23.12.12

Iceberg 1: PMPF retakes ship as pirates flee



In a siege that lasted nearly two weeks, forces of Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region raided a hijacked ship Sunday and safely rescued 22 hostages who had been held captive for nearly three years, authorities said.
The Puntland government said their forces captured the Panama-flagged MV Iceberg 1, which was docked near the Gara'ad coastal village in Mudung region.
Hassan Abdi, a pirate commander, who was in touch with the ship's hijackers, said eight pirates on board the vessel were able to escape as Puntland soldiers closed in.
"None of us has been harmed," Abdi said. Puntland authorities said they had laid siege to the MV Iceberg 1 on Dec. 10.

[December 12
A  hostage rescue attempt failed of  MV Iceberg 1, being held hostage by Somali pirates for almost 3 years.  
Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) clashed with pirates  attempting to transport weapons and ammunition to the pirates on board the Iceberg 1 vessel, resulting in 3 pirates killed and 3 other pirates captured.




[March 29 2011]








Panama Flagged, Iceberg 1 is a Roll on Roll Off vessel with deadweight of 4500 tonnes. The vessel, with a crew of 24 and carrying a mixed cargo of general mechanical equipment, was bound for Jebel Ali in the UAE when hijacked. The crew consist of persons from Yemen, India, Ghana, Sudan, Pakistan and the Philipines.

Reports have been received by EU NAVFOR that the MV Iceberg 1 has been hijacked 10 nautical miles off the port of Aden, Yemen, outside the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).
The last contact with the vessel was the master stating to his owner that pirates were onboard. The vessel appears to be heading towards the Somali coast. EU NAVFOR units are monitoring the situation.


Iceberg I (12-2007)
IMO: 7429102
according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence is associated with Azal Shipping & Trading of Dubai.
Azal Contracting & Oil Services Corp. is a private firm with many activities specialized in different field of services and investment . AZAL utilizes both its assets and resources efficiently and takes full and early advantages of technical advances and markets needs. Our philosophy is based on blending individuals to form strategic partnerships with multinational corporations.. The ISO 9002 accreditation is a clear signal to our valued clients that Azal Blue Bell Shipping provides a consistently reliable quality services.

6.12.12

Lady Rasha: Iran/Syria MMSI switching?

Lady Rasha


Millionaire



At least three Iranian oil tankers are transmitting such false signals, effectively taking over the identity of Syrian-owned vessels travelling between Syria, Libya and Turkey.

All the vessels in question were registered in Tanzania.

Iranian oil tanker Millionaire sent messages that doubled over a voyage made by a Syrian-owned ship, the Lady Rasha.   Iranian oil tanker Pioneer were mixed up with a Tanzania-flagged cargo ship called the Talavera, recently renamed Chief Ahmed, and travelling from the Mediterranean into the Red Sea.   A day after the Millionaire's MMSI changed, the Lady Rasha left Libya and arrived in Syria on October 26, the Tartous port authority said, where it unloaded cattle and crates, the contents of which the Syrian port authority said were not known.

The Lady Rasha is owned by ISM Group, according to the Syrian port authority at Tartous, a firm that came under the spotlight after Lebanon seized one of its ships with three containers filled with weapons earlier this year, including explosives with labels indicating their origin as Libya.
Millionaire
Ship Type: Crude oil tanker
Year Built: 2008
Length x Breadth: 333 m X 60 m
Gross Tonnage: 163660, DeadWeight: 317356 t
Speed recorded  (Max / Average): 15.4 / 15.4 knots
Flag: Tanzania [TZ]
Call Sign: 5IM407
IMO: 9357391, MMSI: 677030700
Lady Rasha
Vessel's Details
Ship Type: Support vessel
Year Built: 2010
Length x Breadth: 0 m X 0 m
Gross Tonnage: 200, DeadWeight: 0 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 7.4 / 6.2 knots
Flag: Comoros [KM]
Call Sign: D6FW7
IMO: 9506679, MMSI: 616970000






1.12.12

Gemini: four South Korean sailors ransomed





"The four Korean crew members of the MT Gemini have been released," the Korean Foreign
Ministry said in a statement, adding the sailors were being taken to safety aboard a South Korean navy ship.
The release followed an agreement between Singapore firm Glory Ship Management which owns the MT Gemini and the pirates, it said without elaboration.   The foreign ministry official as saying that the ministry had assisted in ransom talks between the boat's owner and the pirates, but declined to say how much had been paid for their release.


[December 2 '11]

The product: tanker with 28,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil pays 6 million ransom.
The actual pirates, from the Sacad (Hawiye) clan claim to have received $4 million plus, others, including commander Mohamed Garfanje, presumably took the rest. The original demand was for $5 million. Four Korean crewmen are being held as hostages for pirates killed by South Korea in retaking the supertanker Samho Dream in April. $4.00 million is the demand.
Captain Pak Hyeon of the South Korean-managed, Singapore-flag hijacked Gemini IMO: 8412352 is among the Koreans being held.

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