Pirate attacks off Somalia's coast are being organized from command vessels also known as "mother ships". Speedboats are being launched from these
ships that are prowling the routes of the Indian Ocean. Since pirate attacks are on the rise, the world's leading shipping bodies have called on the
U.N. to urgently address the issue.
www.cnn.com
Officials are searching for a "mother ship" believed to be used to launch high-speed boats for several recent pirate attacks off Somalia.
Since November 5, when pirates tried unsuccessfully to attack a 440-foot cruise liner operated by Seabourn Cruise Lines, at least five other attacks
have taken place, most of them northeast of Somalia, said Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator at the Kenyan Seafarer's Association.
Overall, he said, seven ships and crews have been taken into captivity in that section of the Indian Ocean.
Fishermen in the area spotted a "pirate mother ship" drifting off the Somali coast in July, on November 5 and earlier this week, Mwangura said. Only
one mother ship has been spotted, but there may be more in existence. Officials think the smaller boats used in attacks are launched from the mother
ship, he said.
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Wondering why coalition forces have not hunted these pirates down, seized their ships and/or torpedoed them by now? Are pirates good for the shipping
insurance business? Something is funny to let these rogue mercenaries sail the high seas for this long.
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In this photo taken by a British passenger aboard The Seabourn Spirit, gunmen carry weapons as they travel along side the cruise ship Saturday Nov. 5,
2005. The Seabourn Spirit was about 100 miles (161 kilometers) off the coast of Somalia Saturday when pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and
machine guns as they tried to get onboard.
Related News Links:
Pirate hunter: Take me to the mothership
-CNN
'Mother ship' behind pirate raids -BBC
[edit on 12-11-2005 by Regenmacher]
