[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYGXzHrNH18] Add a French yacht and an Egyptian cargo ship to the list of approximately 10 vessels that are now being held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia.  The French vessel is a sail boat with 3 people on board, and the Egyptian ship has a crew of 25.  The Egyptian vessel, the [...]

For many in the U.S. and other modern and prosperous countries, the reaction to the news of modern pirates attacking merchant ships large and small in remote corners of the globe is part disbelief, and part an exotic story from a far away land.  For Merchant Mariners who carry the goods and commodities that make [...]

A major shipping company has taken a very serious and unprecedented action by barring its own fleet from transiting one of the world’s most important shipping waterways.  More from Lloyds List. LLoyds also reports that two of MISC ships, the Bunga Melati Dua and Bunga Melati 5 are being held near the remote Somali village [...]

The most recent victim, the MT BUNGA MELATI 5, a Malaysian tanker with 41 crew members aboard was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates. There have been eight hijackings in the Gulf of Aden alone since July 20. The ship, owned by MISC Berhard, is laden with  30,000 tons of petrochemicals and was enroute to Singapore from [...]

Article Armed pirates hijacked a Norwegian flagged bulk carrier off southern Nigeria on Wednesday, roughing up the crew but releasing them after two hours, officials said. The suspected pirates climbed aboard the ship in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, early Wednesday morning, Norwegian Rescue Service spokesman Stein Solberg said in Oslo. They “pushed around” the 22-member crew, [...]