List of ships attacked by Somali pirates in 2012

General area off the coast of Somalia where the pirates operate

Somali pirates have threatened international shipping with piracy since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century.^[1] This list documents ships attacked in 2012.

January

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Spain	SPS Patiño (A14) (Replenishment oiler)	about 148 sailors (unknown)	Repulsed attack and captured 6 attackers	2012-01-12	unknown
					n/a	n/a
The vessel was attacked by pirates off the East coast of Africa who apparently thought it to be a freighter. Fire was returned, and pirates were chased by helicopter and surrendered. Six captives were taken.[2]
	Iran	FV Al-Khaliil (fishing vessel)	(Fish)	Ship and crew released	2012-01-25	unknown
					2012-02-07	none
An Iranian fishing dhow was captured on 25 January 2012 while a security team on board was asleep. Although Somali sources reported that international maritime forces had eventually freed the dhow and seized the kidnappers,[3] the Operation Atalanta website did not confirm such an action.[4] According to Somalia Report the pirates released ship and crew without ransom on 7 February 2012.[3]

February

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Panama ( United Arab Emirates)	MV Leila (RORO)	24 (unknown)	Seized, negotiations cancelled	2012-02-16 or 2012-02-21	16°28′1″N 56°9′0″E / 16.46694°N 56.15000°E / 16.46694; 56.15000 (2012-02-16 or 2012-02-21, unknown)
					2012-04-10	USD 2 million
According to conflicting reports, a Panama-flagged roll-on/roll-off vessel owned by a Dubai-based company was captured either on 16 or 21 February 2012 in the eastern approach to the Gulf of Aden. Initially the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa reported a German tanker to be the victim of this attack. As of 16 March 2012 a ransom of USD 2 million has been demanded by the pirates but the ship owners reject any payments and have stopped further negotiations. In the meantime the vessel is being used as a pirate mothership.[5][6]

March

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Panama ( United Arab Emirates)	MT Royal Grace (oil tanker)	22 (India, Pakistan, Nigeria) (unknown)	Released on 8 March 2013.	2012-03-02	21°27′0″N 62°37′1″E / 21.45000°N 62.61694°E / 21.45000; 62.61694 (2012-03-02, unknown)
					2013-03-08	unknown
A Panama-flagged oil tanker owned by a UAE-based company was hijacked on 2 March 2012, east of Oman.[7] On 8 March 2013 EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez provided assistance to the crew of chemical tanker MV Royal Grace after the vessel was unexpectedly released by Somali pirates. [8]
	Panama ( Hong Kong)	MV MSC Oslo (container ship)	unknown (unknown)	Capture failed	2012-03-04	15°6′0″N 52°9′36″E / 15.10000°N 52.16000°E / 15.10000; 52.16000 (2012-03-04, unknown)
					n/a	n/a
An attempted attack on a Hong Kong-owned container vessel fails on 4 March 2012 when a private security team on board the vessel fired warning shots at the pirates.[7]
	Bolivia ( Iran)	MV Eglantine (Bulk carrier)	23 (Brazilian sugar)	Ship and crew freed by Iranian Navy commando action.	2012-03-26	unknown
					2012-04-02	unknown
Somali pirates captured a Bolivian-flagged ship in the Maldives' Exclusive Economical Zone 193 mi (311 km) northwest off Hoarafushi island. The vessel which was bound for Iran with a cargo of sugar from Brazil is owned by an Iranian company. It was the first such incident to take place directly in Maldive waters. The ship was stormed and recaptured by Iranian naval commandos.[9][10][11]

May

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Greece	MV Smyrni (Oil tanker)	26 (oil)	Ship and crew released	2012-05-11	unknown
					2013-03-10	9.5m$
MV Smyrni, with a crew of 26, was carrying 135,000 tonnes of crude oil when she was hijacked on 11 May 2012. After ten months of being held in a pirate anchorage off the Somali coast, it is understood that a ransom was paid for the vessel, and on Sunday 10 March 2013, she was released by her armed pirate captors.

October

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Malaysia	MT Arowana United (chemical tanker)	8 Malaysians (Marine Gas Oil)	Crew released	2012-10-20	unknown
					2012-10-26	{{{ransom}}}
The MT Arowana United was hijacked while at port from the Labuan anchorage in Malaysia. Eight crew members were rescued near Pulau Natuna, Indonesia. However, the pirates managed to siphon off 650,000 litres of marine fuel worth $400,000 USD. The crew sustained minor injuries and robbery was also reported. Also, the pirates severely damaged the ship's navigation system to avoid being detected by maritime enforcement authorities.[12][13]

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Luxembourg	Bourbon Liberty 249 (anchor handling vessel)	6 Russians, 1 Estonian (none)	Crew released	2012-10-20	unknown
					2012-11-01	{{{ransom}}}
On October 15, 2012, the Bourbon Liberty 249 was hijacked while off of the coast of Pennington, Nigeria. With the collaborating assistance of Nigerian, Russian, Estonian, Luxemburg and French Governments, the ship's crew were rescued. [14][15]

November

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Malaysia	MT Zafirah (chemical tanker)	5 Myanmar nationals and Four Indonesians (Marine Gas Oil)	Crew released	2012-11-17	unknown
					2012-11-21
On November 19, 2012, a Malaysian-flagged marine gas oil tanker named Zafirah was hijacked by 11 pirates who were armed with long knives and pistols near Con Son Island, Vietnam. Sources suggest that these pirates were attempting to illegally sell the fuel in Vietnam. On November 21, 2012, the crew, which were afloat on a life boat were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel. The ship and its 11 hijackers were apprehended by the Vietnam Marine Police Special Task Force. There was no comment on whether any of the marine gas oil had been siphoned off to a pirate owned vessel.[16][17]

Image	Flag (owner)	Name (class)	Crew (cargo)	Status	Date of attack	Coordinates
					Date of release	Ransom demanded
	Malta ( United States)	Azamara Journey (cruise ship)	407 ()	Attack failed		unknown
On November 26, 2012, a cruiseliner owned by Azamara Club Cruises, subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., named Azamara Journey was approached by several small pirates skiffs off the coast of Oman. After taking evasive maneuvers and firing at least three warning flares, the pirates ceased their attack.[18]

External links

• European Union Naval Force-Somalia, Key Facts and Figures

References