“Red Sea Spirit was taken by gunmen off the Yemeni coast last Thursday.
She is flying the Panama flag,” said Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of
the Kenya-based East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme. “She is a
Greek-owned bulk carrier.” News of the seizure only emerged on
Saturday, he said.

Somali pirates have continued to defy
foreign navies patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa and are
holding at least 13 vessels and more than 200 crew.

There was
a pause in hijackings during monsoon rains, but the sea gangs have
stepped up attacks in the past two months, extending their range to as
far as the Seychelles, to evade the naval vessels.

Piracy
attacks around the world numbered 324 during the year to Oct. 20,
according to figures from the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s
Piracy Reporting Centre.

Attacks by Somali pirates in the Gulf
of Aden and the east coast of Somalia, numbered 174, with 35 vessels
hijacked and 587 crew taken hostage.

Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.

”Investigators have ascertained that the suspects, acting as an organized group, with the view of realizing one criminal intent, aimed at the capture of property – the Arctic Sea bulk carrier and its cargo – in accordance with the assigned roles and a plan, having procured weapons for suppressing the resistance by the crew of the bulk carrier, and having prepared masks, and black clothes sporting the word POLICE and a small inflatable boat, attacked and seized the Arctic Sea bulk carrier with a load of timber in the open sea outside the jurisdiction of any state on July 24”, spokesman Vladimir Markin told Itar-Tass (source: www.shipgaz.com).

]]> http://www.thinkmaritime.com/2009/08/29/arctic-sea-eight-charged-with-piracy-and-kidnapping/feed/ 0 http://www.thinkmaritime.com/2009/08/18/shipping-news-video/ http://www.thinkmaritime.com/2009/08/18/shipping-news-video/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:25:06 +0000 admin http://www.thinkmaritime.com/?p=1010

A Russian naval vessel reached the Arctic Sea late Sunday in waters near Cape Verde, thousands of miles (kilometers) from the Algerian port it was to have docked at on Aug. 4. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said Tuesday that eight suspected hijackers were in custody.

It was the first official confirmation that the ship had been attacked, after weeks of rumors and clues about why the vessel might have disappeared.

The Maritime Authority in Malta, where the Russian-crewed ship is registered, said in a statement late Tuesday that “The movements of the MV Arctic Sea were always known for several days, notwithstanding reports that the ship had ‘disappeared.’”

Authorities in Finland, Malta and Sweden had agreed “not to disclose any sensitive information in order not to jeopardize the life and safety of the persons on board and the integrity of the ship,” the statement said.

The ship left the Finnish port of Pietarsaari with a load of timber on July 21. More than a week later, Swedish police said they were investigating a report that masked men had raided the ship and beaten the crew near the Swedish island of Gotland before speeding off 12 hours later.

The Interfax news agency reported Tuesday that a Russian company that insured the vessel had received a ransom demand of $1.5 million on Aug. 3. Finnish investigators said a ransom demand had been made, though it was unclear to whom.

The caller “was threatening to shoot dead the crew and sink the vessel,” said Vladimir Dushin, vice president for security at the insurance company Renaissance Strakhovanie, according to Interfax.

Security and maritime experts had suggested the Arctic Sea’s mysterious four-week journey pointed to something other than piracy, with some suggesting state involvement or a secret cargo, possibly of nuclear materials.

The suspected hijackers — citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Russia — were arrested without a shot being fired, state news agencies quoted Serdyukov as saying. The ship’s 15 crew members were safe and were taken aboard by the navy for questioning.

The armed hijackers had boarded the freighter under the pretext that there was a problem with their inflatable craft, Serdyukov reportedly said. They then forced the crew to change course and turned off the Arctic Sea’s navigation equipment, he said, according to Russian news agencies.

By the time the report of the attack had emerged, the ship had already passed through the English Channel, where it made its last known radio contact on July 28. Signals from the ship’s tracking device were picked up off the French coast late the next day, but that was the last confirmed trace of it until Monday.

The ship’s signal going dead coincided with news of the reported attack.

Experts and officials across Europe said the saga of the missing 98-meter (320-foot) freighter was perplexing.

“The whole thing has been sniffy from start to finish,” said David Osler, a maritime journalist at Lloyd’s List in London.

Mikhail Voitenko, the editor of the online Maritime Bulletin-Sovfracht, said he had spoken with some of the Arctic Sea’s sailors and was more puzzled than ever.

“The vessel had all the necessary modern means of communication and emergency alarms, and was located in waters where regular mobile telephones work,” he said at a news conference. “To hijack the vessel so that no one makes a peep — not one alarm goes off — can you imagine how that could be? I can’t.”

Voitenko, whose company Sovfracht specializes in anti-piracy security consulting, said the hijacking was beyond the means of ordinary pirates.

“The operation cost more than the cargo and ship combined,” he said.

