Live Piracy & Armed Robbery Report 2012

The Piracy & Armed Robbery Report section below follows the definition of Piracy as laid down in Article 101 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and Armed Robbery as laid down in Resolution A.1025 (26) adopted on 2 December 2009 at the 26th Assembly Session of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Attack Number: Narrations:
143-12 17.05.2012: 0740 UTC: Posn: 09:58.2N – 083:00.1W: Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.
Five robbers in a boat were noticed by alert deck watchmen alongside their container ship with boat hooks in an attempt to board. Duty officer raised alarm and reported to port authorities. Seeing the alert crews the robbers aborted the attempt and moved away.
142-12 15.05.2012: 0100 UTC: Suez anchorage, Egypt.
Robbers boarded an anchored tanker, broke into the forecastle store, stole ship stores and escaped unnoticed. Upon investigation it was learnt that the robbery took place between the deck security rounds carried out by the crew.
141-12 14.05.2012: 2300-2345 LT: Posn: 29:50.1N - 032:31.6E, Port Suez Anchorage, Egypt.
Robbers boarded an anchored product tanker unnoticed, stole ship stores and escaped unnoticed. The theft occurred during a sandstorm when the duty A/B was called into the accommodation. Port control informed.
140-12 13.05.2012: 0545 UTC: Posn: 03:46.6N - 077:27.4W, Around 9.4nm from Isla La Palma, Buenaventura, Colombia.
Four robbers boarded a bulk carrier drifting waiting for berthing instructions. Alarm raised. Crew mustered and approached with steel pipes. The robbers jumped overboard and escaped with stolen ship's stores.
139-12 12.05.2012: 1140 UTC: Posn: 13:52N-042:52E, Red Sea.
About 12 pirates chased and closed in to 0.2nm from a LPG Tanker underway. Master enforced anti piracy measures and increased speed. The onboard security team displayed their weapons and the boats then moved away. All crew and vessel are safe.
138-12 12.05.2012: 0500 LT: Posn: 01:11.1S - 117:13.9E, Muara Jawa Anchorage, Samarinda, Indonesia.
Robbers boarded an anchored bulk carrier and stole ship's stores and escaped unnoticed. The theft was noticed by the duty A/B during routine rounds on deck
137-12 10.05.2012: 1200 LT: Posn: 03:42S-114:27E, Taboneo Anchorage, Indonesia.
Robbers boarded an anchored bulk carrier during cargo operations, stole ship's stores from forecastle and escaped before being spotted by the crew. Authorities informed and boarded the vessel for inspection.
136-12 10.05.2012: 0923 UTC: Posn: 15:58N – 061:02E, (Around 250nm SE of Ras Al Madrakah, Oman), Off Somalia.
Ten Pirates in two skiffs armed with automatic weapons chased a crude oil tanker underway. The tanker enforced anti piracy measures, increased speed, made evasive manoeuvres and managed to evade the boarding attempt resulting in the skiffs regrouping with the mother ship in the vicinity. Later, the skiffs launched a second attack on the tanker, approached at a speed of 24knots and managed to successfully board and hijack the vessel and take hostage the 26 crew members.
135-12 10.05.2012: 1010 UTC: Posn: 14:18N - 058:27E (Around 260nm ENE of Socotra Island, Yemen), Off Somalia.
Six pirates in a skiff approached and fired upon a tanker underway from a distance of 500 meters. The armed security team returned fired resulting in the skiff aborting and moving away.
134-12 09.05.2012: 1000 UTC: Posn: 10:40N - 060:04E (Around 345nm ESE of Socotra Island, Yemen), Off Somalia.
Pirates in two skiffs armed with AK47 and RPG approached a crude tanker underway. At a distance of 50 meters from the vessel the pirates fired seven RPG rounds and more than 300 rounds from AK47 firing upon the tanker. Effective anti piracy measures resulted in the skiffs aborting and moving away. No injuries to crew however vessel sustained damage due to the firing.