Piracy on the high seas...an update.

Aaarh, me mateys! Will the Pirates ruin Christmas this year? There's talk of that in the UK:

Pirates Threaten Christmas Shopping

The rate at which ships are being taken has led the British Chamber of Shipping to warn customers that all supplies that come to the UK and other western European countries from Asia could be put at risk.

Gavin Simmonds, head of international policy at the chamber, says: "Car carriers with vehicles for the UK, foodstuffs from Asia, textiles and clothing, dare I say it in time for the Christmas market, will not be arriving on time if they have to [go round South Africa]. We could begin to see shortages within the next few weeks." Of the ships pirated this year, most attention has focussed on MV Faina, the Ukrainian vessel carrying tanks and heavy weaponry. But the majority of ships sailing through the Gulf carry supplies vital to the running of the global economy. Goods as diverse as oil, gas, cars, textiles and electronics travel past Somalia on their way to Britain.

The alternative route, going round the Cape of Good Hope, would add up to three weeks to the average journey. However, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) says that two companies have already given their captains the permission to go the long way round and others are considering following suit.

You don't even see the MV Faina even talked about in the news anymore. And I can't believe that absolutely no progress has been made with regards to freeing the crew since I've been gone. Hell's Bells! They haven't even gotten the Captain's dead body off the ship yet! The latest? Ship's owner in talks with the scurvy Islamodogs and the talks are expected to be completed within several days. I smell a ransom negotiation, possums and if that happens it will truly be open season off the coast of Somalia. The only way we are going to beat these SOBs if we go all "shores of Tripoli" on them and start kicking some butt.

The moonbats are all in a dither because Blackwater has sent a ship in to help with the situation. I say privateers have worked in the past, let's see what they can do today.

But it's going to take more than that. It's going to take a concerted effort to get the men behind the 'foot soldiers'. And that's going to require cooperation between international law enforcement agencies. Good luck with that.

Read this account, "Pirates making big money" which quotes our old friend, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers Association, (you remember him. He was recently busted in Kenya for his suspected connections to the pirates and possession of marijuana. Those charges appear to be in response for his blowing the lid off the story that the weaponry on the MV Faina was intended for Kenya in violation of arms control restrictions - but he will still face trial this week.)

"There really isn't a military solution. The boys on the boats are just the foot-soldiers," said Andrew Mwangura, whose East African Seafarers' Association monitors piracy. "The commanders and generals - the financiers and the organisers behind it all - are in Dubai, Nairobi, Mombasa, and even Canada and London, sitting in their hotels, communicating via laptops, and making big money."

Andrew goes on to make the point that often goes unnoticed in discussions about Somalia:

"Many people are making good money from instability in Somalia,"... and he believes "a network of Somali businessmen abroad and corrupt accomplices are the driving force for piracy.

The government is complicit:

Mwangura said authorities in the region were turning a blind eye to illegal fishing, toxic dumping, drug- and gun-running, illegal charcoal shipments, and human trafficking in Somali waters that were all indirectly fuelling piracy.


I have a feeling this type of action - going after the Pirate Emirs and Imams will be a low priority in the upcoming Obama administration. There's not a peep about piracy in his African foreign policy. Nothing under Homeland Security, either. I'm thinking about joining his African Policy Group just for grins. The Obamanoids over there at his website are killing me - do they actually think that their "proposing and debating issues to benefit our relations with the continent of Africa" will result in ANYONE taking them seriously? I honestly think they do. What do they think they are? A lowly blogger like moi!

Meanwhile, a Danish dry cargo vessel, the Cec Future has been seized. Contact has not been made with the ship or it's hijackers yet.

And the beat goes on. Without direct action on the part of the Obama administration the situation will continue to fester, money will continue to be paid to Islamofascist thugs, radical Islam will lap up the cash and continue to grow stronger around the world. Maybe I should throw that little verbal hand grenade into the discussion over at the Obama African Policy Group and see what they have to say about that. Ha-ha!

