Update On The Pirates

MOGADISHU: Pirates have moved Saudi Aramco supertanker, the Sirius Star, loaded with crude oil farther out to sea after Somali Islamist fighters vowe (more)

MOGADISHU: Pirates have moved Saudi Aramco supertanker, the Sirius Star, loaded with crude oil farther out to sea after Somali Islamist fighters vowed to fight the bandits because they seized a Muslim-owned vessel, witnesses said yesterday.

Somali pirates seized the Sirius Star on Nov. 15 in their most audacious hijacking to date off the coast of this lawless country. The vessel is carrying two million barrels of crude oil worth about $100 million.

The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) reported yesterday that they contacted a pirate on board the Sirius Star, who said the ship owner has not contacted them and that they have not yet set a ransom.

The BBC said the pirate identified himself as Daybad. We captured the ship for ransom, of course, but we dont have anybody reliable to talk to directly about it, Daybad said.

The captain of the Sirius Star, Marek Nishky, told the BBC he and his crew have no complaint and have been allowed to talk to their families.

On Friday, Al-Shabab vowed to fight the pirates.

Somali clan elder Abdisalan Khalif Ahmed said the ship moved to about 45 km from its earlier location, putting it about 50 km off the coast of the coastal village of Haradheere.

Perhaps (the) pirates are afraid the Islamist fighters in town will frustrate their efforts to resupply the ship, he told The Associated Press yesterday.

Meanwhile, Yemens government made the latest hijacking announcement on Monday.

A security official in Yemen said yesterday that Somali pirates who hijacked the Yemeni cargo ship Adina in the Arabian Sea last week were asking for a $2 million ransom to release the ship. The cargo is construction material.

The official asked not to be named because he is not allowed to speak to the media.

The police chief of Yemens Hadramout province, Ahmed Mohammad Al-Hamedi, said the ship is owned by a Yemeni company but is carrying a foreign flag, which he would not specify. He said there were three Yemenis, three Somalis and two Panamanians on board.

The Yemen ship was traveling between Mukalla, a port in southern Yemen, to the southern island of Suqutra, when it was hijacked.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991. There have been at least 96 pirate attacks so far this year in Somali waters, with 40 ships hijacked

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(http://www.islamonline.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=187544)

First and foremost, I salute my brothers, our marine resources protectors, and our guards in the sea. Piracy in Somalia isn't a new trend but an increasing phenomena costing the international world fortunes. Many countries including Japan, India, Sweden, Italy, and UAE enjoyed for the past 17 years fishing illegally from our territorial waters.
"Studies have shown "some European Union member countries, Americans, and some UN Agencies including FAO have estimated at an annual catch of 300,000 tones of fish and 10,000 tones of crustaceans. The estimated actual annual catches at the present are about 2000 tonnes, 450 tonnes of Lobster, 100 tonnes of shark and 20 tonnes of shrimp. The market for all fish is consumed locally except that of shrimp and lobster, which are exported to united Arab Emirate (UAE)."

These anti-piracy countries protesting to put a stop to our sea guards are complaining because their profits are almost equalizing to their expenses. Expenses include hiring armed men to protect their vessels, paying ransoms, sending marines to watch the waters in Somalia, changing routes, time lapse from the minute the vessel is captured until release. From an economical view, the risk of their illegal businesses in our waters is costing tons of money.

and lets not forget the hazardous dumping they've been practicing since 1993.