Indian navy sinks suspected pirate "mother" ship

[David]

AP


NEW DELHI – An Indian naval vessel sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden and chased two attack boats into the night, officials said Wednesday, yet more violence in the lawless seas where brigands are becoming bolder and more violent.

Separate bands of pirates also seized a Thai ship with 16 crew members and an Iranian cargo vessel with a crew of 25 in the Gulf of Aden, where Somalia-based pirates appear to be attacking ships at will, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia.

"It's getting out of control," Choong said.

A multicoalition naval force has increased patrols in the region, and scored a rare success Tuesday when the Indian warship, operating off the coast of Oman, stopped a ship similar to a pirate vessel mentioned in numerous piracy bulletins. The Indian navy said the pirates fired on the INS Tabar after the officers asked it to stop to be searched.

"Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of this vessel with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers," said a statement from the Indian navy. Indian forces fired back, sparking fires and a series of onboard blasts — possibly due to exploding ammunition — and destroying the ship.

They chased one of two speedboats that had been shadowing the larger ship, and which fled when it sank. One was later found abandoned. The other escaped, according to the statement.

Larger "mother ships" are often used to take gangs of pirates and smaller attack boats into deep water, and can be used as mobile bases to attack merchant vessels.

Last week, Indian navy commandos operating from a warship foiled a pirate attempt to hijack a ship in the Gulf of Aden. The navy said an armed helicopter with marine commandos prevented the pirates from boarding and hijacking the Indian merchant vessel.

Tuesday incidents raised to eight the number of ships hijacked this week alone, he said. Since the beginning of the year, 39 ships have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden, out of 95 attacked.

"There is no firm deterrent, that's why the pirate attacks are continuing," Choong said. "The criminal activities are flourishing because the risks are low and the rewards are extremely high."

The pirates used to mainly roam the waters off the Somali coast, but now they have spread in every direction and are targeting ships farther at sea, according to Choong.

He said 17 vessels remain in the hands of pirates along with more than 300 crew members, including a Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons and a Saudi Arabian supertanker carrying $100 million in crude.

The supertanker, the MV Sirius Star, was anchored Tuesday close to Harardhere, the main pirates' den on the Somali coast, with a full load of 2 million barrels of oil and 25 crew members.

Asked about reports that a ransom had been demanded, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Wednesday that the owners of the tanker "are negotiating on the issue." He did not elaborate.

He said, "We do not like to negotiate with pirates, terrorists or hijackers." But he said the owners of the tanker are "the final arbiter" on the issue.

Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil producer, has condemned the hijacking and said it will join the international fight against piracy.

Despite the stepped-up patrols, the attacks have continued unabated off Somalia, which is caught up in an Islamic insurgency and has had no functioning government since 1991. Pirates have generally released ships they have seized after ransoms are paid.

NATO has three warships in the Gulf of Aden and the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet also has ships in the region.

But U.S. Navy Commander Jane Campbell of the 5th Fleet said naval patrols simply cannot prevent attacks given the vastness of the sea and the 21,000 vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden every year.

"Given the size of the area and given the fact that we do not have naval assets — either ships or airplanes — to be everywhere with every single ship" it would be virtually impossible to prevent every attack, she said.

The Gulf of Aden connects to the Red Sea, which in turn is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. The route is thousands of miles (kilometers) and many days shorter than going around the Cape of Good Hope off the southern tip of Africa.

The Thai boat, which was flying a flag from the tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati but operated out of Thailand, made a distress call as it was being chased by pirates in two speedboats but the phone connection was cut off midway.

Wicharn Sirichaiekawat, manager of Sirichai Fisheries Co., Ltd. told The Associated Press that the ship, the "Ekawat Nava 5," was headed from Oman to Yemen to deliver fishing equipment.

"We have not heard from them since so we don't know what the demands are," Wicharn said. "We have informed the families of the crew but right now, we don't have much more information to give them either."

Later in the day, Thai Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Voradet Veeravekin told The Associated Press that Thai officials in Kenya were trying to make contact with the vessel.

"Based on previous cases, we believe they were held for ransom. We are optimistic that we will be able to negotiate for their release once we can contact the ship," he said.

Of the 16 crew members, Wicharn said 15 are Thai and one is Cambodian.

The Iranian carrier was flying a Hong Kong flag but operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines.

On Tuesday, a major Norwegian shipping group, Odfjell SE, ordered its more than 90 tankers to sail around Africa rather than use the Suez Canal after the seizure of the Saudi tanker Saturday.

"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," said Terje Storeng, Odfjell's president and chief executive.

