Somali pirates threaten to kill kidnapped Danish family

[News_Editor]

Somali pirates threaten to kill kidnapped Danish family

2011-03-02 09:50:47 GMT+7 (ICT)

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (BNO NEWS) -- A Danish family was kidnapped by Somali pirates last week, and a death threat has been issued, warning rescuers to stay away, officials said Tuesday.

The Danish Foreign Ministry confirmed that last Thursday, Somali pirates captured the family and two other Danish adults who were on their 43-foot yacht in the Indian Ocean. They were on their way from the Maldives to the Red Sea. A distress signal was issued moments before the incident.

Denmark's government also stated that it was doing 'everything in its power' to assist the family, who is from Kalundborg, Denmark, just 75 miles from Copenhagen, and began their round-the-world yacht trip in 2009.

While the government said the Danish warship 'Esbern Snare' was currently headed for the area where the boat was hijacked, some 300 kilometers off the Somali coast, the death threat was sent by Abdullahi Mohamed, a Somali pirate who claims to be connected with the capturers.

Most hijackings usually end without casualties when a ransom has been paid. This, however, often takes many months, and the longest current hijacking, according to the European Union Naval Force - Somalia (EUNAVFOR), is the Panama-flagged MV Iceberg 1, which was hijacked on March 29, 2010 with 24 crew members.

However, a recent incident ended with the death of four American hostages last week after a similar situation occurred when pirates hijacked their yacht.

The Danish family has been named and identified, as well as the younger children, aged 13, 15, and 17. Nonetheless, maritime experts are saying the family put themselves in grave danger by ignoring all warnings and sailing into pirate-infested waters, where constant reports of hijacking incidents reach international media almost on a daily basis.

In a February 20 blog post, the family said they knew about the recent incident involving the American yacht but claimed the incident had occurred thousands of kilometers away from their route.

Somali pirates are currently holding at least 32 vessels and 698 hostages off the coast of Somalia, according to EUNAVFOR. Ecoterra, however, claims that pirates are holding at least 51 vessels and 819 hostages.

In recent years, Somali pirates have hijacked hundreds of ships, taking in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom. Ships are patrolling the shipping lanes near Somalia in an effort to reduce hijackings, but the anti-piracy force has warned that attacks are likely to continue.

According to a recent study, maritime piracy cost the global economy up to $12 billion last year, with Somalia-based pirates responsible for 95 percent of the costs.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-02

[andvari26]

Would not a simple solution such as armed security on board these commercial vessels deter the pirates, after the demise of a substantial number the message should sink in, the current message seems to be - we are SOFT - Please continue to steal, pillage and rape us at your leisure ! Little wonder these cretins continue to prosper, if the Maratime Insurance companies refused to cover any vessels entering the arena without an armed deterrent force, that may also help those Shipping Companies with this lack of coherent focus to get some ! After losing the odd hundred million from their own pockets. After all that it is just ludicrous and imbecilic for these dumb ass recreational sailors to have entered the arena of their own free will, perhaps they could be persuaded to reconvene the coliseum so we can all watch if they insist on committing suicide by Pirate. There exists the technology to place guided bombs through a house window yet there is no realistic plan being even talked up in this scenario - Why ?

[Hawaiian]

Would not a simple solution such as armed security on board these commercial vessels deter the pirates, after the demise of a substantial number the message should sink in, the current message seems to be - we are SOFT - Please continue to steal, pillage and rape us at your leisure ! Little wonder these cretins continue to prosper, if the Maratime Insurance companies refused to cover any vessels entering the arena without an armed deterrent force, that may also help those Shipping Companies with this lack of coherent focus to get some ! After losing the odd hundred million from their own pockets. After all that it is just ludicrous and imbecilic for these dumb ass recreational sailors to have entered the arena of their own free will, perhaps they could be persuaded to reconvene the coliseum so we can all watch if they insist on committing suicide by Pirate. There exists the technology to place guided bombs through a house window yet there is no realistic plan being even talked up in this scenario - Why ?

The insurance premiums are adjusted to cover the claims. When premiums go up the cost is passed on to the consumer. The insurance carriers do not want to be accused of encouraging violence, then they will become targets for acts of terrorism. As long as the claims are at an "acceptable level" the insurance companies will stay neutral.

Edited March 2, 2011 by Hawaiian