Crews of Two Egyptian Ships Escape After Fighting Pirates

Great news from Somalia where the crews of two Egyptian fishing boats hijacked more than 4 months ago are free after overpowering their captors. Via VOA:

Somali pirate says the kidnapped crews of two Egyptian fishing vessels have won their freedom after attacking their pirate captors.

One of the pirates on board, who called himself Miraa, says the hostages overpowered them with machetes Thursday. He said the Egyptian crews then seized guns from the pirates, killing two of his colleagues.

Shipping officials say the Egyptians are now in control of their ships and are heading home.

The pirates had held the Egyptian crews hostage since mid-April.

The case marks a rare instance of crewmen fighting back against Somali pirates who usually hold their hostages for months seeking large ransom payments.

The ships, the Momtaz-1 and the Samara Ahmed (Shugaa al Mahdi)were hijacked in the Gulf of Aden back in April. Eleven pirates were captured during the escape, and are now under guard onboard the freed ships. It is not yet known into whose custody they will be given.

Thank God for this successful escape! Please continue to pray for the protection and rescue of the other ships still in the hands of the pirates.

Aid Workers Freed After Long Captivity in Somalia

Good news from Somalia, where aid worker Danka Panchova and her 5 colleagues from Action Against Hunger have been released after nine months of captivity. Via China News:

NAIROBI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Top UN envoy for Somalia on Wednesday welcomed the release of the four aid workers and their two pilots from captivity in Somalia.

In a statement issued in Nairobi, UN Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah appealed to Somalis to seek the release of other remaining hostages.

"It is with great satisfaction that I received the news concerning the release of the six hostages who had been held for so long, and taken into captivity while working in Somalia for Action Contre La Faim (Action Against Hunger)," he said.

"I salute their courage in the face of such physically and emotionally difficult circumstances and I am pleased that an end has come to the concerns and worries endured by their loved ones."

Four European aid workers and two Kenyan pilots kidnapped nine months ago in Somalia were released on Tuesday. The group was taken captive from an airstrip in the central town of Dhusa-Mareb last November.

The UN envoy said the international community should, however, not forget the number of Somalis and foreign nationals that are still being held hostage in unacceptable conditions, an action that should be vehemently condemned by the Somalis and the international community.

Thank God for protecting and sustaining these hostages during their long ordeal, one which negotiators said seemed "even hopeless sometimes." Please continue to pray for the safety of the other hostages still held in Somalia, and for the aid workers who continue to try to bring some relief to that distressed country.

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UN Aid Workers Freed in Somalia

Buccaneer Released

Good news from Somalia: The Italian tugboat Buccaneer has been released after 4 months of captivity. Via CNN:

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Pirates released an Italian ship four months after they seized it, Italy's foreign minister announced Sunday.

Franco Frattini expressed his "joy at the positive outcome ... relating to the kidnapping of the merchant vessel Buccaneer and for the release" of the crew.

Somali pirates freed the vessel after months of negotiations, the ministry said.

The ministry strongly denied a ransom had been paid, but released no other details about the talks with the pirates.

The Buccaneer has a crew of 16: 10 Italians, 5 Romanians and a Croat, the ministry said. They are expected home in about two days.

The tug was seized in the Gulf of Aden on April 11, Cyrus Mody of the International Maritime Bureau told CNN.

Thank God for this long-awaited deliverance! Please continue to pray for the protection and rescue of the other ships and their crews still awaiting freedom from their captors.

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Second American Ship Attacked, Escapes Capture

Hansa Stavanger Released

More good news from Somalia, where the German cargo ship the Hansa Stavager was released yesterday after 4 months of captivity. This comes just after the release of another long-held ship, the Masindra 7, on Saturday. Via Bloomberg News:

Aug. 4 (Bloomberg) -- A German-flagged ship and its crew were freed four months after the container vessel was seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.

The Hansa Stavanger is being escorted to the Kenyan port of Mombasa by two vessels of the European Union’s anti-piracy force, Daniel Auwermann, a spokesman for the unit’s operational headquarters in Northwood, England, said today by phone. He declined to say whether a ransom was paid.

