Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Pirates Hijack Vessel Carrying 7 Danes, Including 3 Children
By J. DAVID GOODMAN
Published: February 28, 2011
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Pirates in the Arabian Sea hijacked a yacht carrying seven Danish passengers, including three children, the Danish government said Monday, in the first reported attack on a small pleasure vessel since four Americans were killed by their pirate captors last week.
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That attack was the deadliest in recent years by Somali pirates, who have struck with increasing impunity throughout the waters off the Horn of Africa, and appeared to mark a departure from the usual hijacking playbook, which includes steep cash ransoms and little violence.
What effect the American deaths would have on Denmark’s approach to the latest hijacking remained unclear. Along with the United States Navy, Danish naval ships are part of international antipiracy patrols in the waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. However, Denmark has in the past favored negotiation over taking an aggressive posture toward pirates.
There were seven people aboard the Danish yacht, which was taken on Thursday, including a man and a woman, their three children, 12, 14, and 16, and two crew members, the Danish Foreign Ministry said. The ministry did not explain why it had waited several days to make the announcement; it said relatives of the hostages had been notified.
It was not immediately clear how many pirates boarded the yacht or whether they were Somali. Ecoterra International, a nonprofit maritime group that monitors pirate attacks, said the yacht had been hijacked in the southern part of the Arabian sea, far from the Horn of Africa, but appeared to be heading in the direction of Somalia.
“Naturally, I am deeply concerned over the situation,” the Danish foreign minister, Lene Espersen, said in a statement, adding that “especially as there are children involved and I can only express my utter disdain for the pirates’ actions.”
Governments have pleaded with ship owners and sea-faring vacationers to stick to designated shipping lanes when passing through the Arabian Sea, where pirates continue to strike with impunity, despite the presence of dozens of warships. The United States Navy sometimes provides escorts for convoys and the ships travel in numbers for safety.
Last Tuesday, pirates shot and killed Jean and Scott Adam of Marina del Rey, Calif., and Phyllis Macay and Robert A. Riggle of Seattle during what appeared to be a dispute among the jittery pirates as United States naval forces shadowed their hijacked yacht, the Quest, off the coast of Oman. Why the pirates chose to kill their captives remains murky, given that their business model, which has raked in more than $100 million in the past few years, is based on ransoming captives alive.
Several Danes have been held by Somali pirates in recent years. In 2007, five Danish sailors were held captive for 83 days on board the hijacked Danish freighter “Danica White,” the Danish newspaper Politiken has reported, and pirates are currently holding a Danish freighter with two Danes and four Filipino sailors on board. The ship was hijacked on Jan. 12 near Oman in the Gulf of Aden.
Somali pirates increased their attacks in 2010 for the fourth straight year, striking more ships and taking more hostages last year than in any year on record, according to a January report by the Piracy Reporting Center of the International Maritime Bureau, taking 1,181 people hostage over the course of 2010, and killing eight in attacks on 445 ships.
More than 50 vessels with more than 800 hostages are now being held captive.
Christina Anderson contributed reporting from Stockholm.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Danish family's sailboat hijacked in Indian Ocean
Feb 28, 2011 7:47 PM | By Sapa-AP
Pirates have hijacked a Danish sailboat with four adults and three children aboard as they were crossing the Indian Ocean, Denmark's government said.
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Credit: AP
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Most hostages captured in the pirate-infested waters off East Africa are professional sailors, not families. Pirates are not known to have captured children before.
The Danish Foreign Ministry said the ship sent a distress signal on Thursday. On board was a Danish couple, their three children - aged 12-16 - and two adult crew members, also Danes.
"It has now been confirmed that the sailboat was hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean," the ministry said in a statement.
Two days before the Danish sailboat sent the distress signal, four Americans were killed by Somali pirates in a hostage standoff. They were the first Americans slain by Somali pirates since a wave of attacks began six years ago.
Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen said she was "deeply concerned" about the situation and expressed her sympathies to the Danes on the boat and their relatives.
"It is almost unbearable to think that there are children involved and I can only sharply denounce the pirates' actions," Espersen said.
Danish news agency Ritzau, citing Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Charlotte Slente, said the boat was believed to be heading toward Somalia.
