Somali buccaneers were able to grab the German freighter Beluga Fortune on Sunday. The ship’s crew fled to a panic room, cut the engines and shut off the power, which disappointed the pirates into abandoning their crime the following day. The failed state of Somalia has seen piracy boost off its coast line to the highest level recorded in nearly 5 years. Source for this article – Beluga Fortune free after frustrated Somali Pirates flee by Personal Money Store.
Buccaneers stop the Beluga Fortune from moving forward
From the United Arab Emirates, the Beluga Fortune was on its way to South Africa. Out of nowhere, an attack came from Somali pirates. The vessel had been only 1,200 miles east of Mombasa, Kenya when the pirates got it, accounts the Associated Press. Reuters accounts that when the pirates fired on the vessel, the freighter’s 16-man crew sent out a distress call and locked themselves in a panic room designed for protection from such an attack. From the room, the crew shut down the engines, cut off fuel and disabled the bridge.
Pirates get disappointed with panic room
Somali pirates have been frustrated by a panic room before, in Sept through the seizure of the German Freighter Magellan Star. Spiegal Online International reports that before American soldiers freed the ship just 22 hours following it had been seized, the crew retreated to the safety room, a space selected to be hard to discover and harder to break into. Food, drinks, medical equipment and supplies were all in the room beforehand. The ship’s owners were in contact with the captain. A satellite phone made this possible. A secret emergency exit had been there for the men if they had to leave. This had been if they needed to get off the ship. A spokesman for the Magellan Star’s owner told Spiegal “the pirates called our shipping company in desperation, wanting to know where the crew was.”
A snapshot of Somali piracy
The Somalia govt collapsed in 1991 which has left shipping off the country’s coast very difficult with Somali buccaneers. 19 ships and 428 hostages are being held captive by the Somali pirates, accounts the European Union Naval force. The Strategy Page accounts that Somali pirates carried out 44 percent of total pirate attacks in the past year. There has only been one death this year for a crew member. 27 others have been injured though. There have been a ton of sailors kept for ransom. There were 773 in fact.
Articles cited
Reuters
reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69O3PB20101025
Associated Press
google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhf_eEAne8QCbP_9nViK4DY-n1MA?docId=115bc0cbadeb42168886f496e28510be
Strategy Page
strategypage.com/htmw/htseamo/articles/20101025.aspx
Jeff-goodall
jeff-goodall.com/?p=2241
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