Thagarr's Pirate News!

Thagarr · Feb 3, 2009

Nice find Fred Bob! Finally something worth going to school for! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

There really hasn't been a whole lot going on the past week piracy wise, the only successful attack was that German gas tanker that I posted on the main page. Looks like those Naval task forces are really starting to have an effect. I think the time of year and bad weather also have a lot to do with it though from what i have read. I did run across this interesting article though, about a crewman on the Sirius Star. He kept a diary on his laptop computer and took several pictures of the pirate while they were being held hostage.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Hostage's secret pictures of Â£2m ransom drop on ship hijacked by pirates</b>

Feb 1 2009 By Lesley Roberts

A SCOTS hostage risked his life to take this astonishing picture of armed pirates collecting their s2million ransom.

The cash was dropped by parachute before James Grady and his fellow crew were freed.

He kept a secret diary and photos of his 57-day ordeal on a hidden camera and laptop. Now he has opened that diary kept after the Sirius Star was over-run by gun-wielding crooks off the coast of Somalia.

James, 52, of Johnstone, Renfrewshire, said he and 24 colleagues on board lived under constant fear they would be shot dead by their captors. But he kept an astonishing daily log on a hidden laptop computer. And he took incredible pictures - including one of the ladder the pirates used to board the ship - with a digital camera stashed in his clothes.
ship

In a no-nonsense style, James reveals how the pirates: Constantly chewed mind-bending drug khat. Opened fire on deck with Kalashnikov rifles. Used computers to look at internet porn. Panicked after mistaking a lighthouse for another ship attacking them.

Engineer James said the only person injured throughout the ordeal was a pirate accidentally shot in the arm by a friend. Incredibly they continued to steal valuables from James and his shipmates after ship owners Aramco paid the s2million ransom in cash.

And he admitted the crew were happy when they heard five pirates drowned as they made off with their money. Relieved James said: "I don't know what they'd have done if they had realised what I was doing.</div>
Rest of the story and pictures, and excerpts from the diary here :
<a href="http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2009/02/01/hostage-s-secret-pictures-of-2m-ransom-drop-on-ship-hijacked-by-pirates-78057-21088889/" target="_blank">http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scottish-...78057-21088889/</a>

Thagarr · Feb 3, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Feb 3, 2009<b>
Pirates free Turkish ship</b>
NAIROBI - SOMALI pirates have freed Turkish-owned cargo MV Bosphorus Prodigy and its crew of 11 after holding it for seven weeks, a non-governmental organisation said on Tuesday.

The cargo ship and its crew of eight Ukrainians and three Turks were freed late Monday, according to Ecoterra International, an environmentalist organisation which had been closely monitoring Somali piracy.

'The crew of 11 is said to be well,' Ecoterra said in its newsletter.

The Bosphorus Prodigy was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden on December 15 and had been held off the coast of the northern semi-autonomous state of Puntland.

The ship is sailing under an Antigua and Barbuda flag of convenience and belongs to the Istanbul-based Iskomarine Shipping and Trading company, which did not provide any immediate confirmation of the release.

Somali pirates are still holding 14 foreign vessels and close to 250 seamen in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

Among them is the MV Faina, a Ukrainian cargo loaded with battle tanks and ammunition, which has been hijacked since September 2008. Food supplies are believed to be low and talks over a ransom in limbo. -- AFP</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_333737.html" target="_blank">http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_333737.html</a>

Thagarr · Feb 9, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Somali pirates say to free Chinese boat</b>
Sun Feb 8, 2009 3:41pm GMT
BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - Somali pirates will soon release a Chinese fishing vessel once they receive a $1.7 million ransom, one of the pirates holding the vessel said on Sunday.

Tianyu 8 was seized in November off the Kenyan coast. The crew included 15 Chinese, one Taiwanese, one Japanese, three Filipinos and four Vietnamese.

"The Chinese ship is about to be released and we are now waiting for the $1.7 million ransom as per our promise," he told Reuters by telephone from the fishing village of Eyl.

"Negotiations are over and there is no problem. We are just waiting for the money to come."

Earlier, Andrew Mwangura, an official of the East African Sea Farers Assistance Programme, had told Reuters the fishing boat was free.

The pirate said the gang holding the ship was confident of getting the ransom because a helicopter had hovered over the ship on Saturday, which appeared to be a sign that the money would be coming soon.

