Aaarh, Matey! US Warships head for vessel hijacked off Somalia

US Warships head for vessel hijacked off Somalia by pirates

What was the cargo? UN food aid.
Gunmen wielding AK-47s stormed the Kenyan-owned MV Rozen on Sunday, taking hostage its six Kenyan and six Sri Lankan crew after intercepting the freighter by speedboat. It was the third hijacking in two years of a ship hired to carry relief supplies by the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP). Penny Ferguson, WFP spokeswoman in neighboring Kenya, said the United Nations understood the vessel was anchored off Bargal, a port in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region.

"We also understand a U.S. warship is heading to that area but that it is still in international waters," Ferguson said. "There has been no contact yet from the pirates and our biggest concern remains for the safety of the crew."

The ship, chartered by WFP from Mombasa-based Motaku Shipping Agency, was seized after unloading 1,800 metric tonnes of food aid at two northern Somali ports. Somali pirates seized three Motaku vessels in 2005, holding one and its crew hostage for nearly 100 days. Two of those ships had been carrying WFP cargoes.

The culprits? The usual suspects.
Experts say a band of pirates based in Harardheere port have regrouped and are thought to have been behind Sunday's attack and two unsuccessful hijacking attempts earlier this year.

Their M.O.? The usual.
The pirates use speedboats equipped with satellite phones and GPS equipment. They are typically armed with automatic weapons, anti-tank rocket launchers and grenades, according to the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia.

On a personal note: My grandfather was in the merchant marine. He crewed on a ESSO oil tanker and frequently sailed off the Horn of Africa...