[Seascamp]

Firing on an Indian Navy Frigate sends a message, figuring the message can be difficult or obvious. Either way, the plucky Indians fired back , though probably not with the main battery. From the pics of the INS Tabar , it’s an up-to-date Gas Turbine Frigate with a rapid fire main battery, most likely of the 5 inch type similar to the USN. That battery wouldn’t have left anything to burn and sink, no, I don’t think so. Instantly Poofed at the water line is more likely. So most likely the Indian Frigate engaged with secondary batteries, at least that’s my guess. Some mean, mean stuff, but not as fearsome as the main battery.

In other reading, I see that there is a lot of ambiguity in international piracy laws and the widest interpretation it that unless caught red -handed attacking a merchant vessel, nothing can be done about it. At least that is the apparent restraint force being used to shackle the USN at present.

Scamp

[David]

Talwar Class
Destroyer Project 11356


The Talwar Class has a displacement of 4,000 tons and speed of 30 knots and is capable of accomplishing a wide scale of missions in the ocean, primarily, finding and eliminating submarines and large surface ships. The frigate is armed with a new Club attack anti-ship system with a vertical missile launcher, as well as with a RBU-6000 jet bomb launcher, Shtil-1 multi-channel medium-range surface-to-air missile system, a Kashtan anti-aircraft missile and artillery system and Puma-Universal artillery system. The Talwar class are a multi-purpose frigate equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors including the deadly klub type cruise missiles. These ships are designed to carry and operate one heavy duty helicopter.
The ‘Talwar’ class guided missile frigates represent the cutting edge of technology in stealth, reach and punch. They have ushered in highly automated integrated weapon platforms that are essential for blue water operations by the Indian Navy. Commissioning of these new frigates not only enhances India’s defensive potential at sea but also dramatically affects the power equations in Asia.
A guided missile frigate’s mission spans the entire spectrum of naval warfare both as a single unit and a consort ship. Trishul is well endowed to take up this role. The propulsion plant which includes four gas turbines enables her to cruise in excess of 30 knots. All weapon systems are integrated into a versatile computer aided action information system which can monitor and control under any threat. These ships, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, are being inducted into the Indian Ocean region for the first time.
The weapon suite includes a long range surface-to-surface missile capable of striking targets at a range in excess of 200 kms, a 100 mm artillery gun with capability of firing 100 rounds per minute, advance torpedo launchers and anti- submarine rocket launchers. The ship has a wide array of state-of-the-art electronic warfare equipment. They also operates Kamov 31 helicopter for airborne early warning.
The Indian Navy signed a contract for supply of three vessels and support equipment in November 1997. The design was customised to cater to specific Indian Naval requirements encompassing an intelligent blend of Russian, Western and indigenous equipment. The ships built by Baltiysky Shipyard at St Petersburg are the first of the stealth frigates being inducted into the Indian Navy and represent a quantum leap in terms of technology and weapon punch.
As many as three more project 1135 frigates were under negotiation between Indians and Russians. However, plans to acquire another three vessels of the class are unlikely to be realized, as priority is being given to construction in India of the indigenous Project 17 Class frigates. Ministry concluded a contract in November 1997 with a Russian firm for supply of three modern frigates to the Indian Navy at Rs 3,040 crore. The first frigate, INS Talwar was to be delivered in May 2002, the second INS Trishul in November 2002 and the third INS Tabar in May 2003.
For delay in delivery in excess of 90 days, the seller was to pay liquidated damages at the rate of one percent of the contractual price of the vessel for each month of delay or pro rata for fraction of a month, but not exceeding five per cent of the contractual price. The Russian firm delayed the delivery of three frigates by 13 months, seven months and 11 months respectively. The contract stipulated levy of liquidated damages for the delays and the same worked out to USD 38.5 million equivalent to Rs 177.10 crore. This was yet to be recovered as of December 2004.
An overseeing team was established at Russia to watch progress of the project, quality of frigates, unsatisfactory performance of any system or equipment, and also to certify the quality of construction with reference to specifications and design. The contract also provided for training to the ships’ crew and repair personnel on all repairs including major overhauls. A supplementary agreement was concluded in October 2001 for providing training followed by sea practice to the crew. The training period varied from five days to six months and was to be completed before the beginning of the ships’ acceptance. Another supplementary agreement was concluded in November 2001 for deputation of Delivery Acceptance Team (DAT) of 15 Indian specialists to carry out delivery acceptance of each frigate. The time for delivery acceptance of a frigate was 60 days.
INS Talwar