The 18-year-old freighter had a cargo of timber that Finnish wood supplier Rets Timber said was worth euro1.3 million ($1.8 million).

Port officials in Pietarsaari confirmed the timber was on board before the Arctic Sea left and said no radiation had been detected on board.

Voitenko said he suspected the freighter was carrying an undeclared cargo and that state interests were involved. He refused to elaborate.

Prominent analyst Yulia Latynina also said she believed the ship had a secret cargo, and noted that before setting sail the freighter was in the Russian port of Kaliningrad for repairs. Latynina, writing in the online Yezhednevny Zhurnal, said she suspected the involvement of special services.

She and others have reported widespread speculation that the Arctic Sea was smuggling nuclear materials.

British maritime security expert Nick Davis said he considered state involvement to be far-fetched and predicted it would turn out to be “a straightforward case of criminals trying to extort money out of an owner.”

Swedish police were still investigating. Police spokeswoman Ylva Voxby said they had received pictures of the crew’s injuries from the Arctic Sea’s operator, which had received the pictures from the ship by e-mail.

Voxby also said Swedish police still haven’t received any witness reports confirming that an inflatable boat approached the freighter in the Baltic Sea. However, police have confirmed through radar pictures and other vessels in the area that the Arctic Sea made strange movements at the time of the alleged hijacking.

Davis, of the Merchant Maritime Warfare Centre, said the full story may never be known, in part because the Russian government has been playing it down.

The government initially appeared reluctant to take action, and only sent the navy to search on Aug. 12 after relatives of the crew publicly appealed for help in finding the missing ship.

The Arctic Sea, which flies under a Maltese flag, is operated by the Finnish company Solchart, which has Russian management and a sister company providing technical support in the Russian city of Arkhangelsk, the home of all 15 crew members (source: Associated Press).

Middle East Money & Ships to examine financial challenges and investment opportunities in regional shipping industry

The financial challenge faced by the regional shipping industry in the global economic slowdown is to be examined at Middle East Money & Ships, the region’s premier networking event for senior executives from the maritime and finance sectors.

The conference from 7-8 October 2009 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai, UAE, will assess the regional appetite for investment in shipping, the likely pattern for recovery, where the money will come from as well as providing a realistic assessment of the current order book.

A special session on financing the industry will be chaired by Marcus Machin, Director of Tufton Oceanic (Middle East), a fund management firm for the maritime and energy related sectors with offices in London, Isle of Man, Dubai, Cyprus, Hong Kong and Singapore.

“For a capital intensive industry such as shipping, developments in the international capital markets have direct and immediate relevance as has been demonstrated through the extreme volatility of recent market cycles across all sectors of the shipping market,” he said.

“Forums such as Middle East Money and Ships provide a valuable opportunity for the exchange of information and ideas amongst all market participants in relation to the biggest continued challenge of the shipping industry – that of attracting institutional investment capital.

“For investors shipping has always provided cyclical investment opportunities which – though not for the faint hearted – have on occasion provided exceptional returns. As a barometer of the international economy, marine sector assets have been more widely accepted as an asset class in recent years than ever before.

“Arising from the rapidly changing dynamics of the shipping market, for institutions based in the Middle East, which traditionally have not had wide exposure to international shipping, there is a strong argument to invest in the liquid, US dollar based, and international shipping sector.”

Richard Coxall, Chief Financial Officer of Abu Dhabi owned Emirates Ship Investment Company which operates a fleet of bulk carriers and product tankers, sees the need for more transparency and higher levels of equity as crucial issues for the regional industry.  “The how much, where from and what costs questions in the context of capital for finance need to be answered,” said Coxall, who will also be speaking in the debate.

“The regional maritime industry has witnessed great changes and never more so than in today’s financial climate,” said Christopher Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade, the conference organisers. “All market conditions provide opportunities for those who really want to find them and we will explore the potential for growth and development of the sector.”

The 2009 Seatrade Middle East & Indian Subcontinent annual regional awards, recognising maritime safety and environment, ship and port operations and security, plus port and shipping business efficiency, will follow this year’s Money & Ships conference. The award’s Gala Presentation Dinner will be staged at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, on the night of Thursday 8 October 2009. This high level event is expected to be attended by around 800 senior executives from the region’s maritime industry.

For more details about the conference, please visit: www.moneyandships.com

For more about the Seatrade Middle East & Indian Subcontinent Awards, visit www.seatrade-middleeast.com/awards

-ends-

Machin picture caption:

“As a barometer of the international economy, marine sector assets have been more widely accepted…in recent years than ever before,” says by Marcus Machin, Director of Tufton Oceanic (Middle East), who will be chairing a debate on finance at the Middle East Money & Ships conference in October.

General picture caption:

The financial challenge faced by the regional shipping industry is to be examined at Middle East Money & Ships, the region’s premier networking event for senior executives from the maritime and finance sectors.