Pirates have been seizing vessels in the Gulf of Aden, which connects Europe to Asia and the Middle East via the Suez Canal, hijacking dozens of ships last year and taking tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments.</div>
Rest of the story here :
<a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE51707B20090208" target="_blank">http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE51707B20090208</a>

Old Salt · Feb 9, 2009

Them pirates have got spokesmen and everything. Quite the thriving business. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/yes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :yes

" border="0" alt="yes.gif" />

Thagarr · Feb 14, 2009

Sorry mates, I haven't had internet access for the past few days, so I haven't been able to update anything! I am back now though, doesn't look like I missed a whole lot of pirate action, but there have been a few incidents.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Somali pirates attack six ships: watchdog</b>

1 day ago

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) â€” Heavily armed Somali pirates attacked six ships, including British, Indian and Singapore-managed vessels, earlier this week but all managed to escape, a global maritime watchdog said Friday.

"In the past two days, pirates have been actively attacking vessels with intent to hijack," Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, said in a statement.

"It appears that favourable weather conditions in the area and the high number of hijacked vessel that have been released recently may have prompted the pirates to actively seek for new targets," he added.

But the ships -- managed by Indian, British, Greek, Singapore and Philippine companies and one unknown -- managed to escape from the pirates.

Choong said the strong presence of naval warships in strategic locations had prevented successful hijackings in recent weeks.

"The number of successful hijackings has been reduced due to naval activities," he told AFP.

Choong urged ships to maintain 24-hour visual and radar watches to prevent hijacks.

In one attack on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden, Choong said Somali pirates in a speed boat opened fire on a Indian-managed ship.

"The master contacted naval warships. The pirate's boat came close to the vessel but aborted the attempt due to evasive actions taken by the vessel," he said.

In another dramatic attack, pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at a Singapore ship in the Gulf of Aden.

"The ship's master reported that pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel. A military helicopter responded to its distress call," he said.

Choong said six pirates attacked a Philippine ship on Wednesday off Somalia.

"Six pirates armed with RPGs and guns in a speed boat chased and fired their RPG at the bulk carrier. The vessel took evasive manoeuvres and escaped from the pirates," he said.

Choong said since January 2009, there had been 22 attacks, with seven vessels and 123 seamen being held by Somali pirates.

Japanese warships are expected to soon join a growing fleet of foreign navies patrolling what have become the world's most dangerous waters, with more than 130 pirate attacks in 2008 alone.

According to experts, a slightly lower rate of successful pirate attacks since the start of 2009 is due to a combination of weather conditions and increased navy surveillance.</div>
Original story and some pics here :
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gOxRZ2DjKol9rlE_a-9rIA9yPMaA" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...lE_a-9rIA9yPMaA</a>

Thagarr · Feb 17, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Malaysian police detain 7 Indonesian pirates</b>
The Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Seven members of an Indonesian pirate gang were arrested Monday after throwing grenades at police during a high-speed boat chase off Malaysia's coast.

The pirates â€” who had been attacking vessels in the Straits of Malacca â€” were captured after a high-seas shootout, said a marine police officer in Johor state. One of the Indonesians was hospitalized with a gunshot wound, said the officer, who declined to be named citing protocol.

Piracy in the Straits of Malacca â€” a narrow waterway between Malaysia and Indonesia and once a hotspot for attacks â€” has abated since bordering countries strengthened patrols.

Only two incidents were reported in the waterway last year compared to seven in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. It has said that many other cases went unreported.

The officer said pirates threw several grenades at a police boat during the chase, prompting officers to return fire and damage the engine of their boat.

It was not clear what charges the men could face.

The Star newspaper on its Web site quoted southern marine chief Mohamad Kamsani Abdul Rahman as saying the seven men â€” aged between 21 and 53 â€” were believed to be responsible for several cases of piracy last year.

Mohamad Kamsani said the pirates first approached ships on the pretext of selling fuel at sea, but instead boarded and robbed the crew.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/16/asia/AS-Malaysia-Indonesia-Pirates.php" target="_blank">http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/16/...sia-Pirates.php</a>

Thagarr · Feb 21, 2009

Looks like with the crack down in the waters off Somalia, things are starting to heat up again in the Straits of Malacca!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Pirate abduction in Malacca Strait after long lull</b>

Kuala Lumpur (AP): Armed pirates kidnapped two crew of a Singapore-managed tug and barge in the Malacca Strait, raising fears of renewed insecurity in the busy shipping route, a maritime watchdog said on Saturday.

