DUBAI // The rescue by special forces of a UAE-owned bulk carrier and the prosecution of pirates in UAE courts herald tougher federal moves against piracy, security and legal experts said yesterday.
The incident at the weekend - the first time UAE forces have taken part in a counter-piracy operation - put training from the past year to use and reflected a decision to make stopping piracy a priority, said Theodore Karasik, the research director at the Institute for Near Eastern and Gulf Military Analysis in Dubai.
"This is a significant milestone," he said. "Ships that are registered in the UAE or contain shipments that are coming from or going to the UAE have been a frequent target and I think the Government has had enough."
The MV Arrilah-I, a 37,000-tonne bulk carrier owned by a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), was the first government-owned vessel to be hijacked. Four of 26 ships currently held hostage by Somali pirates belong to UAE-based firms and a fifth was released last month. Six more vessels travelling to or from Emirati ports have been hijacked in the past six months.
"Intervention is going to depend on who owns what and what it's carrying and how important it is," Mr Karasik said. "The point is the UAE is coming up very strongly in terms of counter-piracy operations."
The incident began early on Friday when pirates with AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the vessel, which was en route from Australia to Jebel Ali. Six of them approached on two skiffs launched from a larger ship.
The MV Arrilah-I's crew and its private unarmed guards alerted UK Maritime Trade Operations, a Dubai-based group that liaises between commercial vessels and naval forces that conduct counter-piracy operations in the area. Then they locked themselves in a safe room on the ship.
Ten pirates eventually boarded the vessel. They were captured by UAE counter-terrorism forces with support from the Air Force and Air Defence as well as the US Fifth Fleet.
The pirates will be prosecuted in federal courts, according to Eisa bin Haider, a Dubai based advocate, legal consultant and maritime law expert.
"The UAE has jurisdiction over its flag-bearing vessels in international or regional waters," he said. "The Federal Criminal Code states that any crimes involving military or commercial aircraft or vessels bearing the UAE flag are to be prosecuted in the UAE courts.
"Furthermore, if a crime occurs on vessels bearing flags of other countries in UAE ports or waters, they are not to be prosecuted locally except in the case of a request by the flag country or the ship's captain, or if the situation endangers security or the victim or assailant is a UAE citizen."
The UAE military said on Saturday that the pirates would be handed over to the Ministry of Interior once they arrive in Dubai. A senior Dubai Public Prosecution official confirmed that the pirates would not be prosecuted in Dubai.
"Although the vessel was heading to Dubai it would be prosecuted in Abu Dhabi," said the official. "This might be a state security matter which is a federal matter."
The pirates are expected to be transferred to Abu Dhabi-based Federal prosecutors after being processed by the interior ministry. The ship is scheduled to arrive at 9pm today, said Derrick Justin David, the operations executive of Sharaf Shipping, the vessel's agent.
The pirates' case would be heard in the Federal Criminal Court of First Instance, Mr bin Haider said.
The pirates are facing a life sentence if convicted, under Federal law governing the hijack of an aircraft or ship to seize it or its contents or divert it from its route.
chuang@thenational.ae
amustafa@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Salam al Amir
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Correspondents
By Tim Murphy
(Grove Press)
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Remaining fixtures
- August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
- September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Final: UAE beat Qatar by nine wickets
Third-place play-off: Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by five runs
Table
1 UAE 5 5 0 10
2 Qatar 5 4 1 8
3 Saudi 5 3 2 6
4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4
5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2
6 Maldives 5 0 5 0
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
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India squad
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
Blue%20Beetle
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