Thagarr's Pirate News!

[Thagarr]

Looks like things are finally starting to pick up a bit after the monsoons.

French troops on tuna ship fight Indian Ocean pirates

PARIS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - French marines deployed on a tuna fleet off the Seychelles fired at suspected Somali pirates on Tuesday, the second such clash in the space of a few days as France protects its highly lucrative tuna industry.

While navies from around the world struggle to contain escalating pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean, some countries like France are opting to directly protect their vessels though others fear this could make things worse.

Small boats carrying what appeared to be Somali pirates chased two French tuna fishing ships some 370 km north of the Seychelles, French military spokesman Christophie Prazuck said.

"The troops fired a type of flare to show the pirates that the ships were protected. As they continued to come closer, the soldiers fired warning shots in front of the boats of the pirates, who turned back and stopped the attack," he said.

On Saturday, French troops fired at pirates in a similar confrontation to protect two tuna ships some 350 km off the Seychelles.

That was the first time the French fought off an apparent pirate attack since the plan to protect their tuna fleet was implemented in July. [ID:nL9711262]

The tuna industry is worth up to $6 billion across the Indian Ocean region, and some 60 French marines are now protecting about 10 vessels off the Seychelles.

"It's useful, efficient and sufficient," Prazuck said.

However, other countries have expressed fears that putting troops and armed guards on merchant ships or fishing boats will further worsen the situation and lead to an escalation of violence.

Spanish tuna fishing boats off the Seychelles have also been targeted by Somali pirates, who have widened their hunting grounds to avoid navy patrols along the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. [ID:nLD314547]

Gangs from lawless Somalia -- some made up of former fishermen who lost their livelihood as foreign fleets moved into the waters -- have made tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by hijacking merchant ships.

Original story here :
http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSLD15389


And this...

Somali pirates want $4 mln for Spanish trawler

MOGADISHU — Somali pirates holding a Spanish tuna trawler for the past 12 days on Wednesday demanded four million dollars for the release of the ship and its 36-member crew, one of the pirates told AFP.

The pirates also demanded, as a pre-condition of any deal, the release of two colleagues who are in Spanish custody, Abdi Yare, a 30-year-old pirate told AFP by phone from coastal Harardhere village, off which the Spanish trawler, the Alakrana, is anchored.

Harardhere is considered to be the second-biggest base of operations for Somali pirates after the port of Eyl.

"We also demand four million US dollars (2.8 million euros) as a payment for illegally fishing in Somalia. After that we will release the fishing boat. Unless those conditions are met we will not make any deal," he said.

"The amount of fish they have stolen from Somalia is more than the amount of the ransom we have demanded," he added.

Two pirates held in Spanish custody were captured by the Spanish navy after they left the Alakrana on a smaller boat.

They arrived Monday in Spain where prosecutors want to try them for their role in the October 2 hijacking.

The 100-metre (358-foot) Alakrana was seized in the high seas between Somalia and the Seychelles as calmer waters at the end of the monsoon season made vessels more vulnerable to attacks.

The vessel, whose 36 crew members comprise nationals of Spain, Ghana, Indonesia, Madagascar, Senegal and the Seychelles, was far from a zone protected by the Spanish military at the time of the attack, Spanish officials said.

Spanish fleet owners have requested to have marines stationed on board their fishing vessels, arguing that French vessels have since July had marines on board.

Spain's defence ministry has said Spain cannot station its marines on fishing trawlers, as France is doing, because Spanish law does not allow the military to be used for protecting private property.

Last month Madrid did allow the private security firms which protect Spanish fishing boats from Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean to use long-range weapons.

After the seizure of the Alakrana, an official with Ecoterra International, an environmental group that also monitors piracy, said they were probing whether it was a case of illegal fishing or just an act of piracy.

The latest hijacking brings to at least five the number of vessels in the hands of Somali pirates. The others include a Taiwanese fishing vessel and Ukrainian, German and Turkish freighters.

According to Ecoterra International, at least 163 attacks have been carried out by Somali pirates since the start of 2009 alone, 47 of them successful hijackings.

Last year, more than 130 merchant ships were attacked, an increase of more than 200 percent on 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Original story here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jhLo6d4s38lgFVwc76Hdev8srKMw

 

[Fred Bob]

However, other countries have expressed fears that putting troops and armed guards on merchant ships or fishing boats will further worsen the situation and lead to an escalation of violence.

Statements like dis one, Thagarr, ne'er fail tew baffle ol' Fred Bob tew no end!
Thars gotta be a philosophical falsehood buried in it somewhere, Fred Bob be a thinkin'!