Earlier Monday, the European Union Naval Force said Somali pirates hijacked a Greek-owned cargo vessel with 23 crew on board.
The MV Dover was seized Monday in the north Arabian sea, 260 miles (420 kilometers) northeast of the Omani port of Salalah, the naval force said. The MV Dover was on its way to Yemen from Pakistan when it was attacked. It was registered with shipping and naval authorities.
There are three Romanians, 19 Filipinos and a Russian aboard the Panama-flagged vessel. There is no communication with the ship and no information regarding the condition of the crew.
In a separate incident, pirates released the MV Izumi on Friday, the naval force said Monday. The Panama-flagged vessel and its Filipino crew of 20 are believed to be making for a safe port. There is no information on the condition of the vessel or the crew. The ship was taken in October.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Navy to fend off pirates
Frigate will patrol Mozambique coast
Feb 22, 2011 10:46 PM | By CAIPHUS KGOSANA
South Africa is sending out a navy frigate to protect its waters from Somali pirates following an attack on a vessel off the coast of Mozambique in December.
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Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu told journalists in Cape Town yesterday the government would dispatch the navy frigate SAS Mendi to the Mozambican channel to patrol the waters and help counter piracy.
She said the hijacking of a Mozambican vessel in December in which 14 Mozambicans and two Spaniards were taken hostage had necessitated the need for South Africa to become actively involved in efforts to combat piracy.
"We remain very concerned about the intrusion of piracy into our space and we remain very determined that we will not allow it to continue," she said.
Sisulu said the frigate would trawl Southern African waters to determine the level of threat from piracy and that she would use the information to brief the cabinet on a strategy to safeguard South African shipping.
"We have now gone back to cabinet . to say it is important that we look at this matter and perhaps devise strategies to deal with it . It is not possible for us to sit back when we have incursions on waters we are responsible for," she said.
But she would not disclose whether the frigate had permission to shoot if it encounters pirate vessels in Southern African waters.
The defence minister said South Africa, with its superior naval capabilities, was best placed to respond to the threat posed by piracy in the region.
The cabinet earlier issued a statement saying South Africa was considering offering assistance to Somalia's transitional government as part of efforts to combat piracy.
South African sailors Deborah Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari were kidnapped by Somali pirates off the coast of Tanzania in October. A $10-million ransom has been demanded for the couple's release.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 2/28/2011
Indian Ocean pirates hold seven Danes including three kids
Indian Ocean pirates have captured a yacht with seven Danes including three children aboard and are sailing towards Somalia, the Danish foreign ministry said Monday.
The sailboat captured on Thursday was carrying a Danish family of five and two employees, Charlotte Senter, who heads the consular division at the ministry, told the Ritzau news agency.
The children, two boys and a girl, are aged 12 to 16, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The family left on a two-year round-the-world tour that was to have ended in mid-2011, according to a neighbour who spoke to the Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet.
"It's almost unbearable to know that children are involved, and I vigorously condemn the pirates," said Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen.
The Danish authorities "are following this matter very closely, and we will do all in our power to help the Danes aboard the sailboat and their relatives," she said late Monday on Danish television.
The Danish government "does not negotiate with pirates", she said, declining to comment further on the case "because that would not serve the interests of the hostages if it is too publicised and commented on".
She added: "Past experience has shown that too much information and commentary (on hostage-takings) threatens to undermine the cause" of the hostages.
"The hostage-takers also hear what is said on television in the countries the hostages come from, and the episode could be dragged out if they start to discuss the details," Espersen said.
The foreign ministry earlier said relatives of the hostages had been informed.
The B.T. daily said a Danish warship that is part of NATO's "Ocean Shield" anti-piracy operation in the region was headed towards the scene, but the Danish navy declined to comment.
Piracy has surged in recent years off Somalia, a lawless, war-torn country that sits alongside one of the world's most important shipping routes.
On February 22, Somali pirates killed four Americans including a retired couple aboard their hijacked yacht.
Four Somali pirates also died, two of them killed by US special forces in one of the deadliest endings to hostage-takings that are often resolved through ransom payments.
Hijackings are a key source of income for a country that has lacked a functioning government for two decades.
While few Americans have been caught up in such hijackings, a number of European yacht enthusiasts have been captured by Somali pirates.
