Hijacking Of MV Golden Blessing

As reported HERE

In the early hours of 28 July, pirates took control of the MV Golden Blessing approximately 60 nautical miles off the northern Somali coast. On notification from the Master of the MV Golden Blessing that pirates were on board, the EU NAVFOR German warship Schleswig-Holstein immediately launched its helicopter and reported sighting suspected pirates on board the MV Golden Blessing.

The MV Golden Blessing, a Singapore flagged tanker of 14,445 tonnes is carrying a cargo of glycol ethelene and is now moving towards the Somali Coast . The MV Golden Blessing has a crew of 19 Chinese; there are no reports of injuries. The vessel is now under pirate control and moving towards the Somali Coast.  EU NAVFOR is continuing to monitor the situation.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation

ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP) and vessels of AMISOM, and to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean

and to deter and disrupt piracy. EUNAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

Somali Pirates Kill Ship Captain

As Reported HERE

Soldiers from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region have stormed a Panama-flagged cargo vessel held by pirates, a Puntland minister has said.

The pirates, who refused to surrender, killed the captain of the ship, he said.
There was a brief shoot-out with the seven pirates before they were captured, he added.
The pirates seized the 15,000-tonne ship, MV QSM Dubai, in the Gulf of Aden in the early hours of Wednesday.
"Our troops stormed the Panama-flagged vessel and engaged the pirates. There was brief fighting before they defeated them," Said Mohamed Raage, Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, said.
"We arrested seven pirates after they killed the captain of the ship."
The vessel has a crew of 24 made up of Ghanaian, Egyptian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals, and was taking supplies to northern Somalia.
It was sailing from Brazil in the "internationally recommended transit corridor" in the gulf when it was seized.
Puntland, which declared itself an autonomous state within Somalia in 1998, has been used by pirates as a base of operations.
On Wednesday, the crew of a Libyan-owned merchant ship seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden were reported to have recaptured their vessel.

Seafarer Seriously Wounded by Pirates

As Reported HERE

Today at 1010 local time, the hijacked Libyan owned merchant vessel RIM reported that the crew had successfully retaken control of the ship.  One of the crew members was seriously injured during the incident.
The incident took place south east of Garacad, off Somalia’s northern coastline.  The closest EU NAVFOR warship, the SPS VICTORIA, was immediately tasked by the Force Commander Jan Thörnqvist, to meet up with MV RIM in order give medical assistance. SPS VICTORIA launched her helicopter immediately.
Confusing reports that the ship had been pirated again came prior to the helicopter reaching the scene of the incident.  It was quickly established that the crew were in control of the vessel.  There were however, pirates in the vicinity who were attempting to impede the EU NAVFOR operation by utilising another hijacked vessel the MV VOC DAISY. When SPS VICTORIA’s helicopter approached the MV VOC DAISY she changed her course – no warning shots were fired.
It is believed that some of the pirates were killed during the incident; the ship is now under the control of the crew.

Ship Hijacked in IRTC

As Reported HERE 



In the early hours of 2 June it was reported by the owner of the MV QSM Dubai that a group of armed pirates had boarded the ship and taken control. USS COLE from CTF 508 (NATO) first reported that they had seen a person with an RPG on board. A coalition Maritime Patrol Aircraft was tasked to investigate the situation and reported that the ship was hijacked.
The MV QSM Dubai, a Panama flagged general cargo ship with dead weight of 15,220 tonnes and a crew of 24 comprising Egyptian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Ghanaian nationals, was in bound from Brazil when hijacked in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor.