International Conference on
SEAFARERS’ EDUCATION, TRAINING & CREWING
24-25 April 2013
Odessa National Maritime Academy
The Humanitarian Response to
Maritime Piracy
Peter M Swift
MARITIME PIRACY
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PROGRAMME
Piracy Today
MPHRP Programme and Training courses
Humanitarian Response
Piracy – the global threat
Source: IMB
Maritime Piracy and Armed Robbery
Over past 10 years:
 More than 3,000 ships and 80,000 seafarers attacked
 4,000 seafarers held hostage by Somali pirates
Annually off the Somali coast:
 20,000+ different ships transit
 300,000+ seafarers face the risk of a piracy attack
 more than 1,000,000 family members share their anxiety
Every day globally:
 about 100,000 seafarers are sailing in or towards piracy-infested waters
HOSTAGES HELD ON SHIPS
(23 April 2013)
Date Ship’s Name Type
of Hijack
Oct-10
Nov-10
Apr-11
Jan-12
Mar-12
AL Naseer
Albedo
Abdi Khan
Al Wasil
Naham 3
Dhow
Container
Fishing Vessel
Dhow
Fishing Vessel
62
Hostages
(Dec 2012/At Hijack)
12
15 /23
3/6
3/8
29-TBC/29
Nationality of Hostages
(At Hijack)
Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Iranian
Yemeni
Yemeni
Taiwanese(2), Chinese(10), Vietnamese(3), Cambodian (4),
Indonesian(5), Filipino(5)
HOSTAGES HELD ON LAND
(23 April 2013)
Ship’s Name
Date
of Hijack
17
Ship
Hostages and nationalities
released/freed/abandoned
Leopard
Jan-11
Jan-11
Danish (2), Filipino(4)
Asphalt Venture
Sep-10
Apr-11
Indian(7)
Prantalay 12
Apr-10
Aug-11
Thai(4)
Source: IMB, UNPOS + others
The Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (“MPHRP”)
is a pan-industry alliance of ship owners, managers, manning agents,
insurers, maritime unions, professional and welfare associations working
together with governmental organisations with one aim, namely -:
"to assist seafarers and their families with the humanitarian
aspects of a traumatic incident caused by a piracy attack, armed
robbery or being taken hostage".
European based, with Regional Representative Staff and Offices
in the Philippines (S E Asia), India (S Asia)and the Ukraine (CISB).
This charitable, non-political, programme was formally launched in 2011 and is
funded by the ITF Seafarers Trust, Seafarers’ UK, the International Group of P&I, and
the TK Foundation
MPHRP Outputs
• Good Practice Guides*
- for shipping companies and manning agents
- for welfare responders
• Training – Piracy Awareness Guides, Courses and seminars
- pre-departure piracy awareness for seafarers (including
train the trainers course)
- for welfare and care providers
- for shipping companies and manning agents
• 24 Hour Piracy Helpline – international toll-free, multilingual
• Support Networks – primary and secondary care
• Courses and workshops
• (Limited) Direct Support for seafarers and families
• Cooperation with CGPCS on seafarer welfare & support
* http://www.mphrp.org/MPHRP-Good-Practice-Guide.pdf
Seafarers Pre-Departure Piracy Awareness
Training *
* Complementing IMO Model Course 3.23
Actions to be taken to prevent acts of piracy and armed robbery
Needs of seafarers – experiences and feedback
Before the Incident
The Incident
After the Incident
Resistance
Resilience
Recovery
Pre-deployment
training and briefing
Compliance with preTraining
Knowledge about
what will happen
Awareness of
response and
reaction
Assurance about
appropriate support
Leadership
Maintenance of
routines
Dealing with the
aftermath of Attack
Seafarers Pre-Departure Piracy Awareness Training
Objectives:
• To give participants the latest information on piracy and
armed robbery world-wide.
• To assist participants in preparing their vessels and
themselves in the unlikely event of a piracy attack.
