Hunt of the Sea Wolves

According to the International Chamber of Commerce, there are three types of modern day pirate attacks.

The most common type of attack happens when pirates board a boat or ship, and rob the crew. According to publicized statistics this type of attack will usually bring in about $20,000 US dollars for the pirates. These types of robberies usually involve between 6 and 8 “pirates” working together.

The second type of attack is where the pirates board, rob the crew and also steal the ships cargo and goods. An attack of this type can involve 70 or more pirates, boarding a vessel all at the same time. These type of attacks occur most commonly in the early morning hours, between 1:00 and 6:00 am. This type of pirate attack can bring in over a million dollars, depending on the type of cargo the ship is carrying.

And the third type of piracy occurring most often at this time in history, is a type of modern day “con game.” Pirates having stolen or secured a ship, paint it, have it “temporarily registered” with authorities at one of a number of ports, and then wait for an unsuspecting victim. The “victim” is a business person who is in a hurry to ship his goods. The “pirates” offer to transport the cargo, but of course it never arrives at it’s destination. The same ship can be painted and repainted many times, and used at different ports of call, to repeat the scam again and again.

With all of this said, it is assumed that only about 10% of pirate attacks are actually reported as such. Under-reporting of this type of crime is thought to be related to concern over increased insurance premiums, once such a crime is reported.

Somali pirates have released a St. Kitts-flagged ship and its 16 crew after 26 days in captivity, Kenya’s maritime official said May 29.

Andrew Mwangura, Coordinator of the Mombasa-based Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), said the Mariam Queen was released after the owners paid 100,000 U.S. dollar ransom.

“The Mariam Queen has been released and is sailing towards Mogadishu to offload the cargo. We are told the owners paid 100, 000 U.S. dollars to secure its release,” Mwangura said by telephone from Mombasa.

“The pirates had earlier demanded 150,000 dollars as a ransom before the cargo ship’s release but this was later reduced to 100, 000 dollars,” said Mwangura.

The St. Kitts-flagged vessel was seized in the semi-autonomous province of Puntland in the northeast of pirate-infested Somalia on May 3.

Mwangura said a UN World Food Program (WFP)-contracted cargo ship — the MV Victoria — which escaped an attack by pirates earlier this month in the pirate-infested Somali wasters was expected to dock in Mombasa later Tuesday.

Sri Lanka, which has so far been unsuccessful in opening a land rout to Jaffna, is dependent on merchant ships to transport supplies to the government-administered Peninsula, but is not able to guarantee the safety of these ships.

M V Princess Kash was the most recent in a long list of cargo ships hijacked by the Sea Tigers, the water-borne arm of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The vessel was destroyed by the Sri Lanka Air Force hours after the hijacking last Friday.

http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19980822/23450114.html

Somali pirates who hijacked two South Korean fishing vessels off the Somali coast are demanding $700,000 ransom for the release of the scores of Asian crew members held hostage, Kenya’s maritime official said on Saturday.

Andrew Mwangura, director of the East African Seafarers Assistance Program, said the pirates who seized the Tanzanian- flagged vessels, about 370 kilometers off the coast of Somalia on May 15 have not made any intention of the reducing the ransom.

“The pirates are demanding 700,000 U.S. dollars ransom to release two Tanzanian flagged South Korean fishing vessels. A mother ship has been spotted some 200 nautical miles from Mogadishu,” Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone from Mombasa.

http://english.people.com.cn/200705/27/eng20070527_378296.html

Modern pirates don’t scour the seven seas for magic maps or buried treasure, but they are still after booty. Today, it takes the form of ransom money from shipping companies, cargo that can be resold on the black market or a ship to commandeer, rename and use to con merchants looking to send goods overseas or to launch deep water attacks.

In areas around Nigeria, Sri Lanka and southern India, pirating comes mixed with politics as local resistance movements use it to destabilize governments or to make spectacular statements.

In 2006, there were 239 attempted and successful pirate attacks around the globe, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors pirating incidents for shipping and insurance companies.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/World/2007/05/27/4212009-sun.html