In November, British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were released after an ordeal that lasted more than a year.
Ekstra Bladet said the Danish family came from an area west of Copenhagen.
They had made stops in South America, the Caribbean, Fiji and Thailand, and had set sail two weeks earlier from the Maldives headed towards Africa.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
The Danes don't negotiate.
There's a battle cruiser headed that way.. oops.
Typical European government "won't comment" much, and gives excuses about it "not helping"
Truth be told if these people have money, we wouldn't want that to be public knowledge either - but I want all eyes pointed in that direction if it is MY family.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Guys.... I do NOT see this ending very well for these folks.
I suspect the Danes will arrive pretty quick as I understand they have ships in the region. If they get there before they can get the people off the boat I don't think it will go well for the hostages.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
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| 22 February 2011 | Det Arabiske Hav 22 February 2011 | The Arabian Sea
One target would
Fortsat en del vind, 15-20 knob fra NO saa vi ruller kraftigt over og faar jaevnligt en spandfuld havvand ind over cockpittet, men det frisker jo ogsaa en lidt op. Continuing a lot of wind, 15-20 knots from NO as we roll heavily and regularly receives a bucket full seawater into the cockpit, but it freshens course even a little.
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| 21 February 2011 | Det Arabiske Hav 21 February 2011 | The Arabian Sea
Wind and navigability
Det sidste doegn har det blaest 15-25 knob, og selvom vinden er meget ustabil og vi ikke altid kan holde kurs, saa sejler vi meget hurtigt, for det meste omkring 7-9 knob. The last days has blown 15-25 knots, and although the wind is very unstable and we can not always keep the path as we sail very quickly, usually around 7-9 knots. Det betyder at aptering, skrog og rig larmer en del naar vi kastes omkring i boelgerne og vinden suser i sejl, mast og vanter. This means that accommodation, hull and rig is noisy part where we throw around in waves like the wind blowing through the sails, mast and shrouds. [...] [...]
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| 20 February 2011 | Det Arabiske Hav 20 February 2011 | The Arabian Sea
Visits by the coalition
Med et interval paa ca. With an interval of approx. ti minutter drejer vinden 30 -40 grader frem og tilbage, og 30 til 60 procent op og ned i styrke, uden en sky i naerheden, paa et ocean der breder sig over et par tusinde kilometer? ten minutes is blowing 30 -40 degrees back and forth, and from 30 to 60 percent up and down in strength, without a cloud in the vicinity, in an ocean that spread over a few thousand miles? Det betyder at vi hele tiden aendrer kurs efter vinden, men generelt sejler vi staerkt: 7-8 knob. This means that we constantly change course after the wind, but generally we sail strong: 7-8 knots. [...] [...]
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| 19 February 2011 | Det Arabiske Hav 19 February 2011 | The Arabian Sea
A new long voyage
Vi har dykket, skudt mange fisk, lavet baal og haft fantastiske dage paa Maldiverne. We have dived, shot many fish, made bonfires and had a fantastic day in the Maldives. Nu er vi igen paa havet. Now we are again at sea.
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| 11 February 2011 | Maldiverne 11 February 2011 | Maldives
Larder
Tog ankeret ved solopgang og sejlede 17 sømil vestpaa hen over 1,5 kilometers dybde til den smalle atol Makunudhoo. Trains anchor at sunrise and sailed 17 miles westward over 1.5 kg m depth to the small atoll Makunudhoo. Gennem passet uden problemer, og med Hjalte og Rune oppe paa sallingshornet og Naja og Marie i staevnen, zik zak mellem uendelig mange koralknolde ned til en lille oede motu. Through the pass without difficulty and with Hjalte and Rune up on the shrouds and Naja and Marie in the stem; zik zak between endless coral tubers down to a tiny deserted motu.
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Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Published: February 26, 2011
Held Hostage Off Somalia
Here is a tally of vessels (red numbers) and their passengers and crew, where known (white numbers), believed held by Somali bandits as of last week. All in all, 51 vessels and at least 819 people are believed to be held hostage. Printable PDF » | Related Article: Suddenly, a Rise in Piracy’s Price »
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Source: Ecoterra International
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Pirated Danish yacht, family anchor near Somalia
By Associated Press
Wednesday, March 2, 2011 - Added 3 hours ago
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NAIROBI, Kenya — A Danish family kidnapped by pirates has reached the shore of Somalia, officials and a pirate said Wednesday, likely meaning a long hostage ordeal for the couple and their three teenage children who were abducted while yachting around the world.
