Island sailors held by pirates,Swedish navy heads off hijacking near Somalia,Somali pirate fears good times maybe finished

Eleven men from one of the world’s smallest nations are being held captive by Somalian pirates aboard a cargo ship. The men, all from the tiny island of Tuvalu, which has a population of just 12,000 people, are aboard the German registered freighter Hansa Stravanger, now being held off the Somali coast.The main employment on Tuvalu, north of New Zealand, is providing sailors for German shipping lines.Also aboard the Hansa Stravanger is a man from Rotuma in Fiji, along with 12 officers.According to German publications the ship was seized on April 5 and has been held since.Earlier this month the German government sent a 200-strong GSG-9 strike force to the region in a bid to free the ship.The magazines Spiegel and Focus say they were aboard the US helicopter carrier ship USS Boxer near the Hansa Stavanger and were ready to try to board and seize the 170-metre long ship, when they received orders to turn back.The German government had asked the Americans for military support to regain control over the ship, and although the GSG-9 force was being hosted on the US ship, it needed explicit US government permission to launch an operation.This was not issued, and a crisis meeting in Berlin called off the action, the magazines report.GSG or Grenzschutzgruppe (Border Guard Group) is Germany’s elite anti-terrorist group.Tuvalu web messages services name the Tuvaluans as Telava Tofiga, Pii Tiale, Kaitu Leka, Logo Samasoni, Jack Taleka, Malologa Pulusi, Fiu Tui, Pule Hauma, Teraoi Richard, Olataga Safoka, and Mailagi Mapusaga.The Rotuman is Wayne Suliane.
They are believed to be safe and are occasionally allowed to phone home .
Swedish navy heads off hijacking near Somalia
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1479495.php/Swedish_navy_heads_off_hijacking_near_Somalia_ Somali pirate fears good times maybe finished

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE54P09P20090526?sp=true
The Somalia Piracy Update
http://www.shipping.nato.int/,Very unusual visitor for Barack Obama. Maybe the new US ambassador to Somalia?http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/22/05.22.09.pirate.jpg