Ahmed Hassan, a member of the pirate gang that hijacked the vessel, said in an interview that the brigands released the ship yesterday after receiving $2.7 million from the owners, Hamburg- based Leonhardt-Blumberg.

“There were critical disputes over the amount of ransom recently, but we’ve now received our money,” Hassan said late yesterday by phone from the city of Harardhere, central Somalia.

A spokeswoman for Leonhardt-Blumberg who identified herself only by her surname, Reuter, said the company would not comment beyond a statement welcoming the crew’s release.

The Hansa Stavanger, a 21,000 deadweight-ton freighter, was seized on April 4 about 400 miles (645 kilometers) east of Mombasa, in an area where pirates had not previously been active. It was then taken to Somali waters near Harardhere, the company said.

Thank God for the release of these two ships and for the safety of their crews who will now be able to return to their homes and loved ones. Please continue to pray for the protection and rescue of the remaining ships held by pirates.

Masindra 7 Released

Good news from Somalia, where the crew of the Masindra 7, held captive for 8 months, has been released unharmed. Via BBC:

Eleven Indonesian sailors have been released by Somali pirates almost eight months after their ship was hijacked.

The crew of the Malaysian tugboat Masindra 7 were captured in mid-December as they sailed to Male, Maldives, an EU spokesman said.

A ransom was paid for the release, a Kenyan-based NGO, Ecoterra International, told AFP news agency.

Thank God that the sailors are all safe after their long ordeal and will be returning home soon. Please continue to pray for the safe release of all those being held by pirates in this dangerous region.

Captain Phillips Calls for Armed Security on Merchant Ships

In testimony Thursday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Captain Richard Phillips, who was held hostage by Somali pirates who tried unsuccessfully to hijack his ship, the Maersk Alabama, last month, said that armed security is essential to protect ships and their crews. Via The Boston Globe:

WASHINGTON - Commercial ships in pirate-infested waters need a small team of well-trained guards - preferably former military - to defend them and deter attacks, the famed captain of the Maersk Alabama told a congressional committee yesterday.

"I don't mean a security guard. I don't mean a mall cop," Richard Phillips told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Instead, the ships need two or three special force members each, backed up by the US government, to take on pirates or scare them off, he said.

Neither the committee members nor Phillips - a 53-year-old Boston native and Vermont resident who became a hero last month after he was held hostage for five days by Somali pirates, then rescued by Navy SEAL snipers who killed three of them - offered a definitive solution to thwarting attacks from increasingly bold pirates.

But Phillips and the chairman of Maersk said that arming ship crews would not solve the problem.

International law makes the idea tricky, said Maersk chairman John P. Clancey, since the vast majority of ports do not allow armed ships to enter. Further, he said, arming merchant sailors "may result in the acquisition of even more lethal weapons and tactics by the pirates," putting crews in greater danger.

And while Phillips said he was open to the idea of a small group of senior, well-trained ship officers having weapons on board, he preferred a government-backed team - as long as the security force answered to the captain.

"I am not comfortable giving up command authority to others," Phillips said. "In the heat of an attack, there can be only one final decision-maker."

In the video above, Capt. Phillips also that increased naval patrols and escorts would help, although the area is so vast that it is impossible to cover every possible venue of attack.

Please pray that our lawmakers will choose a wise course in picking a strategy that will protect our shipping from attack without exposing our merchant seamen to even greater danger.

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Piracy Archive
Captain Phillips Free!
Captain Attempts Escape But is Recaptured
USS Bainbridge Arrives at Scene of Hijacking
Pirates Seize Ship With American Crew

Pirate Attack on Cruise Ship Thwarted

An Italian cruise ship with about 1500 passengers onboard came under pirate attack near the Seychelles Saturday, but the captain and crew were able to defend the vessel. Via CNN:

CNN) -- The captain of an Italian cruise ship foiled an attack by pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday by ordering his security crew to fire back, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.