 

[Thagarr]

I agree with you 100% Fred Bob! There is only one response these bastards understand! Smacking them on the wrist, taking there toys away and sending them back home to mommy will never solve the problem. The only way to convince them that this is not a good way to make a living, is to make the consequences out way the rewards. The French really seem to be the only ones that remember those lessons they learned in the 17'th and 18'th century! I found a link to an article about the British House of Lords taking up the matter of an investigation into links between Somali pirates and terrorism that could make it illegal for ship owners to pay ransoms. Unfortunately, that article is on a paid access web page and I couldn't read the whole thing. I'll keep looking and see if I can find any more information about that, that at least is a step in the right direction!

 

[Thagarr]

Singapore ship seized by pirates

Somali pirates have seized a Singapore-flagged container ship in the Indian Ocean, a maritime official says.

The MV Kota Wajar was headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa when it was commandeered 300 nautical miles north of Seychelles.

Twenty one crew are on board the 24,637-tonne container ship, said an official from the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme.

At least five vessels are now in the hands of Somali pirates, officials say.

The maritime security centre of the European Union, which has a patrolling anti-piracy naval force, confirmed the most recent attack.

The EU said in a statement that it had sent a patrol aircraft to investigate, but did not provide further details.

Pirate attacks around the world more than doubled to 240 during the first six months of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008, the ICC International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre said in July.

The rise in overall maritime hijacking is largely due to the increase in Somali pirate activity.

Original story here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/8309204.stm

 

[Thagarr]

Cameroon military repels pirate attack, kills 4
Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:03am EDT

By Tansa Musa

YAOUNDE, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Cameroon's military killed four pirates who had attacked a fishing vessel off the Bakassi peninsula, destroying their speedboat and seizing a stash of weapons, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday.

Three other gunmen injured in the attack by Cameroon's rapid intervention force were taken prisoner and two others went missing, the ministry said in a release read over state radio.

The incident on Oct. 10 was the first reported pirate attack in the Gulf of Guinea since March, when gunmen attacked a supply vessel contracted by Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), kidnapping four crew in the same region near the Nigerian border.

Analysts have said that increasing numbers of attacks in the region, home to myriad rebel groups and smugglers, could pose a long-term threat to oil supplies from some of Africa's biggest producers -- Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo.

Several Gulf of Guinea countries including Cameroon agreed last spring to join forces to fight rising crime along the coast, and the top oil consumer the United States said it would help train African navies to boost maritime security.

Cameroon forces are investigating who is responsible for the latest attack.

A former commander of the rebel group Niger Delta Defence and Security Council had sent a letter to the Cameroon government in August warning of an imminent attack by the group's former allies the Bakassi Freedom Fighters.

"The attack has come to confirm the letter I sent to the Cameroon government in August warning them of an imminent attack by the BFF," Ebi Dari, who masterminded a series of pirate attacks in 2007 and 2008, told Reuters by phone.

BFF has said it is seeking compensation on behalf of Nigerians compelled to leave the Bakassi peninsula after the disputed land was handed over to Cameroon in 2008.

A BFF spokesman was not available to comment.

In the past three years, heavily armed gunmen in fast launches from BFF joined other militants operating in Nigeria's Niger Delta to prey on oil installations, oil and fishing boats and coastal towns in the Gulf of Guinea.

In the latest incident, the fishing vessel, named Rose Three, is owned by Atlantic Shrimpers Ltd., the largest fishing company in Nigeria, Cameroon's defence ministry said.

A senior military official in Cameroon said the fishing vessel and its crew were unharmed in the attack.

Original story here :
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLF20942

 

[Thagarr]

Somali pirates seize Chinese ship


Somali pirates have hijacked a Chinese cargo ship with 25 crew on board, the EU's anti-piracy naval mission says.

The De Xin Hai, which was transporting coal, was seized early on Monday in the Indian Ocean, about 1,100km (700 miles) east of the Somali coast.

The hijacking is believed to have been the first time a ship has been seized between the Seychelles and Maldives.

It is also the first successful attack on a Chinese vessel since the country deployed three warships to the region.

John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Navfor Maritime Patrol, said one of its aircraft had located the vessel after Monday's attack.

"The aircraft spotted at least four pirates on the deck and the vessel is towing two skiffs. It was last reported heading west towards the Somali coast," he said.

Later, one of the pirates, Hassan, told Reuters news agency that the hijacked ship would be sailed to either Haradheere or Hobyo.

