Posted on 07/27/2026 10:11:33 AM PDT by dennisw
Maritime commerce has become increasingly more dangerous lately, with attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea, the Red Sea, and the Strait of Hormuz, among others.
Now, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa have returned to the list, as Somali pirates take full advantage of the instability caused by the Iran war to get back to their predatory ways.
At one point last week, six captured vessels were being held off the Puntland coast as the pirates demanded hefty ransoms. Two of the vessels were released on Saturday.”
The Iran conflict left naval patrols overstretched, so the Horners are again using captured cargo ships as pirate ‘motherships’: bases to raid vessels in the Indian Ocean, a tactic used during the height of Somali piracy 15 years ago.
“Their attacks were the scourge of maritime traffic in the Indian Ocean, leading to hundreds of millions of pounds in ransom payments and billions more in extra costs to international trade.
[…] Intelligence sources said pirates had begun using the MV Sward cargo ship as a mothership after capturing the vessel on April 26, along with its crew of 15 Syrians and two Indians. The vessel was hijacked after it departed the port of Suez in Egypt on its way to Mombasa in Kenya.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thegatewaypundit.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Somali pirates are sick n tired of Houthi pirates getting all the prime pirate PR. Somali are back in action!
Hmmm.
Mk48 ...
No many things the Russians do is ‘good’, but taking care of somali pirates the right way was one of them.
Now that the gravy train out of the US is derailed, they’re going back to sea!
Sink it
problem solved
The Vacation Bible School at a local Calvary Chapel had as its theme “Pirates of the Red Sea.” I asked a member if the pirate reenactors were carrying AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and he said, “no, they were not those types of pirates”—they were more like the ones in the Disney movies.
I think they have Syrian hostages on the pirate ship.
Merchant ships in the area should be very well-armed. That’s obvious.
But I read somewhere that most destination ports won’t allow an armed merchant ship to enter the port. So cancel that arming suggestion. It’s just another example of how weak and woke the West has become.
A navy ship would be another story. So where are the West’s navy ships? Waiting for the US to do all the heavy lifting again, I guess.
One of them must have been Pontius the Pirate, especially in the version of the theme used in Japanese churches.
The four years I spent in the USN at sea I saw hundreds of merchant ships. It never occurred to me then that they were completely unarmed and helpless.
Commercial ships that carry Navy supplies are armed.
Is Somalia the worst hellhole in the world?
Worst people 20% First
Worst culture 20% ?
Most criminals 20% ?
Poorest 20% ?
Totalitarian 20% ?
Top ten worst hellholes should be banned from immigrating to the United States. George Soros - the most evil man of our time - will weep if we keep out the worst of the worst.
I do not see why an armed contract security team could not debark the ship just before the pilot comes on board as a matter of routine. That would solve two problems: it would avoid the possibility of being harassed by pirates and avoid entering a port while armed.
I say bring back the Q-ships. Here’s one. The black box structures fore and aft each concealed a cannon.
Oh, wait. Just suggesting this will probably get me in trouble with the International Court of Justice. Never mind.
More like in Minnesota!!
Those fake German merchant raiders were very effective during wwii.
“Armed Mechantmen” were once a thing, chiefly plying their trade between Great Britain and India. The most effective way to repel pirates and privateers was to be sufficiently well armed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.