Six armed pirates in a speedboat attacked the ship, which had about 1,500 people onboard, ANSA said. They fled after the security crew fired back.

The cruise ship Melody, which is owned by an Italian company, was on its way back to Italy after a cruise, ANSA said.

No one was injured in the attack about 180 miles north of the Seychelles.

Thank God for His protecting hand over this ship and it's passengers and crew! Please continue to pray for the safety of the ships which must pass through this vital waterway, and for the many hostages being held captive in this region.

Sea Horse Released

Good news, as a cargo ship carrying food to Somalia that was hijacked last week has been released. Via CNN:

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Somali pirates have released a Togo-flagged vessel that was seized last week, the World Food Programme said Monday.

Pirates on four skiffs seized the 5,000-ton MV Sea Horse on Tuesday.

"We hear from the operators of the ship that it was released on Friday," said Peter Smerdon, spokesman for the World Food Program in Nairobi.

The ship was not under U.N. charter at the time of the hijacking. But it was on its way to Mumbai, India, to inaugurate a new route for the organization to deliver food from India to Mogadishu, Somalia, Smerdon said.

Piracy is rampant in the Gulf of Aden off the coasts of Somalia and Kenya with vessels seized regularly and often released only after a large ransom is paid.

Thank God for this good news! Over the weekend, a Canadian warship helped thwart an attack on a Norwegian tanker, and the Dutch navy arrested 7 pirates and freed 20 Yemeni fishermen who had been held captive. Unfortunately a Belgian ship, the Pompei, was hijacked on Saturday in the Seychelles.

Please continue to pray for the protection and rescue of all the hijacked ships and their crews, and for continued success in thwarting the pirate attacks.

Second American Ship Attacked, Escapes Capture

Just days after the Somali pirates vowed revenge for the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in which three of their fellow terrorists were killed, a second American cargo ship carrying food supplies to Kenya was attacked. Via CNN:

CNN) -- The Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship bound for Mombasa, Kenya, was attacked Tuesday night by Somali pirates, according to the company and senior U.S. military officials.
Pirates attacked The Liberty Sun, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship, but were unable to board.

"The pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the vessel, which sustained damage," said a statement from New York-based Liberty Maritime Corporation, which owns the vessel.

The ship is carrying U.S. food aid for African nations, the statement said. About 20 U.S. citizens are aboard the Liberty Sun, delivering humanitarian supplies from the U.N. World Food Programme, CARE and other groups, two senior defense officials told CNN.

The pirates never made it onto the ship and the vessel is now being escorted by a coalition ship, still bound for Mombasa, officials said.

Two senior defense officials said the Liberty Sun was being escorted by the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge. It is the ship carrying Richard Phillips, the captain of the container ship Maersk Alabama, which was hijacked last week. Phillips spent days as a hostage of the pirates before being rescued Sunday.

Thankfully this attack was thwarted by the nearby presence of the Bainbridge. Four other ships were hijacked yesterday: the MV Irene, with 23 crewmembers, the MV Sea Horse, and 2 Egyptian fishing boats with a total of 24 crewmembers. The Italian tugboat the Buccaneer, with 16 crewmembers, was hijacked Saturday.

Please continue to pray for the protection and rescue of these kidnapped crewmembers, and for the safety of all those who sail in this dangerous part of the world.

Captain Phillips Free!

Wonderful news! Captain Richard Phillips has been rescued unharmed, and three of the four pirates who held him hostage for 5 days are dead. Via CNN:

The official said Capt. Richard Phillips is uninjured and in good condition, and that three of the four pirates were killed. The fourth pirate is in custody. Phillips was taken aboard the USS Bainbridge, a nearby naval warship.

Earlier Sunday afternoon Maersk Line Limited, owner of the Maersk Alabama, said the U.S. Navy informed the company that it had sighted Phillips in a lifeboat where pirates are holding him hostage off the coast of Somalia.

Phillips was spotted another time earlier in the day, the Navy said.

