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Pirates’ Aden

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  • GulfAden
    Personal Loan

    Till recently, pirates were the stuff of books and films. But with 95 attacks on merchant ships, including 35 hijackings, in the Gulf of Aden this year, pirates are back in business. The Gulf of Aden has overtaken Nigeria and the Malacca Strait as the world’s number one pirate hotspot. Nigeria comes second with over 25 incidents, while Malacca Straits have slipped to the third—mostly due to effective patrolling by littoral states—with only 23 incidents.

    Following the sharp increase in attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, a major trade route for India, the Indian Navy deployed its warship, the INS Tabar, which sunk a pirate mother vessel last week. More vessels and a reconnaissance aircraft will be deployed soon. For the first time, the navy has also deployed its elite marine commando units onboard all ships that will patrol the waters.

    The response was much needed since the Somali pirates don't follow the traditional pirate practice—a quick hit-and-run attack—and instead have started holding ships for ransom.

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    Pirates’ new formula: Attack and hold

    Their initial successes in holding vessels to ransom, say naval officers, have made pirates so bold that they are now attacking bigger merchant vessels. The tactics are simple: a pirate group consists of a ‘mother vessel’ that acts as a floating logistics base and two or more speedboats that take on a merchant ship.

    The mother vessel searches the seas for vessels passing by and launches the speed boats—with groups of 8-10 heavily armed bandits—to catch up with the merchant ships. Pirates prefer attacking slower ships such as heavy cargo vessels or tankers.

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    Next1234
    PiratesBy: M Barrett | 23-Nov-2008 Reply | Forward Live By The Sword- Die By The Sword... Swat Them Like The Flies They Are.
    Pirates AdenBy: Bert | 23-Nov-2008 Reply | Forward ships should travel in convoys with navy escort .
    IT'S ABOUT TIME !!By: Ivan | 22-Nov-2008 Reply | Forward I've been watching this situation heat up for 10 years as countries with naval ships took NO OFENSIVE ACTION ? I read stories of people trying to sail with their family and then being attacked by pirates.I guess it's very much like the BULLY at school robbing children for lunch money and terrorising the kids aroud them.Of course this TERROR CAMPAGN IS GIVEN AMMUNITY BY the teachers and principal until the BULLY touches a teachers car or threatens the principal.How come we didn't send convoys through these waters 10 feekin years ago ?A few rocket launchers and a 2K range Barrettte rifle woud have taken out these fishermen when they started this venture in cheap fishing boats with short range AK47's.
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