It was the first abduction of seafarers after a long lull in kidnap-and-ransom cases that once afflicted the waterway between peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia's Sumatra island, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.

About 12 pirates with guns boarded the vessel in the northern part of the strait Thursday and seized two senior crew members, Choong said. He declined to elaborate on their nationalities or whether a ransom has been demanded.

"We hope this is not the start of more such pirate attacks," Choong said.

The strait has long been notorious for robberies and hijackings, but the number of attacks has abated since Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore launched coordinated maritime and air patrols in recent years to curb piracy.

Only two pirate attacks were reported in the waterway last year compared to seven in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. However, it has said that other cases sometimes go unreported.

Some 70,000 vessels use the strait each year, carrying half the world's oil and more than a third of its commerce while traveling from Europe and the Middle East to East Asia.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200902211113.htm" target="_blank">http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200902211113.htm</a>

Thagarr · Feb 23, 2009

It's been a while since there was a successful pirate attack off Somalia, this Greek freighter was the latest victim.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Somali Pirates Seize Greek Cargo Ship</b>
By VOA News

Pirates have hijacked a Greek-owned cargo vessel in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia.

The Greek merchant marine ministry says pirates seized the MV Saldanha early Sunday, as it headed toward Slovenia with a load of coal.

The ministry says the ship was carrying 22 crew members, their nationalities unknown.

Somali pirates have received millions of dollars in ransom payments during a hijacking spree over the past year.

The attacks have continued despite increased naval patrols by the U.S., European Union and other world powers.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-22-voa14.cfm" target="_blank">http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-02-22-voa14.cfm</a>

Thagarr · Feb 24, 2009

Here is something the corsairs of old never had to deal with .... A US Nuclear Powered Air Craft Carrier! The Spanish Treasure Fleet would have been invincible with one of these babies as escort! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>U.S. nuclear supercarrier sent to fight Somali pirates</b>
By MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst
Published: Feb. 23, 2009 at 11:27 AM

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The pirate threat off the Horn of Africa is now so bad that the heavy hitters have to move in: The Pentagon has deployed a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the area.

Rear Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, commander of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, has announced that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower has been dispatched to patrol nearly 7.5 million square miles in the Middle East region, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Sunday.

The move makes a great deal of sense both strategically and operationally. Russia, India and China all have made significant gains in influence and prestige by deploying their own warships to the Gulf of Aden region off the coast of Somalia to combat pirates who have been operating from there with increasing impunity and daring. Over the past year more than 90 ships were hijacked, including a Saudi-owned supertanker with more than 150,000 tons of oil on board.

However, the pirates are hard to combat. Armchair strategists repeatedly have suggested reviving the World War I British expedient of "Q-ships" -- apparently harmless merchantmen that can open fire on pirate attackers with devastating force. But this is a pipe dream. The pirates attack their targets in extremely fast speedboats, and all they would have to do is speed off like lightning when the "Q-ships" revealed their true nature.

Sending regular naval frigates or destroyers to the region, as Russia, India and China have done, is good for showing the flag and protecting specific vessels or very narrowly defined sea lanes. But it can do nothing to eliminate the threat or to hunt down and destroy the pirates when they are at sea either. In modern warfare, the only vessels that can do that job are aircraft carriers. And nuclear-powered ones are actually much easier to deploy and much more effective for the job than smaller, conventionally powered ones.</div>
Rest of the story here :
<a href="http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/02/23/US_nuclear_supercarrier_sent_to_fight_Somali_pirates/UPI-99271235406456/" target="_blank">http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/...99271235406456/</a>

Thagarr · Feb 26, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Warship Stops Pirate Attack on Chinese Ship in Gulf of Aden</b>

By Christian Wienberg

Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Danish warship the Absalon, patrolling in the Gulf of Aden, stopped yesterday an attack by pirates against a Chinese freight ship, which had sent out a distress call.

