Hit Pirates With Somalia Blockade

Attempted takeover repelled by guards

(AP) - Somali pirates today attacked the Maersk Alabama for the second time in seven months, but guards on board the US-flagged cargo ship repelled the takeover attempt. When pirates attacked with automatic weapons early this morning about 350 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, guards on board the craft fired back, thwarting the attempted hijacking. A spokesman for the EU Naval Force called it "pure chance" that the Maersk Alabama had been targeted twice. 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»

Entering high-risk areas or navigating around South Africa both add millions

(NEWSER) - Piracy in the Gulf of Aden is driving up shipping costs as companies are forced to choose between paying higher insurance or taking longer routes, the AP reports. Premiums have reportedly risen at least tenfold for travel near the Somali coast, and avoiding the Gulf of Aden by navigating around the African continent adds thousands of miles and millions in fuel costs. More»

Saudi foreign minister pledges to eradicate Somali maritime threat

(NEWSER) - Negotiations are under way between Somali pirates and the shipping company that owns the Saudi Arabian oil supertanker they hijacked over the weekend, the BBC reports. The Saudi foreign minister could not say whether Vela International might agree to a ransom. More»

A Hong Kong ship carrying wheat is the latest victim

(NEWSER) - Pirates off the coast of Africa have struck again, hijacking a Hong Kong cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden, the Financial Times reports. The Delight has 25 crew members and 36,000 tons of wheat, and hijackers were reportedly steering it toward Somalia. It's the latest in a string of such hijackings, including one of a Saudi super-tanker now anchored off Somalia's coast. More»