The first-of-the-class frigate, TALWAR (sword), was launched in May 2000. Its delivery to India was scheduled for May 2002 after running, state and acceptance trials. The Talwar, the first frigate of Project N11356, completed sea trials in the Baltic Sea on 29 May 2002. The vessel was built by the Baltiyskiy shipyard and ordered by the Indian navy. On June 19, 2003 the Moscow Times reported that the Talwar was delivered to the Indian Navy during a ceremony at St Petersburg.
Ministry in November 2001 sanctioned deputation of the crew of 27 officers (revised to 28 in May 2002) and 225 sailors to Russia in different groups for training up to July 2002. The entire crew joined the DAT.
The acceptance trials revealed (June 2002) several defects in underwater hull and in weapon system including missiles. DAT team recommended commissioning of the ship only after proving all weapon systems. In July 2002, Government of Russia appointed an Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) for analysis of all problems connected with the delivery acceptance of missiles. Despite being aware of the uncertainty of sailing of the ship, Ministry extended the stay of the crew.
Ministry decided only in December 2002 to recall 243 personnel leaving seven behind till February 2003 for the upkeep of the vessel, (three having been repatriated earlier in September/October 2002 on medical/leave grounds). The expenditure of Rs 12.05 crore on boarding and lodging of 243 personnel from August 2002 to December 2002 at Russia was avoidable. Ministry sanctioned expatriation of the crew of 28 officers and 225 sailors to Russia from 11 April to 10 June 2003 for commissioning of INS Talwar. The ship was finally commissioned on 18 June 2003. This needed extension of deputation of the crew by 35 to 38 days. The expenditure of Rs 6.24 crore on the crew from 11 April 2003 to 18 June 2003 was avoidable as training was already over in July 2002. INS Talwar arrived home at Mumbai's Naval DY on 12 August 2003, after a long journey from St. Petersburg.
INS Trishul


The second ship, TRISHUL (Trident), was launched in November 2000. The second vessel of the series was placed in the dock for painting of its hull on 7 May 2002. The frigate carried a Russian navy crew that also controled the ship during the factory performance trials, which began in June 2002. It was preparing for a mooring trial in September 2002.
In March 2002, Ministry sanctioned deputation of the crew and a training team to Russia upto the sailing of the ship in December 2002. As DATs would start late, only by mid November 2002, 186 personnel were repatriated in September/October 2002 incurring an expenditure of Rs 0.88 crore. Ministry, however, allowed 20 personnel to remain in Russia to participate in Builder’s Sea Trials and State committee Trials even though the Indian side had no role to play in these trials.
INS Trishul guided missile frigates, joined the arsenal of Indian Navy in 2003. The ship was commissioned by the then Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Arun Prakash at St Petersburg, Russia on 25 June 2003. It has a complement of 32 officers and 228 sailors. In contrast to the lead ship INS Talwar, the sea trials of Trishul were considerably shortened as the ship performed well. INS Trishul arrived in Mumbai on 23 September 2003.
INS Trishul, as the traditions go in the Armed Forces, takes her name and pennant number (F 43) from the old Trishul, a ‘Whitby’ class frigate which was built in the United Kingdom and commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1962. The old Trishul served as one of the frontline ships of the Indian Navy for 32 years and won battle honours in the liberation of Goa in 1961 and the conflicts of 1965 and 1971. Significantly, the ship was also part of the task group that carried out the raid on Karachi in December 1971. In Indian mythology "trishul" is a powerful weapon of Lord Shiva that was effectively used by him to ward off evil. Similarly, surviving the onslaught of Trishul is impossible. The crest of the ship depicts a strong arm rising out from under the sea, holding the powerful trident. Like the mythological weapon, Trishul is powerful in all three dimensions-air, surface and sub-surface. It is a warship that is feared for her lethality and brutal power.
INS Tabar


