Somali pirates

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Pirates Free UK Couple After a Year

'We're very happy to be alive,' Rachel Chandler says

(Newser) - After being held captive more than a year on their 38-foot yacht in the Indian Ocean, Somali pirates have set free a British couple early today, ending one of the longest hostage situations off East Africa. Paul and Rachel Chandler appeared thin but relaxed in a small ceremony in their...

19 Chinese Pirate Hostages Head Home After 4 Months

Captive sailors were fed nothing but spuds after June hijacking

(Newser) - Nineteen Chinese sailors have arrived back in their homeland after 4 months in harsh conditions as captives of Somali pirates. The men were fed nothing but boiled potatoes since the Golden Blessing was hijacked in June, AP reports. Pirates released the men and the ship after receiving a ransom from...

Cunning Crew Foils Pirates... by Locking Door

Aargh. They give up, go home

(Newser) - Somali pirates attempted to grab a French tanker yesterday, and failed—after the crew locked themselves in the control room. Unable to take over the vessel, the pirates gave up and returned to their ship. The attack took place about 100 miles off the coast of Tanzania on a liquefied...

US Marines Free Ship From Somali Pirates

Hijacked vessel recaptured without single shot fired

(Newser) - US Marines stormed a pirate-held freighter off the coast off Somalia yesterday and freed its crew without firing a shot. Nine heavily armed Somali pirates—who had threatened to open fire, but surrendered or fled to hiding places on the ship when the Marines boarded—were busted. It's the first...

Captured Pirates Present Conundrum for US

Some 20 are currently languishing aboard two ships

(Newser) - The US Navy has no idea what to do with 10 alleged Somali pirates that have been languishing in the brig on one of its warships for more than a month. Though any country can jail and prosecute pirates under international law, the US only does so if they're accused...

Russia: Freed Pirates Probably Dead

Pirates never made land after being released in inflatable boat

(Newser) - A group of Somali pirates seized by Russian forces and then freed never made it to land and are probably dead, according to Russian authorities. The pirates, captured after the Russian navy freed a hijacked oil tanker last week, were released hundreds of miles from shore in an inflatable boat...

Russia Frees Pirates Who Seized Tanker

They even got their boats back

(Newser) - The pirates seized by a Russian warship off the coast of Somalia have been released, despite initial tough talk about taking them to Russia to face trial. "Imperfections" in international law forced the change in course, a defense ministry spokesman told the AP today, declining to elaborate. Some countries...

Russians Storm Pirated Oil Tanker, Free Crew

Commandos capture pirates in raid on SS Moscow University

(Newser) - Russian commandos rappelled from helicopters to storm a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Somalia at dawn today, freeing the ship's crew of 23 Russians and capturing the pirates. One pirate was killed in the operation, but there were no other injuries aboard the SS Moscow University, the AP...

Pirates Board Tanker, Russian Warship En Route

23 Russians on board SS Moscow University

(Newser) - Somali pirates have boarded an oil tanker off East Africa and a Russian warship is rushing to intervene. The 106,000-ton ship, named the Moscow University, has 23 Russian crew members on board. Today's dawn attack occurred about 500 miles east of the Somali coast. It's still unclear if the...

South Korean Navy Chases Pirated Oil Tanker

Supertanker believed to hold $150M worth of crude

(Newser) - A South Korean navy destroyer is pursuing an US-bound oil supertanker believed to have been hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean off Somalia, officials said. The navy received a call yesterday from the Samho Dream supertanker saying three pirates had boarded, and then there was no more contact. The...

US Navy Captures 5 Pirates, Mothership

Exchanged fire, sank skiff near Seychelles

(Newser) - US naval forces say they've captured five pirates after exchanging fire with them, sinking their skiff, and confiscating a mothership. The USS Nicholas came under fire early today from pirates in an area west of the Seychelles. The US Africa Command said the five pirates seized would remain in US...

US Navy Thwarts Pirate Attack on Tanzanian Ship

Eight pirates captured while trying to escape

(Newser) - A US warship stepped in to defend a Tanzanian ship that was under attack from pirates, scaring off and capturing the scallywags. When the USS Farragut got a distress call from the Tanzanians saying a gang on a skiff was attacking them, a Seahawk helicopter was dispatched to the scene....

Somali Pirates Will Donate Booty to Haiti

US, Europe 'have no moral authority' to control aid

(Newser) - Saying the US and Europe “have no moral authority” to control the aid going to Haiti, Somali pirates say they plan to donate booty from their hijackings to the relief effort. The pirates have taken in more than $150 million in the past 2 years, by one estimate, and...

Bickering Pirates Shoot Each Other Over $7M Ransom

Somalis had called on antipiracy force to fend off rivals

(Newser) - At least three Somali pirates have been killed fighting over the biggest ransom in the history of piracy. A gun battle broke in out the pirate haven of Harardhere last night after a record $7 million was paid to secure the release of the Greek supertanker Maran Centaurus, its $150...

Fishermen Hook Silver Lining in Pirate Crisis

Fish stocks soar after bandits scare away illegal trawlers

(Newser) - The fishermen of Kenya and Somalia are enjoying their best catches in many years thanks to Somali pirates scaring away illegal trawlers. Before piracy became a problem, commercial fishing vessels from around the world took advantage of Somalia's lack of an effective government to raid its waters, reaping vast numbers...

Ships Take Up Arms Against Pirates
 Ships Take Up Arms 
 Against Pirates 
AHOY, MATEY
Jan 5, 2010 6:16 AM CST

Ships Take Up Arms Against Pirates

Maritime tradition fades amid rise in attacks

(Newser) - The maritime tradition of commercial shipping going unarmed is being abandoned in the face of the threat from Somali pirates. Shipping firms are hiring teams of guards—from $25,000 up—for the passage through the Gulf of Aden. Insurers are offering steep discounts to ships packing heat and security...

Somali Pirates Hijack Tanker and Cargo Ship

214 vessels have been attacked this year

(Newser) - Somali pirates have seized a Greek cargo ship and a chemical tanker operating under a British flag, the New York Times reports. That puts 2009's Somali hijacking total at 47, with 214 vessels attacked in the Gulf of Aden and along the Somali coast. Twelve ships—carrying 263 people—are...

Somali Pirates Hijack Oil Tanker Heading to US

Crude oil poses threat to security, environment

(Newser) - Somali pirates seized a tanker carrying crude oil in the increasingly dangerous waters off East Africa yesterday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat to the region. The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus, a large crude carrier with a capacity of 300,000 tons, was hijacked off the...

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