Pirates net $150M in ransoms

NF Reporter · 11-21-2008, 03:04 PM

CNN - Found 51 minutes ago
More than $150 million have been paid to pirates around the Horn of Africa over the past 12 months, Kenya's foreign minister said Friday. The money ...
2008 Somali Pirate Haul: $150M + Benefits - CBS News
India 'to step up piracy battle' - BBC
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Pirates net $150M in ransoms

waltky · 11-21-2008, 09:39 PM

Habib, ya done made trouble for us - walk the plank...

Somali Islamists 'hunt pirates'
Friday, 21 November 2008 - Somali Islamist rebels search for pirates who hijacked a Saudi oil tanker, saying seizing a Muslim-owned ship is a crime.

Quote:

Somali Islamist insurgents have begun searching for the pirates who hijacked a giant Saudi-owned oil tanker last Saturday, reports say. A spokesman for the al-Shabab group, Abdelghafar Musa, said hijacking a Muslim-owned ship was a major crime and they would pursue those responsible. The pirates are thought to be trying to obtain a multi-million dollar ransom. The ship, the Sirius Star, is believed to be be anchored off the Somali port of Haradheere. It has an international crew of 25 people and is carrying $100m (£67m) worth of crude oil.

'Show of force'

"We are really sorry to hear that the Saudi ship has been held in Somalia," Mr Musa told the Associated Press. "We will fight them." Reports said Islamist fighters had descended on Haradheere in an apparent show of force, saying they were looking for the pirates. "The Islamists arrived searching for the pirates and the whereabouts of the Saudi ship," an unnamed elder in the port told Reuters news agency. "I saw four cars full of Islamists driving in the town from corner to corner. The Islamists say they will attack the pirates for hijacking a Muslim ship."

Another report suggested local militia and Shebab fighters had arrived in Harardhere in a move to position themselves for a share of any spoils. "There are many militiamen who have arrived in the town and they want to get a share from the pirates if the ransom is paid," Ahmed Abdullahi, a local elder, was quoted by AFP news agency as saying. Meanwhile, Kenya reported on Friday that Somali pirates had been paid more than $150m (£101m) in ransoms in the past 12 months.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Somali Islamists 'hunt pirates'

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Pirates bolster defences around hijacked tanker
November 21, 2008 - Somali pirates are building up their defences around a captured Saudi Arabian super-tanker after demanding a $25 million ransom for the ship and its huge cargo of crude oil.

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As foreign warships steam into the area and shipping companies work out alternative routes for their vessels, extra militiamen and other fighters are being brought into the pirate lair of Harardhere. “Some of them are inside the town and others are taking shelter in a nearby village and can be called if need be,” Mohamed Awale, a local resident, told AFP. He said the fighters had come from the neighbouring Gulgudud and Mudug regions.

They were not the only arrivals in the town. Islamist militiamen and hardline Shebab fighters were also pouring into the town, although it was unclear whether they were angered by the capture of a Saudi boat or simply wanted their share of the loot. “There are many militiamen who have arrived in the town and they want to get a share from the pirates if the ransom is paid,” said Ahmed Abdullahi, a local elder. “They believe this ship is huge and the owner will pay a lot of money."

The Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked was seized last Saturday and taken to Harardhere, 180 miles north of Mogadishu. It is fully laden with 2 million barrels of oil, worth around $100 million. Among its 25 crew are two Britons, the chief engineer and the first officer. The pirates yesterday gave the ship's owners 10 days to pay a $25 million ransom. Speaking from the tanker, a pirate who identified himself as Mohamed Said threatened “disastrous” consequences should Vela International, shipping arm of the Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco, fail to comply. “The Saudis have 10 days to comply, otherwise we will take action that could be disastrous,” he said.

Mr Said did not specify the threatened action but the 330m (1,000-ft) tanker is carrying more than 80 million gallons of crude and environmentalists have warned of a huge catastrophe if its tanks are breached. A Ukrainian ships seized by the same group of pirates in September with a cargo of tanks and other weaponry, the MVFaina, is believed to have been booby trapped to prevent a rescue attempt. With close to 100 attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean this year, the pirates now pose a growing threat to international trade.

More http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle5207398.ece

waltky · 11-23-2008, 02:27 AM

Islamist militia 'wants share of pirates' booty'...

Islamic fighters enter Somalia pirate town and plan to attack
22 Nov 2008 - The piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean took a dramatic new twist as gunmen from Somalia's hardline Islamist movement entered the fray in hope of spoils from the hijacked Saudi oil tanker, the Sirius Star.

Quote:

The fighters from the Shabaab militia, a fundamentalist movement likened to an African Taliban, were reported to have turned up in the port of Haradheere in southern Somalia, close to where the tanker is currently anchored. Some reports said the Islamists, who have tried to impose brutal law and order on Somalia's warring clans, had the pirates themselves in their sights.

Others in Haradheere, however, said it was thought that they had arrived in the hope of collecting a share of any ransom money. The pirate group that hijacked the tanker, which is carrying $100 million worth of oil, have demanded a $25 million ransom for return of the vessel and its 25-strong crew, which includes two Britons. "The Islamists arrived searching for the pirates and the whereabouts of the Saudi ship," said a clan elder in Haradheere.

"I saw four cars full of Islamists driving in the town from corner to corner. The Islamists say they will attack the pirates for hijacking a Muslim ship." But other residents believed the Shabaab's motives were not altruistic. "There are many militiamen who have arrived in the town and they want to get a share from the pirates if the ransom is paid," claimed Ahmed Abdullahi, another clan elder.

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CrazyCatholicGirl · 11-29-2008, 08:27 AM

Oh sure stealing a Muslim ship is a crime but killing countless innocent people, even if they are Musliam isn't.