Somalia News

Oil Tankers Run Gauntlet in Nigeria’s ‘Pirate Alley’

A pirate attack that killed a supertanker crewman off the coast of Nigeria this week has highlighted a growing threat off oil-rich West Africa, as vessels carrying millions of barrels of crude traverse a region that has become known as …

As Risks Multiply, NGOs Reassess Security, Insurance Costs in Middle East

Aid agencies are tightening security measures in the Middle East and increasingly outsourcing work to local organizations to limit their exposure to multiplying risks across the region. Most if not all international NGOs had already stopped sending expatriate staff into …

UN Security Council Debates Spread of Piracy

Centuries after piracy was recognized as the first international crime against humanity, its spread around the world has prompted the U.N. Security Council’s first debate Monday on piracy’s rise as a threat to world peace and security. In the past, …

Insurers Face Tougher Times as Somali Piracy Drops

A dramatic fall in pirate attacks off the Somali coast is forcing down the cost of piracy insurance for commercial ships, taking the shine off a fast-growing and lucrative market for London-based insurers. International navies have cracked down on pirates, …

Willis Intelligence Specialist Warns of Continued Somali Pirate Threat

Tim Holt, Head of Intelligence at Special Contingency Risks (SCR), part of the Willis Group, has warned that the piracy threat in Somalia is unlikely to abate for the following reasons: • “Piracy is the second largest generator of income …

Africa’s Pirates Have Demands for Insurers – and a Letterhead, Too

Welcome to the Pirate Action Group. Pirate commander Jamal wishes to congratulate you on being hijacked. Kindly speak to his negotiator about your ransom, bearing in mind that his demands are similar for every vessel he seizes. This is not …

EXCLUSIVE – Somali Pirate Kingpins Enjoy ‘Impunity’ Say UN Experts

Somalia’s president has shielded a top pirate leader from arrest by issuing him a diplomatic passport, according to a United Nations investigation which criticizes the “climate of impunity” enjoyed by pirate kingpins in Somalia and abroad. The U.N. Monitoring Group …

Efforts to Tackle Somali Piracy Paying Off Says IMB

Tougher action by international navies and the use of private armed guards on ships have more than halved the number of Somali pirate attacks, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Monday. Last year, Somali piracy in the busy shipping …

SaveOurSeafarers Organization Lauds EU Air Strike on Somali Pirate Bases

SaveOurSeafarers, the organization that supports anti-piracy measures and aids the crews who are taken by pirates, has expressed its approval of the air strikes carried out by the naval forces of the European Union on Tuesday. Alastair Evitt, chairman of …

EU Naval Forces Carry Out First Strikes on Somali Pirate Bases

The European Union’s naval force off the Somali coastline on Tuesday carried out its first air strikes against pirate targets on shore, officials said. Maritime aircraft and attack helicopters took part in the attacks early in the morning on the …