ABSTRACT
Introduction & Methodology At 1249 on 10 April 2005, in position 03° 24.0’N 048° 17.0’E, approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, the 19,240 DWT bulk carrier M/V Tim Buck loaded with urea from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was assaulted by two four-man pirate teams in high-speed boats, all of them armed with AK-47 assault rifl es and RPG-7 grenade launchers. At 1250 local time, as the two assault teams approached the starboard quarter, the master sounded the general alarm and the engineers brought the vessel up to maximum power in an attempt to evade boarding. Realizing the defensive measure, the pirates opened fi re on the bridge, bridge wings, and superstructure with small arms fi re and rocket propelled grenades. Th e master, Captain Sergey Potemkin, now suff ering from acute chest pains, sent a distress signal via Inmarsat-C. Following another grenade volley aimed at the No. 1 lifeboat and another at the bridge, the pirates boarded the vessel on the starboard side adjacent to the No. 5 and No. 6 holds. Aft er a failed attempt to gain access to the accommodation spaces, which were locked down (the vessel was sailing under ISPS Level 2 security), the pirates were later found to have fl ed the vessel by search teams and crews fi ghting fi res on the lifeboat deck. Tragically, at 1520 the master suffered a heart attack and died shortly aft er. Th e rest of the crew were unhurt. Th e vessel, now under the command of the chief offi cer, Tischenko Konstantin, sailed for Dar es Salaam, its intended destination.1
