMD and/or DGS office near you and organise regular protests. Enter into their daily routine with full legal clarity to  pose questions on their day to day activities. File RTI Applications of all sorts.

 

If you are ashore this and reading this, then start today - make your presence felt. Because otherwise, if you don't, then you too will become a statistic in the 'wait and watch' government of ours.