The ship, which is owned by the Qingdao Ocean Shipping Company, was on its way from South Africa to India when it was captured.

Monday's hijacking brings to six the total number of vessels currently in the hands of Somali pirates.

Joel Morgan, the Seychelles' minister of state for piracy, said maritime traffic in the area had dropped by a third recently due to the threat.

Original story here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8315630.stm

 

[Thagarr]

US Navy and Coast Guard hit's em where it hurts.

USS Anzio seizes drugs in Gulf of Aden

Updated: Tuesday, 20 Oct 2009, 1:21 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 20 Oct 2009, 1:21 PM EDT

USS ANZIO, Gulf of Aden - The Norfolk-based USS Anzio, patrolling the Gulf of Aden for pirates, instead seized approximately four tons of hashish.

The drugs, seized October 15 from a skiff approximately 170 miles southwest of Salalah, Oman, have an estimated street-value of $28 million.

According to the Navy, the skiff was spotted traveling at a high speed by Anzio's crew. Following a brief chase, the skiff was boarded by Anzio's visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) team, which included officers from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy.

After the seizure, the drugs were thrown overboard and destroyed. It was the first seizure of narcotics ever conducted by the USS Anzio (CG 68).

"The seizure of these drugs takes money out of the hands of those financing terrorists in the region," said Rear Adm. Scott E. Sanders, Commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, embarked aboard Anzio. "Yesterday these sailors were hunting pirates, today they have sent a message to all would-be smugglers that we won't tolerate pirates or drug traffickers in these waters."

"At first we had no idea what the skiff was doing out here in these waters, we were wary that they could have been pirates," said Capt. Frank J Olmo, Commanding Officer of the USS Anzio. "My VBSS teams are trained to handle these situations safely and efficiently."

Naval Forces assigned to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) have seized more than 22 tons of narcotics during 2009. In 2008, CMF forces seized more than 53 tons of narcotics.

Anzio, a guided-missile cruiser, is the flagship for CTF 151, and has been operating in the region for five months. CTF 151 is a multinational task force established in January, 2009, by the CMF headquartered in Manama, Bahrain. They conduct counter piracy operations under a mission-based mandate to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security, and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.

Original story here :
http://www.wavy.com/dpp/military/mi...S_Anzio_seizes_drugs_in_Gulf_of_Aden_20091020

 

[Stallion]

Would be nice if all the pirates switched to smuggling drugs instead of attacking ships. Sounds like there's far more money in it, too. :

 

[Thagarr]

Somali Pirates Hijack Cargo Ship With Mostly Indian Crew


(RTTNews) - Somali pirates hijacked Panamanian-flagged cargo ship and took its 26-member crew hostage off the coast of Somalia, reports quoting officials said.

The bulk carrier, MV Al Khaliq, was seized in the early hours of Thursday, PTI reported, quoting head of the piracy reporting center of maritime watchdog International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

IANS news agency quoted India's Directorate-General of Shipping as saying that the vessel was carrying 35,000 metric tons of wheat from Novorosskysk in Russia to Mombasa in Kenya, when it was seized about 180 nautical miles west of Seychelles.

The Indian High Commission in Nairobi, the Indian Coast Guard, and other maritime agencies have been alerted.

AFP, quoting NATO's anti-piracy mission in London, said 24 members of the crew are Indians and two Myanmarese.

There are six heavily armed gunmen on board the ship, which is being followed by two attack skiffs, according to the European Union's anti-piracy naval force.

A second carrier, 32,000-ton Italian vessel Jolly Rosso, also came under fire Thursday from pirates north of Seychelles, but the hijack bid was unsuccessful, as it evaded the pirates.

Original story here :
http://forexhound.com/article/Forex...ack_Cargo_Ship_With_Mostly_Indian_Crew/165373

And an update on the Chinese Cargo ship :

Chinese ship seized by pirates reaches Somali coast
Questions remain as to whether China’s Navy will attack to free the hostages. If that happens, it would be China’s first naval battle in centuries. Ship seizure sparks a patriotic wave online.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The De Xin Hai, a Chinese bulk carrier, was seized by Somali pirates and is now anchored off the coast of Somalia. EU Navfor, the European Union anti-piracy force, confirmed yesterday the ship had arrived off the coast of Somalia and was near Hobyo. It was captured on 19 October in the Indian Ocean between the Seychelles and Maldives.

It is still not clear what Chinese authorities will do to free the 25 crewmembers on board, but they vowed “all-out efforts” to rescue ship and crew without endangering their lives.

