Latest ONI World Wide Threat to Shipping

For the latest click ONI World Wide Threat to Shipping, and then choose 18 May 2005. Highlights:

SOMALIA: The unidentified ship boarded and hijacked
10 Apr at 1200 UTC while underway in position 00:50S, 047:36E,
off the eastern coast of Somalia was freed 28 Apr according to 5
May reports. The ship, an LPG tanker proceeding empty to its next
load port, was lured into the Somali coast by an apparent
deceptive distress flare and then surrounded by a fleet of small
boats. There is some confusion as to how far to sea the hijacking
occurred with accounts giving the initial encounter as for out as
135nm. The ship was forced to anchor close offshore while ransom
talks were begun with the owners who refuse to be named. A U.S.
naval vessel stood by during the incident, but was not reported
involved in the ransom talks. Unspecified ransom demands are
understood to have been met and the 17 crew were released
unharmed while the hijackers returned ashore unmolested...

...OMAN: An unidentified offshore supply vessel received
distress calls 27 Apr at 1945 local time while underway in
position 21:57.7N, 060:26.9E from a fishing vessel claiming there
was a "crash". Master proceeded to reported position and found no
men in the water upon arrival at the scene. Ship received another
distress call and proceeded towards that position about 3nm away.
Master suspected something amiss during conversations with the
"skipper" of the fishing vessel and felt this was a trap. Ship
moved away from the area at full speed and warned vessels in the
area on VHF (Note by Eagle1 - same tactic use on the LPG carrier above?)

... STRAIT OF MALACCA: An unidentified general cargo ship
reports being approached 13 May at 0110 local time while underway
in position 05:13N, 098:06E by an unlit 7m boat carrying armed
persons. The duty officer undertook evasive maneuvers but the
boat contacted the ship's hull on port side causing some damage.
The duty officer sounded ship's whistle and tried to contact the
boat on VHF ch 16 without response, but no boarding took place...