On Saturday, the FBI launched a criminal investigation into the hijacking of the U.S.-flagged cargo ship by Somali pirates, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The probe will be led by the FBI's New York field office, which is responsible for looking into cases involving U.S. citizens in the African region, the officials said.

Prayers of thanksgiving for this successful rescue. Please continue to pray for the protection and rescue of the remaining hostages in Somalia and around the world.

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Captain Attempts Escape But is Recaptured
USS Bainbridge Arrives at Scene of Hijacking
Pirates Seize Ship With American Crew

One Hostage Dies During French Rescue Operation (Updated: Victim Identified)

Update: Killed Hostage Identified as Florent Lemacon



One hostage and two pirates were killed during a rescue operation mounted by the French military on the hijacked yacht the Tanit. Via Times Online:

French special forces released four hostages today in a rescue operation on a French yacht off Somalia but one hostage was killed, President Sarkozy’s office said.

Two pirates were also killed and three captured as commandos swooped to release two couples and a three-year-old boy whose sailing boat, Tanit, was seized on April 4. There was no immediate word on which hostage had been killed, though it was confirmed that the boy, Colin Lemaçon, was unharmed.

The surviving hostages were in good health after the rescue, which was at least the fourth assault by French forces on pirates operating from Somalia in the past year. Thirty two French hostages have been released from the hands of pirates and, until yesterday, none were killed.

Mr Sarkozy ordered the assault after the pirates refused to accept proposals from French warships shadowing Tanit and tried to sail towards the coast, the Elysée Palace said.

“During the operation a hostage sadly died,” it said. “The President confirms France’s determination not to give into blackmail and to defeat the pirates.”

This tragic outcome highlights the danger the hostages we are praying for are in, and why governments are reluctant to attempt rescue operations, preferring to pay ransoms and buy a happy ending. As we mourn the loss of this hostage, please continue to pray for the protection of the other victims of kidnappings and hijackings, and for wisdom and strength for the government leaders who must make difficult decisions.

Bow Asir Freed

The Norwegian chemical tanker Bow Asir, with 28 crewmembers, captured by Somali pirates last month, has been freed. Via News 24 South Africa:

Oslo - Somali pirates on Friday released the Norwegian tanker Bow-Asir and its crew, having held it since March 26, its owners said in a statement on Friday.

"The chemical tanker Bow Asir was released on Friday 10th April 2009. However, the ship is still sailing in dangerous waters," Norway's Salhus Shipping said in the statement.

"All crew are unharmed and we wish to thank them for their handling of this difficult situation."

Prayers of thanksgiving for this peaceful resolution. Please continue to pray for the other ships being held captive in this dangerous part of the world.

Captain Attempts Escape But Is Recaptured

Update: Pirates Holding U.S. Hostage Reportedly Demand Ransom



The American captain being held hostage by Somali pirates since Wednesday jumped into the sea and tried swimming to the USS Bainbridge, but was recaptured by the pirates. Via CNN:

Phillips was believed to be trying to swim to the USS Bainbridge, a naval warship that is in communication with the gunmen holding Phillips off Somalia's coast, the official said.

The pirates jumped into the water, recaptured him, and returned him to the lifeboat, according to the official.

The U.S. military has every reason to believe that he was unharmed in the incident, the official said.

Phillips has been held since Wednesday, when the hijackers briefly seized control of his ship, the Maersk Alabama.

He is being held by four gunmen in the lifeboat about 300 miles off the Horn of Africa.

Meanwhile, two U.S. warships were on their way Friday to help the crew of the Bainbridge secure Phillips' release.

Please continue to pray for Captain Phillip's protection and swift rescue.

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USS Bainbridge Arrives at Scene of Hijacking
Pirates Seize Ship With American Crew

USS Bainbridge Arrives at Scene of Hijacking

The USS Bainbridge, a guided missile destroyer, is in place and ready to assist in the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips, held hostage by the hijackers who attacked the cargo ship Maersk Alabama earlier today. Via CNN:

The crew of the Maersk Alabama recaptured their ship from pirates, but their captain remained in the hands of the marauders, one of its officers said.