The De Xin Hai carried coal, heading to India from South Africa when it was hijacked.

Until recently, piracy was centred mainly in the Gulf of Aden region. This is the first time a vessel was captured so far from the Somali coastline.

In addition to the De Xin Hai, pirates also hijacked a Panamanian-flagged carrier, bringing the total number of international vessels in their hands to seven.

Usually, such situations have been solved by the payment of ransom money; it is not clear whether China will do the same.

Three Chinese Navy ships are in the Indian Ocean, and are now sailing towards the Somali coast. They will join ships from NATO, the European Union, the United States, Japan, South Korea and Russia that have been deployed in the area in an attempt to secure merchant shipping.

In China, the hijack saga off Somalia has stoked the fires of nationalism online, with patriotic internet users calling for a showdown between the three Chinese navy ships and the pirates.

"Our government's authority would be undermined if we surrender to pirates, and this would be a disaster for the leaders and the general public,” someone wrote online.

“China is a major world country and also a permanent member of the UN Security Council, so giving in to terrorism and piracy would make us the laughing stock of the world,” said another.

Various experts believe that China’s Navy is eager for a showdown. For months, the Chinese military have been showing off their modern weaponry and professionalism, displayed in great pomp and ceremony during 1 October celebrations.

If China does take on the pirates, it would be the first time in centuries that Chinese naval forces are involved in combat outside the country’s territorial waters.

Original story here :
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=16671&geo=6&size=A

 

[Thagarr]

Pirates hijack another British yacht! I would think there would be far better places for site seeing than the Indian Ocean!

Pirates suspected of seizing yacht

Missing Since Friday; 'The British couple are in our hands now'

Abdi Guled, Reuters; With Files From Agence France-Presse Published: Wednesday, October 28, 2009


Somali pirates said yesterday they had seized a yacht in the Indian Ocean with a British couple aboard and were taking the vessel to shore, while the European Union naval force said it may have spotted the boat.

"The British couple are in our hands now. We captured them as they were touring in the Indian Ocean," said a pirate named Hassan, adding they were healthy and ransom demands would follow.

"This was an unexpected catch because nobody could have predicted that two people on their own would have dared to venture out in the Indian Ocean at this time," said Abdi Yare, another pirate.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, both in their fifties, left the Seychelles on their 11.5-metre yacht, Lynn Rival, on Oct. 22 and were believed to be sailing toward the east African coast.

They have not been heard from since sending out a distress signal on Friday.

The Seychelles coastguard said it sent aircraft to search for the boat after receiving the distress signal and naval forces from the NATO alliance, European Union and United States, among others, had joined the search.

"We have not traced the yacht yet," Lieutenant Colonel Michael Rosette, who is in charge of the Seychelles coastguard, told a news conference.

"The yacht had only two passengers on board when it left the Seychelles."

He added the coastguard had not confirmed it had been taken by pirates, "even if the probability of hijacking is high."

But Commander John Harper told Sky News a similar yacht had been spotted by an EU Naval Force Somalia helicopter and that although it was too dark to see the name on the boat, the fact it was towing two skiffs was suspicious.

"I don't want to raise everybody's hopes but it's the first sighting of a yacht that the EUNF has had so far," he said.

"We've got two ships in the area and a helicopter, and we will keep looking."

In May, maritime security groups warned of a surge in the number of pirate "mother ships" operating in the Seychelles archipelago's expansive territorial waters.

The U.S. military said in August it would be deploying unmanned reconnaissance aircraft above the islands to bolster anti-piracy efforts.

Pirates have plagued busy shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia for several years. Foreign navies have warships in the area to try and prevent hijackings, but the sea gangs have started to hunt for ships far into the Indian Ocean.

About 27 ships from 16 nations are conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

The pirates typically use mother ships to sail hundreds of kilometres out to sea, then launch attacks in small skiffs armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

The gangs -- some made up of former Somali fishermen angered by the presence of foreign fishing vessels in their waters -- have made tens of millions of dollars in ransom.

"You never believe it is going to be one of those things that happens to your family," Leah Mickleborough, the couple's niece, told BBC radio.

"All of us as a family are extremely upset by what has happened. We are very distressed and it is such an emotional thing and such a horrible thing to be experiencing."

Ms. Chandler's brother Stephen Collett told ITV News it was unlikely any kidnappers would get a ransom.

"I think everything they've got is invested in their boat, so if they have been captured then the pirates have got the boat, which is as much as they're going to find really."

