The Humanitarian Response toMaritime Piracy

Peter M SwiftMARITIME PIRACY

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PROGRAMME

International Conference on SEAFARERS’ EDUCATION, TRAINING & CREWING

24-25 April 2013

Odessa National Maritime Academy

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 LAND (23 April 2013)

17 Ship’s Name Date

of Hijack Ship

released/freed/abandoned Hostages and nationalities

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

HOSTAGES HELD ON SHIPS (23 April 2013)

62 Date

of Hijack Ship’s Name Type Hostages

(Dec 2012/At Hijack) Nationality of Hostages

(At Hijack) Oct-10 AL Naseer Dhow 12 Nov-10 Albedo Container 15 /23 Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Iranian Apr-11 Abdi Khan Fishing Vessel 3 / 6 Yemeni Jan-12 Al Wasil Dhow 3 / 8 Yemeni Mar-12

Naham 3

Fishing Vessel

29-TBC/29

Taiwanese(2), Chinese(10), Vietnamese(3), Cambodian (4), Indonesian(5), Filipino(5)

Somali situation – improving but….

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

Before the Incident The Incident After the Incident

Resistance Resilience Recovery

  

   

 

Needs of seafarers – experiences and feedback

Dealing with the aftermath of Attack

Pre-deployment training and briefing

Knowledge about what will happen

Assurance about appropriate support

Compliance with pre-Training

   Awareness of

response and reaction

Leadership

Maintenance of routines

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.

Seafarers Pre-Departure Piracy Awareness Training

Piracy Awareness Training for Shipping Companies and Manning Agents *

* Complementing the MPHRP Good Practice Guide for Shipping Companies and Manning agents

Piracy Awareness Trainingfor 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 1From 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: INDIAFile No.: 2013/8989Date of Publication: 19 February 2013CIRCULATION TO THE MEDIA (INCLUDING INTERNET) OF THE EXTRACTEDVERSION OF THE YELLOW NOTICE AS PUBLISHED ON INTERPOL.S PUBLICWEBSITE: YESSTATUS: MISSING 1. IDENTITY PARTICULARS WARNING: THIS PERSON MAY BE DEPRESSIVE AND UNDER MEDICAL TREATMENT Family Name: TEWARIFamily Name in the Original Script or Chinese Telegraphic Code: N/AFamily Name at Birth: N/AForenames: Dheeraj Kumar Forenames in the Original Script or Chinese Telegraphic Code: N/ADate and Place of Birth: 31 October 1985 in Naraina Rohtas, Bihar, IndiaSex: 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 LAND (23 April 2013)

17 Ship’s Name Date

of Hijack Ship

released/freed/abandoned Hostages and nationalities

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

HOSTAGES HELD ON SHIPS (23 April 2013)

62 Date

of Hijack Ship’s Name Type Hostages

(Dec 2012/At Hijack) Nationality of Hostages

(At Hijack) Oct-10 AL Naseer Dhow 12 Nov-10 Albedo Container 15 /23 Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Iranian Apr-11 Abdi Khan Fishing Vessel 3 / 6 Yemeni Jan-12 Al Wasil Dhow 3 / 8 Yemeni Mar-12

Naham 3

Fishing Vessel

29-TBC/29

Taiwanese(2), Chinese(10), Vietnamese(3), Cambodian (4), Indonesian(5), Filipino(5)

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 121103 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 / спасибоwww.mphrp.org

If you can help, would like more information or to contact anyone in the programme please email: response@mphrp.org