Somalia: A pu-pu platter of Pirate info from Hawaii

Just checking in, Possums before heading out to the beach for the morning walk. It's another beautiful day in Paradise here. The wedding was beautiful and the Hawaiian ceremony was interesting. We've got the Luau thing under our belt and it was great fun. But, it's back to the Mainland (and reality) on the redeye tonight.

What else has been going on?

The MV Faina remains locked in a standoff between the scurvy dogs and various navy vessels assembled against it. The situation is getting tense with the pirates threatening to blow the whole ship up, crew, weapons and scurvy dogs and all if their demands are not met in three days. Two more ships were attacked and another ship, a Greek chemical tanker has been seized. The Greeks say, 'hold up - the ship, the Axion -or- Action? That's not a Greek ship'. They don't say whose ship it is and given the spaghetti bowl of ship registration procedures, it may take a while to untangle. Of course, knowing the real name of the ship might help.

Meanwhile, the Iranians admit to paying the ransom to release the MV Iran Diyanat. The Diyanat was the ship rumored to be carrying a 'dangerous consignment' that had caused the mysterious deaths of the pirates that seized it...all of which the Iranians deny, deny, deny.

It looks like NATO is getting off it's duff and sending along three ships to patrol the Somalian shipping lanes. However, a joint UN and AU committee is warning Kenya that it has no authority to intervene in the MV Faina action.

Speaking of Kenya, the Kenyan Parliament's probe into the weapons shipment on the MV Faina continues. Port officials have been called in to testify and it's looking like they have been able to establish that similar weapons shipments intended for the Sudan have been imported in the ministry of defense's name. Finally, Andrew Mwangura, the co-ordinator of the Eastern Africa Seafarer's Assistance Program, seized by Kenyan officials for alleged collaboration with the Pirates and marijuana possession, got his 200, 000 shilling ($2700) bail has been posted and he has been freed.

Stay tuned.

The Pirates of Somalia: Hostages get to make an appearance

I wouldn't do well as a hostage, I don't think.

US Says crew on hijacked ship off Somalia appear okay.

The remaining crew appeared fine in a photograph taken Friday, when the pirates granted a request by the U.S. Navy to have the crew step out onto the deck. The picture, released by the Navy, shows the men, mostly expressionless, with gunmen nearby. The crew of Ukrainians, Latvians and Russians are leaning against the railing of the ship but not looking directly at the camera.

The Kenyan Parliament has called a crisis meeting to get to the bottom of the arms shipment found on the MV Faina. Was it intended for Kenya or was it part of an illegal arms shipment to the Sudan as alleged by Andrew Mwangura and the US Navy. They better be having a meeting, 'cause Kenya's got some splaining to do...

"... questions over the transparency of the Kenyan government about its arms purchases have been further raised by a report released Friday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks the international movement of arms. The author of the report, Paul Holtom, tells VOA that in recent days, Ukraine filed with the U.N. Register of Conventional Arms as having exported 40,000 automatic rifles, sub-machine guns and over 400 grenade launchers to Kenya in 2007. China reported that it, too, had sent 32 armored vehicles to Kenya last year.

But Holtom says the Kenyan government has told the United Nations that it has not imported any arms at all in the past year."

Meanwhile Andrew Mwangura remains in Kenyan custody and it looks like Reporters Without Borders have begun to champion his cause and call for his release. But according to Iran Press (consider the source) the ship owner's are accusing him of connivance and collusion. Looks like Andrew's got some splaining to do as well.

Looks like the pirate business continues to be brisk these days...Pirates hit 6 more ships off Somalia this week.

"Pirates have attacked six more vessels off the coast of Somalia in just the past week, according to data fro NATO. ... And international tensions are ratcheting up by the day. The latest attacks brings the total number of "piracy-related incidents" in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast to 93. A dozen vessels are currently being held for ransom -- their last known whereabouts are on the NATO slide, above. "Larger cargo/oil/gas/chemical tankers" are now the pirates' favorite target."


The Sri Lankan captain of the Great Creation, a Chinese vessel kidnapped on September17th, made contact with its Hong Kong shipping company today. Negotiations continue and a ransom is expected to be paid for the ships release. Hey China, how about lending the world a hand and not supporting Islamic terrorists for once?

