FIGURES: All the Ships the Pirates are holding today.

[Libaax-Sankataabte]

About 17 ships and 300 crew members are believed to be currently held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau, NATO and others. A look at the ships still being held:

 

If the total ransom is estimated, that is 34 million dollars that has to be delivered to the pirates in order to free these ships and the crew members. It is a breakdown of 2 million dollars (for each vessel and its crew) which I believe is the maximum amount of money the Lloyds maritime insurance company pays for each vessel as per the insurance policy.

 

– NOV. 10: Pirates hijack a Philippines chemical tanker, the MT Stolt Strength, with 23 crew members.

 

– DEC. 16: Pirates seize a Malaysian tugboat with 11 Indonesian crew members.

 

– FEB. 22: Pirates take a Greek-owned cargo ship, the Saldanha, with a 22-member crew, off Somalia's coast. The nationalities of the crew members aboard the Malta-registered bulk carrier are unknown.

 

– FEB. 28: State broadcaster in the Seychelles reports that Somali pirates hijacked a yacht with two people on board after it left the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean. The date of the hijacking and the nationalities of those aboard are not known.

 

– MARCH 19: Pirates hijack Greek-owned cargo ship Titan with 24 crewmen. Three of the crew members aboard the St.-Vincent flagged vessel are Greek, including the captain.

 

– MARCH 25: Pirates seize Panama-registered, Greek-owned Nipayia with 18 Filipino crew members and a Russian captain.

 

– APRIL 1: Tour operator says pirates have seized a tourist yacht and its crew of seven near the Seychelles. The Indian Ocean Explorer had dropped off its contingent of tourists before it was seized.

 

– APRIL 4: Pirates hijack German freighter Hansa Stavanger. It has 24 crew members on board: five Germans, three Russians, two Ukrainians, two Filipinos and 12 Tuvalus.

 

– APRIL 4: Pirates seize Taiwanese ship, Win Far 161, near the Seychelles islands. It has a crew of 30, including 17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese.

 

– APRIL 5: Pirates hijack Yemeni fishing boat with 13 crew members in the Gulf of Aden.

 

– APRIL 6: British-owned bulk carrier, the Malaspina Castle, hijacked in the Gulf of Aden. It is carrying a crew of 24 from Bulgaria, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine.

 

– APRIL 6: Pirates seize Taiwanese fishing boat with 30 crew off eastern Somalia.

 

– APRIL 11: Pirates seize Italian tugboat off Somalia's north coast. Ten of the 16 crew members are Italian. The others are five Romanians and a Croatian.

 

– APRIL 14: Officials say two Egyptian fishing boats have been hijacked with a total of 36 crew, all believed to be Egyptian. It is not exactly clear when those ships were seized.

 

– APRIL 14: Pirates seize Greek-managed bulk carrier, the MV Irene E.M., in a rare overnight attack. The St.-Vincent and Grenadines-flagged ship with at least 21 Filipino seamen was sailing from Jordan to India when it came under attack.

 

– APRIL 14: Pirates in several speedboats capture the Lebanese-owned cargo ship the MV Sea Horse. The number of crew aboard is not immediately known.

 

http://www3.signonsa ndiego.com/stories/2 009/apr/14/piracy-gl ance-041409/?world

[Faarax-Brawn]

^WHOA!, These guys are not joking..They need to start getting their ransoms before these governments come to the shores of haradher and eyl and hobyo.

 

Btw, check this story out. Even the Dolphins are against the pirates. Bal eeg amuurtan.

 

http://news.x inhuanet.com/english /2009-04/14/xin_5920 406141120000159014.j pg

 

Rest of story. Dolphins block somali pirates

[Faarax-Brawn]

Oh Shiz,They captured some more...

 

-------------------- -------------------- ----------

MOMBASA, Kenya - Somali pirates were back to business as usual Tuesday, defiantly seizing four more ships with 60 hostages after U.S. sharpshooters rescued an American freighter captain. "No one can deter us," one bandit boasted. The freed skipper, Richard Phillips, will return home to the United States on Wednesday, after reuniting with his 19-man crew in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, according to the shipping company Maersk Line Ltd.

 

The brigands grabbed more ships and hostages to show they would not be intimidated by President Barack Obama's pledge to confront the high-seas bandits, according to a pirate based in the Somali coastal town of Harardhere.

 

"Our latest hijackings are meant to show that no one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told The Associated Press by telephone. "Our guns do not fire water. I am sure we will avenge."

 

On Monday, Obama vowed to "halt the rise of piracy" without saying exactly how the U.S. and allies would do it.

 

The pirates have vowed vengeance for five colleagues slain by U.S. and French forces in two hostage rescues since Friday.

 

"The recent American operation, French navy attack on our colleagues or any other operation mean nothing to us," said Idle, 26, whose gang holds a German freighter with 24 hostages.

 

The pirates say they are fighting illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters but have come to operate hundreds of miles from there in a sprawling 1.1 million square-mile danger zone.

 

The top U.S. military officer, Adm. Michael Mullen, said he takes the pirates' threats seriously, but "we're very well prepared to deal with anything like that." Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke on ABC's "Good Morning America."

[Blessed]

I don't believe this. I think the numbers are exaggerated to justify the presence of foreign navies in our seas. Those greedy little gits our out of their depth now, I hope they have the smarts to know when to stop.

 

Anyway, do these Robin hoods "Rooble Koofiyadle" give what they steal to the poor?

[nyolji]

I want to assist fellow pirate invest his/her money somewhere exclusive- Kenya(upcountry- Rift-valley)Call: +254 723 094 167

[Sherban Shabeel]

piiiiiiiimpin!

[bint hamid]

wooooooooooooooooow! !

[Curly]

I don't think they're anything like robin hood...but like most delusional power hungry individuals they're justifying their actions as just that!

 

http://news.bbc.co.u k/2/hi/africa/765041 5.stm

[Salma]

I can't say anything but "Cry,my beloved Country".... If you are Muslim: then certainly you are a terrorist,,,, if you are a somali: then you are a Pirate... Being a muslim Somali means you are: Terrorist Pirate....

 

Read the below link for Johann Hari from the Independent NP.

 

Who is the real Robber?

 

and if you wanna read it in Arabic:

Arabic Translation of the article