Piracy Awareness Training for Shipping
Companies and Manning Agents *
* Complementing the MPHRP Good Practice Guide for
Shipping Companies and Manning agents
Piracy Awareness Training
for Welfare and Care Providers *
* Complementing the MPHRP Good Practice Guide for
Welfare Responders
INTERIM GUIDELINES (FOR STAKEHOLDERS) ON MEASURES TO PROVIDE
WELFARE TO SEAFARERS AND THEIR FAMILIES AFFECTED BY PIRACY
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Compliance with existing requirements and recommendations
Shipowners Insurance Cover in Respect of Crew
Employment terms and agreements
Education and Training
Support to Families in the event of hijack
Post-Release Repatriation
Post-Hijack Medical Support
Compensation for losses
Financial Support
Future Employment
Being developed in conjunction with industry partners and states in (UN) CGPCS
Working Group 3
MPHRP - Supporting hostages and their families
Examples
•
Recently released:
Orna, Iceberg 1, Royal Grace and Smyrni
•
In the Ukraine:
Faina, Ariana, Blida
•
Those still held
From the
“hell of captivity”
to the
“hell of release”
Orna
From a Sri Lankan survivor:
In beginning 2012, severe tortures started on the crew members, their clothes were
stripped, beaten mercilessly, tied up with hands and legs at back and kept in that
condition for hours.
They were bleeding, screaming but none of pirates listened to them. They were then left
in the room without food and water. For seven days, they were not able to even stand
up and the Sri Lankan crew were in same clothes for 23 days, just a small quantity of
water to drink.
Many such incidents happened after that which included physical tortures.
………..
He was provided a medical at a Military hospital in Sri Lanka on arrival but has to bear
the cost of future medicines.
Owner has not paid them any salary since hijack and he has written to the company but
did not hear anything.
Iceberg 1
Iceberg 1
From the “Hell of captivity” to the “Hell of release”
From a Ghanaian survivor of the Iceberg 1
I wish to express my profound thanks and gratitude to....all the ..
organizations for making it possible for us to receive medical
treatment at the hospital. Presently, I am receiving
psychological counselling at the hospital.
To be frank, the counselling has really changed my destitute state
and, I am very much glad despite the kind of frustration and
gloom which is haunting me. May God bless you and continue to
bless you all day long.
Iceberg 1
AND THEN:
I have a problem which is haunting me …..
The issue is, I am being threatened with an eviction order due to accumulated rent
arrears during the time we are held hostage. In fact my landlord did not eject my
family from the house during my absence with the hope that, I will one day come
and reimburse him. Unfortunately, I came home empty handed.
I have sent a letter of appeal to my employers AZAL SHIPPING & CARGO based in
Dubai and have explained every bit of my situation to them to assist me financial
to settle my rent arrears but all the efforts I made has proved fiasco . Please with
due respect and on humanitarian grounds, I need your immediate advice towards
this issue which is driving me to my early grave. I have been served with eviction
notice …to vacate the premises by …….
Please due to the negative response I received from the company, I believe and
think, there is some injustice going on. The company owes me 3 months salary
arrears and 2 months security money before she was hijacked on the 29/03/2010 ,
so why are they refusing to assist me in this crisis.