A final message on the couple's blog posted at dawn on Friday read, "Please ring Sarah."

There has been no communication with the yacht since then.

Original story here :
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=2152979

 

[Thagarr]

EU warships capture seven pirates

* October 28, 2009 - 5:04PM

European Union warships have captured seven suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia after two fast boats attacked a French fishing vessel, the EU's naval force said on Wednesday.

Soldiers aboard the fishing vessel fired on the pirates after they attacked it some 650km east of Mogadishu on Tuesday, said a statement.

A German warship was dispatched to the scene, while a helicopter from a nearby Spanish naval vessel was launched and located the two skiffs trying to flee the area.

"The helicopter fired warning shots to stop both skiffs, after which the pirates stopped and were seen throwing items, presumably pirate paraphernalia, overboard," the statement said.

The seven were arrested by personnel from the German warship - FGS Karlsruhe - when it arrived in the area.

Original stoyr here :
http://www.watoday.com.au/breaking-news-world/eu-warships-capture-seven-pirates-20091028-hkvt.html

And this...

French fishing vessel exchanges fire with pirates

Published: October 28, 2009

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A spokesman for the European Union naval force says a French fishing vessel has exchanged fire with Somali pirates.

Cmdr. John Harbour says pirates in two skiffs fired on the French vessel about 350 miles east of the Somali capital Mogadishu. The vessel had armed guards onboard and returned fire. Harbour said Wednesday it was not immediately clear if the men on the fishing vessel were French military or private security contractors.

A German warship nearby sent helicopters to investigate.

Harbour says European Union forces are also monitoring a yacht believed to have been hijacked by pirates with a British couple onboard. The yacht has not yet been formally identified.

Original story here :
http://www.newsok.com/french-fishin...icle/feed/98843?custom_click=headlines_widget

 

[Thagarr]

Pirates move yacht couple to hijacked ship

(CNN) A British couple kidnapped by pirates off Somalia has been moved to a hijacked Spanish ship that pirates have stocked with more supplies and armed men, a pirate source said Friday.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, who were snatched from their yacht in the Indian Ocean last week, had been held aboard a Singaporean cargo ship hijacked by pirates.

The pirates moved them to the Spanish vessel after elders in the Somali town of Haradhere refused a pirate request to allow the Chandlers ashore, the source said. The source spoke to a CNN stringer on condition he not be named to protect his security.

Paul Chandler spoke with CNN's British affiliate ITN by phone on Thursday, saying men with guns had boarded the couple's yacht, demanding money and taking everything of value.

He spoke later with the BBC's Somalia Service, reportedly saying, "We are well and being looked after OK." He said they were being fed and "food is okay at the moment."

The pirates abandoned the Chandlers' yacht, the 38-foot Lynn Rival, which the British Royal Navy found drifting in international waters Thursday.

The Chandlers set off from the Seychelles on October 21 bound for Tanzania, according to their blog. A distress beacon was activated on October 23, according to naval officials.

Britain's Foreign Office said it has been in close contact with the couple's family.

Pirates have been very active off the east coast of Africa in the past several years, operating out of lawless Somalia.

Two vessels were attacked the day after the Chandlers set sail. One of them -- a cargo ship -- was successfully boarded and seized off the Seychelles, while the other fought off its attackers near the Kenyan coast.

Thursday, pirates attacked and boarded a Thai-flagged fishing vessel about 200 miles north of the Seychelles, according to the European Union Naval Force.

Attacks in the region have significantly increased this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors shipping crimes. But successful attacks have gone down as a result of a strong presence of international monitors.

The first nine months of this year has seen more pirate attacks than all of last year, the bureau reported October 21.

From January 1 until September 30, pirates worldwide mounted 306 attacks, compared with 293 in all of 2008, it said. More than half of this year's attacks were carried out by suspected Somali pirates off the east coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping route between Yemen and Somalia.

Out of those attacks, Somali pirates successfully hijacked 32 vessels and took 533 hostages. Eight people were wounded, four were killed and one is missing, the bureau said.

Original story here :
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/10/30/yacht.pirates/

And this...

Somali pirates say ransom agreed for Ariana vessel and Ukrainian crew


Somali pirates said on Thursday that they have reached agreement on a ransom payment for the Ariana vessel, and the ship and the Ukrainians onboard will soon be freed, Russian Web site Maritime Bulletin Sovfracht reported on Thursday.

A representative of the pirates said told Reuters news agency by phone that they had agreed to take a $3.5 million ransom to release the ship and that the pirates will leave the vessel within 48 hours if not earlier, as soon as the money is brought to the vessel, most likely by airplane or helicopter, the Web site reported.

