Seychelles serves up African justice for Somali pirates


The Seychelles convicted 11 Somali pirates Monday and joined other small Indian Ocean countries in asking the European Union to fund a regional naval force to combat piracy. Is this emerging as an African solution?  More...

Suspected Somali Pirates to be Arraigned in Virginia

(AP) – July 28, 2010

NORFOLK, Va. — Eleven Somali nationals accused in separate attacks on two U.S. Navy ships are due in federal court in Virginia for arraignments on piracy and other charges.  The defendants are scheduled to appear Wednesday before judges in separate courtrooms in Norfolk to enter pleas on the piracy charges and other counts contained in a superseding arraignment handed up earlier this month.  Six of the men are accused in the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland.  Five are charged in connection with an April 1 attack on the USS Nicholas.  The Virginia-based ships were patrolling pirate-infested waters off Africa.  The piracy charge carries a mandatory life term.  All entered not guilty pleas at their previous arraignment.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

83 Filipinos captured by pirates

Because of the latest incident of hijacking in the Red Sea, it had reached eighty-three (83) Filipino crewmembers who were captured today by Somali pirates.


The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) knew the identified eighteen (18) Filipino crews who were included in a chemical tanker hijacking.

A Filipinio naval liason officer who was designated in Manama, Bahrain directly communicated to the shipping line MT Motivator.

Before this, the EU anti-piracy task force confirmed that the MT Motivator was attacked by pirates and showered bullets in the north portion of Bab-Al-Mandeb area.

"After notification of this attack, attempts were made to make contact with the Motivator but to no avail. The hijack was confirmed early on 5 July," EU NAVFOR said.

The ship was loaded with almost 13,065 tons of lubricating oil.  Today, the authorities are making steps to ensure the safety of the crew.

Pirate Dies in Attempted Hijacking – EU NAVFOR Detains Pirate Action Group

Early on the morning of Tuesday 23 March, an EU NAVFOR warship received a distress call from a merchant ship off the Somalia coast and proceeded at high speed to assist.

As previously reported, the Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, MV ALMEZAAN, en route to Mogadishu, was under attack from pirates. An armed private vessel protection detachment on board the ship returned fire, successfully repelling the first attack, but the pirates continued to pursue. A second attack was repelled and the pirates fled the area.

The EU NAVFOR frigate ESPS NAVARRA, from the Spanish Navy, was dispatched by the Force Commander, Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero of the Italian Navy, and raced to the scene of the incident. She launched her helicopter, quickly locating the ALMEZAAN and the pirates’ boats, known as skiffs. When the suspects failed to heed the helicopter’s instructions to stop, warning shots were fired by the aircraft, after which a team from NAVARRA boarded a skiff. 

There were three boats, comprising one mother ship and two pirate skiffs. In the first skiff they found three suspected pirates and, in the second, three suspects and a fourth individual, who had died. The body has been transferred to NAVARRA, and an investigation indicated that the individual had died from small calibre gunshot wounds. The mother ship has now been destroyed and the remaining six suspects have been taken onboard the NAVARRA. More...

U.S. Navy Releases Dead Pirates To Somalia

The three dead pirates, who were sniped in order to free hostage Captain Richard Phillips, finally made their way home today when the U.S. Navy handed over their bodies, contained within wooden coffins, to Somali “authorities.” Sadly there were no family members in attendance when their lifeless bodies arrived in Somalia, perhaps because there wasn’t any compensation for their deaths included with their corpses as had been demanded soon after they were shot clean through their noggins. That said I haven’t been able to confirm a sketchy report that all three of the deceased were sporting these brand spanking new caps upon their arrival in their home country.

Dead Pirates!

EDITORIAL: Dead pirates!May. 17, 2010
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Russians don't play nice A Russian tanker called "The Moscow University" -- containing 86,000 tons of crude oil valued at more than $50 million -- was boarded and seized earlier this month by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
Unlike other, more cowardly nations, which pay ransoms to such thugs and thus encourage their ongoing depredations, the Russians sent Marines, who retook the tanker with the help of a helicopter and a brief aerial assault.

President Dmitry Medvedev said the raid was "sharp, professional and quick" and awarded medals to all involved.  More...