Posted on 11/11/2005 6:32:56 PM PST by FairOpinion
Pirates have hijacked a Thai-registered merchant ship off Somalia, kidnapping its 26 crew at gunpoint.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says the vessel was carrying a cargo of sugar from Brazil to Yemen when it was seized close to the coast, north east of Mogadishu, early on Monday.
The IMB says the crew are mostly Thais and a ransom has been demanded for their release.
It is the fourth such attack in as many days off the Somali coast, including one where rocket propelled grenades were used against a luxury cruise ship.
Earlier this week, the United Nations Security Council urged regional powers to intervene to deal with the issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcasiapacific.com ...
LOok at this othe article; ( (NINE!!!) ships are being held hostage!
Pirates attempt to seize 5 more ships
http://www.timesnews.co.ke/12nov05/nwsstory/news5.html
Somali pirates attacked five more ships this week after a failed attempt to seize a luxury liner, in a sharp rise of banditry apparently directed by a mysterious “mother ship” prowling the Indian Ocean.
Most vessels escaped, but one was commandeered, bringing to nine the number of vessels being held captive along with their crews by pirates working the lawless southern section of the failed state’s coastline, Africa’s longest.
“Insecurity off the Somali coast has escalated sharply,” Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator at the Kenyan Seafarers’ Association, told Reuters. “It is very worrying.”
He said five vessels were attacked this week following Saturday’s attempt to board the Bahamas-registered Seabourn Spirit, which was carrying 151 Western tourists.
Simple piracy, or is something else afoot? (A question that certainly entered my mind with the cruise ship attempt--but 9 ships?)
Of Pirates and Terrorists
http://billroggio.com/archives/2005/04/of_pirates_and_1.php
April 27, 2005
Al Qaeda has shown an interest in attacking shipping in the past, including the failed attack on the USS The Sullivans and the successful attack on the USS Cole in 2000, and the successful attack on the French oil tanker Limburg in 2002. Attacks on shipping allows al Qaeda to the global economy, divert resources to protect the seas, and serves as recruiting material (the video from the USS Cole attack was used extensively in al Qaeda's recruiting circles, with Osama bin Laden praising the suicide bombers). Al Qaeda is not merely interested in destroying shipping; they are also interested in using vessels to close maritime lanes and to conduct sea borne mass casualty attacks. Last year intelligence reported al Qaeda was planning such an attack:
The terrorists have been discussing plans to seize a vessel using local pirates. The hijacked ship would be wired with explosives and then directed at other vessels, sailed towards a port or used to threaten the narrow and congested sea routes around Indonesia.
Security Experts Worry Over Combination of Piracy & Terrorism on High Seas
June 17, 2004
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0406/17/i_ins.00.html
Reverting to type. Muslims have had a penchant for piracy for more than a thousand years.
heck, give the coasties some practice!
German navy 'protecting cruise ship off Somalia'
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=52&story_id=25210&name=German+navy+'protecting+cruise+ship+off+Somalia'
The German Navy task force off the Horn of Africa is keeping a watchful eye on a German cruise vessel in the area, the MV Deutschland, after pirates attacked a U.S. ship off Somalia, a shipping company said Wednesday.
Hans-Ulrich Kossel, a spokesman for the Deilmann shipping company in the Baltic port-town of Neustadt, said "that doesn't mean we've got a frigate steaming alongside us. The Navy can watch us on their radar".
The MV Deutschland left Cyprus on Wednesday bound for Dubai via the Red Sea.
A German newspaper, Hamburger Abendblatt, said the company had approached the Interior Ministry in Berlin to point out it was using shipping lanes near
Somalia and this information was passed on to the naval force.
Soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Germany sent ships to the Indian Ocean to help the counter-terrorism task force based in Djibouti. One of its tasks is to stop terrorists crossing the sea to Somalia.
Go Germany! That is good to know.
It may be news that this is in the news, but it is not a new phenomenon. Piracy for ransom has been going on for a long time. Most ship owners just pay.
I first read about this about five years ago. It was described as commonplace.
Perhaps the fact that it is in the news means someone is about to do something about it.
Yeah, we wouldn't want to actually HURT murdering islamic pirates.
"and a ransom has been demanded for their release."
Hillary 2008 is already raising money. This seems like a strange way to do it however.
Maybe Congress should start issuing letters of the marque.
Letters of Marque are issued against the private ships of an enemy nation. Pirates are fair game for everyone; no letters needed.
Bomb the pirates. End of problem.
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