According to Maritime Bulletin, two women are among the hostages held by pirates on the ship. One of them has had a miscarriage.

As reported, Somali pirates seized the Ariana, a Maltese-flagged ship operated by Greece's Alloceans Shipping Cо. Ltd, in the Gulf of Aden on May 2, 2009. All of the 24 crewmembers are citizens of Ukraine. Most of them are residents of Odesa. The ship was heading from Brazil with 35,000 tonnes of soybeans on board.

Head of the Russian Sailors Trade Union Igor Pavlov announced on October 23 that the situation on the ship is critical.

"The ship has run out of water and food, fuel will soon be finished, and there are no medicines. One of two women on board the vessel had a miscarriage in the fifth month of pregnancy and she needs professional medical assistance urgently," he said in a statement posted on the union's Web site.

Original story here :
http://www.interfax.com.ua/eng/main/23283

 

[Thagarr]

Ransom demanded for yacht couple


Somali pirates who have kidnapped a couple from Kent have issued a ransom demand of $7m (£4.3m) in a call to the BBC.

Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 59 and 55, from Tunbridge Wells, were taken hostage by gunmen in the Indian Ocean in the early hours of 23 October.

They had been travelling to Tanzania from the Seychelles and their yacht was later found in international waters.

The caller said: "If they do not harm us, we will not harm them."

He added: "We only need a little amount of $7m."

He said the couple had been captured by "our brothers who patrol the coast".

Explaining the decision to set the ransom at $7m, the caller said: "Nato operations had a lot of negative impact here.

"They have destroyed a lot of equipment belonging to the poor local fishermen.

"They arrest fishermen and destroy their equipment.

"In defiance to our local administrations, they illegally transfer the fishermen to their own prisons and prisons of other [foreign] countries.

"So when you consider the damage and all the people affected we say the amount is not big."

The BBC's East Africa Correspondent Will Ross said the pirates had held talks for several hours in Harardhere on the Somali coast.

He said they were trying to agree how much money they wanted for the release of the pair.

The couple's yacht, the Lynn Rival
The couple's empty yacht was found during counter-piracy operations

He added that in previous cases pirates had begun negotiating with an extremely high figure, and then settled for far less.

Responding to the ransom demand, the couple's niece, Leah Mickleborough, said: "We had no idea what the figure would be. We have seen the report on the BBC and we will look into it."

The Foreign Office also said it was aware of the demand.

A spokesman said: "The government isn't going to make any substantive concessions to hostage-takers, and that includes the payment of ransom."

Earlier, Somali premier Omar Sharmarke said government officials were trying to explain to the pirates the couple could offer no commercial reward and they only had their boat, the Lynn Rival.

He said the government was doing what it could for the hostages.

In a phone call on Thursday, the couple said they were first moved from their yacht to a container ship, the Kota Wajar, which had also been seized by the pirates.

A man, who identified himself only by his first name, Abdinor, and who claimed to speak for the Somali kidnappers, said the pair spent Thursday night in the coastal town or Harardhere, which is a pirate stronghold.

It is thought the Chandlers were then moved to another ship anchored off the eastern coast of Somalia on Friday.

Original story here :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/8335074.stm

 

[Thagarr]

French tuna boat repels pirates
Nov 1, 2009 11:46 PM | By Sapa-AFP

A French fishing boat repelled a Somali pirate hijack attempt by firing warning shots and fireworks at the attackers, the French military said on Sunday.
Current Font Size:

The Avel Vad was sailing with another vessel in the area between the Somali coast and the Seychelles when it was attacked at 0730 GMT on Saturday.

A skiff from a pirate ship began approaching "with aggressive intent", the French military said.

Soldiers aboard the tuna boat fired fireworks and warning shots at the pirates, scaring them off. They have not been caught.

Saturday's incident was the second time in less than a week that a ship from the CMB company, based in the north-west French region of Brittany, has come under attack from pirates.

European Union warships arrested seven suspected pirates after an attack on the Cap Saint Vincent 350 nautical miles east of Mogadishu on Tuesday.

Rest of the story here :
http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/world/article175700.ece

 

[Fred Bob]

Have dem Frenchies tried a small cannon an' a bit o' grape shot, Thagarr, Fred Bob be a wonderin'?!

 

[rupertlittlebear]

Have dem Frenchies tried a small cannon an' a bit o' grape shot, Thagarr, Fred Bob be a wonderin'?!

