Pirate Attacks Over Last 10 Years

On average, over the last 10 years, there have been approximatly 300 attacks worldwide each year. These are only a sampling of the types of attacks that modern pirates/terrorists are carrying out.

February 26, 1996 – Southern Philippines, near Basilan Island, between Sibago and Matanal Point, pirates in two speedboats attacked the fishing vessel, F/V MN-3 Normina, with a crew of 10, killing nine. The Normina was never seen again.

September 27, 1996 – Off the Greek island of Corfu, the luxury motor yacht, Carenia, is boarded by four Albanian pirates, who overpowered the owner and three passengers. When Greek police attempted to rescue those aboard the yacht the owner is killed during the gun battle.

Christmas Day, 1996 – The 15,000-ton freighter, Jalan, bound for Iraq, carrying a cargo of sugar and a crew of 28, sent out a May Day and that the ship was being abandoned off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. The ship is located a month later in Tema, Ghana, renamed the Zalcosea II. The captain and crew were arrested for attempting to sell the cargo, worth $3.5 million.

June 8, 1999 – The tanker Siam Xan Xai was taken over and hijacked after departing Singapore bound for Songkhla, Thailand. The ship was laden with 2100 tons of gas-oil and was intercepted near the Malaysian island of Tioman by a dozen armed attackers. The crew of 16 was bound and imprisoned for two days. Fifteen of the crew was then forced into a small inoperable motorboat. They were rescued 14 hours later by a passing vessel. One crewman was not release because he had knowledge of the tanker’s valving for product offload. The vessel was last seen near the Natuna Islands and was suspected of being taken towards China.

November 1999 – The 450-foot, 17,000-ton freighter Cheung Son, out of Hong Kong, is hijacked off China. Pirates kill the entire crew of 23 by binding and gagging them, weighting them down and throwing them overboard. Six bodies are recovered in fishermen’s nets. The cargo of iron ore is sold in China.

March 2001 – In the Malacca Strait, Pirates attacked the MV Inabukwa as it sailed from Pangkalan Balam to the island of Bangka. They stole $2 million in cargo, then bound and blindfolded the captain and 22 crewmen, forced them into a small boat and stranded them on the uninhabited island of Palau Sayap. Within five days, pirates attacked the Matsumi Maru No. 7.

March 2003 – Ten armed men hijack an Indonesian tanker in the Strait of Malacca. They seized control over the ship apparently to learn to steer it. After operating the ship for an hour through the Strait, they left, taking equipment and technical documents.

September 2003 – Twelve miles off Port Klang, Malaysia, sailing between Singapore and Penang, and carrying 1,000 tons of fuel oil, 14 Aceh rebels attack the tanker Penrider. They forced the ship to sail into Indonesian waters then robbed the crew and kidnapped and later ransomed the master, chief engineer, and a crewman.

June 26, 2005 – Off the coast of Somalia, the cargo ship, MV Semlow, which was carrying 850 metric tons of aid cargo was hijacked and the pirates demanded a ransom for its release. On July 26, pirates attacked an LPG tanker 85 miles off Somalia with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades. The ship managed to increase speed and escape. Attacks on shipping near Somalia have continued.

February 28, 2005 – Thirty-five heavily armed pirates attacked a fully laden oil tanker en route from Samarinda to Belawan in Indonesia. They kidnapped the captain and chief engineer, who are still missing.

March 14, 2005 – The Japanese tug, Idaten, was attacked roughly 70 miles southwest of Panang while towing a construction barge. The armed pirates abducted a Filipino and two Japanese crewmembers. They are still missing.

July 20, 2005 – An ICC report, Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships, declared that by mid-2005, pirates had boarded 92 ships, and hijacked six, while they took 176 crewmembers hostage. The report identified other areas where piracy is on the rise, including Somalia, Nigeria, and Iraq. Even with the close proximity of coalition naval ships, four serious incidents were reported in the waters off the Basra oil terminal since April 22, 2005.

November 5, 2005 – Somalian pirates attack the Seabourn Cruise Lines “Spirit” with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. Carrying 150 passengers and a crew of 160, the ship managed to repel the attack and outrun the two pirate’s small boats.