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.

Prem Divya: unladen tanker explodes at Fujairah

There were three blasts, December 29, - boom, boom, boom - so the people were in panic. The tanker PREM DIVYA IMO 9138599, had arrived in Fujairah on December 27 for 10 days of "operational care". Workers from local firms had come to check the pipes and do welding in the engine room and other repairs and maintenance.

Ships must receive gas-free approvals before commencing any "hot work", or activities that could start a fire, such as welding, Capt Morad said. "We already got that, so what went wrong, we don't know. Any tanker that has gas in it should be made free of gas before any welding or hot work takes place."

Soon after the explosion late on Thursday afternoon many of the men on board leapt into the water. Neighbouring ships and the coastguard arrived to help them to safety, and the port authorities sent a crew to put out the fire. Empty oil tankers are susceptible to having residual flammable gas on board - even more so than on full tankers, where the gas has less area in which to expand. read
more

Iceberg 1: released or not?

Has Iceberg 1 been released? AP has retracted its notice
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.

Rak Afrikana: released - $7 million ransom maybe

Rak Africana, IMO 8200553, 1981 ransomed and released. owned by Rak Afrikana Shipping Ltd, United Arab Emirates and managed by Al Sinbad Shipping & Marine, UAE, Zambezi Shipping Agency LLC UAE. Vessel changed owners 8 times
Rak International company, which owns the ship handed over the ransom amount on March 8. The pirates, numbering about 25, were demanding a ransom of $7 million. “Negotiations were going on all these days and they might have reduced the amount little bit, Yesterday the authorities who had flown in a chartered flight dropped the bundle of notes covered with a plastic bag in the sea as per the instructions of pirates, who arrived at the spot in a speed boat. It takes minimum seven to eight hours for them to count and divide the booty. The pirates accompany the ship, carrying the crew members up to the border where a ship of the Indian Navy is anchored.
back
and back

Orna: geared bulker

Pirates fired small arms and rocket propelled grenades from two attack skiffs, and at least four boarded geared bulk cargo vessel Orna IMO 8312162, dwt 27915, built 1984, flag Panama. Registered owner Sirago Shipmanagement Co.[Panama] >> Swedish Management Co.S.A., Dubai United Arab Emirates at about 1200 UTC in 01 46S 060 32E. Orna was enroute Durban South Africa - Zhangzhou approximately 400 nautical miles North East of the Seychelles.

Ship Name: ORNA
IMO: 8312162
MMSI: 370741000
Callsign: H9QV

Category: Cargo
Beam: 23
Length: 178
Draught: 11

QSM Dubai: hijacked in view of USS Cole

Panama flagged QSM Dubai, 15,220 DWT, inbound from Brazil was hijacked in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor.

QSM DUBAI IMO: 7610062
ex Empros,Tania (7/2006)


Qawareb Ship Management LLC, hereafter referred to as QSM, is a private company that was registered in Dubai, Qawareb Ship Management LLC Part of Lebanese Shipping Group established in 1902. Khaled Jamil General Manager Qawareb Ship Management LLC United Arab Emirates
A renowned and profitable freight management company, Qawareb Ship Management LLC is a prominent logistics and freight forwarding organization specializing in serving an international range of diverse clients with a need in the logistics industry. Operating in the industry since its inception 17 years ago, the Company is an independent, family-owned business from Lebanon. Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Qawareb Ship Management LLC owns and manages four, 65,000 ton bulk carriers and large general cargo ships. Providing logistic services and travel to Qatar, the Company is also under contract to international clients in South America, Africa and Europe, and provides its customers the opportunity to manage and transport their products, equipment and freight in a timely and cost efficient manner. At the current time, the Company completes all logistical management activities and functions successfully by applying the extensive skills and talents of about 55 dedicated professionals who devote their full time to Qawareb Ship Management LLC. Reputable and well-established in the marketplace, the Company experiences an annual turnover in excess of AED 6 million. Providing executive leadership and guidance and support, Mr. Jamil serves in the position of General Manager of Qawareb Ship Management LLC. A third generation professional in the freight forwarding industry, he is credited with establishing and developing the Company into what it is today - profitable and respected across industries. Furnishing the vision and motivation behind the Company's success, Mr. Jamil is an experienced business development leader with a proven track record of taking advantage of all new opportunities and pushing the envelope. Capitalizing upon more than two decades of extensive practical experience, qualifications and an astute grasp of the industry, he manages day-to-day operations and administration of all corporate resources, processes and procedural protocols.

In the early hours of 2 June it was reported by the owner of the MV QSM Dubai that a group of armed pirates had boarded the ship and taken control. USS COLE from CTF 508 (NATO) first reported that they had seen a person with an RPG on board. A coalition Maritime Patrol Aircraft was tasked to investigate the situation and reported that the ship was hijacked.

Bahamian-flagged ANL AUSTRALIA: U.S. spies

On July 22, Inspectors from the United Arab Emirates, when alerted to possible contraband in a ship bound for Iran, arrested the boxship ANL AUSTRALIA IMO 8913681, Nominal Teus 2668.
An official said.U.S. spies "played a key role" in tracking the shipment. According to shipping records, the 10 large cargo containers left the North Korean port of Nampo on May 30 on a North Korean vessel, and two days later they were transferred to a Chinese ship in the port city of Dalian, in northern China.

From there, the containers were ferried to Shanghai, where on June 13 they were moved to a third ship, the ANL Australia, a Bahamian-flagged containership.
The nature of the cargo, seized in July and described now for the first time were 2,030 detonators for 122mm rockets, as well as electric circuitry and a large quantity of solid-fuel propellant, according to an account given by UAE and U.N. Security Council officials. The materials were bought from North Korea and shipped halfway around the globe in sealed containers, labeled as oil-drilling supplies, that passed through a succession of freighters and ports. According to shipping records, the 10 large cargo containers left the North Korean port of Nampo on May 30 on a North Korean vessel, and two days later they were transferred to a Chinese ship in the port city of Dalian, in northern China.

From there, the containers were ferried to Shanghai, where on June 13 they were moved to a third ship, the ANL Australia, a Bahamian-flagged boxship owned by ANL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMA CGM, a French consortium.

Master shot dead: Pirates scared away by rescue

MV Barwaaqo attacked in Mogadishu, Somalia: "We send police when commercial ships draw near the port but the pirates were already on board and opened fire injuring one policeman but were eventually scared away by a rescue effort."

Panama-flagged BARWAAQO's Master Dead

SOMALI pirates yesterday killed a Syrian master who refused to divert from his planned course after they boarded the ship close to Mogadishu. Three crew members were also injured in a subsequent shoot-out. The Somali-owned ship Panama-flag BARWAAQO was carrying shipment from Dubai.

* Name: BARWAAQO
* MMSI: 353219000
* IMO: 7229411
Year Built: 1972
DeadWeight: 7849 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 8.2 / 5.8 knots
* Call sign: 3FTR6
* Flag: Panama


Vessel's Names Flag Call Sign Last Recorded
BARWAAQO Panama 3FTR6 2009-09-09 01:37
EAST CASTLE St Vincent Grenadines J8B2837 2009-04-05 01:31

EAST CASTLE, Varna 18-02-2006
IMO:7229411
Built:1972,Hollming Oy,Rauma, Finland
DWT:7849
RT:5492
Ivan Gorthon-81
Agios Mattheos-88
Marika-89
Blue Stone-03