Frenchies + grape +

wait a minute here FB

are you talking wine or brandy?

 

[Thagarr]

: I'm a bit disappointed they didn't specify what kind of fireworks. I was watching Mythbusters the other day, one of the myths was can you pierce a sail with cheese fired from a cannon! Awesome stuff! The cheese would go quite well with the grape!

Ok, before I hijack my own thread, back to the news!

Pirates thwarted twice in Indian Ocean: EU

BRUSSELS — A US cargo ship and a Dutch tanker were attacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean but managed to fend off their aggressors, the European Union's Atalanta anti-piracy mission said Tuesday.

The two incidents happened within hours of each other on Tuesday some 360 nautical miles (670 kilometres) off the east coast of Kenya, Atalanta said in a statement.

The US-flagged Harriette cargo vessel was attacked first by two small skiffs.

"The pirates opened fire with automatic weapons. Rocket Propelled grenades were also seen by the crew," the EU naval force said in a statement.

The pirates tried to get onboard the vessel with a ladder but the Harriette'a captain "made evasive maneuvers and succeeded in keeping the pirates off his ships," the statement added.

Soon after that the Dutch-flagged tanker Jo Cedar came under attack by three of the fast attack skiffs and also came under automatic weapons fire.

"With evasive manoeuvres and speed this vessel also escaped the clutches of the pirates," Atalanta said.

Nobody was reported injured in either incident.

The Seychelles-based EU force launched an investigation in the area with the German warship FGS Karlsruhe ordered "to search and neutralise the pirate attack group."

Since last year a flotilla of foreign warships has been patrolling the piracy-plagued Gulf of Aden, one of the globe's busiest maritime trade routes.

Pirates have since redeployed to the Indian Ocean, a much wider area very difficult for naval forces to patrol effectively.

Since the start of October, subsiding monsoon winds have allowed pirates with small skiffs to resume their operations in earnest after a lull that had seen the number of hijacked vessels drop.

Among their latest catches are a British couple seized from their yacht, an Indian cargo ship, a Spanish trawler with a crew of 36, a Singapore container ship with 21 crew members and a Chinese bulk carrier with a crew of 25.

Original story here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iV3S_lfIOH0WkLOkpA7sBSOStOkg

 

[Thagarr]

The pirates who kidnapped the British couple pick the wrong village to hide out in!

Somalia: Residents fight with pirates over UK couple

Residents of central Somali village of Bahdo in Galgudud, some 125-miles northeast of the notorious pirate haven of Haradheere, have reportedly clashed with Somali pirates holding a UK couple.

The residents were angered by the pirates’ decision to hold the hostages in their locality, prompting them to take arms against the sea gangs.

According to locals, the villagers urged the pirates to leave the area but they refused, leading to eruption of an all out war between the armed residents and pirates in which three people, two of them pirates are reportedly killed.

“We can’t allow our town to be used as hideout where hostages are kept. We defeated the pirates and they fled the area, taking with them the two hostages,” said the village’s administrator.

The two Brits, Paul Chandler 58 and his wife Rachel 55 were on board their small Yacht, Lynn Rival when they were kidnapped by Somali pirates in the early hours of 23 October and taken to Somali coast.

The pirates earlier demanded a ransom payment of £4.2 million ($7million) but reduced their demand to £100,000, which the UK government has since declined to meet.

Original story here :
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2...dents_fight_with_pirates_over_UK_couple.shtml

 

[Thagarr]

Somali pirates threaten to kill Spanish hostages

MADRID (Reuters) - Somali pirates have threatened to kill three crew members taken hostage from a Spanish fishing vessel if two suspected pirates being held in Spain are not freed, the captain of the vessel said on Friday.

"They have taken three of our crew and have given a deadline of two days," captain Ricardo Blach told Spanish television by phone from the tuna boat Alakrana, which was seized on Oct. 2.

"If in two days there are no signs that those two Somalis are being sent back here, they are going to kill them (the three crew members) and immediately take another three hostages. This is a lottery," Blach said.

Original story here :
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43743620091106

And this :

Turkey navy commandos seize 5 pirates in Aden Gulf

ISTANBUL, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Turkish navy commandos detained five pirates trying to hijack a Greek boat in the Gulf of Aden, the Turkish military said on Thursday.

The Greek boat was travelling 70 miles from the coast in a security corridor when pirates in a motor boat fired on the vessel.

"The (Turkish naval ship) TCG Gediz prevented the ship hijacking with warning shots and helicopter backup ... The TCG Gediz reacted to the call for help issued by the M/V Theoforos and detained the five bandits on board the motor boat," the military said in a statement.