The Absalon confiscated weapons of seven pirates, who had fired on the freighter, Denmark’s navy said late yesterday on its Web site. The Absalon and a U.S. warship offered medical aid to possible injured personal at the Chinese vessel, which was declined, according to the navy statement.</div>
Original story here: <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aVMGYamPguvE&refer=africa" target="_blank">http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...mp;refer=africa</a>

Thagarr · Feb 27, 2009

The machines are taking over I tell you!! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Technical hero: Now, robot to tackle pirates</b>
Press Trust of India
Friday, February,27 2009 (Moscow):

A robot, equipped with powerful water cannons capable of shooting down a pirate boat and even sinking it, has been developed in Russia, government sources have said.

The new means of defence against attacks on the high seas has been created by EFER Robotecnia Center from Karelia territory, located in the Russian border with Finland.

The robot was first used to put out fire in ports and vessels but facing the increase of piracy in the African Horn, Aden Gulf and the Indian Ocean, its designers have adapted it to watch and protect ships.

The video-controlled system has 12 robots, six of them installed on each side of the ship.
A Norwegian ship company has already placed an order with the Robotecnia Center, according to the sources.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showflipped.aspx?id=FLIEN20090085002" target="_blank">http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showf...LIEN20090085002</a>

Fred Bob · Feb 27, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thagarr @ Feb 26 2009, 04:07 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=303384"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>... a U.S. warship offered medical aid to possible injured personal at the Chinese vessel...</div></div>
Now it be Fred Bob a payin' free healthcare fer foreigners also? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/8q.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :8q

" border="0" alt="8q.gif" /> Arrrgh! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pirate3.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

2" border="0" alt="pirate3.gif" />

Meigger · Feb 27, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Fred Bob @ Feb 27 2009, 11:50 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=303644"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Thagarr @ Feb 26 2009, 04:07 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=303384"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>... a U.S. warship offered medical aid to possible injured personal at the Chinese vessel...</div></div>
Now it be Fred Bob a payin' free healthcare fer foreigners also? <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/8q.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=" :8q

" border="0" alt="8q.gif" /> Arrrgh! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/pirate3.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

2" border="0" alt="pirate3.gif" />
</div>

But you have deep pockets don't you Fred Bob. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" />

Thagarr · Mar 2, 2009

Share the booty Fred Bob! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>NATO to send more warships to fight Somalia coast pirates</b>
Bloomberg

2009-03-02 12:00 AM

NATO will send six more warships to fight pirates off the coast of Somalia that threaten the shipping lanes for a tenth of the world's trade.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization defense ministers agreed today to restart patrols in the Gulf of Aden, a choke point for oil tankers and cargo ships passing through the Suez Canal toward Europe and the U.S.

"You can expect to see another what we call standing NATO maritime group off the coast of Somalia in the coming months contributing to the overall international effort," Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters in Krakow, Poland.

Armed gangs using conflict-ridden Somalia as a safe haven attacked 165 ships and hijacked 43 last year in the Gulf of Aden. The increase from 58 attacks and 12 seizures in 2007 prompted an overlapping international coalition - the U.S., NATO, the United Nations and European Union - to dispatch frigates and escort ships to protect the sea lanes.

Currently, around 20 warships are on patrol off the coast of Somalia, guarding the approaches for the 50 cargo vessels that enter and exit the Suez Canal daily. About 30 percent of Europe's oil supply, or 3.5 million barrels a day, passes through the canal.

NATO's first mission, involving three ships, lasted seven weeks until the alliance handed off to a six-ship patrol under the EU flag in December. The U.S. commands a three-ship fleet known as Task Force 151, while Russia, China, Malaysia and India have also sent ships.

The deployment was NATO's first to the Gulf of Aden, another step toward widening the alliance's role beyond its original mission to defend European territory. NATO claimed credit for safely escorting 30,000 tons of food to Somalia.

The EU fleet - the 27-nation bloc's debut naval mission - saw its first action Dec. 27 when a helicopter from a German frigate repelled pirates attacking an Egyptian bulk carrier and destroyed their weapons.

