Adventures in Piracy

02 February 2010

Somali Pirates Say They'll Play Robin Hood in Haiti

(Feb. 1) -- Hordes of private-sector aid groups fighting to alleviate the disaster in Haiti may soon be joined by some motley new allies: pirates.

Somali pirates have vowed to redistribute some of the millions of dollars they have stolen in the past few years to those suffering from the earthquake in Haiti, reports Agencia Matriz del Sur, a Spanish-language Web site that says it seeks to counter the media influence of wealthy countries. Somali pirates often divide their booty and distribute it to family and local citizens -- a tactic also used by American gangs to develop community goodwill.

With language worthy of Errol Flynn's schmaltziest "Robin Hood" moments, an unnamed spokesman for the pirates accused the United States and Europe of having "no moral authority" to distribute aid, telling Agencia Matriz del Sur that "they have been the ones pirating mankind for many years."

A Somali militant talks on his mobile phone at a U.N. food distribution center in Mogadishu in 2006.

Thomas Mukoya, AFP/Getty Images

Somali pirates have stolen millions of dollars in recent years, but one pirate leader said some of the take will go to help earthquake survivors in Haiti. Here, a Somali militant talks on his phone at a United Nations food distribution center in Mogadishu in 2006.

Somali pirates may have a considerable amount of cash to distribute, as well. As recently as Jan. 13, authorities gave out a record $5.5 million bounty on a captured Greek tanker. Pirates had a record year in 2009, attacking 214 ships and hijacking 47, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

In the years since they have become active, Somali pirates have garnered a huge amount of media attention, prompting several investigative articles and even a "South Park" episode. In April, the BBC ran an interview with Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi, a 25-year-old pirate who painted a heroic but troubled image of himself and his colleagues.

"Thousands of young desperate Somalis continue to risk their lives in the sea in search of a better life abroad," he told the BBC. "So it is no surprise to see us in the same water, pirating in search of money -- there is no difference. We have local support; most of the people here depend on pirates directly or indirectly."

The outpouring of media attention demonstrates the particular hold that the noble outlaw -- he might be a pirate, a gangster, a cowboy or an ex-Marine inhabiting a 10-foot-tall blue alien -- has on the popular consciousness. Announcements of Somali pirate attacks came while the country was watching Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow, but the idea of the honorable, romantic pirate dates back at least to 1814 with Lord Byron's "The Corsair."

The Somali pirates' announcement suggests that they are keen to keep that image alive in popular culture. Their charity claims may have little value beyond the literary, however. According to pirate leaders, "connections in various parts of the world" will ensure that they are capable of delivering aid without detection or, conveniently, accountability.

Filed under: World

Ransom paid for cargo ship held by Somali pirates

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OGADISHU (Reuters) - A ransom for the release of the cargo ship MV Filitsa has been delivered to pirates on board the vessel off the Somali coast, a regional maritime official and pirate sources said on Monday.

Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme said helicopters dropped the agreed ransom, but the vessel was now in the hands of another group of gunmen.

As ransoms paid to Somali pirates spiral higher, competition between rival gangs has been growing. A dispute in January over the biggest ever payoff to Somali pirates for a Greek-flagged oil tanker sparked gunbattles at sea and on land.

"The choppers dropped the money. But the ship is still being held captive by another group of gunmen," Mwangura said.

A pirate on board the MV Filitsa told Reuters they were expecting to receive $3 million for the Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship, which was seized in November with crew from Greece and the Philippines.

"Two helicopters carrying the agreed $3 million ransom are flying over the ship and all the shareholders are onboard awaiting the ransom," a pirate called Rage told Reuters, adding that they planned to release the vessel at around midnight.

Worldwide, piracy attacks rose nearly 40 percent in 2009, with Somali pirates accounting for more than half of the 406 reported incidents, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Typically, the pirates hold the captured ships and crews hostage until ransoms are paid.