"There's four Somali pirates, and they've got our captain," Ken Quinn said in a ship-to-shore phone interview.

Capt. Richard Phillips was being held in the Alabama's 28-foot lifeboat after the pirates reneged on an agreement to exchange him for a captured pirate, Quinn said.

"We returned him, but they didn't return the captain," he said.

The hijackers boarded the Alabama early Wednesday, when it was about 350 miles off the coast of Somalia, a haven for pirates attacks in the Gulf of Aden.

It is fitting that the Bainbridge would be the ship sent to rescue Captain Phillips: it is named after Commodore William Bainbridge, a hero of the Barbary Pirates War who was himself held hostage twice.

Bainbridge joined the merchant service at the age of 14 and was given his first command at the age of 19. During a voyage in the West Indies, Bainbridge's ship, the Retaliation, was captured by the French, and he was held as a prisoner in Guadaleupe. While he there, he was able to negotiate not only his own freedom but that of nearly 300 captured American seamen.

When he returned to America, he joined the fledgling Navy and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a Captain in 1800. That year he commanded the George Washington as it was sent to pay the annual tribute to the Dey of Algiers, who then commandeered the ship to send a message to the Ottoman Sultan. When Bainbridge refused, the Dey haughtily reminded him "You pay me tribute, by which you become my slaves; I have, therefore, a right to order you as I please."

Bainbridge reluctantly acted a courier for the Dey, but wrote in his report to Congress that "I hope I may never again be sent to Algiers with tribute, unless I am authorized to deliver it from the mouth of our cannon."

Captain Bainbridge later commanded the Philadelphia when it was sent to patrol the Mediterranean Sea in 1803; when it ran aground off the shore of Tripoli, he and his entire crew were held hostage for two years. He later fought in the War of 1812, and in 1815 led a squadron to the fight the Barbary Pirates once more in the Second Tripolitian War.

Please continue to pray for the safe rescue of Capt. Phillips, and for the safety of the sailors aboard the Bainbridge, worthy successors to their honored namesake.

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Pirates Seize Ship With American Crew

Pirates Seize Ship With American Crew

Update III: Four pirates continue to hold Capt. Richard Phillips (above) hostage in a lifeboat.
Update II: Captain of Hijacked Cargo Ship Reportedly Being Held Hostage by Somali Pirates
Update I: Crew Regains Control of Hijacked Ship

After hijacking five ships over the weekend, Somali pirates today seized an American cargo ship with 20 crewmembers aboard. Via CNN:

It is believed that the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama then was hijacked, according to a statement from Maersk Line Ltd. If so, it would be the sixth hijacking over the past week.

The vessel was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked about 310 miles (500 kilometers) off Somalia's coast, the statement said.

U.S. government sources said the attack happened at about 7:30 a.m. local time. The nearest U.S. Navy warship was about 300 nautical miles, or 345 miles, away at the time, they said. The U.S. Navy issued another notice Tuesday warning mariners that the Somali piracy activity was extending hundreds of miles offshore.

A Maersk subsidiary in Norfolk, Virginia, owns and operates the cargo ship, Maersk spokesman Michael Storgaard said. He would not provide any details about the security arrangements on board the Maersk Alabama.

"We have very strict policies on the vessel. ... Crews are trained to handle these types of situations," Storgaard said from Maersk's headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark.

He said the company is in the process of contacting the crew members' relatives and setting up assistance for them.

"That is at this moment our primary concern," Storgaard said.

The Maersk Line is one of the U.S. Department of Defense's primary shipping contractors. But Storgaard said the Maersk Alabama was carrying "general cargo," most likely including aid supplies to East Africa.

Prayers for the protection and rescue of the crew. Please continue praying for the other captured ships and their crewmembers as well.

Greek Cargo Ship Hijacked by Pirates

Despite recent successes by members of a naval task force headed by the U.S. in thwarting hijacking attempts, pirates were able to capture a Greek cargo ship and its crew in the Gulf of Aden. Via AFP:

ATHENS (AFP) — A Greek cargo ship with a 24-man crew has been seized by Somali pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden, the Greek merchant marine ministry said.