The ceremony of launching TABAR (Pole-axe), the third frigate for India took place in May 2001 at the Baltiisky (Baltic) shipyards. This frigate is from the series of patrol ships which are being built on order of the Indian Republic. As of 2002 Tabar was still under construction, and was to be handed over to the customer in May 2003. The INS Tabar, the third frigate of the Talwar class, was launched at Petersberg in the presence of the Defence Secretary, Mr Yogendra Narain. The first two ships INS Talwar and INS Trishul joined the Indian Navy in 2002.
Ministry sanctioned (October 2002) the deputation of 28 officers and 225 sailors from 17 November 2002 to the proposed maiden voyage of the ship by September 2003. The training was completed in April 2003, and Ministry sanctioned (April 2003) the repatriation of 188 personnel to Mumbai, retaining 21 personnel at Russia. The 188 repatriated personnel were proposed to return to Russia on 11 June 2003.
Due to delay in Builders and State Committee trials, commissioning of the ship was postponed. Consequently, dates of expatriation of crew team also had to be changed resulting in payment of cancellation charges and difference in fares amounting to Rs 0.13 crore. The crew finally left for Russia in batches during July 2003 to September 2003. However, the DAT Team was deputed only from 10 November 2003. The expatriation of 188 crew members prior to the departure of DAT team was unnecessary and the expenditure on this account amounting to Rs 5.83 crore was avoidable.
INS Tabar guided missile frigate was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Baltiysk in the Kalinigrad region of Russia in June 2004.
INS Tabar is densely packed with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors. She can operate in a multiple threat environment. She possesses the capability to handle several threats in all the three dimensions of battle space—air, surface and sub-surface. The stealthy ship is capable of speeds in excess of 30 knots.
INS Tabar has an impressive array of Indian and Russian sensors which include an indigenous advanced sonar system Humsa and communications suite CCS Mk II manufactured by M/s Bharat Electronics. The ship’s weapon suite includes vertical launch long-range surface to surface missiles, a 100-mm gun, long-range surface-to-air missiles, advanced torpedo launchers, anti-submarine rocket launchers and anti-missile defence systems.
The ship reached India after making visits to twelve ports enroute. It was commanded by Capt AG Thapliyal and is manned by a crew of 28 officers and 232 sailors. INS Tabar arrived in Mumbai on 31 July 2004.

Specifications
Displacement	3850 tons full load
Length	124.5 m
Beam	15.2 m
Draft	4.2 m
Speed	30
Range	4600 miles @ 20 knots 1600 miles @ 30 knots
Endurance	30 days
Crew	180 (18 officers)

Ships
Name	Number	Homeport	Builder	Ordered	Commissioned	Decomm
Talwar					18 Jun 2003
Trishul					25 Jun 2003
Tabar					31 Jul 2004

[SuperScout]

While I applaud the spunk of the Indian Navy, I think we need to rethink the Rules of Engagement for our US Navy. Given the level of valid intelligence, thorough means of identification, and seriousness of allowing a continued piracy mindset to run amok, I say unfetter the Squids, let upload all known and supsected silohuettes of pirate vessels, and bid them Happy Hunting. We have acted like toothless tigers for too long.

[Seascamp]

Just speculating, but I’m thinking the pirates have the mind-set that the patrol ships won’t shoot back due to political shackling. Now we have the litmus test, let’s see how many bad dogs and bashings the Indian Navy gets for firing back with very lethal force, very lethal.

Lucky for the Indian Navy there were no CNN embeds aboard to do funky-phoney story lines and the usual hate trips.

Scamp

[39mto39g]

Idiots all over the world don't want to fight back, F-um.
Bring those pirates to US waters and see how the Coast Guard opens up on there arses.
If your delivering goods to a nation that wont come out and fight some pos Pirates cause there is some out dated law or they are in international water or some other stupid rule, then don't deliver goods to that country.
My cousin is a treasure hunter. (He has been on the cover of magazines) when he is in international waters he takes at least 20 , Armed, boat protectors with him, all heavily armed along with a canon. he doesn't answer distress calls and if you get close to his boat he will fire that canon in your direction, not to hit you , but to worn you.
If your a cargo vessel that is UN-Armed, you are just stupid. IMO.
Ron

[Seascamp]

Looking at David’s pics of the INS Tabar, I see something that could be the pirate ship killer. Way aft is the helicopter deck, forward of that is the helicopter hanger. On the deck above the hanger there is beehive looking rig. That looks very much like a point defense gun, a bit bigger than the USN version but mounted in a similar spot and looking like the real deal. The USN version is a 8K round/min Gatling gun and has range to the horizon. So yah, that kind of buzz saw would yield all kinds of secondary explosions, fires and a smoldering, burning hulk. Seems as if the Indians got pissed, went into the take no prisoners mode and lit off the PD gun. As I recall, the USN version is 20 mm bore (?) and electric motor driven Gatling gun. Not too many ways to skin that hog, so I expect the Indian (Russian) version PD gun would be similar.

It’s not such a big thing to pound pirates to a jam pulp in India, add Moslem pirates to the equation and no surprise at the next move. Fleet week for India, and I reckon the right move, the only move that Frigate could make aside from turn, show the fantail and run. Established now is that Somali Pirates will fire on patrol Frigates and suck it up time, eh. I just hope the USN Frigate has fire back if fired upon permission. If not, then get them out of there. No more need for anymore USN sitting ducks running the happy face pendant up the halyard; USS Cole was one too many.

