04 November 2011

Piracy for the day

Soldier of Fortune magazine has articles about piracy:
British Prime Minister David Cameron says British-flagged merchant ships sailing the Horn of Africa will be authorized to carry armed guards to ward off pirates.
Cameron, speaking on British television, said shipping companies will soon be able to apply for a government license for guards and weapons for use near the coast of Somalia.
Under the plan, weapons use would also be permitted in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean have, in recent years, seized scores of international cargo ships and commercial vessels and collected tens of millions of dollars in ransom from shipping companies.
Cameron referred to the Somali piracy as "a complete insult" to world governments, and said evidence shows that companies deploying armed guards suffer fewer attacks and pay less ransom.
and
Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Nigeria in the Gulf of Guinea. Initial reports on the hijacking are sketchy, but say the tanker, the MT Halifax, was seized in waters near Port Harcourt, Nigeria. It was not immediately clear how many crew members are on board. The Maltese-flagged tanker is managed by Ancora Investment Trust of Greece.
Pirate hijackings have increased this year in the Gulf of Guinea, located off the southern coast of West Africa. Analysts say pirates in the area tend to raid ships for cash and cargo, rather than holding crew members for ransom.
Security officials say it is likely the pirates who hijacked the Halifax will try to offload the oil cargo while the tanker is out at sea.
Rico says "companies deploying armed guards suffer fewer attacks and pay less ransom"? Well, duh...

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