Attacks by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia on ships traveling to and from the Suez Canal have led companies to ask for military intervention by the United Nations and to warn that they may start routing vessels around Africa, increasing costs and risking rougher seas. Ships using the Suez Canal to travel between Europe and Asia must pass through the gulf. In the first half of this year, 21,080 vessels used the Egyptian canal, a tenth of the world's seaborne trade.
U.S. warships closed in on a ship carrying a cargo of battle tanks, seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia, after the captain died of a heart attack. The pirates are demanding a $20 million ransom.
Somali pirates released a Malaysian chemical tanker on Sept. 27 after a $2 million ransom was paid. They also hijacked a Greek chemical tanker on Sept. 26 and freed a Japanese owned ship and its 21 member crew after a ransom was paid.
Almost 60 ships have been attacked so far this year in the Gulf of Aden and along Somalia's east coast. In the week from Sept. 16 to 22, pirates hijacked four ships with a total of 66 crewmembers, according to the latest weekly report of the International Maritime Bureau. Another three commercial ships managed to deter attacks that week.
There must be a better way of stopping these pirate attacks. One solution would be to find out who they are and condemn their entire extended families to death by walking the gang plank! Mabey its time to call in "Underdog" "Captain Crunch" and "Mighty Mouse" to make Mincemeat and Swiss Cheese out of those pirats.
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