On Sunday the Jordanian vessel that was taken by Somalian pirates was released. There have not been any details regarding the terms of the release, only that Somalian soldiers were aboard and the ship would make port in Mogadishu. The ship was previously described as an aid ship, and there were also claims of weapons aboard, however it is difficult to piece the story together without more details.
The pattern we have observed this year is that as one boat is released, it doesn't take long before the pirates off Somalia strike again, and predictably news broke yesterday the pirates had captured the Dutch ship MV Amiya Scan that had recently departed Kenya. Negotiations are underway.
A Dutch shipping company negotiated with Somali pirates Tuesday, seeking the release of nine crew members on a freighter that was hijacked in the latest attack on merchant shipping off the coast of Somalia.This is the second Dutch ship captured in a year with Russian crew members, and with recent news that the Russian Navy is stirring, questions are being asked in Russia about what the Russian Navy intends to do about piracy. Today Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo responded. Translation from the Russian Navy Blog.
Lars Walder, spokesman for the ship's owner Reider Shipping BV, said his company is in contact with the hijackers and "as far as we know none of the crew has been injured or worse."
The crew were four Russians and five Filipinos, he said.
"Coordination of naval fores in the zones where pirates are confirmed to operate will help to partially resolve this problem. Russia's Navy has actively participated in exerciese which have dealt, partially, with the issue of piracy in the last couple of years," [Navy spokesman Igor'] Dygalo said.Last week all the discussion surrounding the Russian Fleet plans, and in particular the expectations of upcoming operations, had several observers asking what would the Russian Navy do? Based on the Russian media reporting and discussions on Russian forums, we got the impression Russia has every intention to integrate with international partners in providing safety and security, and based on some of the comments we observed they did not intend to shy away from the trouble spots.
"The fact of pirate attacks on Russian and foreign ships confirms the correctness of the course taken by the military decision makers in the Russian Federation and the General Staff of the Navy to renew the presence of Russian warships in all areas of the world ocean, especially in regions of intense fishing and shipping activity."
Eagle1 posted on this issue earlier tonight as well, and his comment sounds right to us.
This may not be a good time to be going into the pirate business.We agree completely. The Russian Navy has a chip on its shoulder, with money to burn and ship condition steadily improving throughout the fleet, a consistent presence of a Russian warship off the Horn of Africa is starting to look like a very likely scenario in the near future.
This kind of low intensity, real world operational scenario is exactly what the Russian Navy needs right now for rebuilding the fleets training and morale, much less national pride. We expect Russia to take full advantage and start rotating a ship once the UN works out the rules of engagement.
In the 90s some cold warriors I know half expected the Russians and the US to fight side by side on the same battlefield. It didn't turn out that way, but in the very near future the US Navy and Russian Navy could be operating side by side in mutual cooperation trying to put down the rise in piracy off Africa. It isn't as sexy as tank divisions rolling together as allies in some distant desert, but the mutual interest in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean is an interesting starting place for better military relations between old rivals.
Photo: Ionian Sea, 15 February 2006: The British destroyer HMS Nottingham and the Russian cruiser Moskva during training activities conducted to help prepare Russian Navy crews for participation in Operation Active Endeavour
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