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US hikers freed after two years of custody in Iran

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 13:38:46 GMT

Iran

Sources [edit]

"Iran frees jailed US hiker 'spies' Bauer and Fattal" — BBC News Online, September 22, 2011
"Freed American hikers leave Iran for Oman" — CNN, September 22, 2011
Associated Press. "Iran to free US hikers jailed as spies, lawyer confirms" — The Guardian, September 21, 2011

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Pirates kill four American hostages

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:49:17 GMT

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Somalia

Sources [edit]

"Pirates kill 4 U.S. hostages off Somali coast" — CTV News, February 22, 2011
"Reports: All Four Aboard US Yacht Killed by Somali Pirates" — AOL News, February 22, 2011
"4 American hostages killed by pirates" — MSNBC, February 22, 2011
"4 Americans on hijacked yacht dead off Somalia" — CBS News, February 22, 2011
Kyw-tv (cbs 3). "BREAKING NEWS: The 4 Americans aboard the pirated yacht off the coast of Somalia have been killed" — Facebook, February 22, 2011

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Tankers taken by pirates in Indian Ocean

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 01:08:34 GMT

Related news

Piracy on Wikinews

24 February 2011: Pirates kill four American hostages
11 February 2011: Tankers taken by pirates in Indian Ocean
24 September 2010: Kenyan court jails seven pirates for 2009 attempted hijack of Maltese ship
31 August 2010: As increase in digital music sales slows, record labels look to new ways to make money
27 July 2010: Seychelles sentences Somali pirates to ten years in prison

Collaborate!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Pirates have hijacked two tankers carrying a total of 374,255 metric tons of crude oil off the coast of Oman in the Indian Ocean. After these attacks, pirates now control 29 ships and 660 hostages; pirates recently released Keummi 305, a South Korean ship.

Early Tuesday, an Italian ship, MV Savina Caylin, was boarded 670 miles east of Socotra Island. The oil tanker had 104,255 metric tons on board; it was traveling from Sudan to Malaysia. Shots were fired at the vessel, beginning the attacks at 0625 GMT; the pirates used rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. At the time, the tanker was 500 miles from India and 800 miles from Somalia. An Italian navy spokesperson stated that no one was injured in the attack—17 crew members were on board when at least 5 pirates boarded.

A similar attack occurred Wednesday on a Greek tanker, containing 270,000 metric tons of oil, off the coast of Oman. Greek company Enesel SA, which manages the ship, reported that 25 crew members were on board. The vessel was headed from Kuwait to United States' Gulf of Mexico. Irene SL has not been in contact with its owners since the attack.

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Sources [edit]

Kim Kwang-tae and Elena Becatoros. "Somali pirates free South Korean ship and 43 crew" — The Associated Press, February 10, 2011
Wayne Ma And Max Lin. "Supertanker Attacked Off Oman Coast" — The Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2011
Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou. "Pirates hijack U.S.-bound oil tanker off Oman" — Reuters, February 9, 2011

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Cyclone Phet turns to Pakistan after hitting Oman

Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:59:18 GMT

Pakistan

Sources [edit]

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

Cyclone Phet

"Cyclone Phet moves over Oman toward Pakistan" — BBC News Online, June 4, 2010
"Cyclone Phet lashes Pakistani coast" — CNN, June 6, 2010

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Two US Navy vessels collide in the Strait of Hormuz; 15 lightly injured

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 01:00:26 GMT

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Disasters and accidents

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According to the United States Navy Fifth Fleet, two vessels registered to the US Navy collided on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz, located near Iran. Fifteen sailors were reported to have been slightly injured.

The two craft involved in the incident were the USS New Orleans, a transporter and the USS Hartford, a nuclear-powered submarine. The New Orleans' fuel tank ruptured upon impact, leaking 90 to 95 thousand litres of diesel fuel.

"New Orleans suffered a ruptured fuel tank, which resulted in an oil spill of approximately 25,000 gallons of diesel fuel marine," the navy said in a statement. "Both the submarine and the ship are currently on regularly scheduled deployments to the U.S. Navy Central Command area of responsibility conducting Maritime Security Operations."

A spokesman for the Fifth Fleet, Lieutenant Nathan Christensen, said that "there is no disruption to shipping traffic in the strait," and "both ships are operating under their own power and have passed through the strait."

