Tanks on Highjacked Ukranian Ship were Enroute to Yemen
from Russia, Yemen Post
Yemen announced that it will postpone the regional summit for fighting piracy, which was planned to be held in Sana’a next week. Participating countries were expected to sign a memorandum of understanding for mutual cooperation between them in fighting piracy.
From his part, Minster of Transportation, Khalid Al-Wazir, told media outlets that the postponing came in response to the Regional Center for Combating Piracy request, adding that the summit will be held later this year.
Al-Wazir assured that Yemen will establish a center in Sana’a for monitoring ships in collaboration with 20 countries and International Maritime Organization.
In the meantime, seven military ships from six different countries have headed to Bab Al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden in a mission to fight Somali pirates, and to protect trade ships and fisheries from pirates operations, whose attacks have risen over the last few months, especially in the international waters between Yemen and Somalia.
This comes within the country’s efforts to restrict piracy activities targeting ships off Yemen’s coasts, especially in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
Piracy activities have long been a headache for international navigation in the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and connects Asia and Europe.
A Yemeni official who preferred not to reveal himself, told a Chinese agency that president Saleh’s visit to regional countries came as the result of the Yemeni government’s worry for business ships that pass by the Gulf of Aden.
The sudden movement by regional countries came after pirate’s hijacked a Ukrainian ship that was believed to be carrying seven tankers. Further, pirates warned that they would explode the ship if procedures were taken against them.
Sources who asked to be left anonymous mentioned to the Yemen Post that the tanks that were on the Ukrainian ship were on their way to Yemen, and were part of the military agreement signed between Russia and Yemen.
Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Mrs. Sergey Meronof said last Friday while visiting Yemen that her country intends to send more military ships soon to free the Ukrainian ship if needed.
Increased Russian Naval Presence, Increased Use of Yemen’s Ports for Military and other Goals
Russia could resume naval presence in Yemen
SANA, October 16 (RIA Novosti) - The speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said on Thursday that Russia could resume a naval presence in Yemen.
Authorities in the Middle East country are calling on Moscow to help fight piracy and possible terrorist threats. The U.S.S.R. had a major naval base in the former socialist state of South Yemen, which merged with North Yemen in 1990 to form the present-day Yemen.
Speaking to journalists in Sana, the capital of Yemen, Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov said the new direction of Russia’s foreign and defense policies and an increase in its naval missions would be taken into consideration when making a decision on the request.
“It’s possible that the aspects of using Yemen ports not only for visits by Russian warships, but also for more strategic goals will be considered,” he said.
He also said a visit to Russia by the president of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, could take place in the near future and that the issue of military technical cooperation could be raised during his visit.
A missile frigate from Russia’s Baltic Fleet is currently en route to Somalia at the invitation of Somali authorities to fight piracy off the Somali coast together with warships from other countries.
Somali pirates recently hijacked a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, carrying at least 33 tanks and other heavy weaponry. Six U.S. warships are currently surrounding the Faina.
Pirates are also active near the Yemen coast in the Gulf of Aden, where they seized a Panamanian tanker in September.
Mironov said Yemen feared that groups associated with the al-Qaeda terrorist movement might be hiding in the Somali region, which has no effective government and no navy to police its coastline, and could later expand their activity in the Arabian Sea with its busy oil tanker routes.