Scamp

[Seascamp]

Another view for thought. The Diplomacy of doing nothing but gradual tightening down and interference can set off fratricidal wars among the pirates. Given the Somali history of continuous warfare among butchers and thugs, and now the rush to be pirates and get in on the easy money; it is quite conceivable they will get to killing each other in droves to be the last pirate standing in the face of fewer pirating opportunities. No doubt the pirating of that Saudi tanker will reinforce the rush to be a pirate and, again, set off the never ending wars of thug primacy in Somalia. So, perhaps the strategy of continuous pressure and fewer opportunities can create some dynamics that serve the same purpose. As I see it, it is only a question of when the Somali piracy fratricide begins, not a matter of ‘if ‘.

One not look further than our southern border to see how all that plays out. Damn, Mexican Gang thugs are killing each other at an astound rate to determine who is going to control the diminishing number of cross border routes. Jasus, Northern Mexico has become a war zone by all measures but the designation. No government can escalate to that level of killing and stand long before the media screeches and political opportunists rip them to shreds. But then, ignoring massive fratricide among thugs gets everyone off the hook. However, not being a Liberal I can't ignor the innocent victims that come with the territory and is not something I can’t abide with.

Scamp

[David]

AP


NAIROBI, Kenya – The African Union urged the United Nations on Thursday to quickly send peacekeepers to Somalia, as piracy off the east African nation's sprawling coast spiraled out of control.

An anti-piracy watchdog, meanwhile, advocated more aggressive action against the well-organized bandits who have attacked 95 ships this year in the Gulf of Aden and hijacked 39 of them.

Eight vessels have been seized in the last two weeks alone — including a massive Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of crude oil. Several hundred crew are now in the hands of Somali pirates.

Pirates dock the hijacked ships near the eastern and southern Somali coast and negotiate for ransom. Although the Saudi ship owners were among those talking with the pirates, no exact figure for the oil tanker's ransom could be confirmed Thursday.

Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission, said the increasing piracy was "a clear indication of the further deterioration of the situation, with far-reaching consequences for (Somalia), the region and the larger international community."

In a rare victory in the sea war, an Indian warship, the INS Tabar, sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" in the Gulf of Aden and chased two attack boats Tuesday. The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's busiest waterways.

Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, welcomed the Indian warship's tough stance.

"It's about time that such a forceful action is taken. It's an action that everybody is waiting for," Choong told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Besides India, NATO, the United States, Russia and several other countries have warships patrolling on anti-piracy missions off Somalia.

But the brazen pirate attacks have continued unabated. The Somali government itself is caught up fighting an increasing successful Islamic insurgency and has been unable to confront the pirates.

Choong felt stronger action needed to be taken by all nations.

"If all warships do this, it will be a strong deterrent. But if it's just a rare case, then it won't work," Choong said.

The Indian navy said the Tabar, operating off the coast of Oman, stopped the ship because it appeared similar to a pirate vessel mentioned in numerous piracy bulletins. It said the pirates fired at the Tabar after officers asked it to stop and be searched.

Indian forces fired back, sparking fires and a series of onboard blasts — possibly caused by exploding ammunition — which destroyed the ship.

Patrolling NATO warships work to prevent hijackings but are hampered by a lack of a mandate to bring the hijackers to justice. Many European countries also have restrictions on how far their ships can go in engaging the pirates.

Russia's navy chief, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, was quoted as saying Thursday that other Russian ships will be dispatched to the region after a warship currently deployed there leaves.

The guided-missile frigate Neustrashimy has been patrolling off Somalia for several weeks now and has already helped to repell two pirate attacks.

Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, called on the international community to launch a joint amphibious operation against pirate strongholds in Somalia — but such an operation would likely require the approval of the U.N. Security Council.

"The U.N. and international community must decide how to solve this grave problem," Choong said. "It's clearly getting worse and out of control."

[SuperScout]

Talk, talk, talk. Whle the thought of pirates committing internecine warfare is quite encouraging, I wouldn't wait for the fraternal blood-letting to begin, but would encourage a bit of US Navy aiding and abetting. I would wager that there are some itchy-finger Squids who would love to go ahunting, and a hardy ho-ho-ho of test-firing a 5" gun for starters will get the adrenaline flowing. Being a bit of a fan of Theodore Roosevelt, I suspect that he would have relieved a few admirals by now who did not assume the initiative and sink a bunch pirate vessels before reporting back to the Dept. of the Navy. The current situation is yet another example of the paucity of leadership at certain levels.