Pirates seize ship carrying tanks, ammo

I had read that too. I think it all may depend on what Somali "authorities" they are. I think eight pirates have been turned over to Puntland, a state in northeastern Somalia by the French Navy on 3 Jan 09 . Im not sure what happens after that.

 

the latest records say 19 after a second group was captured last week. The difference with the ones taken to court in France a few months ago is possibly the fact that the ones caught last week had not taken hostages yet , whereas the others had taken European citizens hostage and were therefore liable for judgment in Europe.

 

IIRC Earlier in this thread it was mentioned that some pirates were captured but were released too. Because the capturing party wasn't sure where to take them to.

 

Danish navy releases 10 Somali pirates



By Marcus Hand in Singapore - Thursday 25 September 2008

THE DANISH navy has freed 10 suspected Somali pirates who could not be brought to court in Denmark.

The Danish warship Absalon released 10 suspected on a Somali beach at 0100hrs on September 24 after being held for six days. The pirates weapons and other equipment were confiscated but there were allowed to keep personal effects.

The decision was made as it was not possible to bring the pirates to court in Denmark, but at the same time it was unwilling to hand them over to the Somali transitional government.

"It was the lesser of two evils, for the other solution, which would have made me uneasy, would have been to hand them over to a regime where they risked being tortured and killed," Defence Minister Soeren Gade told Danish television.

Danish navy releases 10 Somali pirates - Lloydslist.com

 

Heh heh, apparently not. Now if others would see that being greedy--doesn't pay. I think what that "pirate" should have done--was to read the Holy Bible or whatever his equivilent of that great book is?

 

Actually, I think it depends more on whether the pirates have any loot to split with the "authorities" and whether they are willing to do so.

 

I may be in error, but my understanding is that it is the policy of the Danish government to not bring any pirates to trial in Denmark since once they have been convicted and served their terms it would be very difficult to deport them to another country. It is also the policy of the Danish government not to extradite, or release, any pirate suspects to any country where they might be subject to the death penalty, if convicted.

Since that includes most of the countries in East Africa, the Danish Navy has little choice but to release suspected pirate to the equivalent of "their own recognizance".

 

"Catch and Release"

 

Precisely, they can be release where they were caught. No boat, no lifevest, some old fish carcasses tossed overboard. Now you are going to tell me there are no sharks in those waters.

 

That would be good. but all they do is take away thier toys and send them on thier way. Then the pirates go back to shore and just get some more weapons. Its not like they are rare or anything in that region .

 

Somali pirates on tank ship sack ransom brokers

10 hours 45 mins ago

Pirates holding a Ukrainian cargo ship loaded with tanks have sacked Somali middlemen trying to secure its release and are negotiating directly with the owners, an associate of the gang said Thursday. Skip related content
Gunmen from Somalia caused havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes last year, hijacking dozens of ships and demanding tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments to free them.
The MV Faina was carrying 33 Soviet-era T-72 tanks and other weapons when it was seized in September. The pirates initially demanded a $20 million (13.7 million pound) ransom, lowered to $5 million.
Osman Farah, an onshore associate of the gang on the Faina, said his colleagues now expected more than $5 million after they sacked the middlemen negotiating on their behalf.
"Somali brokers had been delaying the process by reporting only half, or less, of the ransom being offered," Farah told Reuters by telephone from the coastal town of Haradheere.
"So the pirates are now directly negotiating with the Ukrainians and we hope things will be better now ... they are expecting more then $5 million and the ship will be freed soon."
The Faina's owners could not immediately be reached.
The hijackings have raised insurance costs, prompted some owners to go around South Africa instead of via the Suez Canal and triggered an unprecedented deployment by foreign navies.
Last week the pirates released a Saudi Arabian supertanker, the Sirius Star, after a $3 million ransom was parachuted onto its deck. The vessel was carrying crude oil worth $100 million.
In a Reuters interview Saturday, Somalia's interim President Sheikh Aden Madobe said ransom payments only encouraged piracy.

Somali pirates on tank ship sack ransom brokers  - Yahoo! News UK

 

Russian navy saves Dutch ship from Somali pirates

Wed Jan 14, 6:16 am ET
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A Russian warship helped foil an attack on a Dutch container ship by suspected Somali pirates in the dangerous Gulf of Aden, a maritime watchdog and the Russian navy said Wednesday.
Six pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades Tuesday at the ship, which took evasive maneuvers while calling for help, said Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia.
The pirates chased the vessel for about 30 minutes but aborted their attempt to board the ship after a Russian warship and helicopter arrived at the scene, Choong said.
Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said a Ka-27 helicopter was sent from the Admiral Vinogradov warship on patrol off Somalia's coast and fired at three suspected pirate speedboats that were trying to attack the Dutch ship.
He said three pirates were wounded.
Dygalo said one of the speedboats was halted near Yemeni waters and Russian teams from the Admiral Vinogradov boarded the other two, finding ropes with grappling hooks and gas canisters but no fishing equipment.
Pirates last year attacked 111 ships and seized 42 off the Horn of Africa, many in the Gulf of Aden. An international flotilla including U.S. warships has stopped many attacks, but the area is too vast to keep all ships safe in the vital sea lane that leads to the Suez canal and is the quickest route from Asia to Europe.
Choong said it was nevertheless getting harder for Somali pirates to hijack ships because of increased naval patrols and the vigilant watch kept by ships that pass through the area.
"The attacks are continuing but successful hijackings by pirates have (been) reduced," he said.
There have been 11 attacks in Somali waters thus far this year, with two ships hijacked. In total, 11 vessels with 210 crew members remain in pirate hands, Choong said.
Russia sent a warship to the area in September after Somali pirates hijacked a Ukrainian freighter, the Faina, with a cargo of battle tanks and three Russian crew members.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and its lawless coastline is a haven for pirates. The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the only ways to make money in the impoverished nation.

