NIGERIA MARITIME UNIVERSITY OKERENKOKO

ANALYSIS OF PIRACY ATTACKS BETWEEN YEAR 2000-2003

OBAZEI UCHENNA CHUKWUDUMEBI

U2020/MEP/039

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION

FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION CONTROL

LECTURER: DR OBIOMA

SEPTEMBER, 2023
ANALYSIS OF PIRACY ATTACKS FROM YEAR 2000- 2003

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), there were a total of 1619 piracy attacks on ships
worldwide from 2000 to 2003. The highest number of attacks occurred in 2000 with 469, while the
lowest was in 2001 with 335.

The IMB defines piracy as "an act of boarding any vessel with an intent to commit theft or any other
crime and with an intent or capability to use force in furtherance of that act." The attacks can take place
in harbors, along coasts, or on the open sea.

The most dangerous areas for piracy during this time were the South China Sea and the Strait of
Malacca, accounting for more than half of all attacks. The IMB also reported incidents in locations such
as East Africa, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Bangladesh.

The IMB urges ships to take precautionary measures to protect themselves from pirate attacks, such as
increasing surveillance, maintaining communication with other ships and authorities, and reporting
incidents immediately.

Some of the notable attacks include:

1. The USS Cole bombing

The USS Cole bombing was a suicide attack by al-Qaeda against USS Cole, a guided missile destroyer of
the United States Navy, on 12 October 2000, while she was being refueled in Yemen's Aden harbor.
Seventeen U.S. Navy sailors were killed and thirty-seven injured in the deadliest attack against a United
States naval vessel since the USS Stark incident in 1987. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack
against the United States. A U.S. judge has held Sudan liable for the attack, while another has released
over $13 million in Sudanese frozen assets to the relatives of those killed. The United States Navy has
reconsidered its rules of engagement in response to this attack. On 30 October 2020, Sudan and the
United States signed a bilateral claims agreement to compensate families of the sailors who died in the
bombing. The agreement entered into force in February 2021.

On the morning of Thursday, 12 October 2000, Cole, under the command of Commander Kirk Lippold,
docked in Aden harbor for a routine fuel stop. Cole completed mooring at 9:30 and began refueling at
10:30. Around 11:18 local time (08:18 UTC), a small fiberglass boat carrying C4 explosives and two
suicide bombers approached the port side of the destroyer and exploded, creating a 40-by-60-foot (12
by 18 m) gash in the ship's port side, according to the memorial plate to those who lost their lives.
Former CIA intelligence officer Robert Finke said the blast appeared to be caused by C4 explosives
molded into a shaped charge against the hull of the boat. More than 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of explosive
were used. Much of the blast entered a mechanical space below the ship's galley, violently pushing up
the deck, thereby killing crew members who were lining up for lunch. The crew fought flooding in the
engineering spaces and had the damage under control after three days. Divers inspected the hull and
determined that the keel had not been damaged. The sailors injured in the explosion were taken to the
United States Army's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center near Ramstein, Germany, before being sent to
the United States. The attack was the deadliest against a U.S. naval vessel since the Iraqi attack USS Stark
on 17 May 1987. The asymmetric warfare attack was organized and directed by the terrorist
organization al-Qaeda. In June 2001, an al-Qaeda recruitment video featuring Osama bin Laden boasted
about the attack and encouraged similar attacks.

Al-Qaeda had previously attempted a similar but less publicized attack on the U.S. Navy destroyer USS
The Sullivans while in port at Aden on 3 January 2000, as a part of the 2000 millennium attack plots. The
plan was to load a boat full of explosives and detonate them near The Sullivans. However, the boat was
so overladen that it sank, forcing the attack to be abandoned.

Planning for the October attack was discussed at the Kuala Lumpur al-Qaeda Summit from 5 to 8
January, shortly after the failed attempt. Along with other plotters, the summit was attended by future
11 September hijacker Khalid al-Mihdhar, who then traveled to San Diego, California. On 10 June 2000,
Mihdhar left San Diego to visit his wife in Yemen at a house also used as a communications hub for al-
Qaeda. After the bombing, Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul Karim al-Iryani reported that Mihdhar had
been one of the key planners of the attack and had been in the country at the time of the attacks. He
later returned to the United States to participate in the 9/11 hijacking of American Airlines Flight 77,
which flew into the Pentagon, killing 184 people.

