Facts, News, Trends, Analysis
According to the NYT Dec 26, 2008, “The Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said Friday that 110 ships have been attacked in the gulf [of Aden] this year, and 42 have been hijacked. Fourteen ships are still being held for ransom.” This is part of the reason that China is sending warships to [...]
In the Abyan province, 225 Somali refugees were rescued after their boat was destroyed. It is unknown how this happened. Along with those rescued, the Yemen Coast Guard found eight dead bodies near the beach where the refugees were found. Because Yemen holds the policy of allowing Somali refugees into their country, they will be [...]
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 flotilla [...]
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 [...]
The Indian Ocean faces a serious threat from marauding pirates who operate out of Somalia, and who have attacked the ancient sea trade routes linking East with West. Egypt has showed no immediate response to the problem, and has not opted to join the international community in fighting this growing menace. According to Reuters, the [...]
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, said Tuesday November 18th, during an official visit to Tripoli, that he intended on moving reconciliation talks from Djibouti to Libya. Yusuf told reporters after meeting with Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qadafi in Tripoli, “I informed the brother Leader about developments in Somalia and turned over to him the file on [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
At least 52 Somali migrants died on September 29, 2008 off Yemen’s coast after the ship smuggling them broke down. The migrants had been adrift for approximately 18 days without food or water.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the crew on the smuggling boat told its passengers that they would travel into the Somali [...]