German-owned vessel released from pirate control

2011-04-14 23:07:59 GMT+7 (ICT)

SEYCHELLES (BNO NEWS) -- Somali pirates on Wednesday released a German-owned vessel which had been held under pirate control for 81 days, the European Union Naval Force - Somalia (EUNAVFOR) informed on Thursday.

EU Naval Force spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy said the general cargo vessel MV Beluga Nomination was pirated on January 22, about 390 nautical miles (722 kilometers) north of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

The Antigua & Barbudan flagged ship is believed to be making for safe port. The vessel was on route to Port Victoria in the Seychelles when it was attacked by a skiff with an unknown number of pirates.

O'Kennedy did not disclose the condition of the mixed crew of 12 individuals. The crew members were all from Poland, the Philippines, Russia, and Ukraine. In addition, it was not informed if a ransom was paid to the pirates.

In recent years, Somali pirates have hijacked hundreds of ships. Most hijackings usually end without casualties when a ransom has been paid. This, however, often takes many months and pirates receive hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom.

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 2011-04-14

Makes me wonder what the pirates do with all that money. I haven't seen anything in the papers about it. Over 11 billion dollars collected by the Somali pirates last year.

It would seem the navies of the world are not really trying!

For the money that could be saved, an all out campaign to remove this scourge, could make sea transport safe again.

Surely, air/satellite surveillance could identify the mother ships and ports. This could provide intelligence for search and arrest and evidence in courts. The pirate’s infrastructure must be removed.

At the moment, the ‘protection’ centres on attempting to win each of the numerous little sea battles. With that strategy, the problem will not go away – the pirates will always win enough to survive.

Exactly the background to the motivation should be found and tackled. That may be the most difficult problem.