Shiver me timbers! Pirates
hijacked a Saudi tanker loaded with $100 million worth of oil. The Sirius Star, a very large crude carrier (VLCC), was captured Nov. 15 about 450 miles southeast of the Kenyan coast and is now anchored off Somalia, the modern-day pirates lair. Shipowner
Vela International, a subsidiary of
Aramco, the world's largest oil company, says it believes the crew of 25 is safe. This is the latest incident in a growing crisis.
Piracy off Somali has
doubled in 2008. NATO, which is now patrolling the Gulf of Aden,
has counted 88 attacks. Of those,
10 ships, including the Sirius Star, were hijacked in the
past week.
You can track the growing crisis
here. The U.S. Navy has collected good photos of the pirates in action
here,
here and
here.
The surge in attacks is a sign of
desperation. On Nov. 11, British and Russian warships
rescued the Danish cargo ship Powerful from an attack by armed gunman aboard a Yemeni-registered dhow.
In September, Somali pirates calling themselves the Central Region Coast Guard hijacked the Ukrainian freighter Faina carrying tanks, grenade launchers and guns and demanded $20 million cash. These Somali pirates have their own
spokesman.
The pirates say they want money to buy food. Drought-stricken Somalia is being pushed to the brink of famine. UNICEF
reported in August that half the country's population -- 3.6 million people -- will soon be totally dependent on food aid.
Says UNICEF's Somalia representative: “We have never been in a situation so severe. Never, ever before."
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posted by diogenes at 10:34 AM on November 18, 2008