Action: Maran Centauras released

The Greece-registered Maran Centaurus is released by pirates after what is called a record-breaking ransom estimated at $5.5-$7 million. The ship had been taken 11/29/09with 28 crew aboard.

A dispute between two rival pirate groups over the spoils had delayed its release.

Ecoterra International, a Nairobi-based group that monitors shipping off Somalia, said two pirates had been killed in a gun battle with a rival gang as they returned to shore.

"The stash of the record-breaking ransom ... is reportedly now held in a heavily guarded house in Haradheere," it said, adding that the pirate-run port was now very tense because the sharing of the funds had not yet taken place.

(Reuters, 01/18/10)

Action: Yemen's Navy offers protection for price

The Yemeni armed forces are offering commercial shipping military protection in the Gulf of Aden brokered through a British firm, Gulf of Aden Group Transits. Rates run to US $55,000/day in return for "up to 10 warships ... placed at the company's disposal, with armed soldiers deployed to board private ships as escorts, with land-based military 'right behind us if we need them.'" The CEO of this company says at least one merchant per day is paying for this protection. (The Australian, 1/6/09)

Incident: Shabaig recovered

A Pakistani fishing vessel, the Shabaig hijacked in December, has been recovered according to a EU naval spokesman. "Pirates hijacked MV Shahbaig 320 nautical miles east of Socotra, an island off the Horn of Africa in early December."

"On January 2 ... the Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel ... with a crew of 29, all from Pakistan, was released approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles," the EU Navfor force said in a statement on its website.

(Reuters, 1/5/10)

Incident: Pramoni taken

The Singaporean-registered chemical tanker Pramoni has been taken by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, according to naval force sources.

The 20,000-ton chemical tanker was carrying a crew of 24 and was heading to Kandla, India, when attacked, the naval force said. The crew consists of 17 Indonesians, five Chinese, one Nigerian and one Vietnamese, the naval force said. The ship's master reported all the crew were well after the hijacking, the naval force said.

(CNN, 1/2/10)

Incident: Asian Glory taken

EU Naval forces announce that British-flagged ship Asian Glory has been taken "off Somalia" and "The nationality of the pirates was unclear, because the hijacking happened outside of the force's operations area." (CNN, 1/2/10)

"ASIAN GLORY (a vehicle carrier) owned by ZODIAC Maritime Agency, was hijacked in the Somali Basin approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles and 600 miles from the coast of Somalia." (defpro.com)

The ship's crew includes 25 crew members "eight Bulgarian, 10 Ukrainian, five Indian, two Romanian," a Bulgarian state spokesman said. (Reuters)

Asian Glory was carrying 2,300 Korean-made cars bearing Kia and Hyundai badges. The ship was crewed by "10 Ukrainians, eight Bulgarians, five Indians and two Romanians." (BBC)

Analysis: Kenyan bubble blamed on pirates

A developing property bubble in Nairobi Kenya is being blamed on pirate money laundering. Government spokesman Alfred Mutua says, "There is suspicion that some of the money that is being collected in piracy is being laundered by purchase of property in several countries, this one being one of them." Kenya proposes to investigate foreign property owners to remedy the situation. (AP, 1/1/10)

Welcome to 2010

This blog picks up where Somali Piracy 2009 left off. Posting will begin shortly. Welcome!