10-17-2011
|
 |
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal, West Coast
Posts: 4,498
Rep Power: 8
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by JonEisberg
Yup, American forces in concert with the Brits just freed an Italian ship from captivity 5 days ago, for example...
I think he probably means America should re-assert her role as The World's Policeman, and take a bigger lead in helping to ensure the unfettered flow of Chinese goods and Arabian oil through the Suez, and on to our good friends in Europe... (grin)
|
 The ones that are policing the area are not only Nato naval forces but forces from many countries. Even Iranians are capturing pirates  . The solution needed is not a Naval one. This is the real issue:
The U.N.-backed Somali government can barely hold a section of the capital, let alone go after onshore pirate havens. Foreign governments are reluctant to deploy ground forces.
Despite naval forces, pirate attacks off Somalia nearly double | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com
Some more disturbing news:
AN airdrop of a reported $3 million ransom yesterday brought an end to the six-month hostage ordeal of a Danish family who ignored warnings that "pirates are not like Johnny Depp" and sailed into dangerous waters.
Jan Quist Johansen, his wife Birgit Marie and their three children aged 13 to 17, were captured with two Danish crew members on February 24 when their 13metre yacht was seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.
They endured a botched rescue attempt in which about seven people died, shoot-outs between pirates and locals, illness and protracted ransom negotiations funded by their family and friends before finally heading back to Denmark last night.
$3m ransom paid to free Danish yachting family held hostage for six months by Somali pirates | The Australian
And they thought they were safe:
Danish sailors seized in Indian Ocean had anti-piracy plan
A Danish family whose boat was seized by pirates in the Indian Ocean wrote on a travel blog that they were in daily contact with anti-piracy forces and had prepared a "piracy plan" in case of attack..
A day earlier, the family blogged that they had drawn up "a piracy plan for who does what if we are attacked". They were sending daily position and status updates to the Royal Navy's UK Maritime Trade Operations, which acts as a liaison for ships sailing through waters threatened by pirates.
..
"Of course, we talked quite a lot about it but this is far over thousands of kilometres away and the Arabian Sea that we sail in is the size of Europe," the family said in a blog entry dated 20 February.
Two days later, four Americans were killed by their Somali captors. It is unclear whether the Danish family knew about the deaths. Their last post, on 23 February – a day before the hijacking – said their journey had been uneventful and that "we have NOT been boarded by pirates".
In the blog, family members wrote that they felt reassured as they spoted overflights by counter-piracy patrol planes and had daily contact with naval authorities. "It is reassuring that they look after us," the 20 February post said.
Somali pirates have extended their range east and south after increased naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden. They hold more than 660 hostages and some 30 vessels. If a ship's owner is unable to pay the multimillion-dollar ransoms the pirates demand, they may keep it and use the boat to stalk other vessels until they run out of supplies or break down.
Danish sailors seized in Indian Ocean had anti-piracy plan | World news | The Guardian
What happens to those that don't have millions of dollars to pay?
Regards
Paulo
Last edited by PCP; 10-17-2011 at 12:04 PM.
|
Connect with Facebook
