It's A Great Time To Be A Pirate

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  challenge you to come up with a more badass job to have than Somali Pirate. You cannot come up with one! Except for the fact of living in a war-torn penniless country and taking your life in your hands on the high seas with no guarantee of success or mercy, it is just about the awesomest line of work ever. A million dollars in a single day? Piracy is the I-banking of a new generation!
  Easy money!
  In Somalia, it seems, crime does pay. Actually, it is one of the few industries that does.more..http://gawker.com/5072549/its-a-great-time-to-be-a-pirate
  

somali Pirate update

http://www.shipping.nato.int/piracyslid0/bitmap29Oc/file/_WFS/081029%201600Z-unclass_Piracy-NS.bmp

Somali Pirates: NYTimes notes they're "flourishing"
Reported in the NYTimes as Somalia’s Pirates Flourish in a Lawless Nation
In Somalia, it seems, crime does pay. Actually, it is one of the few industries that does.“All you need is three guys and a little boat, and the next day you’re millionaires,” said Abdullahi Omar Qawden, a former captain in Somalia’s long-defunct navy.People in Garoowe, a town south of Boosaaso, describe a certain high-rolling pirate swagger. Flush with cash, the pirates drive the biggest cars, run many of the town’s businesses — like hotels — and throw the best parties, residents say. Fatuma Abdul Kadir said she went to a pirate wedding in July that lasted two days, with nonstop dancing and goat meat, and a band flown in from neighboring Djibouti.“It was wonderful,” said Ms. Fatuma, 21. “I’m now dating a pirate.”This is too much for many Somali men to resist, and criminals from all across this bullet-pocked land are now flocking to Boosaaso and other notorious pirate dens along the craggy Somali shore. They have turned these waters into the most dangerous shipping lanes in the world.***Nor is it even clear whether Somali authorities universally want the piracy to stop. While many pirates have been arrested, several fishermen, Western researchers and more than a half-dozen pirates in jail spoke of nefarious relationships among fishing companies, private security contractors and Somali government officials, especially those working for the semiautonomous regional government of Puntland.“Believe me, a lot of our money has gone straight into the government’s pockets,” said Farah Ismail Eid, a pirate who was captured in nearby Berbera and sentenced to 15 years in jail. His pirate team, he said, typically divided up the loot this way: 20 percent for their bosses, 20 percent for future missions (to cover essentials like guns, fuel and cigarettes), 30 percent for the gunmen on the ship and 30 percent for government officials.

Somali Pirates Capture Turkish Ship
Latest NATO Somali Piracy Update here (click to enlarge):Report of seizure of Turkish ship:
Following a short lull in piracy incidents, possibly due to adverse weather conditions, there has been a very recent surge of incidents. Bulk carrier MV YASA NESLIHAN was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on 29 October. In addition, two other vessels were attacked andone approached in the Gulf of Aden on 28 October. the total number of commercial vessels (including one tug)hijacked in Somali waters now stands at ten; over 200 merchant seamen are held by pirates.More information:
The NATO Shipping Center reports that the bulk carrier MV Yasa Neslihan was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on October 29, but gives no details of the incident,The Marshall Islands-flag Yasa Neslihan is an 82,849 dwt, 2005 built bulk carrier operated by Turkey's Ya/Sa Shipping Industry & Trading SA.The NATO Shipping Center reports the hijacking as part of a very recent surge of incidents in the region following a short lull in piracy incidents, possibly due to adverse weather conditions.NATO says that two other vessels were attacked and one approached in the Gulf of Aden on October 28, while a U.S. Fifth Fleet/Combined Maritime Forces release puts the number of unsuccessful piracy attempts in the area that day at five.Separately, the Spanish defense ministry said that a maritime patrol aircraft thwarted a pirate attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker Leander on TuesdayThe P-3 Orion aircraft received a call for help from the Leander on Tuesday reporting that pirates on two boats were trying to board the vessel which was was about 210 km north of the coast of Somalia."To deter the pirates, the plane flew over the hostile boats three times and launched a smoke bomb at them each time," the defense ministry said. "After the third launch, the crew of the P-3 noticed that the boats gave up their attempt to board and separated themselves from the oil tanker."The aircraft was on a routine patrol when it received the call for help. Photo of Yasa Neslihan from http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/ShipPhotos/8019-Yasa-Neslihan-9286566.html.NavCent press release on Coalition effort in fighting pirates:
Five piracy attempts occurred yesterday in the Gulf of Aden; they were all unsuccessful as a result of pro-active measures taken by masters and crews of the commercial shipping vessels.Even when shots were fired during two of these attacks, the crews of commercial shipping vessels conducted evasive maneuvering and used fire hoses to repel their attackers.“The pro-active measures taken yesterday by merchant vessels are exactly what we have been recommending,” said Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, Commander, Combined Maritime Forces. “For slightly more than two months the Coalition has been working with the commercial shipping industry and the International Maritime Organization to recommend best practices and leverage lessons learned to employ reasonable self-protection measures. These measures range from proactive lookouts and evasive maneuvering to embarking professional security teams.”***Since its establishment, Coalition units have deterred more than two dozen attacks in the Gulf of Aden.“Piracy is a threat to the security of all nations and requires an international solution,” said Gortney. “The Coalition’s presence is helping deter destabilizing activity, allowing the shipping industry time to implement self-protection measures and the international community to establish a legal framework to hold pirates accountable for their actions.”***In addition to Coalition naval forces, ships and aircraft from several other nations to include a NATO task force are operating in the region. While there is no formal agreement between the Coalition and other navies, they have been communicating with each other and sharing information to more effectively patrol the area.
Posted by Eagle1 at
Labels: Gulf of Aden, NATO, Somali Pirates, Somalia
Iranian "Mystery Ship" and the Somali Pirates
Iran doesn't like Somali pirates and is directing its ships to take precaution to prevent their seizure in the Gulf of Aden, as set out here:
Iran's main shipping firm has told its vessels to install barbed wire on their decks and put crew on watch against pirates in the Gulf of Aden, it said on Wednesday.Of more interest to some will be the report on the Iranian "mystery" ship Deyanat which has been touted as everything from an Iranian vessel carrying weapons to Eritrea to a potential weapon of mass destruction to be used against Israel (a subject about which I receive frequent emails). According to the news report:
The bulk carrier Iran Deyanat, owned by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), was hijacked on Aug. 21, one of numerous ships hijacked by pirates in the waters off the Horn of Africa. It was freed on Oct. 10.***One report suggested the Iran Deyanat had been carrying arms to Eritrea, and a Kenyan-based shipping organisation suggested the ship was carrying a "dangerous chemical" that had injured and killed Somali pirates.IRISL denied both allegations in a statement on Wednesday. It said the Iran Deyanat had sailed to Salalah, Oman, after its release and was now in the Mediterranean, heading to Rotterdam."The cargo was loaded in China under normal circumstances and there is no danger associated with it," IRISL said."We didn't go to Eritrea with any weapons," Captain Majid Ensan Najib of IRISL told Reuters.Najib, the head of IRISL's maritime affairs department and emergency response committee, who was involved in Iran Deyanat's release, said the ship's manifest had listed only minerals and industrial goods, not chemicals or arms.


Pirates seize RP tanker, 23 Pinoy seamen near Somalia
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/132765/Pirates-seize-RP-tanker-23-Pinoy-seamen-near-Somalia