Pirate attacks off Somalia’s coast are close to returning to the record levels seen last year as attackers adapt to the international naval presence by striking further offshore and using more violence.
A surge of attacks in the past week has included the hijacking of the MV Frigia, a Maltese-flagged dry bulk carrier, 1,500 miles off Somalia’s coast – the longest-range operation that pirates have ever successfully mounted.
This incident was among five successful hijackings and 19 attacks off Somalia this month, according to the International Maritime Bureau. This compares with 32 attacks and five hijackings in March last year, when the piracy epidemic was close to its height.
The recent surge has disappointed observers, who had hoped that the naval presence off Somalia – particularly in the Gulf of Aden leading to the Red Sea – would begin to deter piracy. In January and February, there were only eight attacks and two hijackings, compared with 29 and four in the first two months of last year.
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The naval presence is obviously a farce, as all they have to do stop the pirates from going to sea with any weapons. A complete blockade that stops every boat leaving or going to the coast will quickly put a stop to this problem. It is obvious that the world powers do not want to stop this.
A must see “The Rosset Report” where it’s reported that a tanker of Iranian oranges were captured off the Somali coast. We can keep wondering about the cargo and then below that report is the other one talking about the March 29th meeting in London where George Soros has been charged by Ban ki Moon to secure the monies put up at the Copenhagen meeting despite the fact that the science has been compromised.