Fox News (FoxNews.com) is reporting that armed security guards have shot and killed a Somali pirate for the first time. You can read the news report here. The incident took place on Tuesday, 23 March, and was directed against the Panamanian-flagged, general cargo vessel MV Almezaan (IMO Registry No.7906710). The […]
Somalia
20 posts
An article from Defence IQ provides more data on the growing piracy problem in the Indian Ocean and the effect it is having on local economies. You can read the article here. Here is a short summary of the data presented: - Number of global piracy attacks in 2009: 406 […]
I have read all the posts about piracy and find them very interesting…but somewhat misinformed in certain areas. I am also somewhat disappointed that there is an absence of information about NATO’s contribution to combating piracy off the coast of Somalia. I am presently the second in command of the […]
In my post on 7 December, entitled “Whether to Protect the Sea or Protect the Ships,” I argued that efforts to create defended lanes are a “misguided effort at sea control” and that history has shown repeatedly that they are based on a flawed operational concept. I did not realize […]
The capture by pirates of another super tanker, the Greek-owner MV Maran Centurus, approximately 800 nm off the coast of Somalia was reported this week by the BBC. The BBC report quotes Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank Rashid Abdi as saying “the world's navies has made little […]
The European Union scored a major success on Thursday, 12 November, when the French warship Floreal tracked down and apprehended the pirate attack group responsible for the recently reported attacks against the Singaporean large crude oil tanker MV BW Lion, 500 miles northwest of the Seychelles. This was reported as […]
On 8 March 2009, according to the Pentagon, “five Chinese vessels shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in dangerously close proximity to USNS Impeccable in an apparent coordinated effort to harass the US ocean surveillance ship while it was conducting routine operations in international waters.” In fact, the incident took place approximately […]
Yesterday, the New York Times carried a report that the United States will place a proposal before the UN Security Council that could authorize attacks on pirate bases in Somalia by land or air. You can read the article here. In addition, yesterday’s press also carried the news that the […]
*Moderator’s Note: The following statement was made by Senator Hugh Segal in the Debates of the Senate on 14 November 2007, during the 2nd Session of the 39th Parliament of Canada. It is contained in Hansard, Volume 144, Issue 11. The Navy Hon. Hugh Segal: Honourable senators, since November 2006, […]
The cost factors Ken Hansen outlines demonstrate the ongoing need for sealift. Indeed, with sealift costs being between one-tenth and one-seventieth the cost of airlift, coupled with the fact that many of our shipments to Afghanistan are routine in nature given the four year plus length of our current mission, […]