The first naval ship on the scene to assist the stricken Cole was HMS Marlborough, a Type 23 frigate of
the Royal Navy, under the command of Captain Anthony Rix. She was on passage to the UK after a six-
month deployment in the Persian Gulf. Marlborough had full medical and damage control teams on
board, and when her offer of assistance was accepted she immediately diverted to Aden. Eleven of the
most badly injured sailors were sent via MEDEVAC provided by the French air force to a French military
hospital in Djibouti and underwent surgery before being sent to Germany.

The first U.S. military support to arrive was a U.S. Air Force Security Forces Quick Reaction Force from
the 363rd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, 363rd Air Expeditionary Wing, based in Prince Sultan
Air Base, Saudi Arabia, transported by C-130 aircraft.[citation needed] They were followed by another
small group of United States Marines from the Interim Marine Corps Security Force Company, Bahrain,
flown in by P-3 Orion aircraft. Both forces landed a few hours after the ship was struck and were
reinforced by a U.S Marine platoon with the 1st Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company (FAST),
based out of Norfolk, Virginia. The Marines from 6th Platoon, 1st FAST arrived on 13 October from
Norfolk.

USS Donald Cook and USS Hawes made best speed to arrive in the vicinity of Aden that afternoon
providing repair and logistical support. USNS Catawba, USS Camden, Anchorage, Duluth and Tarawa
arrived in Aden some days later, providing watch relief crews, harbor security, damage control
equipment, billeting, and food service for the crew of Cole. Landing craft (LCU) from the amphibious
assault ships provided daily runs from Tarawa with hot food and supplies, and ferried personnel to and
from all other naval vessels supporting Cole. In the remaining days LCU 1632 and various personnel from
LCU 1666 teamed up to patrol around Cole.

2. The Limburg

On 6 October 2002 at 8 am, the French double hull oil tanker the Limburg was hit by explosives from a
small craft. The vessel, with a total capacity of 300,000 tonnes, was going to the loading buoy (SBM) at
the Ash Shihr oil terminal (Hadramawt province) with 57,000 tonnes of crude Arabian heavy to top off,
after a stop in Ra’s Tannura (Saudi Arabia), when the explosion occured at 3 km from the terminal. As a
result of the attack, the starboard tank number 4 was holed in two places, and the spilled hydrocarbon
went on fire. The fire lasted for 36 hours. It was fought by the tug boat present next to the SBM loading
buoy and by the security staff of Nexen company.

On Sunday 6 October 2002, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to send three members of
BEA Mer (the "Bureau Enquête Accidents Mer", French Marine Casualty Investigation Board), belonging
to the Ministry of Transport, and an expert from Cedre on site. Their mission was to evaluate the
consequences of the pollution generated by the explosion and the burning of 12,000 tonnes of crude
Arabian heavy. They arrived in Al Mukalla on Tuesday 8 October and met the Minister of Transport and
the Minister of the Environment and Tourism to set up a joint working plan. damaged area had been
defined by overflights and land inspections. It spread 70 km from Riyan airport to Mayfa. Medium and
low polluted areas suceeded each other, small but highly damaged areas were near large untouched
areas. The estimated onshore volume was around 300 to 400 cubic metres, and was made up of dense
and viscous residue from oil spill burning. Immersed oil slicks may have remained, mainly on the coasts
close to the terminal (where water is rich in sediment/deposit) and because of the high density of the
residue. The pollution was composed of tar balls, oil patties and sometimes of patches a few metres in
diameter. Offshore long iridescent and silvery zones were observed parallel to the coast, a few nautical
miles out. However, some areas (off Burum) showed brown slicks a few nautical miles long and around
ten metres wide, with a volume of five to ten cubic metres of crude emulsions spilled from the vessel
after the fire.

The drifting oil was estimated at about thirty cubic metres. Only a few iridescences leaked from the
vessel when the last flight went over on Monday 14 October. The action plan consisted of establishing
zones according to the intensity of pollution and on littoral facies. Cleaning priorities were set up by
experts from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF), from the Oil Spill
Response Limited (OSRL), from Nexen, from Yemen authorities and from Cedre. This plan included
training the cleaning teams and priority cleaning of accessible beaches and rocks with a recreational or
economic interest. Around a hundred workers from a local public works society were trained by OSRL,
while ITOPF trained workers from the French Company Le Foch Dépollution to clean rocks. Headquarters
were established in Al Mullaka, under the authority of the harbour master and with the assistance of
two experts from IMO.To sum up, the pollution was of medium intensity, with a few more seriously
affected areas. No dead birds or fish were recorded, only the ghost crabs from long sandy beaches were
seriously affected. The action plan and the headquarters of Al Mullaka may have been the opportunity
for for Yemen authorities to create a National Action Plan.