The Baltic states check in on the situation. Latvia - No. But it is working with the Ukraniacs to free the Latvian citizen being held on the FAINA. Estonia - Yes. BUT because of limited resources it won't be able to provide ships or personnel for the mission. Lithuania applauds the effort BUT is not prepared to send troops. There you go.

Meanwhile, the Nuestrashimy has reportedly passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, where it is currently "replenishing it's reserves." Can't find out where. Perhaps here?

Stratfor has a great piece up on Russia and Somalia. Does the deployment of the Neustrashimy to Somalia mean the Russians are looking to get involved in Africa again? And what does that mean to the US and the war on terror in the region>

"...the strategic issue is that the Russians are involving themselves once again in the Horn of Africa. They had been involved there during the Cold War, and they are returning — on a very small scale for now. The Horn of Africa is critical to U.S. counterterrorism efforts; the region is watched through Africa Command, headquartered in Germany, and Djibouti hosts the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

This follows the pattern Russia established with Venezuela: recruiting allies whose interests diverge from those of the United States. The primary function at this point is to irritate Washington, since the primary deployment is naval — and so minimal that it presents no threat to U.S. naval sea-lane control. At the same time, the Somalian announcement that the Russians are welcomed ashore in Somalia opens the possibility of a Russian land base in the region, and the possibility of Russian troops helping to assert government control over Somalian chaos — or at least trying to."

Somalia: Kenyan Government charges maritime official

Their ship has come in.

With making false statements and possession of marijuana. Dude!

On Thursday, the maritime official appeared in court in Mombasa, charged with making false and alarming statements to the media. He was also charged with possessing $3 worth of marijuana and ordered to be held until his next court appearance on Tuesday.

We're talking about Andrew Mwangura, the go to guy, the main man in the know about all things Somali Pirate. (Details of his recent arrest and background can be found here, if you're interested.)

But back to Andrew and the real news about the MV FAINA and that Ukrainian arms shipment. It looks like there's been a pattern of trafficking activity in the region and the good guys are onto it:

Separately, the U.S. Navy and defense officials in Washington said that they, too, had reports that the military cargo on the freighter was destined for Sudan. Mwangura have told the media that several other military shipments in the past year were sent to the southern Sudanese town of Juba through the port in Mombasa.

Kenyan and foreign media groups, quoting their own military sources and Western arms experts, have widely reported that South Sudan is believed to have more than 100 Russian-made tanks in its arsenal while the Kenyan military has none.

This report claims that Andrew is cooperating fully with authorities.

"He is assisting the government in investigations because he appears to have direct connections with the pirates, who have been hijacking ships," he said. "Pirates appear to call him directly or he has access to people, who have directly access to the pirates. He has appeared the last few times to be their official spokesman."

To give you an idea of how out in the open this whole pirate business is. Just dial Pirate 4-1-1.

Mwangura has been a key source of information for many groups, including journalists, on ship hijackings taking place off the coast of Somalia. He has said that his sources include pirates and their families, but that is not unusual. Many media organizations, including VOA, can easily reach pirates and people who know them via mobile and satellite telephones.

Even the New York Times has been ringing up the Pirate Shiver me Timbers Hot Line.

And in case you're wondering what's happening out at the ship:

As many as six U.S. Navy destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious ships are near the captured freighter, anchored about 11 kilometers off the town of Hobyo in central Somalia.

The Russians and the Ukrainians (or as Joe Biden would say: 'Ukrainiacs') are still burning up the phone wires discussing the situation. (Or maybe their plans to conduct a hostage rescue operation?) Russia also says they want to work with the US and EU in addressing the piracy scourge. Unh-huh. So does Egypt. Hey, Egypt how about working on your own garden variety Islamoterrorists in Egypt?

Somalia: MV Faina ransom back at $20 million

The Somali standoff continues. And the government of Kenya is still loudly proclaiming their ownership of the ship's cargo. (Methinks they are starting to protest too much.) Andrew Mwangura is still under arrest for his statements that the cargo was intended for the Sudan and the Islamists are telling the pirates to burn the ship, cargo and crew to the waterline if they are not paid.