"It was a night-time event and the submarine was submerged at the time," Christensen replied when asked about how the accident happened.

The Strait of Hormuz separates Oman from Iran, and is the entrance into the Gulf. An estimate by the International Energy Agency said that over 15 million barrels of crude oil passed through the strait every day in tankers. It is less than a hundred kilometres broad at its widest point.

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Sources [edit]

"US navy vessels collide in Gulf" — BBC News Online, March 20, 2009
"Two US Navy vessels collide in Strait of Hormuz" — The Times of India, March 20, 2009
Raissa Kasolowsky. "U.S. Navy sub, vessel collide in Strait of Hormuz" — March 20, 2009

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Rare Middle East cyclone batters Oman

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:56:46 GMT

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Weather

Oman lashed [edit]

In the Omani capital, Muscat yesterday, there were torrential rains and howling winds, a rarity in the quiet coastal city. Streets were flooded and emergency vehicles were useless. Flights were canceled at Oman's Seeb International Airport.

Twenty-three deaths were reported by Omani authorities today. Electricity and phone lines were out and roads flooded. Police said a body washed ashore in Sur. There were also reports of people trapped in homes in low-lying areas of the capital.

Authorities used mobile-phone text messages to warn people away from dangerous areas. Residents were warned to stay at home, or seek shelter in buildings that could withstand the harsh weather.

Shareefa bint Khalfan, Omani minister of social development, said more than 20,000 people were evacuated to government shelters.

At Oman's weather center, where records have been kept since 1890, metorologists said Gonu was likely the strongest storm to hit Oman since 1977. Milder tropical storms are common mid-May to late June.

Iran prepares [edit]

In Iran, hundreds of residents of Chabahr, a port on the Gulf of Oman, were evacuated.

"University and school students were moved to higher ground in the area to avoid the cyclone effects," Hojjat Ali Shayanfar, head of emergency services in Sistan Baluchistan province, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

Some major roads were flooded in southeastern Iran. In the port city of Bandar Abbas, winds shattered windows and knocked down billboards & trees.

Impact on oil industry [edit]

Oman has relatively small oil fields, and there was little damage to them. But oil exports were cut off, as the raging seas kept tankers battened down in port for a third day today. To the north, at the world's third-largest shipping fuel center in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, all refueling and supply operations were suspended, and ships were kept in their berths. At the entrance to the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, ships passed through, despite four- to six-foot swells and strong winds. About one-fifth of the world's oil passes through this narrow chokepoint.

Iran, OPEC's No. 2 oil exporter, said the storm would not disrupt supplies because its main terminals were inside the Gulf waterway. Analysts were mixed on how the storm will affect prices at the gas pump.

"About 17-21 million barrels a day of oil are coming out of the Persian Gulf. Even if only some of the tankers are delayed, that could reduce the supply of oil and increase prices," Manouchehr Takin, at the Center for Global Energy Studies in London, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

But Tim Evans, an analyst at Citigroup Global Markets, said while the storm may delay oil tankers, they will eventually get to their destinations, so prices shouldn't be affected too drastically.

Oil prices rose US$0.25 to $65.86 a barrel in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Strongest cyclone [edit]

At its peak, Tropical Cyclone Gonu, named for a bag of palm leaves in the language of the Maldives, reached sustained winds of 240 kilometers an hour (149 miles per hour) . By early today, winds were around 83 km/h, and it was expect to keep weakening.

The storm is believed to be the strongest cyclone to hit the Arabian Peninsula since record-keeping started in 1945, and was tied for the strongest tropical cyclone in the northern Indian Ocean, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

Sister links [edit]

Cyclone Gonu

Sources [edit]

Jim Krane, Associated Press. "Cyclone Gonu blamed for 23 deaths" — The Guardian, June 7, 2007
Saee Al-Nahdy, Associated Press. "Cyclone hammers Oman; veers toward Iran" — The Guardian, June 7, 2007
Lin Noueihed. "Cyclone Gonu weakens to a storm on way to Iran" — Reuters, June 7, 2007
Lin Noueihed, Reuters. "Cyclone Gonu sweeps Oman" — Swiss Radio International, June 7, 2007

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