Somali Pirates Strike Again, Seize Tugboat

(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»

It's now under escort of USS Bainbridge, with Capt. Phillips

(NEWSER) - Capt. Richard Phillips' reunion with his crew and family may be delayed a bit because of yet another pirate attack. Somali pirates fired on another US ship today but failed to board it, CNN reports. That ship, the Liberty Sun, is now under the military escort of the USS Bainbridge—the same ship that rescued Phillips and is carrying him back to land. He's still due to fly back to the US sometime tomorrow, assuming the Bainbridge isn't diverted further. More»

(NEWSER) - The US Navy today let pirates around the Horn of Africa know that there's a new sheriff in town. A Navy vessel arrested seven suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden after they attempted to board a commercial tanker, CNN reports. The arrests are the first by a US-led international task force to clamp down on pirates in the region. The suspects will be transferred to Kenya for trial. More»

Discount from $25M after biggest maritime hijacking in history

(NEWSER) - After the biggest hijacking in maritime history, Somali pirates have cut their ransom demand for a Saudi supertanker from $25 million to $15 million, Reuters reports. The Sirius Star, carrying $100 million in oil and 25 international crew members, was nabbed southeast of Kenya and has been moved to 62 miles off central Somalia after an Islamist militia declared its intention to confront the pirates. More»

Shipping companies may eschew Suez Canal for longer routes, meaning delays

(NEWSER) - Attacks by Somali pirates have major shippers considering changing routes that run through the Suez Canal, Reuters reports, a move would add weeks to the time it takes ships to get to Europe from Asia and the Middle East. “It will really hit home when consumers in the West find they haven't got their Nintendo gifts this Christmas,” a trade-group rep said. More»