Somali Pirates: The Week of 19 Feb 2012

A summary of the week of Somali piracy from Office of Naval Intelligence's Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly:

(U) Vessels Hijacked:
(U) ARABIAN SEA: Vehicle carrier M/V LEILA reportedly hijacked on 15 February while underway 50 nm south-southwest of Sadh, Oman. (Press)
(U) Vessels Boarded: No current incidents to report.
(U) Vessels Fired Upon/Attempted Boardings:
(U) INDIAN OCEAN: Chemical tanker attacked on 18 February while underway near position 05:29 S - 064:02 E, approximately 500 nm east of the Seychelles. One skiff was noted approaching ship from 2 nm. As the skiff closed to a half nautical mile, it stopped and five to six pirates with RPGs and automatic weapons were seen by bridge crew. The onboard armed security team fired warning shots; pirates aboard the skiff returned fire with automatic weapons then moved away. (IMB)
(U) ARABIAN SEA: Tanker attacked on 22 February while underway in position 13:30 N – 050:22 E, in the Arabian Sea. One skiff sighted approaching the ship from 1.6 nm from starboard bow. The onboard armed security team came to the bridge and identified weapons in the skiff and fired one warning shot. The pirates then fired upon the tanker with AK-47s. An exchange of fire took place with the security team. Master took evasive maneuvers, sent a distress message, contacted relevant authorities, and mustered non-bridge crew personnel in a safe room. A nearby warship dispatched a helicopter to the location. The pirates aborted the attempted attack after firing 50-60 rounds and moved away. (IMB)

Captured vessels:

 
And the "pirate weather warning" - the redder the better for pirate small boat operations: