The Threat of Modern Piracy- A Merged Thread

[OldSolduer]

What are they gonna do, TORPEDO Somali pirate skiffs?  ;D

US Naval Institute

More like coaching them and supplying info and arms. Just my thought.

 

[Kirkhill]

You really have to work on those trust issues, Jim.  >

 

[CougarKing]

At least one state fighting the pirates on Africa's West coast:

Reuters

Ghana's navy frees hijacked tanker, arrests pirates

ACCRA (Reuters) - Ghana's navy has freed a tanker ship hijacked off the coast of Nigeria and arrested eight pirates believed to be responsible for seizing it, a military spokesman said on Sunday.

Pirate attacks have increased in West Africa in recent years, jacking up insurance costs for shipping companies. Experts say gangs based in the waters off Africa's top oil producer Nigeria are extending their reach across the region's Gulf of Guinea.

Colonel Aggrey Quarshie would not say when the MT Mariam was seized by pirates. The small tanker's owners, using an onboard tracking device, informed Ghanaian authorities of its position in Ghanaian waters on Saturday.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

An update on that Chinese SSN that was hunting pirates in the Gulf of Aden:

If the pirates had sonarmen they'd deaf, since apparently the Chinese sub sounds like a bang on the drum all the day..."

South China Morning Post

China's pirate patrol submarine is too noisy, say naval experts

China's recent deployment of a nuclear submarine for an antipiracy mission in the Gulf of Aden may have caused unease among its neighbours, but naval experts say the Type 091 vessel is unlikely to pose any real threat because of the noise it generates.

The experts say the international community should instead keep an eye on China's quieter, more advanced diesel-driven submarines.

CCTV's military channel last Sunday reported that a nuclear submarine from the People's Liberation Army Navy had completed a two-month escort mission in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden, and returned to its base in Qingdao , Shandong province.

The report did not specify the type of submarine used, but commentators said the footage suggested it was an updated version of a Type 091 submarine.

(...SNIPPED)

 

[CougarKing]

The three countries on the Malacca Strait taking more action against piracy in the area, which has been known for piracy much longer than Somalia:

Diplomat

How Did a Singapore Warship Foil a Pirate Attack?
City-state scores victory amid rising incidents in the region.

By Prashanth Parameswaran
September 02, 2015

A Singapore navy vessel successfully disrupted a sea robbery on a Malaysian-flagged tugboat Tuesday.

According to a September 1 press release issued by the Ministry of Defense (MINDEF), the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) had immediately deployed its Fearless-class patrol vessel the RSS Resilience upon receiving a report from the boat – Permata 1 – at around 9am as it was transiting the Singapore Strait.

As I noted in a previous piece, the Fearless-class patrol vessels have been in service with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) for around two decades and are responsible for the city-state’s coastal defense (See: “What Do We Know About Singapore’s New Warship”). The 55-meter vessels boast a speed in excess of 20 knots, a range of 1,800 nautical miles and can carry a crew of 30. In terms of weapons, they are equipped with a 76 mm OTO Melara SRGM, a Mistral Surface-to-Air Missile or Typhoon Mk 25 Gun, and four CIS 0.5” machine guns. They will be replaced by the new locally-made Littoral Mission Vessel (LMV).

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Indonesia and Malaysia cooperating against piracy:

Diplomat

Indonesia, Malaysia Step Up Fight Against Piracy
Firmer response comes amid growing concerns about the problem.

By Prashanth Parameswaran
September 02, 2015
Indonesia and Malaysia are both stepping up their fight against piracy in the wake of growing security concerns in surrounding waters, news sources reported August 27.

Piracy is hardly a new issue for Southeast Asian states. As I have written before, the region is a logical target for such attacks as it is home to vital shipping lanes through which about half of world trade and a third of the world’s oil supply pass (See: “Over Half of World Piracy Attacks Now in ASEAN“).

Despite notably enhanced regional cooperation in recent years to address piracy concerns, incidents have nonetheless continued to be on the rise. According to the International Maritime Bureau, the first six months saw a total of 134 incidents of piracy and armed robbery, an increase from 116 during the same period last year. ReCAAP, a Singapore-headquartered anti-piracy organization, recorded six piracy incidents in the straits of Malacca and Singapore on 21 and 22 August alone.

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[CougarKing]

Bravo!

Marine Insight

French Ship Provence Seizes Large Weapons Cache Heading Towards Somalia

As part of the Combined Maritime Forces Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), which conducts maritime security and counter terrorism operations.

The dhow was spotted heading toward Somalia by Provence’s Caïman helicopter whilst it was undertaking routine surveillance in the Northern Indian Ocean. Subsequently, Provence boarded the dhow and determined that it was without nationality. Provence then undertook a search of the vessel, during which the weapons were discovered. The haul included several hundred AK47 assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank weapons.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Bravo!

Marine Insight

Well done indeed.

 

[CougarKing]

The Abu Sayyaf insurgents from the Southern Philippines have been kidnapping tugboat sailors from both Malaysia and Indonesia since last month: placed this here since their acts can be considered piracy.

The Star (Myanmar)

Abu Sayyaf hijacks boat near Malaysian border, 10 Indonesian sailors kidnapped

MANILA: Ten Indonesian crew members on board a tugboat were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines at the weekend, officials in Manila said late on Monday. 

Two Philippine military officials said the militant group had demanded an undisclosed ransom amount from the boat's owners. 

The officials declined to be identified because they are not authorised to speak to media. 

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Toronto Star

4 Malaysian crewmen kidnapped by suspected Filipino militants
Eight gunmen on board a speed boat took the Malaysians from their tug boat. The attackers are believed to belong to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.