"If they do not get the money they are demanding, we call on them to either burn down the ship and its arms or sink it," Sheikh Mukhtar Robow, a spokesman for the Shabab movement, told AFP in an interview.

The other part to this saga that is of interest and that is, arms trafficking by the Ukraine.

The pirate hijacking of a Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks off Somalia has refocused attention on arms-trafficking by the former Soviet republic, one of the world's 10 biggest arms exporters. Experts say Ukraine has greatly improved arms-export controls after a string of scandals but remains a potential source of weapons for pariah states and rebel groups worldwide.

Ralph Peters in "Exterminate that plague of pirates" has this to say about that:

Chartered through a Ukrainian front company, the Faina's a typical post-Soviet arms smuggler: Its cargo is manifested to the Kenyan military, but the true destination for those T-72 tanks is either Sudan's government, which is under an international arms embargo, or southern-Sudanese rebels chafing under a rickety peace deal. The Kenyans are just middlemen making a buck. The pirates attacked the wrong ship and screwed up everything.

Naval vessels are having an impact, but it's not enough.

Lieut. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for Combined Task Force 150, based in Bahrain, insisted the naval vessels were having an impact since setting up a safe corridor for shipping four weeks ago. "We have deterred pirate attacks - 12 in the past month - so we are having an impact," he said. "But this is an international problem and needs an international solution. It will take more than the six or seven ships we have in 6,215,971sq km (2.4 million sq ml) of sea." Mareeg.

Glad to see that Russia is doing it's part (/sarc)... and get this. According to a naval spokesman they won't be using any force when they finally do get there! Neustrashimy won't rush to fight pirates in Somalia.

The Russian Navy will not be using force against the pirates that have hijacked the Ukrainian ship Faina off the coast of Somalia so far. "Some media reports quoting unnamed sources have assumed that the missile frigate Neustrashimy crossing the Atlantic in the direction of the Mediterranean and from there to Aden Bay immediately after arrival in the area of Somalia will enter combat with the pirates who have seized the ship Faina sailing under the flag of Belize," Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told Interfax on Wednesday. He said the claims are provocative and may harm the talks on the release of the captured crew and threatened the lives of the people kept by the pirates.

Somalia: Kenyan police detain Maritime Official over Piracy Saga

Andrew Mwangura: What's his story?

Yikes. When I saw this I knew exactly who it referred to:

Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarer's Assistance Program.

When it comes to the Somali pirates, Andrew Mwangura is the man. He is widely quoted and seems to be pretty much the expert on the topic. Is he also a labor organizer, journalist, activist and socialist? Pretty much.

I knew the Kenyan authorities were none too happy with reports that the tanks and weaponry on the MV Faina had been destined for Sudan, not Kenya.

But, I can't believe they've arrested Andrew Mwangura.

Andrew Mwangura, who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, was held at a police station in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

"We have been looking for him since yesterday, but we have finally have him. He has been too vocal on the media, we want him to share with us what he knows of these pirates," a police official told AFP.

"We just want to question him on a few issues. It appears he knows more on the ship. We want him to tell us about this southern Sudan controversy about the arms," added another official.

Police said Mwangura was likely to be charged with making an alarming statement, a crime under the country's criminal procedure code.

"All I can tell you is that he is being investigated for issuing alarming statements. Those are the charges he is likely to face," said another official attached to the Criminal Investigations Department."

More about Andrew:

Earlier this week, Mwangura said Kenyan authorities had gagged him for speaking to the media on the piracy saga.

For several years, the Mombasa-based Mwangura has been a vocal advocate for seafarers rights, revealing the fate of hijacked vessels, the state of the hostages and ransoms, if any is paid.

So what's Andrew's deal? Is he a good guy or one of the guys who puts on his smart clothes and rushes down to the port of Eyl to get his cut?... Pirates stolen your supertanker? Here's the man to call.

When one of their ships goes missing, the millionaire owners telephone Andrew Mwangura, a former seaman who lives in a two-room shack and relies on internet cafes to communicate with his global network of contacts.

