MOGADISHU, Somalia — Disagreements between Somali pirates holding a ship laden with tanks and heavy weapons escalated into a shootout and three pirates are believed dead, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The pirates denied the report.
The U.S. destroyer USS Howard and several other American ships have surrounded the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina, which was hijacked Thursday and is now anchored off the lawless coast of Somalia. The pirates have demanded a ransom of $20 million and the U.S. Navy cordon aims to prevent them from taking any of the weapons ashore
Meanwhile, the Malaysian shipping line MISC Berhad said Tuesday that Somalia pirates released the seized palm oil tanker, MT Bunga Melati 2, on Monday, two days after its first vessel was released.
Chairman Hassan Marican said a ransom was paid for both vessels but declined to reveal the amount. All 79 crew on both ships are safe but were traumatized and will undergo counseling, he said.
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Foreign powers can use force if necessary to free a hijacked cargo ship loaded with battle tanks and heavy ammunition, Somalia's foreign ministry declared Wednesday — increasing pressure on the Somali pirates who have demanded a $20 million ransom.
Last week's hijacking of the Ukrainian ship MV Faina — carrying 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, rifles, and heavy weapons that U.S. defense officials say included rocket launchers — was the highest profile act of piracy this year in the dangerous waters off Somalia.
Somali Pirates Strike Again! A BIG one this time...
Today, news of another seizure of a large ship off the coast of Africa. This one is a massive Saudi oil tanker, loaded with 2 million barrels of oil, and with an international crew of 25.
This ship is large - 1080 ft... the size of an aircraft carrier!
It is also notable that this attack and siezure was at a greater distance off shore than has been happening - some 420 nm off Somalia.
In a news release sent out on Monday from the 5th Fleet's Middle East headquarters in Bahrain, the Navy said the large crude tanker Sirius Star was attacked more than 450 nautical miles southeast of
Mombasa, Kenya, an area far south of the zone patrolled by international warships.
It was the farthest Somali pirates have traveled so far to hijack a ship, Christensen said.
By expanding their ability to attack so far out at sea, Somali pirates are "certainly a threat to many more vessels," Christensen said
The pirates who seized a Saudi oil supertanker in a brazen hijacking dropped anchor near a Somalia fishing village as a Somali official vowed to rescue the vessel and "use force if necessary."
Somali pirates who hijacked the tanker over the weekend have begun to negotiate with the vessel’s owners and have taken the ship toward Eyl, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday
. . . naval forces patrolling the region said they would not intervene to stop or free the captured vessel
The U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet said Tuesday it was monitoring the situation but didn't expect to send warships to surround the vessel as it has done with a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other weaponry seized Sept. 25 off the Somali coast. That ship remains in pirate hands but the U.S. is making sure those weapons are not taken off the ship.
In Somalia, pirates are better-funded, better-organized and better-armed than one might imagine in a country that has been in tatters for nearly two decades. They have the support of their communities and rogue members of the government — some pirates even promise to put ransom money toward building roads and schools.
This situation is really getting the attention of a curiosity piece, but it is far more serious that tnat... and getting more serious , and seemingly more insolable as time goes on, and as the pirates broaden their reach.
As people who travel by ship, cruisers should realize the gravity of the issue - more so than those who have no connection with the sea.
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Real Life Pirate Attacks on the Rise
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