Tag Archives: Somali pirates
No, Ladies, Not Pirates of Penzance, These Were Real Pirates
The North Devon Women’s Institute branch recently hosted former sea captain Colin Darch, who was to speak on the topic of piracy. A number of women in the organization thought that the captain would speak about historical buccaneering, and so … Continue reading
April Fool’s Pirates Mistake USS Nicholas for a Merchant Ship – No Joke
An April Fool’s post that is no joke. At 12:27 a.m. on April 1, 2010, in the Indian Ocean west of the Seychelles, three Somali pirates in a small skiff attacked what they thought was a merchant vessel. It wasn’t. They … Continue reading
Puntland Forces Free 22 Crew from MV Iceberg 1 – Held Hostage for 33 Months by Somali Pirates
Wonderful news. Forces of Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland region are reported to have raided the MV Iceberg I on Sunday and to have rescued 22 officers and crew who had been held hostage by Somali pirates for 33 months. The Puntland forces had … Continue reading
Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Indian Fishermen by Italian Armed Guards
Two Italian marines, Latorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone, are in an Indian jail awaiting trial for the alleged murder of two Indian fisherman. They are at the center of a legal & diplomatic fight over the use of armed guards … Continue reading
New Directions in the War on Piracy – EU Airstrike in Somalia and a Private Navy in the Gulf of Aden
In March, the European Union Naval Force was authorized to attack Somali pirates in coastal waters and ashore. On Tuesday, EU naval forces and attack helicopters launched their first onshore raid on a suspected pirate supply center in Handulle village, about 18 kilometers (11 … Continue reading
“Pirates Like To Tweet” – Tracking Somali Pirates on Social Media
At first this sounded like a joke. Pirates like to tweet, have blogs and are on Facebook. Really? According to security expert, Jessica Lincoln, director of intelligence at Rubicon Resolution, “Somalia is a very sophisticated economy, it has one of the best mobile phone communication systems … Continue reading
More Than Five Somali Pirates Let Go for Every One Prosecuted
If a single fact can explain why an armada of high tech naval ships from around the world has failed to control, much less to eradicate, gangs of Somali pirates operating from hijacked fishing trawlers and open boats, this is … Continue reading
US Navy SEAL Commandos Rescue American and Danish Hostage in Raid on Somali Pirates
In a pre-dawn raid, US Navy SEAL commandos freed two hostages; an American, Jessica Buchanan, 32, and a Dane, Poul Thisted, 60; being held for ransom in a pirate compound 12 miles north of the Somali town of Adado. Members of SEAL Team … Continue reading
Captain Seog Hae-gyun Earns IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea 2011
On November 21st, at IMO Headquarters in London, Captain Seog Hae-gyun was awarded the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for 2011 “for his decisive, brave and courageous actions to protect his ship and crew during a vicious pirate attack … Continue reading
Crew of MV Montecristo Rescued from Pirates by NATO
The Italian owned bulk carrier, MV Montecristo, was hijacked by pirates off Somalia on Monday. The ship’s crew retreated to a protective citadel “safe room” ahead of the pirates. Today RFA Fort Victoria and USS De Wert, acting as part of … Continue reading
No Longer Three Men in a Boat – Part 1: The Pirate Stock Exchange
While an international flotilla of naval vessels continues to play “catch and release” with pirates off the Horn of Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, the pirates themselves have become far more sophisticated. Where a few years ago, the typical … Continue reading
Hijacked MV Asphalt Venture – Ransom Paid, Hostages Kept
The MV Asphalt Venture was hijacked by Somali pirates on September 28, 2010. After negotiating and being paid a multi-million dollar ransom, the pirates released the ship and part of the crew yesterday, but continued to hold seven Indian seafarers hostage, reportedly in retaliation … Continue reading
Tom Hanks to Play Captain Richard Phillips in Maersk Alabama Hijacking Movie
It is being reported that Tom Hanks will play Captain Richard Phillips in a new movie about the attempted hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates in 2009. The movie, based on Phillip’s book , A Captain’s Duty: … Continue reading
Life Plus 80 Years – Five Pirates Sentenced for Attack on USS Nicholas
On April 1st, last year, fittingly enough, April Fool’s Day, a group of Somali pirates in open boats decided to attack the 445-foot guided-missile frigate, USS Nicholas. The outcome was predictable. Five pirates were captured and their boats were sunk. At the … Continue reading
500 Seafarers held hostage by pirates at Christmas
The real victims of piracy are invariably the seafarers who are held for ransom often under grim conditions for long periods of time. From a statement relased by the Round Table of international shipping associations – and the International Transport … Continue reading
Wikileaks, Russian Tanks and the Ro/Ro Faina – the Pirates were Right
Slightly over two years ago we posted about the hijacking of the Ukranian ro/ro Faina by Somali pirates. The pirates were surprised to discover that the ship was loaded with arms, including 33 Russian T-72 battle tanks. The pirates claimed … Continue reading
Pirates Who Attacked US Navy Ship Convicted, While French Command Ship is Attacked Again
Five Somali pirates who attacked the USS Nicholas, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, in a wildly misguided attempt to hijack the ship in a late night attack last April, were convicted of piracy in a court in Virginia. The prosecution … Continue reading
British Sailors, Paul and Rachel Chandler, Freed by Somali Pirates
After more than a year long ordeal, British sailors Paul and Rachel Chandler were released today by Somali pirates. The retired couple was seized by the pirates on October 22, 2009. Paul and Rachel Chandler released by Somali pirates … Continue reading
Record Ransoms paid to Somali Pirates for MV Samho Dream & MV Golden Blessing
The MV Samho Dream, a Korean VLCC, and its crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos, was ransomed for $9.5 million dollars. It had by hijacked by Somali pirates last April. The MV Golden Blessing, a Singaporean chemical tanker, … Continue reading
MV Beluga Fortune Foils Pirates, MV York Not so Fortunate
Over the weekend, Somali pirates seized two ships in two days. On Saturday, pirates seized the MV York, a liquefied petroleum gas tanker, off the coast of Kenya. On Sunday, pirates seized the MV Beluga Fortune about 1,200 miles east of … Continue reading
