The pirates operating out Eyl, Somalia have turned this into big business.
According to this BBC article, the region around Eyl is booming, all from the proceeds of this plundering.
On Sept. 22nd I commented on the pirate problem in the Gulf of Aden. Pirates! No Kidding!!
I had no idea it would become front page news so quickly.
Jean Poole posted a comment on that blog, mentioning the need for security for ships with food aide going to the starving people in East Africa. This is absolutely correct. She also suggested reading piratebook.blogspot.com.
When I posted my comments I was thinking mainly of liner shipping (which is my background), but there are so many more small break bulk vessels which will be the target for the pirates.
Now I think Pirates Ltd. has bit off a bit more than they can chew. It's kinda like hooking a big fish, only to find out you can't haul it into the boat.
This from CNN Sunday afternoon.
"The pirates initially demanded $35 million and no military action, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association. They decreased their demands for several reasons, Mwangura said.
Those reasons include that the crew is from eastern Europe and not the United States, the weapons the ship carries are secondhand, and there is no way to unload the tanks without coming onto land, he said."
This is the full story.
Of course the comment "no way to unload the tanks without coming onto land" is an understatement, as I believe these tanks weigh about 90,000 lbs a piece (over 41 metric tons). It's not something you can unload with fishing nets.
Additional info 6:30 PM
Russia Today (RT) has a video available with pictures of the ships and interviews
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