-
What Is Maritime Piracy And Can You File A Claim As A Result Of It?
by Dennis M. McElwee on November 25, 2011
Maritime piracy has been a serious issue facing the global community and international industries for hundreds of years. No longer are the pirates seeking gold or treasure, though. Piracy in this decade target ships carrying oil or goods, and also crewmembers have been taken hostage. Global efforts to stem the tide of piracy have been met with ...
-
Maritime Piracy Interferes with Collection of Scientific Data
by Matthew D. Shaffer on July 15, 2011
Over the past few years, as fishing vessels, cargo ships and other types of vessels avoid any travel in the Indian Ocean because of the threat of pirate attacks, it is not just the global economy that has suffered. Collection of scientific data which has traditionally depended on the movement of vessels in these waters has also been impacted. ...
-
Conference on Somali Piracy Discusses Maritime Security, Counterterrorism
by Dennis M. McElwee on March 12, 2012
The problem of Somali piracy is a complicated one, and includes a number of issues, from socio-economic collapse to tribal rivalries that need to be taken into consideration. The British Prime Minister recently hosted an international conference on Somali piracy. The conference included representatives from more than 40 countries and internati...
-
Drop in Pirate Attacks, But Numbers Still Too High
by Dennis M. McElwee on March 21, 2012
In 2011, there was a decline in the number of pirate attacks reported across the world, including the Somali Coastline where most of these incidents occur annually. However, according to the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center, the decline has been slight, and maritime piracy lawyers must continue their concern over piracy off ...
-
Changing Pirate Tactics Challenge Maritime Industry
by Matthew D. Shaffer on December 22, 2011
The international community has intensified efforts to prevent pirate attacks, and it is not surprising to see that pirates have been changing tactics to keep pace too. Typically, pirate attacks slump during the monsoon season. However, this year, the International Maritime Bureau has issued a statement warning seamen and shipping companies of ...
-
Global Increase in Pirate Attacks as Counter Piracy Efforts Flounder
by Matthew D. Shaffer on April 29, 2011
In spite of all the attention on the maritime piracy menace and increased patrolling along the Somali coastline, there has been a record increase in pirate attacks reported from around the globe this year. According to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, there were a record 142 attacks during the fi...
-
Pirates Hijack French Oil Tanker With 17 Crewmembers
by Dennis M. McElwee on February 04, 2013
A French-owned oil tanker, reported missing with 17 crewmembers on Sunday off the Ivory Coast, is thought to have been hijacked by pirates. The suspected pirate attack is the latest in the Gulf of Guinea region. The Luxembourg-flagged tanker was reported missing after the owners lost contact with it. Its last known location was 70 nautical mile...
-
Maritime Piracy Hits Five-Year Low in 2012
by Dennis M. McElwee on January 16, 2013
Maritime piracy around the world hit a five-year low in 2012, the International Maritime Bureau said Wednesday. The agency said 297 attacks were recorded in 2012, down from 439 in 2011. Those attacks include 28 vessels hijacked, with 585 crewmembers taken hostage and six killed. The data was compiled by the group’s piracy reporting center in M...
-
IMO Looks Back at 12 Months of Progress in Combating Piracy
by Matthew D. Shaffer on February 02, 2012
The International Maritime Organization has released data to mark 12 months of battling piracy. According to the statistics, the number of vessels held captive by Somali pirate gangs has dropped from 33 ships in February to 13 at the beginning of December. Further, the number of seamen being held captive by Somali pirates has dropped from 733 in...
-
Focus on Piracy on World Maritime Day
by Matthew D. Shaffer on October 26, 2011
The international maritime community marked September 1 as World Maritime Day. This year, the focus was on eradicating piracy. According to the US Coast Guard, maritime piracy now costs the world economy between $7 billion and $12 billion a year. Staggering as those numbers are, the human costs of piracy are far greater. This World Maritime Da...
-
Piracy on the Rise, but Warships Are Thwarting Attacks
by Matthew D. Shaffer on November 10, 2011
The International Chamber Of Commerce International Maritime Bureau’s latest global piracy report has both good and bad news for maritime lawyers. The bad news is that pirate attacks continued to rise this year to record levels. The good news however, is that more and more vessels are being successful in thwarting pirate attacks. According to t...
-
India Steps Up Maritime Piracy Fight
by Dennis M. McElwee on October 08, 2012
Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony said last week that maritime piracy was a major threat to the region and that India would increase the fight against these attacks. In an address to the Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting, he stressed the need for increased regional cooperation. The meeting was attended by representatives from 18 nat...