 

Dutch seek extradition of Somali pirates
2 hrs 6 mins ago

THE HAGUE (AFP) – The Netherlands has asked Denmark to extradite five pirates detained by the Danish navy in the Gulf of Aden while attacking a Dutch cargo vessel, the Dutch government said Thursday.
Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin informed Danish counterpart Brian Nikkelsen at a European ministers' meeting in Prague that the Dutch were ready to begin judicial proceedings against the pirates, his spokesman told AFP.
Nikkelsen replied that the Danish would begin extradition procedures as soon as possible, according to Ballin's spokesman Wim van der Weegen.
The Somali pirates were apprehended on January 2 on their speedboat as they prepared to attack the Samanyulo, a cargo ship carrying the flag of the Netherlands Antilles.
The five are still in custody on the Absalon, the Danish frigate which intercepted the pirates.
The Absalon is part of Combined Task Force 150 -- an international flotilla tracking pirates and traffickers off the Somali coast.
"Piracy is one of the most serious crimes in international law. It is now up to the prosecution to begin judicial proceedings," said Van der Weegen.
Somali pirates raked in an estimated 150 million dollars (114 million euros) in ransom money in 2008, attacking more than 130 ships and turning one of the planet's busiest maritime routes into its most dangerous waters.
The 330-metre (1,000-foot) Sirius Star, owned by the shipping arm of oil giant Saudi Aramco, was seized far off the east African coast on November 15, in what was the pirates' most daring attack and largest catch to date.

Dutch seek extradition of Somali pirates - Yahoo! News

 

I know a great punishment for any captured "Pirates" which is, to put them on an deserted island far away from nowhere and force them to watch endless repeat showings of: Gilligans Island, Suddenly Susan, televised Prince concerts & The Smurfs cartoons. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

LOL! It looks as though you can't trust ANYBODY in Somalia these days!

 

Well you know that being a Pirate/Fisherman is such a trustworthy and reputable profession in that area LOL. Right below being a Warlord or Islamic "Freedom" fighter. LOL

 

OPPPSSSSS!!!!

Yemen: Fisherman killed during pirate chase

By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press Writer Ahmed Al-haj, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 15, 2:06 pm ET

SAN'A, Yemen – A Russian helicopter attack on Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden earlier this week killed a Yemeni fisherman and three others, security officials said Thursday.
The fishermen were in two boats nearby when the Russian helicopter fired on pirates in three speedboats trying to hijack a Dutch container ship on Tuesday, said two officials from Yemen's Interior Ministry and coast guard.
A preliminary investigation showed the fishermen were hit by fire from the helicopter, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to news media.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had no information on whether fishermen were hit in the operation, which prompted the pirates to abort their attempt to board the Dutch vessel.
The helicopter was dispatched from a Russia warship that was sent to the area in September after Somali pirates hijacked a Ukrainian freighter, the Faina, with a cargo of battle tanks and three Russian crew members.
The Faina was one of 42 ships that pirates seized last year off the Horn of Africa during a surge in piracy driven in part by Somalia's growing poverty and instability. The country has not had a functioning government since 1991 and its lawless coastline is a haven for pirates.
The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the only ways to make money in the impoverished nation.
An international flotilla including U.S. warships has stopped many attacks, but the area is too vast to keep all ships safe in the vital sea lane that leads to the Suez Canal and is the quickest route from Asia to Europe.
The Dutch government, meanwhile, agreed Thursday to prosecute five suspected pirates captured this month by the Danish navy off the coast of Somalia, and called on European countries to ensure all arrested pirates face justice.
A Danish naval vessel seized the men in the Gulf of Aden on Jan. 2 after receiving a distress call from a Netherlands Antilles-registered freighter, which fended off the pirates with signal flares until a Danish ship arrived and sank the attacking vessel.
Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin, who reached an extradition agreement with his Danish counterpart Thursday, urged European justice ministers to tighten cooperation on prosecutions. Ballin said it is the responsibility of the country whose ship is attacked to put captured pirates on trial, according to his spokesman Wim van der Weegen.
"Impunity is not the right message we want to send to these criminals," Van der Weegen said.
So far, few pirates have been jailed, said Pottengal Mukundan, director of the Commercial Crimes Services of the International Maritime Bureau in London.
Eight pirates arrested last month by a British warship went before a Kenyan court in Mombasa on Wednesday. France is holding pirates arrested in two separate attacks on French vessels. They are awaiting trial. India also has handed over 11 Somali pirates to Yemen.
"Many of the flag states have not shown any willingness to try these pirates," Mukundan said.
Van Der Weegen said the Dutch prosecutor's office was drawing up charges against the five suspects, who likely will be tried for piracy, which is a crime against humanity under international law. It was unclear when they would be handed over.

Yemen: Fisherman killed during pirate chase - Yahoo! News

 

Trigger-happy Russians!

Seriously, this is going to be a huge impediment to countering the pirates. Whether these guys actually are fishermen is not really the issue. The international media will start screaming about "innocent civilians" being killed and, of course, the bleeding hearts will start deploring the irresponsible military and naval forces, and putting heat on the politicians to call them off.

That's why few governments have the political will to do anything effective in the area.

 

Well of course it will be.Probably one of the reason that the pirates operated around them. A great propaganda ploy that is sucessfully used by others (Hamas ).

 

Yep! Clearly, when you have something to hide, the best place to hide it is behind a bunch of civilians, even if they are your own. That way, when the white hats come in and start shooting, you can always divert the attention of the bleeding hearts by pointing out that the Good Guys are killing civilians. GASP!