Pirates Target Brit Cruise Ship

Passengers say they felt little in danger as ship outran attackers off Somalia

(NEWSER) - Sunday’s pirate attack lasted only about 5 minutes, but left an impression on passengers of the M/S Nautica. “We didn’t think they would be cheeky enough to attack a cruise ship,” one New Zealander traveling aboard the luxury liner tells the AP today. “I couldn’t see them shooting, but I heard them hitting the ship,” said another passenger. “Pop! Pop! Pop!” More»

Some 20 are currently languishing aboard two ships

(NEWSER) - The US Navy has no idea what to do with 10 alleged Somali pirates that have been languishing in the brig on one of its warships for more than a month. Though any country can jail and prosecute pirates under international law, the US only does so if they're accused of attacking US ships. These guys were attacking an Indian vessel when they were apprehended, so the US is looking for someone to take them off its hands; another 10, suspected in a second incident, are jailed on a second warship. More»

Eight pirates captured while trying to escape

(NEWSER) - A US warship stepped in to defend a Tanzanian ship that was under attack from pirates, scaring off and capturing the scallywags. When the USS Farragut got a distress call from the Tanzanians saying a gang on a skiff was attacking them, a Seahawk helicopter was dispatched to the scene. The pirates fled at the sight of the copter, but it stopped their skiff by firing across its bow. More»

(AP) - Somali pirates have hijacked a German cargo ship carrying a crew of 11 in the Gulf of Aden, the latest seizure by high-seas bandits who are holding hundreds of merchant mariners hostage, the AP reports.The MV Victoria was captured yesterday 75 miles south of Yemen. There is no information on the condition of the Romanian crew aboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged ship. More»

Somali PM urges West to help his government stop pirates reaching the sea

(NEWSER) - Somalia's transitional government says it's ready to take on the pirates that prey on shipping off its shores, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Somalis say they can tackle the pirates on land more effectively than foreign navies can manage at sea—but they are currently outgunned and will need funding from the West to chase the pirates out of their havens. More»