World cargo trade, already jeopardized by a global interbank lending freeze, is threatened even more by these roving bands of Mad Max-type pirates on the high seas. Pirates off the coast of Somalia have hijacked 33 ships this year. According to AP, “Pirate attacks off the Somali coast have surged 75 percent this year, as bandits lured by million-dollar ransoms have pushed farther out to sea in search of bigger prey among the 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden each year. The pirates have already shifted their tactics in response to the patrols, positioning attack teams on the northern and southern ends of the shipping zone to stretch the already thin naval forces.”
(CNN) — Armed gunmen hijacked a Japanese freighter and its 23-member crew off the coast of Somalia, South Korean officials said Sunday. The 20,000-ton cargo ship was seized 96 miles (154 km) east of the Gulf of Aden on Saturday, the South Korean news agency Yonhap said, quoting the country’s foreign ministry. The Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, has become a treacherous stretch for ships, particularly along the Somali coast. More
Also See: Warships protect sea route from pirates
Sphere: Related ContentTags: freighters, hijacked, Japanese freighter, merchant vessels, oil tankers, Somalia