"The ship owners are wealthy but there is nothing for Andrew," he says, sipping a hot chocolate on a Mombasa hotel veranda. He dare not meet journalists at his home for fear his work will attract the wrong kind of attention.

"It doesn't matter because I'm proud that the US or British embassy officials come to meet me. They ask me what I think. That's very good for a common man."

Mr Mwangura, 45, has run the Seafarer's Assistance Programme for the past 12 years, tracking down missing vessels, investigating deaths at sea and negotiating the release of hostages. He is not paid for his expertise, but survives by working as freelance writer on the side. At one time he had 40 volunteers working for him, but the number is now nine after his organisation turned out to be riddled with informers.

He has moved from his home in the port of Mombasa up the coast to protect his wife and child. "The government doesn't like what we do and there are lots of people making money from piracy who would like us out of business," he says.

Read more about what Andrew has to say about how this pirate business works. He makes no mention of an al-Qaeda link, so I hope last evening's Snoopy dance wasn't premature

"The gangs, he says, are masterminded by crime lords in Dubai and Nairobi who monitor shipping routes for lucrative targets. They pass directions on to as many as five pirate gangs who pay a "licence fee" to Somali politicians or clan elders. "The majority of the Somali leaders are warlords or mafia-like businessmen connected to pirates, arms smugglers, people-traffickers, illegal fishing, logging," he says. "A thief can't catch a thief." The first Mr Mwangura hears of a hijack is a phone call from a Somali source or a shipping company desperate to trace a missing vessel. He uses a network of contacts in Somalia to find the ship and make contact with the hijackers. "If we can find a cell number for the gunmen and ask to speak to the crew to make sure they are safe, then often we can, as long as we don't give away the position of the ship," he says."

You note he doesn't give away the position of the ship...

Somalia: Okay, you won't give us $35mil, or $20 mil, how about $5mil?

Pirates decrease ransom amount for MV Faina.

Negotiations over the arms-laden freighter hijacked by Somali pirates intensified on Wednesday and several people close to the talks said the showdown had come down to price.

The pirates, who seized the ship last Thursday, initially demanded a $35 million ransom, then dropped it to $20 million and now it seems they are willing to settle for much less.

“It’s down to $5 million,” said Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator for the Seafarers’ Assistance Program in Kenya, which tracks pirate attacks and communicates with the families of crew members. “But this needs to be done quickly. The longer that ship stays in Somalia the more people who are going to get involved and the greedier they’re going to get.”

Pirates are hunkering down:

But the pirates have hardened their position as well — resupplying themselves with fresh food and water, bringing live animals on deck to celebrate the Muslim holiday of Id al-Fitr and chatting with journalists on their satellite phone. It has become clear that they do not plan on leaving the ship without getting paid.

Moreover, the pirates do not seem especially worried about the five or so American warships bristling with missiles and high-technology weapons that are boxing them in against the craggy Somali shore. The only other option, Western officials have said, is a commando raid, no easy task on a huge freighter packed with explosives and with 20 human shields (the crew, who are mostly Ukrainian with a couple Russians). The commando option, for the moment, seems less likely.

What will the Russians do?

A Russian frigate heading toward the coast of Somalia was expected to arrive within days.. It was unclear how or even if the American forces would work with the Russians, and Somali officials did not appear to be helpful.. On Wednesday, a Somali diplomat in Moscow announced that Somalia was inviting Russia to fight the pirates on sea and on land, possibly setting up a cold war-style duel for influence like the kind that turned Somalia into a dumping ground of weapons — and problems — in the 1970s and 1980s.Russia is known for its aggressive tactics in hostage situations and many diplomats here in Kenya worry the Russians may storm the ship. The American military, on the other hand, seems content to babysit the ship for now.

Somalia: Okay, how about $20 million? say pirates.

Pirates hanging around the MV Faina. They should be hanging from the mizzen mast.

Ransom for MV FAINA decreased to $20 million. Funny how the amount went down when the pirates and their ship full of tank booty suddenly found themselves surrounded by three warships.

Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian freighter carrying Kenyan military weapons defiantly demanded 20 million dollars in ransom despite being surrounded by three foreign warships on Sunday.