Somali pirates abandon hijacked Indian dhow and crew, board another hijacked ... - The Canadian Press

Somali pirates abandon hijacked Indian dhow and crew, board another hijacked ... - The Canadian Press: "

Somali pirates abandon hijacked Indian dhow and crew, board another hijacked ...
The Canadian Press
NAIROBI, Kenya — The European Union's anti-piracy force says Somali pirates have abandoned an Indian-flagged dhow they had held for more than two weeks. ...
MSV FAIZE OSAMANI FREED BY SOMALI PIRATESAustralia.TO

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Bloomberg: Somali Pirates Widen Attacks to Indian Ocean, EU Admiral Says

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01 February 2010

UN: Anti-piracy Measures Help In Bringing Down Successful Pirate Attacks

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(RTTNews) - Anti-piracy measures have contributed considerably in bringing down successful pirate attacks off the Somali coast, said a senior official linked to the UN-backed EU anti-piracy mission off Somalia.

"The number of attacks has gone up; the number of successful attacks has gone down," Captain Paul Chivers, chief of staff of the EU naval forces, told a news conference. "It would be dangerous to assume we have overcome the threat. We need to be careful of complacency."

He said the proposed anti-piracy measures for ships include the registration of the destination and route of the vessels with the international forces operating in the region and other self protection measures designed to prevent pirates from getting on board.

Chivers said that the self protection measures that can be used by ships to prevent pirates from climbing on board included fencing with barbed wire and pieces of wood at ship entries, charged fire hydrants and zig-zagging courses for ships at sea.

"Most of these things, besides barbed wire, are found on ships" Chivers said. "The more a ship is able to deny pirate entry onto their vessel, the quicker we can get a warship or helicopter to them."
(RTTNews) - Anti-piracy measures have contributed considerably in bringing down successful pirate attacks off the Somali coast, said a senior official linked to the UN-backed EU anti-piracy mission off Somalia.

"The number of attacks has gone up; the number of successful attacks has gone down," Captain Paul Chivers, chief of staff of the EU naval forces, told a news conference. "It would be dangerous to assume we have overcome the threat. We need to be careful of complacency."

He said the proposed anti-piracy measures for ships include the registration of the destination and route of the vessels with the international forces operating in the region and other self protection measures designed to prevent pirates from getting on board.

Chivers said that the self protection measures that can be used by ships to prevent pirates from climbing on board included fencing with barbed wire and pieces of wood at ship entries, charged fire hydrants and zig-zagging courses for ships at sea.

"Most of these things, besides barbed wire, are found on ships" Chivers said. "The more a ship is able to deny pirate entry onto their vessel, the quicker we can get a warship or helicopter to them."

Cambodian vessel not hijacked, held by Somali court: official

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MOGADISHU, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian-flagged cargo ship that was reported to have been seized by Somali pirates is held by a local court in northwestern Somalia, an official statement said Saturday.

It was widely reported in local and international media that the Cambodian ship was hijacked by Somali pirates after offloading commercial goods in Berbera, a port town in the breakaway state of Somaliland.

However, the statement from the Berbera Port Authority said the local court in Berbera ordered the detention of MV Layla-S after a local businesses man filled a law suit against the company owning the ship, following the destruction of the businessman's goods in a fire on another ship of the company, MV Mairiam Star.

"On Sep. 15, 2009, the MV Layla-S was detained by Local Court of Berbera after it was accused by the merchant for goods of estimated cost of 250,000 U.S. dollars," said the statement.

The statement expressed dismay that the incident was misreported in the media and said owner of the ship was notified of the case.

Earlier on Saturday, Andrew Mwangura, a regional maritime official in Kenya, also confirmed that the hijacked Cambodian cargo ship is being held off Berbera port by businessmen owing to a deal which has gone sour and not pirate attack.

Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program, said the MV Layla-S which was seized on Wednesday has 14 crew members on board from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Syria.

Piracy is rampant in the southern part of the war-torn Somalia where dozens of ships and hundreds of crew are being held for ransom by local pirate gangs.

The breakaway state of Somaliland which proclaimed its independence from the rest of Somalia 1991 enjoys relative peace and has its separate government, parliament, security forces, flag and currency although it has not received international recognition since.