Piracy off the Somali coast has threatened international shipping since the beginning of Somalia's civil war in the early 1990s.[1] Since 2005, though, pirates have threatened and seized many ships. A list of ships attacked by Somali pirates since that time is catalogued. Since 2005, many international organizations, including the International Maritime Organization and the World Food Programme, have expressed concern over the rise in acts of piracy.[2] Piracy has contributed to a rise in shipping costs and shipping insurance premiums,[3] and impeded the delivery of food aid shipments.
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on November 20, 2008, proposed by Britain, introducing tougher sanctions against Somalia over the country's failure to prevent a surge in sea piracy.[4] The Somali government is struggling for control of the country against an Islamic insurgency and its navy is currently in development, leaving it almost powerless to stop piracy.
On 2010, there are 53 ships hijacked with 1,181 seafares and 8 killed. The incidents dropped by more than half from 117 ships hijacked in 2009 due to naval deterrence and ships use of self-protection measures, but Somali pirates are now travelling farther afield.[5]
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For more details see: * ECOTERRA Intl. Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor - SMCM updates at: [1]
| Image | Flag (owner) | Name (class) | Crew (cargo) | Status | Date of attack | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of release | Ransom demanded | |||||
| Hong Kong | MV Feisty Gas (LNG carrier) |
12 (unknown) |
Released after ransom |
2005-04-10 | not known | |
| not known | US$315,000 | |||||
| The MV Feisty Gas, a liquefied petroleum gas tanker, was seized by Somali pirates. A Hong Kong-based company that owns the vessel reportedly paid $315,000 to a representative of the Somali pirates in Mombasa, Kenya, according to a recent UN report.[6] | ||||||
| Kenya | MV Semlow (Freighter) |
10 (unknown) |
Released | 2005-06-27 | not known | |
| 2005-10-03 | US$50,000 | |||||
| The MV Semlow, carrying UN food supplies for tsunami victims, was seized by pirates en route from Mombasa, Kenya to Bosasso, Somalia. They held the ship for for 100 days until a Somali business man convinced them to leave without payment[7] | ||||||
| Liberia ( Ukraine) |
MV Panagia (bulk carrier) |
22 all ukrainian (coal) |
Released after ransom |
2005-10-18 | not known | |
| 2005-11-25 | US$700,000 | |||||
| The MV Panagia, a 22,046 GRT bulk carrier with coal from South Africa to Turkey, was seized by Somali pirates on 90 nautical miles (170 km)off the east coast. A Ukrainian-based company that owns the vessel reportedly paid $700,000 to a representative of the Somali pirates in Mombasa, Kenya. | ||||||
| Bahamas ( United States) |
MV Seabourn Spirit (cruise ship) |
210 (Passengers) |
Capture failed | 2005-11-05 | not known | |
| Capture failed | none | |||||
| The MV Seabourn Spirit, a luxury cruise liner carrying 210 crew members and passengers, was attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.[8] Riding in two small speedboats, the pirates fired at the ship with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but the crew drove them off with a water hose and a long range acoustic device.[9] | ||||||
| Image | Flag (owner) | Name (class) | Crew (cargo) | Status | Date of attack | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of release | Ransom demanded | |||||
| India | MV Safina al-Birsarat (dhow) |
16 (coal) |
Released | 2006-01-16 | not known | |
| 2006-01-22 | none | |||||
| Pirates hijacked the India-registered MV Safina al-Birsarat along with its crew of 16 Indians. On January 22, the USS Winston S. Churchill, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, intercepted the vessel. After warning shots were fired, the pirates surrendered and all ten onboard were taken into custody. The ten were transported to Mombasa, Kenya where they were sentenced to seven years in prison by a court.[10][11][12] | ||||||
| United States | USS Cape St. George (CG-71) (Ticonderoga-class cruiser) USS Gonzalez (DDG-66) (Arleigh Burke-class destroyer) |
unknown (none) |
Attack failed, one pirate killed and twelve captured. | 2006-03-18 | not known | |