-
NATO Ship Fires On Fishing Boat After Attack By Suspected Pirates
by Matthew D. Shaffer on October 25, 2012
A NATO ship fired at a fishing boat Wednesday off the coast of Somalia in response to attacks from shore and sea by suspected maritime pirates, officials said. The HNMlS Rotterdam, NATO’s flagship for counter-piracy operations, was preparing to inspect the smaller vessel when fighters aboard it launched their attack. The crew of the Rotterdam r...
-
Can I File A Claim Under Maritime Law?
by Dennis M. McElwee on October 25, 2011
Whether you work as a seaman, dockworker or offshore laborer, if you’ve been injured during the course of your marine industry job then you likely have rights under maritime law. Depending on your occupation, your injury claim is subject to different requirements and compensation rules. Qualified maritime lawyers can help you determine which la...
-
Repressing Maritime Piracy Under International Law
by Dennis M. McElwee on May 01, 2012
Maritime piracy has existed nearly as long as maritime shipping and commerce. Knowing a little about the history of prosecuting pirates and how international law has evolved can help a maritime lawyer in cases involving victims of this crime.Crime Against CommerceIn the past, maritime traditions quickly developed to give jurisdiction to any nati...
-
Maritime Piracy Drops Significantly In First Half Of 2012
by Dennis M. McElwee on July 17, 2012
The International Maritime Bureau on Monday reported a 54 percent drop in maritime piracy in the first six months of the year. The group attributed the decline to anti-piracy operations by international navies off Somalia, increased vigilance, and the use of armed guards by private ships. The new numbers show that 177 attacks were reported worl...
-
EU Approves New Anti-Piracy Mission
by Matthew D. Shaffer on July 18, 2012
The European Council on Monday approved launching a civilian mission to support anti-piracy efforts in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean. Maritime piracy lawyers know these waters as some of the most dangerous for pirate activity. The two-year mission, EUCAP Nestor, aims to train and equip coast guard services and improve maritime sec...
-
British Government OKs Armed Guards to Protect Ships from Pirate Attacks
by Matthew D. Shaffer on January 06, 2012
The British government has finally agreed to allow British-flagged vessels to carry armed guards to protect them from pirate attacks. Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron announced that he was allowing this measure in order to protect vessels from pirate attacks, especially off the coast of Somalia. According to the British government, no vessel th...
-
Piracy Attacks Decline In Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden
by Dennis M. McElwee on December 05, 2012
The International Maritime Bureau reported just one attempted attack by Somali pirates between July and September, a large decline from 36 in the same timeframe last year. According to Captain Bruce Legge, director of operations for the multinational Combine Maritime Forces, the drop is largely due to CMF’s coordinated anti-piracy efforts with t...
-
Maritime Piracy Attacks Falls To 6-year Low Off Somalia
by Dennis M. McElwee on October 22, 2012
Attacks against merchant ships off the coast of Somalia fell to a six-year low in the third quarter of the year with the increase of armed guards on vessels and naval patrols, the London-based International Maritime Bureau reported. There was one attack on a ship, compared to 36 in the same time period last year. There was a total of $1.3 billi...
-
Pirates Steal Fuel, Release Greek-run Oil Tanker
by Dennis M. McElwee on August 31, 2012
Maritime piracy lawyers know attacks are on the rise in the Gulf of Guinea off Togo, as evidenced by the seizure of a Greek-run oil tanker, the MT Energy Centurion. Pirates stole 3,000 tons of fuel from the ship then released it, officials said. They also took jewelry and money from the crew. The pirates escaped Thursday in a lifeboat taken fr...
-
Documents Reveal Cruise Lines at Risk of Terrorist Attacks
by Dennis M. McElwee on May 31, 2012
Documents, obtained from a suspected terrorist who was questioned by police in Berlin, reveal plans by the terrorist group Al Qaeda to attack cruise vessels. The documents, which have now been obtained by CNN, have been retrieved from the terrorist, an Austrian man, who was questioned by police. Investigators found digital storage devices and s...
-
Pirates Abduct 7 From Oil Vessel Off Nigerian Coast
by Matthew D. Shaffer on October 18, 2012
Seven crew members, including six Russians and one Estonian, were kidnapped from an offshore support vessel off the coast of Nigeria after it was boarded by gunmen. Bourbon Offshore, the owner of the attacked vessel, confirmed that nine other crewmembers were still aboard the Bourbon Liberty 249 and in good health. The Paris-based company is in...
-
Maritime Industry Urges UN to Establish Anti-piracy Force
by Matthew D. Shaffer on September 28, 2011
Frustrated at the continuing growth of piracy especially in the Indian Ocean region, shipping industry groups have asked the United Nations to step in and create an armed military force. Four shipping industry associations, including the International Chamber of Shipping, InterCargo, BIMCO and INTERTANKO have written a letter to the United Nat...
Follow Us