Global General
Somali pirates ask anti-piracy force for help
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-19 10:57
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It is not unheard of for groups of pirates to squabble among themselves. There were reports of a fight following the 2008 release of the Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with weapons and tanks. But it is more common for fights to break out over hostages kept on land, Middleton said.
Middleton said he had heard reports of such tensions arising over the captivity of a French military officer, captured in the Somali capital of Mogadishu in July, and over the Chandlers, a British couple taken from their yacht in October.
When the captured ship is an oil tanker, there is also the risk of an explosion in a shootout, or damage that could lead to a devastating oil slick -- concerns first raised by the 2008 capture of the Saudi-owned Sirius Star. The ship was carrying 2 million barrels of oil valued at about $100 million at the time, and was freed in January last year after a $3 million payment.
A Greek coast guard spokeswoman said the Maran Centaurus had left Somalia escorted by a Greek frigate and was heading to the South African port of Durban. She said all crew members were in good health, and the ship was expected to reach Durban in a week. She spoke on condition of anonymity in line with Greek government regulations.
Kidnapping, piracy and stealing from aid organizations are among the fastest ways to make money in Somalia, a nation plagued by war and drought that has not had a functioning government for a generation.
Only the support of foreign peacekeepers keeps the Islamist insurgency from overrunning the UN-backed government's enclave in the capital. The government does not have enough fighters, money or will power to go after pirates as well as the Islamists, some of whom have links to al-Qaida.
The International Maritime Bureau said last week that sea attacks worldwide surged 39 percent last year to 406 cases, the highest in six years. Somali pirates accounted for 217 raids -- more than half the attacks -- and seized 47 vessels. This number of attempted hijackings was nearly double the 111 attacks Somali pirates launched in 2008.
Somali pirates now hold about a dozen vessels hostage and more than 200 crew members.
