French nab 11 pirates as threats mount on US ships

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

French nab 11 pirates as threats mount on US ships

...French forces launched an early morning attack on a pirate ship after spotting it Tuesday with a surveillance helicopter and observing the pirates overnight. The raid thwarted the bandits' planned attack on the Liberian cargo ship Safmarine Asia, the French Defense Ministry said.

The statement called the pirate vessel a "mother ship" — usually a seized foreign ship that pirates use to transport speedboats far out to sea and resupply them. The ship was intercepted 550 miles (900 kilometers) east of the Kenyan city of Mombasa.

The 11 detained pirates were being held on the Nivose, a French frigate serving in the international fleet trying to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden.

France has traditionally been aggressive in fighting piracy — this was its ninth military operation against pirates. Three Somali pirates were in the French city of Rennes on Wednesday facing judicial investigation after being captured in a hostage rescue Friday. Several other pirates are also in French custody after being seized last year...

...Pirates released a Greek-owned cargo ship Wednesday and Greek authorities said all 24 crewmen on the Titan were in good health. The ship had been hijacked March 19 in the Gulf of Aden.

In all, Somali pirates are holding over 280 sailors on 15 ships — at least 76 of those sailors captured in the last few days. Pirates have attacked 79 ships this year and hijacked 19 of them, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a piracy watchdog.

Pirates can extort $1 million or more for each ship and crew seized off the Horn of Africa — and Kenya estimates they raked in $150 million last year...

...The difficulties in getting food aid delivered could leave some Somalis hungry.

World Food Program spokesman Peter Smerdon said more food aid was to have been delivered by another cargo ship hijacked Tuesday, the Lebanese-owned MV Sea Horse. It was headed to Mumbai, India, to pick up 7,327 tons of WFP food for Somalia.

"WFP is also extremely concerned that people in Somalia will go hungry unless the Sea Horse is quickly released or a replacement ship can be found," he said....

...Pirates say they are fighting illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters but now operate hundreds of miles from there in a sprawling 1.1 million square-mile danger zone.

A flotilla of warships from nearly a dozen countries has patrolled the Gulf of Aden and nearby Indian Ocean waters for months. They have halted many attacks but say the area is so vast they can't stop all hijackings.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is the shortest route from Asia to Europe. More than 20,000 ships cross the vital sea lane every year.

Pirate attacks in the region have rapidly increased lately, according to the International Maritime Bureau. In less than four months this year, there have been 79 attacks, compared to 111 for all of 2008.

In 2003, there were only 21 attacks by Somalis in this expanse of water.

Last year pirates took 815 sailors hostage and hijacked 42 ships....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090415/ap_on_re_af/piracy

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Pirate Attacks Worldwide

[Bobby+Umit 161]

Pirate Base in Somalia

These guys are really organized.

Pirates Info

Edited April 15, 2009 by Bobby_Umit

[alienlovechild 75]

Pirate Attacks Worldwide

The pirates of the topics. You don't see many attacks in colder waters.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Whoa...pirates are becoming so popular, even the Jonas Bros. are in on the act...

[Peikko 1,575]

Link

21 August 2008

Pirates have seized two vessels - a Japanese tanker and an Iranian bulk carrier - off the coast of Somalia, in the latest of a spate of hijackings.

The vessels were taken within an hour of each other on Thursday morning in the Gulf of Aden, a busy shipping lane close to the coast of lawless Somalia.

Noel Choong, of the International Maritime Bureau, said there had been no communication with either boat.

He said a multi-national naval force in the area had been informed.

The hijackings come just two days after a Malaysian oil tanker with 39 crew was captured in the same area.

'Stop this menace'

The Japanese-operated tanker and Iranian carrier were taken between 1000 and 1100 local time (0200-0300 GMT) on Thursday, Mr Choong told reporters.

RECENT HIJACKINGS

Map

20 July: Japanese-owned bulk carrier MV Stella Maris

Last week: Thai cargo ship, the MV Thor Star, and Nigerian tug boat, the MT Yenegoa Ocean

Tuesday: Malaysian palm oil tanker

Thursday: Japanese tanker and Iranian bulk carrier

The Japanese vessel is said to be carrying 19 crew, but the numbers aboard the Iranian ship are unknown.

He said a naval force - run by a US-led six-nation coalition - was in the area and an operation was "ongoing".

"In 48 hours, three ships have been attacked and hijacked by armed pirates. It is coming to a very dangerous stage," said Mr Choong, according to AP news agency.

"We urge the United Nations and the international community to take serious action to stop this menace."

The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

But it runs past the coast of Somalia - which has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife.

Including Thursday's attacks, six vessels have now been seized in this zone since 20 July.

Negotiations are said to be continuing to secure the release of the dozens of crew now being held.

The UN Security Council permits international warships to enter Somali waters to combat the problem - but the long coastline remains virtually unpoliced