After a 5 year absence Somali pirates returned this week by hijacking an oil tanker but have demanded nothing since being on board. So what’s their new game – PB/TK
Pirates off Somalia hijack first commercial vessel since 2012 – Weston Williams March 14 2017
Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia hijacked an oil tanker on Monday, marking the first time since 2012 that a commercial vessel has been captured by Somali pirates, following tightened security procedures and naval operations leveled against pirate groups in the region.
The Aris 13 tanker, which had been carrying fuel from Djibouti to Mogadishu, Somalia, sent out a distress call on Monday, reporting that it had been approached by two unidentified boats. Then, suddenly, its tracking system was switched off and the ship changed course, heading for the Somali port town of Alula, where it is now reportedly anchored.
“The ship is on the coast now and more armed men boarded the ship,” said Salad Nur, a local elder.
If the incident follows the usual procedure for a pirate hijacking, a ransom will be demanded for the ship and its eight Sri Lankan crew members, which will likely cost the shipping company a fortune. Somali pirates generally do not kill hostages unless they are attacked or if there is a rescue attempt.
During the peak of pirate activity in 2011, pirates off the coast of Somalia launched a total of 237 attacks in a single year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Pirates captured hundreds of hostages that year, bringing the global cost of piracy in 2011 to $7 billion, according to a working paper from the aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy. The shipping industry bore about 80 percent of those costs, the group’s analysis showed.
Continue to csmonitor.com article: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2017/0314/Pirates-off-Somalia-hijack-first-commercial-vessel-since-2012