By: The Associated Press, Published on Sat Apr 02 2016

MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Suspected Filipino Muslim militants seized four Malaysian crewmen of a tugboat in the second such attack at sea in recent weeks, sparking a new security alarm, officials said Saturday.

Eight gunmen on board a speed boat took the Malaysians from the MV Massive 6 Friday night but left behind five other crewmen from Burma and Indonesia as the tugboat sailed to Tawau island in Malaysia’s eastern state of Sabah from the Philippines, Malaysian officials said.

The tugboat owner managed to establish contact with the remaining crewmen, who reported that they had been robbed and that four Malaysian colleagues had been kidnapped. The tugboat continued its voyage to Tawau with a security vessel escorting it after the attack, the officials said.

(...SNIPPED)

Yahoo News Singapore

Gunmen kidnap four Indonesian sailors off Malaysia

Gunmen have abducted four Indonesian sailors and shot and wounded one crew member on the high seas off the east coast of Malaysia's Sabah state, waters where Abu Sayyaf militants are known to operate, a senior police official said Saturday.

If the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf is confirmed to be behind the kidnapping off Borneo, it would be their third such hostage-taking in as many weeks and comes amid a surge in such attacks.

"The incident happened late Friday in international waters. Four Indonesian seamen were abducted by the kidnappers. One man was shot and is being treated at a hospital," Sabah police chief Abdul Rashid Harun told AFP.

On April 1, four Malaysian sailors were kidnapped from a ship near Sabah's Ligitan island. It is still unconfirmed who was responsible.

Several days earlier 10 Indonesian sailors were kidnapped in waters off the southern Philippines, with initial information indicating they may have been taken by an Abu Sayyaf faction to Sulu, a remote southern island that is a hideout of the militant outfit.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I could see this being a area of operations for our AOP's in the near future

LAGOS, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Pirates are stepping up attacks on ships in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, defying regional navies. On Saturday, pirates off Nigeria kidnapped 15 sailors from a Turkish container ship and killed one.

Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea kidnapped 130 seafarers in 22 separate incidents last year, accounting for all but five of those seized at sea worldwide.

Why Piracy is Surging in the Gulf of Guinea -EXPLAINER

By Libby George LAGOS, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Pirates are stepping up attacks on ships in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, defying regional navies. On Saturday, pirates off Nigeria kidnapped...

gcaptain.com

 

[CBH99]

Literally what the LCS could have excelled at...

 

[Weinie]

Litorally what the LCS could have excelled at.....

FTFY

 

[FJAG]

I'm of the view that we'd be better served by a mother ship, of some type, with a small group of these as patrol craft:

Skjold-class corvette

Speed:

In sea state 3: 45 knots (83 km/h)[3] In sea state 5: >25 knots (46 km/h)[3] In calm sea: >60 knots (110 km/h) (classified)

Range:	800 nmi (1,500 km) at 40 knots (74 km/h)[1]
Complement:	15–16
Sensors and processing systems:	Thales MRR-3D-NG air/surface radar Saab Ceros 200 FC CS-3701 electronic warfare suite Sagem Vigy 20 electro-optical sensor

Armament:

8 × Kongsberg Naval Strike Missile SSMs, kept in an internal weapons bay 1 × 76mm Otobreda Super Rapid multi-role cannon 2 × 12.7mm Browning M2HB HMGs Mistral SAMs Protector (RWS) (Sea Protector)

In fact why doesn't our Navy have something like this? - you could probably run a dozen of them for the cost of one CSC.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

I'm of the view that we'd be better served by a mother ship, of some type, with a small group of these as patrol craft:

Skjold-class corvette




In fact why doesn't our Navy have something like this? - you could probably run a dozen of them for the cost of one CSC.

The range is terrible, we would get as far as the West Coast Firing Area then have to turn around and head right back to Victoria for Fuel.

These ships would be of very little use to us. We wouldn't be able to take them anywhere and the places we could take them, well we wouldn't need weapons so we may as well just give them to the RCMP or Coast Guard.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

French solution to the issue https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...rder-for-six-new-pom-offshore-patrol-vessels/

 

[FJAG]

The range is terrible, we would get as far as the West Coast Firing Area then have to turn around and head right back to Victoria for Fuel.

These ships would be of very little use to us. We wouldn't be able to take them anywhere and the places we could take them, well we wouldn't need weapons so we may as well just give them to the RCMP or Coast Guard.

That's why I suggest a small flotilla supported/controlled by a mother ship that could also provide helicopter cover and anti-submarine capabilities. The original thread dealt with piracy in the Gulf of Guinea - one could operate similarly off Somalia.

Caveat - I'm not a sailor but like large numbers of small fast boats with minimal crews but carrying a good array of weaponry. I'm starting to believe that the larger the vessel the bigger the target. Don't like keeping all the eggs in one basket.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

And we could fund the patrol by making a TV show about it

 

[CBH99]

Shame we can't just sent some ships in for a turkey shoot, aka Sink-Ex. Solve the piracy problem in about 2 days, tops.

I realize that a lot of the small boats used for piracy are also used for fishing, sigh...never a simple solution, is there?

 

[Halifax Tar]

Q Ships are the answer in my books. Send a few out and blast the buggers as they approach!

Q-ship - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[MilEME09]

Shame we can't just sent some ships in for a turkey shoot, aka Sink-Ex. Solve the piracy problem in about 2 days, tops.

I realize that a lot of the small boats used for piracy are also used for fishing, sigh...never a simple solution, is there?

I dont know, people may turn away if piracy means loosing their livelihood

 

[daftandbarmy]

A more entrepreneurial military force commander would negotiate 'contracts', and other mutually beneficial agreements, with the locals to ensure the safe passage of their vessels and the merchantmen under their care, of course.

See: 'Gurkhas' for more information on how make this work in a land based context