Somali diaspora calls for hostages release
The first time I've heard of the UK Somali community saying anything on this topic:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/8514104.stm"
Quote:
TV and radio stations serving the community are broadcasting regular appeals for the Chandlers' release, while demonstrations and public meetings demanding their freedom have been organised by Somali leaders across the country.
Anecdote suggests a good proportion of the UK community come from Puntland, where many of the pirates are based.
USN has pirates in the brig - now where to?
The USN catches some pirates:http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/...=Google+Reader
Quote:
Eight suspected pirates were apprehended after a counter-piracy task force foiled an attack on a vessel in the Gulf of Aden, authorities said Monday.
Nothing on where the suspects will appear in court, I suspect the victim vessel being Tanzanian does not make matters simple.
Pirates released as crew refuse to be witnesses
There's always another story with Somali piracy, the pirates detained yesterday by a Spanish warship have now been released as the attacked ship crew (and PMC) refused to be witnesses.
I assume those released will have a safe journey home.
Link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8586729.stmand a more analytical article:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8585967.stm
Long reach for a 300k tanker
Quote:
A South Korean navy destroyer is pursuing a South Korean-owned oil supertanker believed to have been hijacked by pirates off Somalia's coast...The 300,000-ton-class Samho Dream was about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) southeast of the Gulf of Aden at the time of the apparent hijacking..
Link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...ss_world/wires
The BBC link has a map:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/8603098.stm
Dutch marines storm cargo ship seized by Somali pirates
Not the first time that a "safe room" onboard has made all the difference...
http://www.independent.co.uk/multime...es_347995s.jpg
Dutch marines storm cargo ship seized by Somali pirates
Commandos rescue crew by abseiling on to German vessel from helicopter
By Tony Paterson in Berlin
The Independent, Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Quote:
The Dutch navy claimed a rare victory in the war against international piracy yesterday after marines abseiled from a helicopter to seize control of a captured container ship following a shootout with Somali hijackers.
One Dutch marine was slightly injured during the storming of the German ship MS Taipan, which had been boarded early on Monday by 10 Somali pirates from small boats armed with machine guns. The 15-man German crew of MS Taipan had radioed for help after taking refuge in a secure cabin on board the ship.
The Dutch frigate Tromp was called to the scene and caught up with the MS Taipan some 560 miles off the Somali coast because the German crew had managed to shut down the ship's engines. The vessel was almost at a standstill as the pirates boarded, the Dutch navy said.
What followed was the stuff of a James Bond film: after the Dutch frigate attempted to negotiate with the pirates but failed, a helicopter gunship from the Tromp took off and machine-gunned the bridge of the MS Taipan. Minutes later the helicopter hovered over containers on the bow of the MS Taipan allowing a unit of heavily armed marines to abseil on to the deck, storm the vessel and retake it.
Despite the damage to the ship's bridge, the MS Taipan was then able to continue its voyage from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Djibouti. The marines detained the 10 Somali pirates on board the ship.