Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
Seven suspected pirates were found off the Yemeni coast after they signaled a distress call. The Royal Danish Ship, HDMS Absalon, saved the supposed pirates and then turned them into Yemeni authorities. The rescued were thought to be pirates because their boat contained AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. There is argument over whether or not a [...]
With all the recent piracy incidents off of the Yemen coast in the Gulf of Aden, the European Union will begin talks with Yemen to end the attacks. The EU is interested because many of the ships that are being hijacked by pirates are meant to end up in Europe. In mid-December the EU is [...]
On November 19th, a Yemeni cargo ship was leaving for the Indian Ocean as it was hijacked by pirates. Holding the ship for over 2 weeks, they asked for 2 million dollars ransom for the vessel and its crew. The owner of the ship, a Yemeni of Somali background, refused to pay. On Wednesday, December [...]
The Suez Canal is facing a massive test, as the scourge of Somali piracy prompts major shipping companies to seek another route. Egypt, which is greatly dependent on the fees it charges ships to go through the Canal, has expressed concern over a possible drop in income — though it says it’s hopeful an international [...]
In mid-November, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned company, Vela International Ltd., had one of its oil tankers, the Sirius Star, hijacked by Somali pirates, who are a part of an Islamist militia along the coast of Somalia. This hijacking is one of many this year. Pirates have found an increase in willingness of ship owners to pay [...]
Due to the recent ship hijackings in the area around Yemen, the state is to initiate a group of 20 countries to stop piracy in the area. The group will be targeting piracy in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The regional center for the group will be located in Yemen and two [...]
Despite recent attacks on vessels at sea by Somali pirates, Iran has stated that its ships will not avoid these routes, according to the Tehran Times. Iran currently exports approximately 2.4 million barrels of crude oil per day, 25% of which is sent to Europe via pirate-infested waters. An Iranian-operated Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship carrying [...]
On Monday, the U.S. Navy confirmed that Somali pirates seized the Sirius Star, owned by Aramco, the Saudi oil company. The ship, carrying a crew of 25, was boarded by the pirates while it was near the Kenyan coast. It was located by the Navy after the pirates had taken it about 450 nautical miles [...]
On November 11, the HMS Cumberland of the UK’s Royal Navy killed two Somali pirates after a firefight. The HMS Cumberland was on patrol in the highly pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden, when it saw a small wooden boat that was involved in a hijacking attempt of a Danish cargo ship. The HMS [...]
Turkish freighter “M/V Yasa Neslihan” was captured by armed Somali pirates, at the Gulf of Aden, Monday. The ship’s 20 crew members are also being held. Ankara demanded NATO’s help in order to free the vessel and the crew. Fehmi Ulgener, legal advisor to the Yasa Company, said that they were contacted by the pirates [...]