The pirate-infested waters are so vast - equal to three times the surface area of Texas, according to one estimate - that there is enough work for forces under different flags, De Hoop Scheffer said.</div>

Rest of the story here :
<a href="http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=880285&lang=eng_news" target="_blank">http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_conten...p;lang=eng_news</a>

Thagarr · Mar 3, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Yemen Coastguard Rescues Korean Ship from Pirate Attack</b>

*
Fuad Rajeh

Yemen Coastguard has rescued a Korean ship in the international waters near the Gulf of Aden when Somali pirates tried to take over it. Receiving a distress call form the ship, sailing 47 miles south the Aden Gulf, Yemeni forces quickly moved to the scene and rescued the ship, a source at the Aden-based coastguard said.

As the Yemeni forces arrived, Somali pirates were threatening to hit the ship with RPG missiles if it would not surrender, the source said.
Coastguards started to clash with the pirates killing a pirate who was about to launch an RPG missile at the ship while the rest pirates could escape.
Noteworthy, pirates off the coast of Somali use speedy boats to carry out pirate acts and they have machine guns, missile launchers and hand grenades. They also have satellite phones that work with the DBS system.

Piracy off Somalia has been a growing concern for many world countries which have recently sent warships to conduct anti-pirate patrols in the Indian Ocean.Almost a week ago, Russian navy handed Yemen ten Somali pirates who were arrested while they carrying out pirate acts in the ocean.

Yemen Post Staff</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=306&MainCat=3" target="_blank">http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?...6&MainCat=3</a>

Thagarr · Mar 3, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>German navy deters pirate attack</b>
The Associated Press
Published: March 3, 2009

BERLIN: The German navy says the crew of one of its frigates captured nine suspected pirates who were attacking a freighter in the Gulf of Aden.

The navy says its Rheinland-Pfalz frigate responded to a distress call Tuesday morning from the MV Courier, a cargo ship owned by Hamburg shipping company Gebrueder Winter.

The ship reported that it was under fire from pirates armed with guns and a grenade launcher.

The navy ship sent its onboard Sea Lynx helicopter to the scene where it met up with an American helicopter sent from the USS Monterey. The helicopters fired warning shots at the pirates' boat.

The Rheinland-Pfalz raced 50 nautical miles to the area. Its crew boarded the pirates' boat and detained them.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/03/news/Piracy-Germany.php" target="_blank">http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/03/...acy-Germany.php</a>

Thagarr · Mar 4, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Somali pirates release Egyptian ship</b>

CAIRO (AFP) â€” Somali pirates released an Egyptian cargo ship on Wednesday with its 28 crew whom they had seized off the Somali coast on New Year's Day, the state-run MENA news agency reported.

The release of the vessel followed mediation efforts by Egyptian intelligence and foreign ministry officials, MENA said without making any mention of a ransom payment for the Blue Star.

Last month, the ship's owner Abderrahman al-Awwa told AFP that he had done a deal with the pirates on how much would be paid.

"We have reached an agreement for a million dollar ransom," he said.

The Egyptian foreign ministry said at the time of the hijacking that about 15 pirates, some of them heavily armed, attacked the vessel which was carrying a cargo of 6,000 tonnes of fertiliser.

The Egyptian-owned ship was flying the flag of the Caribbean island territory of St Kitts and Nevis when it was hijacked.

Last year alone, more than 100 attacks occurred in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia.

In September, another Egyptian-owned vessel was seized by pirates, who held the crew of 25 for almost a month before releasing them. Egypt said it paid no ransom for that ship.

The pirates have been undeterred by the presence of foreign naval patrols in the waters of Somlia which link the Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean and the oil-rich Gulf, and are one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jc0hXuXv--a8SYzNgPuOH0NQ0O4A" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/artic...YzNgPuOH0NQ0O4A</a>

Thagarr · Mar 8, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>3 dead, 2 hostaged in Basilan pirate attack</b>
03/08/2009 | 11:49 AM

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines â€“ Three people were killed while two others were taken hostage when pirates attacked a trawler off Basilan island in southern Philippines, a local government official said.

â€œWe condemn this attack and the authorities are now searching for those taken by pirates,â€ Al Rasheed Sakkalahul, Basilanâ€™s deputy governor, said on Saturday.

Quoting police reports, he said the pirates opened fire at the fishing boat, boarded the vessel and killed three crewmen late Thursday. The bodies of the slain crewmen were later recovered.

â€œWe donâ€™t know whether the two hostages are still alive or not,â€ Sakkalahul said.

Sakkalahul said authorities recovered the trawler but found it emptied and stripped off of important parts. He said he ordered maritime police and the Marines to intensify patrols at sea following the pirate attack.

