Pirate Attacks On Private Vessels
Date: March 31, 2001
Cruise Bruise: Pirate Attack
Injured: Crew = 1 (Captain)
Bruise Location: Off the coast of Venezuela
Vessel Name: Lorna
Vessel Flag: Sweden
Key Points:
Pirates encircled the Lorna in two boats, at N10 44.6 W62 22.1 near Punta Toleta, boarded her, shot her captain, threatened her captain's wife with a butcher knife, disabled her two VHF radios leaving only a HF rig to communicate with for help. She found a HF net in use, and put out a Mayday, Help eventually did arrive, the captain received medical assistance, and survived thanks to the Amateur radio operators and the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard.
Date: December 16, 2005
Cruise Bruise: Pirate Attack
Injured Crew: = 0
Bruise Location: Bull Bay in St. Thomas Jamaica
Vessel Name: Monkey's Business
Vessel Flag: Unknown
Key Points:
Pirates, three in count, boarded this veseel anchored at Cow Bull Bay in St. Thomas Jamaica, N 17 53.940 W 76 37.547. The men were interested in money, drugs and guns. $4000 in money was given, electronics jewelry and alcohol. There was gunfire from shore during the robbery and they abruptly left the vessel, telling the crew not to leave or they would be killed. The crew quickly retrieved their hidden firearms, and started pulling up anchor when the pirates returned three minutes later. They had picked up more men, there were 5 men, 3 with assault rifles on a canoe boat. When the pirates starting boarding them again, the crew open fired with a small firearm. The pirates were surprised, quickly left, without returning fire.
Date: Late December 4, 2005
Cruise Bruise: Pirate Attack
Injured: Crew = 0
Bruise Location: Porlamar, Venezuela
Vessel Name: Nomotos
Vessel Flag: Canada
Key Points:
Two pirates with rusty automatic handguns forced their way below decks while the crew slept, after pounding on the cabin door and announcing they were with the Coast Guard. One pirate was drunk, and that likely helped this attack end quickly and without as much loss as was possible. The attack ended when one pirate screamed the police were coming. When the captain followed the escaping pirates, he was fired on, but not hit. This vessel was anchored off shore with about 85 other vessels, had previously enquired about the risk of pirate attacks and were told there had been on attacks in recent years. This lead the master to believe they had security in numbers. Other vessels anhored, assisted after their Mayday call.
Date: October 30, 2005
Cruise Bruise: Pirate Attack
Injured Crew: = 0
Bruise Location: Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador
Vessel Name:
Vessel Flag: Unknown
Key Points:
Four armed pirates boarded the vessel while they were anchored off shore. They broke in to skipper’s cabin. Alarm was raised and robbers jumped into water leaving behind two machetes. An accomplice in a fishing boat picked them up. The pirates then fired gun shots at the vessel before leaving the scene. No injuries to crew. Incident reported to authorities who began patrolling the anchorage during night.
Date: Late May, 2005
Cruise Bruise: Pirate Attack
Injured: Crew = 0
Bruise Location: 4 miles off West point (the lighthouse), Negril
Vessel Name: Caramba
Vessel Flag: Spain
Key Points:
Pirates attacked the vessel coming from Guanaja, Honduras, with 2 crew, when he was boarded at 14:00 hours in the afternoon, by seven armed men, held at gun point, while the men took money, electronics, his tool kit and several head sails. His crew then decided to mutiny the vessel, flying home under severe mental anguish. This left Caramba's captain to continue the voyage alone to Curacao.
Date: Late March 5, 2004
Cruise Bruise: Pirate Attack
Injured: Crew = 0
Bruise Location: Gulf of Aden, Yemen
Vessel Name: Saltaire
Vessel Flag: San Pedro, California, USA
Key Points:
Pirates attacked the 30-foot, 7-ton sailing vessel in the Gulf of Aden, 45 miles south of the Yemeni coast. a wooden dhow, black in color with a wide, yellow, horizontal stripe and an orange plastic sheet on the bow, began approaching the vessel. The master made several attempts to turn away from the dhow, but it persisted in blocking the path. Then one of three pirates fired three warning shots with a semiautomatic rifle. They motioned for the master to stop, which he did and he was boarded for about 15 minutes, robbed the vessel of numerous items with a total value of $2000. Their motorized dhow was carrying 15 to 20 women and children. Pirates appeared to be Somali.
Date: April 11, 2002
Cruise Bruise: Pirate Attack
Injured Crew: = 0
Bruise Location: Surabaya harbor, Gresick
Vessel Name: S/Y September Song
Vessel Flag: Australia
Key Points:
While passing through Indonesian waters enroute to Australia, having departed Sebana Cove Marina, Johore, Malaysia, armed pirates in a small craft approached this vessel, attacked the the captain and his mate with knives as they awaited dawn to fuel up. The crew of the September Song fought the pirates for twenty minutes, and manage to finally chase them off. The turning points was the mate putting the yacht in gear during the struggle and starting to get underway. It caught the pirates off guard, in this rather unorganized attack.
Pirate Attacks On Private Vessels
International Pirate Warnings
Pirate Attacks With Victims Or Hostages