The spokesman for the pirates, contacted by AFP via satellite telephone, confirmed that they were surrounded by three foreign war vessels off Somalia's central coast and said the ship's crew was "safe and not harmed."

"What we are awaiting eagerly is the 20 million dollars (13.7 million euros), nothing less, nothing more," Sugule Ali said. On Saturday, figures ranging between five and 35 million dollars had been put forward.

Why are they so confident? According to the Marine Log, the pirates claim to have damning paperwork from the ship that will reveal that these tanks weren't going to Kenya as claimed by the Russians. No they were going to the SUDAN. Do they have that proof?

Now Kenya's Capital Radio quotes Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East Africa Seafarers Assistance Program as saying the hijackers claim to be in possession of confidential documents showing that the arms aboard the Faina were actually destined for Southern Sudan.

The pirates are threatening to unleash a "damning report" unless they are paid a ransom.

It sounds like conditions are deteriorating on the ship, too. Although this is being denied by the official spokespirate. One of the hostages has reportedly died of natural causes although this has not been independently confirmed yet. Oh, and one more thing...

THEY ARE NOT PIRATES.

Got that? They are just humble and green ECO-Warriors who are protecting their fragile environment and have the full backing of their "community." Their Islamic community...

Ali said of the ransom demand: "We are not pirates, we are just protecting our natural marine resources. Some countries want to make our waters a dumping site for the industry of the West. We are supported by the local community."

It's still not clear who is doing the actual negotiating.

The Kenyan government said it would not be responsible for the cargo until it was unloaded. This means that the Ukrainian side must negotiate the release of the crew, the ship and the weaponry.

I still say, a mizzen mast hanging is too good for them...

Somalia: Pirates die strangely after seizing MV Iran Deyanat

There is something very wrong with that ship...

A tense standoff has developed in waters off Somalia over an Iranian merchant ship laden with a mysterious cargo that was hijacked by pirates. Somali pirates suffered skin burns, lost hair and fell gravely ill “within days” of boarding the MV Iran Deyanat. Some of them died.

Andrew Mwangura, the director of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, told the Sunday Times: “We don’t know exactly how many, but the information that I am getting is that some of them had died. There is something very wrong about that ship.”

The vessel’s declared cargo consists of “minerals” and “industrial products”. But officials involved in negotiations over the ship are convinced that it was sailing for Eritrea to deliver small arms and chemical weapons to Somalia’s Islamist rebels.

The drama over the Iran Deyanat comes as speculation grew this week about whether the South African Navy would send a vessel to join the growing multinational force in the region.

A naval spokesman, Lieutenant-Commander Greyling van den Berg, told the Sunday Times that the navy had not been ordered by the government to become involved in “the Somali pirate issue”.

-snip-

The ship is owned and operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, or IRISL, a state-owned company run by the Iranian military.

According to the US Treasury Department, the IRISL regularly falsifies shipping documents to hide the identity of end users, uses generic terms to describe shipments and operates under various covers to circumvent United Nations sanctions. The ship set sail from Nanjing, China, at the end of July. According to its manifest, it was heading for Rotterdam where it would unload 42500 tons of iron ore and “industrial products” purchased by a German client.

At Eyl, the ship was secured by more pirates — about 50 on board, and another 50 on shore. But within days those who had boarded the ship developed mysterious health trouble. This was also confirmed by Hassan Allore Osman, minister of minerals and oil in Puntland, an autonomous region of Somalia. He headed a delegation sent to Eyl when news of the toxic cargo and illnesses surfaced. He told one news publication, The Long War Journal, that during the six days he had negotiated with the pirates, a number of them had become sick and died. “That ship is unusual,” he was quoted as saying. “It is not carrying a normal shipment.”

The pirates did reveal that they had tried to inspect the ship’s cargo containers when some of them fell sick — but the containers were locked.

Osman’s delegation spoke to the ship’s captain and its engineer by cellphone, demanding to know more about the cargo. Initially it was claimed the cargo contained “crude oil”; later it was said to be “minerals”. And Mwangura has added: “Our sources say it contains chemicals, dangerous chemicals.”But IRISL has denied that — and threatened legal action against Mwangura. The company has reportedly paid the pirates 200000 — the first of several “ransom instalments”, but that, too, has been denied.