No group claimed responsibility for the hijacking, but the attacks on trawlers and fishermen are not uncommon at sea around Basilan, a known bailiwick of Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels.

In January, Abu Sayyaf gunmen intercepted a small boat carrying state teachers off Zamboanga City and seized the trio and brought them by boat to Basilan. - Al Jacinto, GMANews.TV</div>
Original story here :
<a href="http://www.gmanews.tv/story/151851/Official-3-dead-2-hostaged-in-Basilan-pirate-attack" target="_blank">http://www.gmanews.tv/story/151851/Officia...n-pirate-attack</a>

.... I always though MILF stood for something completely different! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Thagarr · Mar 12, 2009

Things have definitely slowed down quite a bit the past couple of months. There are still pirate attacks, but there success rate has plummeted. Monday, a Chinese vessel successfully repelled 3 consecutive pirate attacks. There are many reasons pirates havn't been quite as successful lately, this article does a pretty good job of explaining most of them.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Somali pirates keep up attacks but seizures fall</b>

By KATHARINE HOURELD â€“ 1 hour ago

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) â€” A Chinese crew fought off Somali pirates using homemade Molotov cocktails while a Filipino crew showered the pirates' path with old oil drums and wooden pallets.

Another sailor aboard a ship being attacked simply pushed the pirates' ladder off the side, sending them tumbling into the waves.

While Somalia's pirates are keeping up their attacks in one of the world's most important shipping routes, they are finding it harder to seize vessels in recent months, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

After a series of high-profile hijackings last year, crews are more aware of the dangers. And navies from countries as diverse as the United States, Malaysia, France, Germany, China and Russia all have begun patrols or expanded operations in the Gulf of Aden.

"There's more naval ships in the vicinity and crews are far more alert and aware of the risks," said Noel Choong, who heads the bureau's piracy reporting center.

Piracy has long been a problem off the coast of lawless Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa. An entire generation of impoverished gunmen has never known the rule of law and half the population relies on foreign aid to survive.

The pirates have received tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments with high-profile seizures that have included a Saudi oil tanker and a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks, both of which were released.

But while pirates took nearly 38 percent of the vessels they attacked in 2008, they have only seized about 13 percent in the first two months of 2009.

Cmdr. Jane Campbell of the Bahrain-based U.S. 5th Fleet, which patrols the Gulf, said the decline in the number of successful pirate attacks could be partly attributed to the increased number of warships in the area â€” between 15 and 20 at any one time.

Surveillance also is being conducted by unmanned drones, helicopters and aircraft flown from the shore. The helicopters have frequently intervened in attacks, firing at gunmen or even picking up crew who have jumped overboard from the sea.

But a major factor is increased awareness of the danger among mariners, she said.

"Last year, you had a situation where pirates were onboard a ship before the crew was even aware they were being attacked," Campbell said. "This year, most ships are posting lookouts 24 hours."

Sailors are taking measures like lashing high-pressure fire hoses into position so they point at vulnerable areas of the ship or blasting water across corrugated iron sheets to create a "waterfall" that might flood a pirate skiff trying to motor underneath it.

But most ships simply evade capture by speeding up and changing direction, like the MV Shanghai Venture did when the clatter of a pirate's machine gun suddenly shattered the moonlit calm last Monday. The Chinese ship survived three successive attacks with nothing worse than a couple of bullet holes.

The rules of engagement with pirates also appear to be strengthening, said Dave Pickard, an analyst at British marine security company Drum Cussac.

In total, 121 pirates have been disarmed and released, 126 have been turned over for prosecution and three have been killed since last August, according to Campbell.

The United States has captured 16 suspected pirates in recent months, and the British and Germans have taken eight and nine respectively. British naval personnel also fatally shot two suspected pirates in self-defense during the arrest of the eight last November.

"Each nation is keen to display the pirates they've captured â€” it's almost a competition," Pickard said.

He said India and Russia are also aggressively pursuing suspected pirates.

Last month, Russia sent a helicopter from the nuclear-powered Peter the Great missile cruiser to arrest 10 pirates wielding automatic rifles and grenade launchers. And in January, a Russian helicopter fired at three skiffs pursuing a Dutch freighter, wounding three pirates and detaining all three shiploads.