3. The Bali bombings were a series of terrorist attacks that occurred on October 12, 2002, in Bali,
Indonesia. Here is a detailed account of the Bali bombings:

Background: Bali is a popular tourist destination in Indonesia, known for its beautiful beaches and
vibrant nightlife. It attracted visitors from around the world, including Australia, which had a significant
number of tourists in Bali.

The Attacks:

- The bombings consisted of two major explosions that occurred almost simultaneously:

a. First Blast: The first bomb exploded inside Paddy's Pub, a popular nightclub in the Kuta Beach area
of Bali, at approximately 11:05 PM local time. This initial explosion was relatively small but caused panic
and confusion.

b. Second Blast: A larger and more devastating bomb exploded outside the Sari Club, another nightclub
located nearby, just moments after the first blast. The second explosion was exceptionally powerful and
resulted in widespread destruction.

3. Casualties:

- The twin bombings killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, and many other
nationals from different countries.
 - Hundreds of people suffered injuries, many of them severe, due to the blasts and the subsequent
fires.

Responsibility:

- Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a Southeast Asian extremist group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility
for the bombings.

-The attack was coordinated by individuals such as Imam Samudra and Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, who
were members of JI.

- The Bali bombings were part of a broader campaign of violence by JI aimed at creating terror and
destabilizing the region.

Aftermath:

- The Bali bombings were a significant turning point in Indonesia's fight against terrorism. The
Indonesian government and international partners intensified their efforts to combat extremism and
dismantle terrorist networks.

- Australia, in particular, played a crucial role in supporting Indonesia's counterterrorism efforts and in
helping the victims and their families.

- Security measures in Bali and across Indonesia were strengthened to prevent future attacks.

Trials and Convictions:

- Over the years following the bombings, numerous individuals involved in planning and executing the
attacks were arrested, tried, and convicted.

- Some of the key perpetrators, including those directly responsible for the bombings, were sentenced
to death and executed.

The Bali bombings were a stark reminder of the global reach of terrorism and its devastating impact on
innocent civilians. The attacks led to increased international cooperation in the fight against terrorism
and served as a catalyst for improving security measures in popular tourist destinations around the
world.

4.The MV Jolly Rosso piracy incident in October 2002 was a notable maritime security event in the
waters off the coast of Somalia. Here is a detailed account of the MV Jolly Rosso piracy incident:

1. Background: - The MV Jolly Rosso was an Italian container ship owned by the shipping company
Ignazio Messina & C. SpA.
 - On October 21, 2002, while the vessel was in the Indian Ocean, approximately 450 nautical miles off
the coast of Somalia, it was attacked and hijacked by Somali pirates.

Piracy Attack: - The pirates, armed with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, approached the MV
Jolly Rosso in speedboats.

- They managed to board the ship and take control of it, effectively hijacking the vessel.

- The crew on board was taken hostage by the pirates.

Crew Hostages:

-The exact number of crew members on board at the time of the hijacking is unclear, but it is believed
to have been around 19 to 22 individuals.

-The crew was held hostage on their own ship by the pirates, who demanded a ransom for their
release.

Negotiations and Resolution:

- Negotiations between the ship's owner, Italian authorities, and the pirates began immediately after
the hijacking.

- After a period of negotiations, the ship's owner reportedly agreed to pay a ransom to secure the
release of the crew and the vessel.

Release of Crew and Vessel:

- The crew members were eventually released by the pirates unharmed after the ransom was paid.

- The MV Jolly Rosso was also released, and it resumed its normal operations.

International Response:

- The MV Jolly Rosso piracy incident highlighted the ongoing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia,
which had been on the rise during this period.

- It contributed to growing international concern about piracy in the region and led to discussions on
ways to enhance maritime security and protect shipping lanes.

The MV Jolly Rosso piracy incident was one of several attacks by Somali pirates in the early 2000s, and it
underscored the need for coordinated efforts to combat piracy in the waters off the Somali coast. In
subsequent years, international naval patrols and security measures were increased in the region to
deter and respond to such attacks.