More twists and turns - from the Long War Journal.

The syndicate set the ship's ransom at $2 million and the Iranian government provided $200,000 to a local broker "to facilitate the exchange." Iran refutes that it agreed to the price and has paid any money to the pirates. Nevertheless, after sanctions were applied to IRISL on September 10, Osman says, the Iranians told the pirates that the deal was off. "They told the pirates that they could not come because of the presence of the U.S. Navy." The region is patrolled by the multinational Combined Task force 150, which includes ships from the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.

In a strange twist, the Iranian press claims that the U.S. has offered to pay a $7 million bribe to the pirates to "receive entry permission and search the vessel." Officials in the Pentagon and the Department of State approached for this story refused to comment on the situation. Somali officials would also not comment on any direct U.S. involvement but one high-level official in the Puntland government told The Long War Journal "I can say the ship is of interest to a lot of people, including Puntland."

Somalia: where it's talk like a Pirate Day every day!

Drakken the Awful

Arrh, Mateys. Today is official Talk Like a Pirate Day.

And when I hear pirate I think SOMALIA!

To tell you the truth I have been laying off Somalia's pirates lately. It's kind of like Pakistan - the more I was reading the more p o'd I was becoming and the more I was wanting someone to go in and just annihilate the whole bunch of them. Not a good thing. So I thought it would be better if I just took a little break from them instead. I'm sure you can see my point. BUT! After visiting the Pirate Name Generator and getting my new pirate moniker, DRAKKEN the AWFUL, I'm feeling like taking the scurvy bastards on again.

Good thing. They've been busy.

Hong Kong and Greek ships hijacked near Somalia

Armed pirates hijacked two ships carrying a total of 50 crew members off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, a maritime official said. The attacks bring the number of ships seized in the notorious African waters in the past two months to 14 and indicate pirates may be expanding their area of operation, warned Noel Choong (pirate name, The Magnificent Nose) of the International Maritime Bureau.

-snip-

Fifty-seven ships, including those seized Thursday, have been attacked off the Somali coast this year, most in the Gulf of Aden. The surge in attacks has prompted the U.S. Naval Central Command to establish a security corridor patrolled by an international coalition of warships.

The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest waterways with some 20,000 ships passing through it each year.

Ship owners and Union appeal to the UN for help. Good luck with that, folks.

International ship owners and a union representing seamen appealed to the United Nations to take urgent steps to combat piracy in Somali waters.

The shipping associations' called for ``real and immediate action against brazen acts of piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery, carried out with increasing frequency against ships in the Gulf of Aden, by pirates based in Somalia.''

"The solution, the industry stresses, is for more nations to commit naval vessels in the area and, crucially, for them to engage effectively, actively and forcefully against any act of piracy, and to intercept and bring to justice the criminals in order to re-establish safety and security to one the world's most strategically important seaways.''

200 sailors are currently being held according to Andrew Mwangura (pirate name Evil Jim Rackham), East African coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Program.

"The recent seizure of vessels by the pirates who are holding over 200 seamen hostage is the worst in the world and the situation requires global attention," Mwangura said. The coordinator said the alarming increase in Somali pirate activity is being fueled by enormous ransoms being paid for the release of seized vessels and their crew members.

According to Mwangura, on average, ship owners are paying more than 1 million U.S. dollars per vessel. Mwangura said the potential for riches through piracy has lured a legion of poor young men to join various pirate groups that have been operating in Somalia since the fall of the country 's last functioning government in 1991.

"In the past five or six years, there were less than 100 pirates," says Mwangura. "But now, we have information that there are between 1,100 and 1,200 pirates."

There's been no news on the captive Austrian tourists since September 1, 2008.

My man, Nicolas Sarkozy (pirate name Heartless Harry) has the right idea. French hostages rescued in gunbattle A gun battle that was personally ordered by Heartless Harry, himself.

The Islamists deny any and all involvement in piracy. Of course.

Related pirate scum posts here.