| N/A | none | |||||
| The USS Cape St. George, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, and the USS Gonzalez, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, engaged pirate vessels after receiving fire from them. | ||||||
| Image | Flag (owner) | Name (class) | Crew (cargo) | Status | Date of attack | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of release | Ransom demanded | |||||
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | MV Rozen () |
12 (UN food aid) |
Released | 2007-02-25 | ||
| 2007-04-05 | unknown | |||||
| Somali pirates with automatic weapons captured the ship, carrying 6 Kenyans and 6 Sri Lankans.[13] On February 27, members of the Somali coast guard attempted to take back the ship but failed, and 2 coast guardsmen were killed. | ||||||
| Taiwan | FV Ching Fong Hwa 168 (fishing vessel) |
15 (fish) |
Released (one hostage killed) | 2007-04-28 | not known | |
| 2007-11-05 | US$1,500,000 | |||||
| The Taiwanese fishing vessel was hijacked on May 28, 2007. The surviving crew of 10 Chinese, two Taiwanese and two Filipino crew members was released on November 5 after spending more than six months in captivity. One Chinese crew member was killed by the pirates on May 28 because the ship's owners failed to meet their ransom demands.[14] | ||||||
| Tanzania ( South Korea) |
FV Mavuno No. 1 (fishing vessel) FV Mavuno No. 2 (fishing vessel) |
25 (Fishing equipment) |
unknown | 2007-05-15 | ||
| 2007-11-00 | none | |||||
| Two Tanzanian registered ships belong to Korea's Daechang Fishing were seized about 210 nautical miles (about 389 km) off the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Their 25 crew members (including 10 Chinese, four South Koreans, three Vietnamese, four Indonesians and four Indians) were released six months later.[15] | ||||||
| Denmark | MV Danica White (cargo ship) |
5 (unknown) |
Released after ransom |
2007-06-01 | not known | |
| 2007-08-23 | US$1,500,000 | |||||
| The Danish-owned cargo ship the MV Danica White was hijacked and maneuvered into Somali waters. On June 3, the USS Carter Hall, a Harpers Ferry-class landing ship dock engaged the pirates, firing machine-gun bursts at the skiffs in tow behind the Danish ship, but failed to stop them.[16] Following 83 days in captivity, the crew of five and the ship were released after the owner, H. Folmer & Co, paid a ransom of 1.5 million United States dollars.[17][18] | ||||||
| Greece | FV Grecko 2 (fishing boat) |
4+ (unknown) |
unknown | 2007-09-20 | not known | |
| not known | unknown | |||||
| FV Greko 2 was hijacked 110 nautical miles (200 km) west of Berbera. Vessel was anchored near Raas Shula, all crew removed from vessel.[19] | ||||||
| Panama ( Japan) |
MV Golden Nori (chemical tanker) |
12 (78,884 barrels) |
Released after ransom |
2007-10-28 | ||
| 2007-12-12 | US$1,000,000 | |||||
| A Japanese chemical tanker, the MV Golden Nori was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The destroyer USS Porter, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, sank the skiffs used by the pirates, but they still controlled the tanker. US and German naval vessels shadowed the captured vessel and blockaded the port of Bosaso, where the captured tanker was taken. Eventually, after demanding a ransom, the pirates freed the ship and its crew of 21 on December 12.[20] | ||||||
| Comoros | MV Al Marjan (General cargo ship) |
(2,500 tons of general cargo) |
Released after ransom |
2007-10-27 | not known | |
| 2007-12-02 | unknown | |||||
| The MV Al Marjan, owned by Biyat International, was travelling to Mombasa from Dubai when pirates hijacked it 10-20 Nm from Mogadishu.[21] | ||||||
| North Korea | MV Dai Hong Dan (cargo ship) |
unknown (unknown) |
Crew regained control |
2007-10-29 | ||
| 2007-10-30 | none | |||||
| Pirates attacked the North Korean cargo the MV Dai Hong Dan and captured its bridge, while the crew managed to retain control of the steering and engineering spaces. On October 30, the crew regained control of their ship, killing one pirate and capturing six. Three sailors were injured in the fight, and received medical assistance from US Navy medics from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS James E. Williams.[22] | ||||||
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