About Seatrade

Seatrade is among the shipping world’s most respected brands, specialising in publications, events, management training, awards schemes and websites covering all aspects of maritime activity. In 2004 Seatrade Middle East opened in Dubai emphasising the company’s commitment to the region. Seatrade is also involved in the organisation of the Seatrade Academy management training courses for shipping professionals, in association with the Cambridge Academy of Transport. For more information about Seatrade’s evolving portfolio of publications and events, visit www.seatrade-global.com

Media contact

Chris Mullinger
Shamal Marketing Communications
Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates
Tel.: +9714 365 2711
Cell: +9715 0658 5843
E-mail: chris@smc-pr.com

MaritimeJobSearch.com | Shipping, Transportation, and Engineering Jobs

The seagoing recruitment division has been established due to the high demand for this type of service from Faststream’s shipping clients. Headquartered in Faststream’s North East base in Massachusetts, the seagoing division will also operate through Faststream’s other US regional headquarters in Fort Lauderdale and Houston.

The division has already been launched in Faststream’s global headquarters in the UK. Planned future expansion will see this business area span across other Faststream operations in the Asia-Pacific and Scandinavia.

Heather Twiss will be heading up the seagoing division throughout The Americas. Heather was the former Director of Career Services at Massachusetts Maritime Academy where she provided career guidance and placement opportunities to both cadets and alumni in both seagoing and shore-side maritime employment opportunities. She is also a graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy and has sailed on seismic vessels.

Mark Charman, Group CEO and Founder said:

“This is an exciting chapter in Faststream’s development. Although this is our first planned step into the seagoing market we’re certainly not wet behind the ears. We are shipping people through and through and our specialist consultants hold a wealth of knowledge of the shipping industry in its entirety”.

“Our business is based around supply and demand. Our clients have a huge demand for seagoing staff. The quantity of enquiries we’ve received about providing seagoing recruitment over the years had reached a level where launching a stand alone seagoing division was a must”.

“From what we hear, the seagoing market lacks a quality recruitment model. Industry knowledge is all very well but it’s critical that this is combined with best recruitment practice and Faststream are in a perfect position to provide both” (source: www.faststream.us).

http://www.sweship.se/Files/PDFDokument/TransportStrategy2009.pdf

International Niche Job Board Invites Employers and Recruiters To Post Jobs For FREE!!!

Chicago, Illinois, January 31, 2009 – MaritimeJobSearch.com, an international niche job board for the Shipping, Transportation, and Engineering industry, is celebrating its one year anniversary and is providing free job postings. The site www.MaritimeJobSearch.com has been up and running for one year and has positioned itself as a global niche job board for maritime, offshore, and port jobs to be reckoned with.

“MaritimeJobSearch.com started as a hobby project and has grown to an international job board with a quality resume database of nearly 4,000 job seekers in the last year”, indicated Dirk Meuzelaar, Interactive Project Manager at Maritime Job Search. The website www.MaritimeJobSearch.com is receiving much praise for its design and high level of usability “I have to say it is very easy to use and thank you for loading our logo into the Halcyon profile. I am very impressed”, says Heidi Heseltine of Halcyon Recruitment. “I found the usability of the site very good. It is pretty user friendly”, says Charlotte Bollu of KeyPower Consultants.

For additional information about MaritimeJobSearch.com or to start your free job posting trial until 3/31/2009, contact Dirk Meuzelaar.

“Excellent! I found your site very easy to use to post our job. Thanks for offering this opportunity to companies such as ours”, Carolyn Macina of Young Brothers, Ltd.

About MaritimeJobSearch.com

MaritimeJobSearch.com is an international niche job board for the Shipping, Transportation, and Engineering industry. There is the ability to add video and keywords to your company profile and job postings for search engine optimization. In addition, employers and recruiters may gain access and receive daily resume alerts from the resume database with almost 4,000 job seekers.

Information about your apprenticeships/internships can be added to your company profile for FREE. To increase your exposure, all your job postings with MaritimeJobSearch.com are distributed to all major job boards around the world like BaseGoogle.com, Indeed.com, SimplyHired.com, CareerJet.com, JobRapido.com, Recruit.net, etc.

All services for job seekers are FREE. This includes searching and responding to jobs, uploading video and resumes, and receiving daily job alerts.

Overall, MaritimeJobSearch.com is an effective, usable, and well designed site that will fulfill all your needs.

Contact Information

Dirk Meuzelaar | Interactive Project Manager
MaritimeJobSearch.com
200 S. Wacker Drive – 15th Floor
Phone: 312.924.1020
Fax: 413.513.5697
Email: dirk@maritimejobsearch.com

www.MaritimeJobSearch.com | Shipping, Transportation, and Engineering Jobs