Somalia: Pirates attack Thai Ship, MV Thor Star

From CNN:

Pirates have hijacked a Thai cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden off the Somali coast, the Kenya Seafarers Association said Thursday.

The ship, the MV Thor Star, was hijacked Tuesday with 28 Thai crew members on board, said Andrew Mwangura, a spokesman for the association, which acts on behalf of merchant vessels in the region.

The Thai-flagged ship is owned by Bangkok-based Thoresen Thai Agencies.

Somali pirates free Lehmann Timber.

After a "large" ransom is paid.

Pirates have released a German cargo ship and 15 of its crew members unharmed, which was seized 41 days ago after receiving a large ransom, a shipping company said today.

East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Association, Mr Andrew Mwangura mentioned that the pirates released the MV Lehmann Timber after receiving US$750,000 ransom, saying soon after release the vessel was sailing for a safe port a day after the hijacking ended.


Unfortunately, the German Yachties are still being held. See here.


Pirates are currently demanding US$2 million dollars for the release of a German couple seized on 23 June as they sailed through the Gulf of Aden on a trip from Egypt to Thailand. This kidnapping is said to be the first instance where sea robbers snatched a small vessel ferrying a non-militant crew.



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Sarkozy meets with families of Le Ponant hostages

Pirate group named the "Somali Marines" believed to be behind yacht's seizure.

President Nicolas Sarkozy met Tuesday with the families of 22 French crew members held hostage on a luxury yacht for the last five days by pirates off the coast of Somalia, an Elysee official said. Some 40 members of the hostages' families arrived at the French presidential Elysee palace just after 3:00 pm (1300 GMT), leaving 90 minutes later without making any comment to an AFP reporter waiting at the scene.

As the families were with Sarkozy, the 32-cabin yacht Ponant remained moored in waters near a village, Garaad, on the eastern Somali coast, north of Mogadishu by the self-proclaimed autonomous region of Puntland. Foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said Tuesday that "contact" was under way with the pirates, without spelling out the nature of France's engagement with the hijackers.

More about the Pirates beneath the fold:

Meanwhile, two separate international piracy specialists said they were sure the group responsible for holding the Ponant were from a local gang known as the "Somali Marines." In the port of Mombasa, the president of a Kenyan-based anti-piracy centre said the gang is structured along formal army lines.

"They are the best organised group," Andrew Mwangura told AFP. "They have a military background and training, with a very good communication system, lots of weapons and boats, very powerful radios and satellites.

"They are like an army: they have an operations commander, whose job is to attack the ship. Another officer is in charge of guarding the boat. Another is in charge of supplying the food and the kit."

Canada-based journalist Daniel Sekulich, who has spent months in the area researching a book on its pirates, said even if another group originally boarded the ship, it may have been passed on subsequently to Somalia's most feared outfit.

"There are four main groups based in Somalia," Sekulich added. "All have ties to warlords, and are hijacking vessels for ransom. With the position where the ship was taken, my guess is that it was taken by another group and then taken to the Somali Marines, because they were afraid that the French navy would attack them."

Sekulich said Somali pirates do not do business themselves, but share out ransoms with warlords who offer protection and businessmen who handle negotiations.

"I think it will be resolved without a gunfight," added the Toronto-based writer. A commando attack might look good in a Hollywood movie, but the reality is that in a confined space like this cruise ship, a lot can go wrong."

He thought the pirates would wait, in the belief a rich country such as France would pay out a larger-than-normal ransom.

Hijacked Danes run out of food and water

Remember these guys? Danish sailors "doing well" after Somali hijacking. Well, the situation is not looking too good for them after their weeks of captivity.

"Hijacked Danes "run out of supplies" off Somalia.


A Danish cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates earlier this month has run out of food and fresh water at sea, a Kenyan maritime official said on Monday.

The MV Danica White and its five Danish crew members were carrying building materials from Dubai to Kenya when it was seized off Somalia in the world's most dangerous waterway.

"The news we are getting is that food has run out in that ship and there is no water," said Andrew Mwangura, director of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme. The vessel's generator had apparently broken down, Mwangura told Reuters, so its water purification equipment also failed.