Saturday, October 25, 2008

Pressure on Pirates

Finally, ships are arriving off the coast of Somalia to combat the Pirates.

The Russian vessel Neustrashimy is close to the area.

Reuters reports "Russia, which sent a warship to Somalia's coast to combat pirates, asked the African nation on Thursday for carte blanche to use force in its territorial waters."

On Oct. 25, from Russia Today, "The Russian warship 'Neustrashimy' (Fearless) is set to enter the waters off Somalia on a mission to combat piracy. Seven NATO vessels are already monitoring the area which is notorious for hijackings. The Russian vessel may be used to help intercept a Ukrainian freighter (M/V Faina) captured a month ago with 20 people onboard."

Even the Columbia Journalism Review has been following the saga of the M/V Faina.

There are reports, such as this one in Deseret News, that Blackwater is planning to get into the business of protecting vessels from pirates.

"Blackwater is offering the MV MacArthur, a 183-foot vessel with a crew of 14 and a helicopter pad, as an escort for ships through the Gulf of Aden. The helicopters and MacArthur won't be armed, although workers will carry guns, Mathews said."

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