NATO member Turkey has sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden under an international mission deployed off Somalia since the start of the year to try to prevent attacks.

Piracy has surged off the Somali coast in recent years despite the presence of foreign navies patrolling the area.

Original story here :
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL5466444

Busy day for pirates!

Suspected Somali Pirates Capture Greek Cargo Ship Off Tanzania

(RTTNews) - Thursday, suspected Somali pirates seized a Greek cargo ship with its 7 Ukrainian and 14 Philippine crew off the east African country of Tanzania, Greek port police and EU NAVFOR headquarters said.

The Marshall Islands flagged, 53,629 dwt bulk carrier MV DELVINA, loaded with wheat was heading for Mombasa, Kenya from the Mediterranean when it was captured 280 nautical miles east of the Tanzanian coast in East Africa, 300 nautical miles south-east of the Kenyan harbor city of Mombasa and 250 nautical miles north-west of Madgascar in the Indian Ocean.
Police had no contact with the ship after the crew sent out an alert. The maritime official said the Delvina was the third Greek vessel seized by the pirates this year.

Meanwhile, another Panamanian-flagged Greek ship, Theophoros I, was attacked the same day in the Gulf of Aden but the crew chased the attackers away using water cannon. The Theophoros I continued its route to Hong Kong escorted by two warships of the anti-piracy international force in the area.

Original story here :
http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx?Id=1120296&SMap=1

 

[Thagarr]

Spain refuses demand to free Somali pirates

By DANIEL WOOLLS (AP)

MADRID — Spain said Friday it would not free two captured pirates as demanded by fellow brigands who are holding a Spanish trawler and 33 crew members off the coast of Somalia.

Three crewmen that had been removed from the vessel and taken to the Somali mainland by hijackers to add pressure on Spain to repatriate the arrested pirates were returned to the ship late Friday, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said.

Moratinos said First Officer Patxi Valdes, ship's electrician Antonio Manuel Perez and crewman Joaquin Fernandez had been returned to their fishing boat safely.

"Somali authorities have offered all their support to the Spanish government," Moratinos said.

The trawler's captain told Spanish media Thursday that the pirates on board had threatened to start killing the hostages.

Deputy Defense Minister Constantino Mendez said Friday the two Somali men were captured in connection with the hijacking of the Spanish-registered tuna boat Alakrana on Oct. 2 in the Indian Ocean and brought to Madrid.

He told Spanish National Radio: "The situation is not negotiable."

However, he seemed to leave open a possibility of transferring them to the court system of another country.

Pirates holding the Alakrana took three crew members ashore to Somalia on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.

The wives of two crew members who spoke to their husbands Thursday said the pirates are demanding the release of the two in custody in Madrid as a condition for letting the ship and its crew go.

On Thursday night, the skipper of the Alakrana, Ricardo Blach, told Spanish television the heavily armed pirates on board had threatened to kill the three crew members taken ashore if there was no progress in freeing the two men.

"They told us an hour ago that if there is no movement relating to those who are in Spain, then they would begin by killing those three in three days' time, and then they would take another three, and so on," Blach said.

Blach said around 30 pirates aboard the Alakrana consumed drugs, often quarreled among themselves and were equipped with machine guns, bazookas, grenade launchers and handguns. "If you say anything to them, they put a pistol to your forehead," he said.

"This morning they took us all toward the bow of the ship and they began shooting, aiming at the mast and not us people, but the ricochets could have hit any of us," Blach said.

On Friday, relatives of the crew issued an urgent appeal for the Spanish government to free the detained pirates. "Otherwise they will be jeopardizing the lives of our loved ones," they said in a statement released in the Basque town of Bermeo, where the Alakrana is based.

The company that owns the Alakrana, Echebastar Fleet, urged the government to "facilitate the departure of the two Somalis detained in Spain, taking urgent measures."

Mendez ruled out freeing the two. But when asked if they might be transferred to an African country, similar to a case in May, he seemed to suggest that was an option.

"One can discuss issues of jurisdiction at length. They have many angles and law is not mathematics. Therefore, it is something that is open to differing opinions," Mendez said.

In May, Spanish naval forces caught seven young pirates trying to hijack a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden. Spanish courts initially considered bringing them to Madrid, but ultimately turned them over to Kenya under an anti-piracy agreement with the European Union.

Original story here :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gB7YMEDuCwwY9ncDOtPAkEI4-H2wD9BQ88BO0