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.

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

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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Baikal: Iranian-owned tanker departs Greece

Greek coast guard vessels were on November 28 searching for an Iranian tanker that disappeared after being refused a request to refuel off the island of Syros as it was suspected that the vessel was carrying Iranian oil in contravention of a European Union ban.
The Tanzanian-flagged Baikal, part of top Iranian tanker operator NITC’s fleet, approached Syros on November 27  in order to refuel but officials from local company Sekavin refused after they, along with customs officers, checked the documents accompanying the shipment of 146,000 tons of crude oil. The documents did not detail who would be the recipient of the fuel.
“We conducted an initial investigation in order not to break the law. In the end, we did not provide them with any fuel because it would be against the rules,” a Sekavin official told Reuters. “Regardless of its flag, the ship represents Iranian interests.”
Sources said that at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, the Baikal set sail from Syros and 17 minutes later, when it was heading toward Myconos, the vessel’s Automatic Identification System was switched off.
Customs officials on Syros notified the Financial Crimes Squad (SDOE), which does not have a vessel that can be used to track down suspects. As a result, the coast guard was called in. Authorities suspect that the Baikal was delivering the oil to a customer in Greece or the Balkans in contravention of an EU embargo.

Alias: Iranian dry cargo ship deregistered w/18 more

MV Alias

Iranian owners of five dry cargo ships are taking steps to deregister the vessels in Hong Kong just days after the Marine Department sent a letter to owners of 19 Iranian ships asking them to register their vessels elsewhere.The owners who were sent the letters included Eternal Expert, which is the registered owner of the Alias, a 43,309 deadweight tonne handysize dry cargo ship.

Eternal Expert operates through Tehran-based Rahbaran Omid Darya Ship Management, which also manages 15 other Hong Kong-flagged ships. All are handysize vessels, specialising in carrying minor bulk cargoes such as fertilisers, ores and timber, and were built between 1984 and 1986.

The company and several key executives were the subject of tough restrictions imposed by the United States Treasury Department and European Union in October and December last year as part of wider sanctions against Iran.

US and European governments alleged the company was a front for Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, which has been accused of being involved in the shipment of components of weapons of mass destruction.

Vessel Identification

Name: Alias
IMO: 8309608
Flag: Hong Kong (china)
MMSI: 477093400
Callsign: VREB2
Former name(s):
- Devotee (not Yet Confirmed)
- Iran Kashani (not Yet Confirmed)

Technical Data
Vessel type: Bulk Carrier
Gross tonnage: 25,768 tons
Summer DWT: 43,309 tons
Length: 189 m
Beam:

West Delta 32: shallow water rig fire

 West Delta 32 platform went up in flames, with reports that two are dead, four have been airlifted out, and two are missing.

Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, LLC engages in the acquisition, exploitation and development of oil and natural gas properties. The company has producing assets located offshore in U.S. federal waters, and Louisiana and Texas state waters in the Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2011, it held an aggregate net interest in approximately 293,400 net acres under lease, as well as had an interest in 1,222 gross wells. The company also had estimated total proved oil, natural gas, and NGL reserves of 45.2 MMBoe; and estimated net proved oil, natural gas, and NGL undeveloped reserves of 19.5 MMBoe. Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, LLC sells its natural gas and oil to marketing companies...

Moldova Ship Registry: new restrictions eyed

Begonia

Presently more than 400 merchant vessels are registered under Moldova flag. The Prime Minister of Moldova requested organizations to audit the existing fleet, three auditing companies from  Greece, Panama and the UK are to be employed for the task.   Moldova government is considering a new law regulating the Moldova Flag Registry, all the new applicants are to be approved by Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Moldova flag is a known and popular flag of convenience.

 Begonia, which is managed by Tehran-based Soroush Sarzamin Ship Management Co., received a Moldovan flag in June. The Begonia has changed names and flags three times in four years,

BEGONIA (f.k.a. IRAN PRETTY SEA (KHUZESTAN); f.k.a. LAVENDER; f.k.a. PRETTY SEA) General Cargo 23,116DWT 16,694GRT Barbados flag (IRISL); Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9167277 (Barbados) (vessel) [NPWMD]. -to- BEGONIA (f.k.a. IRAN PRETTY SEA (KHUZESTAN); f.k.a. LAVENDER; f.k.a. PRETTY SEA) General Cargo 23,116DWT 16,694GRT Moldova flag (IRISL); Vessel Registration Identification IMO 9167277 (Moldova) (vessel) [NPWMD].