[zipper]

I heard the other day that there are currently over 600 hostages and 30 ships held by Somali pirates.

All because we and other nations allow them to get away with it.

[BenLurkin]

You'd think there would be an international fleet dealing with the problem as of yesterday.

What is stopping that from happening? Is the world that afraid of offending Muslims?

[Pan_Yan]

I heard the other day that there are currently over 600 hostages and 30 ships held by Somali pirates.

And the ransoms are growing, but they keep getting paid. Ships and crews are now fetching upwards of $9 million each, negotiations are taking many more months. Al Shabab, the Al Qaeda group that controls most of southern Somalia, wants in on the action and there have been reports of fighting between Al Shabbab and the pirate warlords.

A new wildcard got added back on the 9th. Pirates captured two tankers full of crude oil, including a Greek supertanker headed to the United States. With it's cargo the ship is worth in excess of $300,000,000. The Navies of the world might not get aggressive for humanitarian reasons, but governments can smell cash.

[DarthVader]

Try 800 hostages and 40 ships.