'Alarming' increase in Somalian sea hijacks
Source: Agencies |
January 19, 2011, Wednesday
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PIRATES took a record 1,181 hostages in 2010 as ship hijackings in waters off Somalia escalated, a global maritime watchdog said yesterday.
Attackers seized 53 vessels worldwide last year - all but four off the coast of Somalia - according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.
The number of hostages and vessels taken "are the highest we have ever seen" since the center began monitoring attacks in 1991, its director, Pottengal Mukundan, said in a statement. "The continued increase in these numbers is alarming," he said.
The Somali attacks accounted for 1,016 hostages held for ransom. Somali pirates are currently holding 31 vessels and 713 crew members after hijacking another four ships this year.
Somalia's position on the Horn of Africa means pirates can use its long coastline to capture ships.
Overall, there were 445 pirate attacks worldwide last year, a 10 percent rise from 2009. Eight crew members died - all attributed to Somali pirates.
Attackers seized 53 vessels worldwide last year - all but four off the coast of Somalia - according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur.
The number of hostages and vessels taken "are the highest we have ever seen" since the center began monitoring attacks in 1991, its director, Pottengal Mukundan, said in a statement. "The continued increase in these numbers is alarming," he said.
The Somali attacks accounted for 1,016 hostages held for ransom. Somali pirates are currently holding 31 vessels and 713 crew members after hijacking another four ships this year.
Somalia's position on the Horn of Africa means pirates can use its long coastline to capture ships.
Overall, there were 445 pirate attacks worldwide last year, a 10 percent rise from 2009. Eight crew members died - all attributed to Somali pirates.
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