The Book

The purpose of this book is to be an all-purpose emergency guide for professional mariners. This is meant to be quick reference, not in depth at all. The next time you find yourself at the scene of a fire and your adrenalin is going, this will be the guide needed to keep your head above water.

Prosecuting Pirates

Capturing pirates is one thing, but prosecuting them can be a tricky affair. Piracy is an international crime and a global problem, and it is difficult for one country to take on the burden of prosecution.

Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is a vehicle built to meet the needs of the most dangerous pirate.  The full-time 4 wheel drive system with Active Traction Control turns mountainous dunes into ant hills. 

Contract Among Thieves

The Coast Guard has recently captured a small pirate skiff off the coast of Somali. Inside was an insight into the business and organizational structure of the piracy in this region. An 11 page contract was found

Failed Pirate Attack

This is a Live Piracy Report from the IMB Piracy Reporting Center

• Attack Number:
  2011/098
• Date:
  Thu Mar 03 2011
• Vessel Type:
  Chemical Tanker
• Location detail:
  Around 12.5nm off Cotonou
• Attack Type:
  Hijacked
• Incident Details:

  03.03.2011: 0300 LT: around 12.5 nm of Cotonou, Benin.

  Fourteen armed pirates in two boats approached and boarded a chemical tanker underway. They took control of the crewmembers and ordered the master

Exploring the Options in International Law

There has been a lot of publicity concerning the global effects of piracy. Reports on pirate attacks are frequently plastered across the front page of the news. Quotes from the families

Typical Pirate Attack

Location: South East Asia, Indian sub continent, Africa, and Red Sea. Distance from shore varies with mother ship and can extend to over 200nm. The Sirius Star was seized Nov. 14, 2008

NPR-‘Repo Man Of The Seas’ Shivers Pirates’ Timbers

NPR-‘Repo Man Of The Seas_’ Shivers Pirates_’ Timbers

“Piracy: orchestrating the response”

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has begun its organized attack on piracy. It was announced back in June 2010 that the World Maritime Day theme for 2011 would be “Piracy: orchestrating the response.” On February 3, 2011 it was officially begun.

The AIS Controversy

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is an automated tracking system used on merchant vessels. It is a requirement of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the list of affected vessels can be found at the bottom of this article. The AIS displays detailed information about each individual ship and this information is broadcast about 46 miles in all directions.

The information may contain:

• Vessel Name
• Call Sign
• IMO Number
• Draft
• Cargo Type
• Dimensions
• Destination
• Estimated Time of Destination (ETD)
• Position
• Course
• Speed

The reason that there is a controversy surrounding AIS is due to the increase in pirate attacks all over the world.