Iceberg 1 – not over for the family of Dheeraj Tewari
TEWARI Dheeraj Kumar Control No.: F-202/2-2013
Requesting Country: INDIA
File No.: 2013/8989
Date of Publication: 19 February 2013
CIRCULATION TO THE MEDIA (INCLUDING INTERNET) OF THE EXTRACTED
VERSION OF THE YELLOW NOTICE AS PUBLISHED ON INTERPOL.S PUBLIC
WEBSITE: YES
STATUS: MISSING
1. IDENTITY PARTICULARS
WARNING: THIS PERSON MAY BE DEPRESSIVE AND UNDER MEDICAL TREATMENT
Family Name: TEWARI
Family Name in the Original Script or Chinese Telegraphic Code: N/A
Family Name at Birth: N/A
Forenames: Dheeraj Kumar
Forenames in the Original Script or Chinese Telegraphic Code: N/A
Date and Place of Birth: 31 October 1985 in Naraina Rohtas, Bihar, India
Sex: Male
Nationality: INDIAN (CONFIRMED)
Royal Grace
Released BUT
 Crew malnourished and unpaid for 14 months
 Several crew members with medical problems, one with TB
 Crew have lost all their personal possessions – no indication of
compensation being paid
 Owner has paid three months salary and “promised” three months
additional
 Flag State nowhere to be seen
 Some States of nationality providing limited assistance
 AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE: medical problems – no insurance, large debts – no
financial safety net, loss of personal possessions, weak prospects for future
employment
Smyrni – good news story
The support for the crew and the families by the owners,
Dynacom of Greece, and its manning agents, throughout
and post their captivity is acknowledged and appreciated;
as is the assistance provided by the governments of India
and the Philippines
HOSTAGES HELD ON SHIPS
(23 April 2013)
Date Ship’s Name Type
of Hijack
Oct-10
Nov-10
Apr-11
Jan-12
Mar-12
AL Naseer
Albedo
Abdi Khan
Al Wasil
Naham 3
Dhow
Container
Fishing Vessel
Dhow
Fishing Vessel
62
Hostages
(Dec 2012/At Hijack)
12
15 /23
3/6
3/8
29-TBC/29
Nationality of Hostages
(At Hijack)
Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Iranian
Yemeni
Yemeni
Taiwanese(2), Chinese(10), Vietnamese(3), Cambodian (4),
Indonesian(5), Filipino(5)
HOSTAGES HELD ON LAND
(23 April 2013)
Ship’s Name
Date
of Hijack
17
Ship
Hostages and nationalities
released/freed/abandoned
Leopard
Jan-11
Jan-11
Danish (2), Filipino(4)
Asphalt Venture
Sep-10
Apr-11
Indian(7)
Prantalay 12
Apr-10
Aug-11
Thai(4)
Source: IMB, UNPOS + others
Leopard
A Filipino family member:
On March 30, 2012 (after more than a year) her husband called again and told
them that they need to go to his manning agent on and also to the Media to ask
help because the pirates are already torturing them. They already removed their
nails, burned part of their hair and they gave them ultimatum that it’s their last
chance or else they will be killed.
“I had my last conversation with my husband on Apr. 17, 2012 when the pirates
seemed to be torturing them because I can hear him screaming and crying
bitterly. After that I decided not to entertain calls coming from him because I
cannot bear the pain of knowing that my husband is being tortured”.
We also heard from the news that they were taken by another group of pirates
and we almost believed it because on August 30, 2012 a new negotiator was
contacting us, a certain YONIS HASSAN (Tel: 00252615155151, Cellular:
00252615887588, Email address: Gaheyr777@hotmail.com)
Asphalt Venture
Very recently the Indian families have again received calls from
the crew, with pirates threatening to kill the hostages and “feed
them to the fish”. The pirates reportedly now demand 3 million
USD for release of all 7 Indians.
Negotiator name is Ali.
The cell-phone number used by the pirates is 00252615979080.
Previous numbers were 0025261597990 and 00252615979908.
Prantalay 12
1103 days and counting …… !
On a good note the owner of Prantalay 12 has been paying the families
of the crew (ca. USD 100/month) at least up until January 2013, but apart
from the skipper’s wife he has had no contact with them for over a year.
He also has not had any contact with the Pirates for the same length of
time. When the three vessels were taken in 2009 he paid a US$1.5m
ransom through a Somalian in Djibouti via a Dubai account but after the
payment was made he heard nothing more and the vessels were then
used as mother ships until the Indian Navy caught and released two of
them and arrested the pirates. The Prantalay 12 had among its crew 14
Burmese who were sent home as 'they had no value' and the
four Thai were kept to negotiate the release of the Indian prisoners. At
some point the vessel ran aground and the crew were taken ashore.
Nothing else is known.
Thank you / спасибо
www.mphrp.org
If you can help, would like more information or to contact anyone in the
programme please email: response@mphrp.org