Tag: maritime piracy

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Abandoned at sea – the forgotten hostages of the Somali pirates

The plight of a ship's crew held hostage is a "scar on the conscience of the shipping industry" She set sail from Aden in the spring of 2010, the start of a long journey that should have seen her deliver a cargo of electrical equipment to England. Then, barely ten miles out to sea, the Iceberg 1 suffered a fate all too predictable for a slow-going cargo craft in the Gulf of Aden: she was hijacked by Somali pirates.Unlike the scores of other vessels snared there in recent years, though, no ransom has been forthcoming to free her crew of 24, nor has a foreign navy tried to rescue them. Instead, nearly two and a half years later, they are still in captivity on the high seas - seemingly abandoned by the ship's owners, and with the dubious distinction of being the longest hijack case in modern maritime history.Conditions on board are believed to be dire, with the crew kept huddled in a small room with only limited access to food and water. Many have complained that they are being driven mad by their ordeal, and for at least one, it already appears to have proved too much. In October ...

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Piracy at Sea – Problem Overview

Piracy has turned the waters into the most dangerous shipping lanes in the world There have been seagoing pirates throughout history - from plundering Vikings to 17th-century raiders who pillaged Spanish galleons to today, when a spate of attacks off the Horn of Africa has shown that piracy can still be highly profitable as well as dangerous.In Somalia, a country of grinding poverty and internal chaos, the pirate economy has been booming in recent years. The piracy is an extension of the corrupt, violent free-for-all that has raged on land since the central government imploded in 1991. It has turned the waters into the most dangerous shipping lanes in the world.Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, the internationally recognized but relatively impotent authority based in the capital, Mogadishu, has little influence over the pirates. Neither do the traditional, clan-based militias that still operate in these areas but cannot afford the weaponry or manpower now fielded by well-financed pirate gangs.The United States Navy has pleaded with ship owners to stick to designated shipping lanes when passing through the Arabian Sea, where Somali pirates continue to strike.In the past few years, Somali pirates have hijacked hundreds of ships - everything from a sailboat skippered ...

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U.S. Reports That Piracy Off Africa Has Plunged

Data released by the Navy Acts of piracy in the treacherous waters around the Horn of Africa have fallen sharply in 2012, according to statistics released by the United States Navy. The Navy credits aggressive patrolling by international forces and increased vigilance by the commercial shipping industry for the decrease.Data released by the Navy last week showed 46 pirate attacks in the area this year, compared with 222 in all of last year and 239 in 2010. Nine of the piracy attempts this year have been successful, according to the data, compared with 34 successful attacks in all of 2011 and 68 in 2010.Even so, senior Navy officers have been careful not to declare victory. "The pirates are very adaptable, and they are very flexible," said Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox, the Navy's deputy chief for operations, plans and strategy. "We are watching carefully."The prospect of renewed political turmoil in the region, especially in Somalia and Yemen, may again drive up attempts at the lucrative business of piracy, since lawless areas in these countries provide havens for pirates to launch their raids and to hold captured vessels and hostages. Further economic collapse may prompt more farmers and fisherman to choose ...

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Insurers pay $4m for Australian cargo as pirates hit home

Ransom insurance was becoming a necessity in Australia's international trade A ransom up to $4 million was paid through Australian companies and insurers to Somali pirates who seized a bulk carrier in 2008.Many shipping firms are employing armed guards and considering longer, more expensive voyages to avoid pirate hot spots east of Africa.The ransom was paid to recover an Australian cargo of 50,000 tonnes of lead and zinc aboard the Panama-flagged container ship Stella Maris.The carrier, with a crew of 20 Filipinos, was seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden in June 2008, Australian Shipping chief executive Llew Russell said.Ransom insurance was becoming a necessity in Australia's international trade, 99 per cent of which travelled via sea, Mr Russell said."You've got to pay the ransom," he said.If companies refused to negotiate ransoms, crews would not be willing to ply the seas off Somalia or other hot spots, including the Strait of Malacca.Piracy is costing the global economy $7 billion a year.Some Australian shippers were so wary of running the gauntlet off Somalia, as they head towards the Suez Canal, they were now rounding the Cape of Good Hope at an extra cost of $2 million per container ship ...

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