New Issue of Soundings magazine

The November 2008 issue of Soundings has an article that compares various trailer locks, motor locks, etc. Very good for the protection of your trailerable vessel, and also applicable to your dinghy stored on deck, while at anchor.

Check back often for more yacht and small craft security news and tips.

Course correction for the sites

All readers,
Lately I have been reporting a bit on the larger maritime and shipping security world.
I have found a nice site that does it well - http://www.maritimeterrorism.com.

I will shift my focus back to the areas that we here at Maritime Vital Asset Protection and the folks at Phantom Services do best - helping civilian yachtsmen and cruisers keep themselves and their vessels safe.

Drop me a line, let me know what you think.

New Links as of 06 Oct 2008

International community against piracy
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27020496/


AfterAirportStopKevinMitnickSharesTravelTips.html - because security isn't just about guns and pirates - it can also be about protecting personal information (opsec)
http://www.securitypronews.com/news/securitynews/spn-45-20081001

For a lighter side of things, for those a bit down these days...
http://www.strayreality.com/songmer1.htm

Somalia Piracy Update

More news from the Horn of Africa region, this time from YachtPals.

http://www.yachtpals.com/piracy-yachts-3072

East Africa - Strange happenings in both Somalia and Kenya this past week, and while they don't all have something directly to do with yachts, they do affect all vessels near the horn of Africa. The battle for safe transit of the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast has gotten a lot hotter, and many speculate this will not end quickly or well. However, with the recent arrest of a prominent African maritime official, there are fewer left to say anything at all.

First off, Somali pirates were reported as saying that they would kill every European on every vessel they seized, until the pirates captured on the yachts Carre D'as IV, and Le Ponant were returned. These pirates are incarcerated and awaiting trial in Paris, and were captured while escaping on foot from the Le Ponant ransom operation, and on board the Carre D'as IV.

Following this, a Ukrainian ship loaded with 33 Russian T-72 tanks, spare parts, ammo and small arms was captured by pirates, and held for an initial ransom of $35,000,000. After a US warship blockaded the freighter, the price went down to $20,000,000, and is currently dwindling below $5 million. Where were the tanks heading? Good question! Initial reports were that they were headed to Kenya, However, Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP) stated that the arms were actually going to the Sudan.

Then, Mwangura was arrested, and tossed in jail in Kenya, as what he said about the whole Sudan arms sale was considered "making an alarming statement," which is actually against the law in Kenya. The East African SAP basically doesn't exist without Andrew, who provides information to mariners about the region, and particularly about piracy along the Somali coast and Gulf of Aden. He has been an important contact in Africa for YachtPals, most recently trading information about the Carre D'as IV, and we hope that Andrew Mwangura is not being held for speaking the truth, nor for simply speaking his mind.

Finally, while this has been going on, Somalia publicly - if not, some say, necessarily completely officially - gave the green light for foreign contries to come and clean up the mess along the Somali coast. Of course, this was from the provisional government of Somalia, not to be confused with the semi-autonomous regional government of Puntland (where most of the Pirates are), nor the semi-autonomous regional government of Somaliland, neither of which respect the provisional government of Somalia. Then, of course, there's the dozens of warlords with their own loyalties...

- YachtPals Crew exclusively for YachtPals.com

Read more about:

• Piracy (all articles about piracy)
• Piracy Somalia (all articles about piracy in Somalia)
• Le Ponant Yacht - French Hostages
  
• Playa de Bakio - Pirates Attack Boat in Somalia
• German Hostages kept by Pirates in Somalia
• Somalia Piracy Out of Control
• Pirates Kidnap French Yacht Crew (original article about the pirate attack on the yacht Carré d'As IV)
• Somalia Pirates - French Hostages Phone Home
• Captured Yacht Carre D'as IV Decoy for Somalian Pirates?
• French Attack Somalian Pirates - Carra D'as IV Hostages Free

Submitted By YachtPals on 03 Oct

Piracy report from UKMTO for Gulf of Aden

http://www.noonsite.com/Members/sue/R2008-10-02-3/view

There continues to be Piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden and once again on the East Coast of Somalia.

In the Gulf of Aden there appears to be targeting of vessels being carried out around position 13 30N 050 04E. All vessels should be extra vigilant when transiting within a 10nm radius of this position.

In recent attacks Pirates have played music on Ch.16 to try to jam the channel and stop vessels contacting the coalition warships.

A Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) has been established to provide a route through the Gulf of Aden which will be patrolled by Combined Task Force (CTF) 150.

Whilst it cannot guarantee that attacks will not happen, it is hoped that 150 assets will be able to respond faster to any attacks and the patrols will act as a deterrent.

Coordinates of the Security Corridor in the Gulf of Aden are as follows

Waypoint: 12 15N 045E
Waypoint: 12 35N 045E
Waypoint: 13 35N 049E
Waypoint: 13 40N 049E
Waypoint: 14 10N 050E
Waypoint: 14 15N 050E
Waypoint: 14 35N 053E
Waypoint: 14 45N 053E

Since the inception of the MSPA, CTF 150 has helped deter more than a dozen attacks in the Gulf of Aden (per 22 Sep 08 reporting). However, criminals have still successfully targeted several vessels in the region.

The MSPA was established on August 22, 2008 in support of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) call for international assistance to discourage attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden. The MSPA is a geographic area in the Gulf of Aden utilized by Combined Maritime Forces to focus their efforts against de-stabilizing activities. Coalition forces patrol the MSPA, which is not marked or defined by visual navigational means, on a routine basis.

"Coalition maritime efforts will give the IMO time to work international efforts that will ultimately lead to a long-term solution," said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, Commander, Combined Maritime Forces. "This is a problem that starts ashore and requires an international solution. We made this clear at the outset - our efforts cannot guarantee safety in the region. Our part in preventing some of these destabilizing activities is only one part of the solution to preventing further attacks."

All vessels off the coast of Somalia and transiting the Gulf of Aden are advised to maintain a strict 24 hrs anti-piracy visual watch and radar watch and should not hesitate to activate GMDSS, in addition to calling for assistance on VHF, if the vessel comes under threat.