A Somali pirate had warned that if any attempt was made to rescue them, they would meet the same fate as the four American yachters slain by their pirate captors last week. Any chance of a quick rescue seemed to disappear Wednesday.
The sailboat being piloted by Jan Quist Johansen, his wife and their three children, ages 12 to 16, anchored near the coastal village of Hafun late Tuesday, said Yusuf Abdullahi Sanyare, the commissioner of Hafun, which lies on Somalia’s northern tip.
Abdiaziz Mohamud Yusuf, the spokesman for a community group called the Puntland Peacemakers, told The Associated Press that the family has been taken on land.
However, a Somali pirate who gave his name as Muse Abdi said the family was transferred to another, larger pirated ship.
"They are safe. They were just transferred from the boat to the big ship," said Abdi, who has provided reliable information in the past. "They have been added to other nationals in another ship to avoid any possible attack."
Two adult Danish crew members were also seized in the attack last Thursday on the Johansens’ 43-foot sailboat.
The Johansen family was aware of the pirate threat in the waters off East Africa, but believed that warships patrolling the waters would protect them, according to entries on their travel blog.
Maritime experts said the Johansens had foolishly placed themselves in grave danger off Somalia’s lawless coast despite warnings from naval forces struggling to police the area against pirates.
Yusuf, who said he has been contacted by a Danish official in Nairobi, said pirates moved the hostages from the sailboat because of a rumor that a warship was heading to the scene. Yusuf’s group has been involved in anti-piracy campaigns.
"We are ready to play our role in the safe release of the innocent family," he said. "We strongly condemn the hijacking of ships and innocent people off Somali waters."
Pirates hold more than 660 hostages and some 30 ships. Hostages are held in hot, austere conditions in Somalia — typically for many months — before a ransom is agreed on and paid, and the hijacked ships and crew are released.
Last year a British sailing couple were released after 388 days in captivity. Reports indicated that a ransom in the region of $1 million was paid for their release.
Somalia hasn’t had a functioning government since 1991, one of the reasons the piracy trade has flourished.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
It would appear that the terrorists are amassing quite a flotilla. Rick, is the chart you posted similar to aircraft identifaction charts? All the vessels look the same to me, but I was never good at spot the differences.
The evil part of my brain sees a scenario with multiple attacks on ports world wide.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
That's just a chart I pulled from some news source. I think it was their way of trying to identify what is being captured and held. So they used a silhouette chart with numbers to make it easy for themselves I'd reckon.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
The sailing blog for the Dutch family is offline now.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
that figures.
That was stupid, actually. If they ever are able to gain access to their site to signal for help, now they can't.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
I have to say that I am extremely upset over this Dutch ship. Mostly due to the kids. 12 to 16 and they are captive? BS. Makes me want to go privateer and slaughter the pirate ilk. Damn the intl agreements. Every extortion paid makes the pirates stronger.
/rant off.
Ok, so I won't be running to the Gulf of Adan, but if I were contacted to do so I doubt I would hesitate. Do what one will in the course of modern warfare, leave the kids out of it.
man, that pisses me off.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
There really aren't any "international agreements" of which I'm aware. There are United Nations rules which I posted here on the site a few days ago... umm rules 100-109 or something like that.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
I have been viewing close up Google Sat images along the Somali cast and have yet to find anythign that looks suspect. I am maybe missing it. Any town name specific s to this?
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Phil Fiord
I have been viewing close up Google Sat images along the Somali cast and have yet to find anythign that looks suspect. I am maybe missing it. Any town name specific s to this?
No, I don't know where they take these boats/ships too.
Google Earth isn't really updated very often from what I remember, so the images might be several years old.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthread...Number=1160416
A very informative site above on a lot not seen in media for how the pirates do what they do.
Re: Pirates! Activity Around the world
Most images on Google Earth in this area are stamped 2010 for the north coast and 2011 for the east coast. Curiously, a swath off the north coast in missing and is just a rectangle block. I should have screen capped it.