India captured 24 pirates last year and handed them over to Yemen, and also sunk a hijacked Thai trawler that had been taken over by pirates and used as a mothership. Unfortunately, the crew were still onboard and only one survived.

Britain, the United States and the European Union recently have reached agreements to bring captured pirates to Kenya for trial, but other nations have handed them over to the Yemeni coast guards or returned them to the Somali shores. Campbell says the coalition is anxious not to overload the legal system and only wants to bring prosecutions in cases where there is ample evidence to convict.

The decision to move a protected corridor for shipping further out to sea on Feb. 1 also could be playing a role.

Previously, the corridor skirted the Yemeni coast, where pirates could hide among local fishermen and use the local mobile phone network to coordinate attacks. But since the corridor was moved further into the Gulf of Aden, Pickard said, the seas were rougher, there was no phone network and "any radar blips not following the pattern of the corridor are immediately apparent."

There were roughly 10 times as many attacks in January and February 2009 as there was over the same period last year but bad weather may have played a part in preventing even more attempts. The first two weeks of January were unseasonably rough, said Graeme Gibbon Brooks, founder of private security company Dryad Maritime Intelligence. <b>Many pirates cannot swim and do not like to venture out in heavy seas.</b>

Brooks believes the heavy naval presence in the Gulf of Aden may compel pirates to operate further east and force them to change their tactics. Monday night's attack on the Chinese ship demonstrated both those trends, he said: It occurred 480 miles (770 kilometers) east of the Somali coastline and at night, when pirates do not traditionally attack.

"There is an unprecedented number of warships in the Gulf," he said. "But this will push the pirates east into the Indian Ocean, where ships are not expecting to encounter pirates and therefore are easier targets."

The intermonsoonal season in March will make it easier for groups in the Somali towns of Eyl, Haradhere and Hobyo to launch attacks closer to home, he said. Although the Indian Ocean is far larger than the Gulf of Aden, pirates are finding ships by deliberately targeting common shipping routes.

"The Somalis are very patient people," he said. "The pirates have not gone away."

Associated Press Writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Copyright Â© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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The Associated Press</div>
Original story and a couple of pics here:
<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gF6vT7DgfHdNBGT6iTF4urIzC1ZAD96SB7881" target="_blank">http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...IzC1ZAD96SB7881</a>

ummmm.... shouldn't you really learn to swim if your going to make your living on the sea??

Thagarr · Mar 15, 2009

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><b>Japan sends navy to join Somalia anti-pirate patrols</b>
Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:07am EDT

By Isabel Reynolds

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan ordered on Friday two naval vessels to join international patrols aimed at curbing pirate attacks off Somalia, after months of deliberations on how to help protect cargo ships without breaching its pacifist constitution.

The destroyers are to set off from the port of Kure in southern Japan on Saturday, three months after neighboring China sent its own ships to the Gulf of Aden in a display of its growing naval muscle.

Navy patrols by vessels from 18 countries have helped bring down the number of attacks on cargo ships from a peak of 37 in November to just seven in February.

"Piracy is a threat to the international community, including Japan, and it is an issue that should be dealt with immediately," Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters on Friday after issuing the order.

"It is the government's important responsibility to protect the lives and property of the Japanese in these waters, which are an essential marine traffic area for our country."

Resource-poor Japan imports more than 80 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East, much of which is shipped through the waters now at risk from piracy.

Saturday's dispatch is being ordered under a marine policing law which restricts its activities, but the cabinet also approved on Friday a new bill for submission to parliament that would broaden the legal scope for such missions.

If passed, it would allow Japan's navy to protect ships that have no connection with Japan, and also allow sailors to use weapons in a broader range of circumstances, Japanese media say.

Piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping areas, has become a major problem over the past six months, pushing up marine insurance premiums and forcing some ships to avoid the area.

Japan's recent overseas military missions, such as the dispatch of ground troops to Iraq on a non-combat mission that ended in 2006, have been opposed by voters.

But the anti-piracy mission is largely supported by the public, opinion polls show. A survey in the Yomiuri daily this week found 62 percent of respondents supported the dispatch, up 5 points from the previous survey a month earlier.</div>

Original story here :
<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE52C0GI20090313" target="_blank">http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/i...E52C0GI20090313</a>

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