The St. Vincent-flagged cargo ship Titan is currently heading for the Somali coast following its capture, the ministry said on Thursday.

It has a cargo of iron and was sailing from the Black Sea to Korea.

Somali pirates have attacked more than 130 merchant ships in the region last year, including several Greek-owned vessels.

Please pray for the protection and rescue of the crewmembers of the Titan, and for the safety of all ships passing through this dangerous region.

UN Aid Workers Freed in Somalia

Good news from Somalia: four UN employees of the World Food Program were released after being kidnapped Monday. Via AFP:

MOGADISHU (AFP) — Three foreign aid workers and a Somali employed by the United Nations were freed Monday, hours after being kidnapped by local militiamen in southern Somalia, elders and UN staff said.

The four were snatched from their car by armed men on their way to an airstrip in Wajid, a food aid hub 340 kilometres (210 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, early in the morning.

"Efforts to secure their release were conducted by local elders and officials from the Shebab movement. These efforts have finally succeeded and the hostages are free," a local UN employee said on condition of anonymity.

Thank God for this swift and successful resolution to the abduction. Please continue to pray for the many others still held captive in Somalia, including Danka Panchova and her colleagues from Action Against Hunger, who were kidnapped last November; journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan, who were abducted in August 2008; Murray Watson and Patrick Amukhuma, who were kidnapped in April 2008; and for the hundreds of crewmembers of ships hijacked by Somali pirates.

Danish Ship Escapes Hijacking Attempt

Good news in the War on Piracy: a Danish cargo ship was able to evade capture after receiving help from a Russian warship patrolling the Gulf of Aden. Via the Telegraph:

A Russian warship came to the rescue of the Danish vessel after pirates fired rocket-propelled grenades at it during a 30 minute chase on the high seas off Somalia.

At least six pirates in an open skiff tried to seize the Danish-owned and Dutch-managed cargo ship, which has not been named, as it steamed through the Gulf of Aden.

Its captain took evasive action and called for help from the coalition of navies now patrolling Somali waters in a bid to curb piracy.

The Russian navy sent a warship and a helicopter, which swooped over the pirates' speedboat, forcing them to call off the assault, said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur.

"The pirates chased the vessel for about half an hour, they fired two rocket-propelled grenades, but they pulled away when the Russians arrived," he said.

This is more evidence that the increased naval patrols near the coast of Somalia are having a positive effect. So far this year there have been 11 hijacking attempts already, but only two have been successful.

Thank God that the pirates were not able to carry out their evil plans this time. Please continue to pray for the safe release of the hostages currently being held on land and sea in Somalia, and for the safety of ships passing through this dangerous area.

Two More Ships Released from Captivity

Good news continues to come from the Somali Coast: two more ships which were hijacked months ago are now free and their crews returning to their homes. The African Sanderling, with 21 crew members was captured in October, and the Karagol, with 14 crew members, was hijacked in November by pirates.

Thank God for His protection and deliverance of these hostages! And while we should rightfully rejoice over this answered prayer, we should also be reminded of our need to pray for our enemies. After the dramatic release of the crew of the Sirius Star on Friday, when five of the pirates were drowned trying to escape with the ransom payment, the hand of God's judgment was clear to see. The question is, how will the remaining pirates respond to this obvious sign: will they be called to repentance or will they harden their hearts? I am happy to see that in these two cases, they appear to have chosen the first option. Let's pray harder than ever for the remaining hostages, on land and sea, in Somalia and in all the other places in the world where men and women are being held against their will, and where pirates and kidnappers make a trade in human misery. Let's pray that both the hostages and their captors will be freed from their chains.

Freedom for Kidnapped Crewmembers, Justice for Pirates

Wonderful news from the coast of Somalia: all 25 crewmembers of the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star are safe and free after nearly two months of captivity. And the pirates who held the ship until a $3 million ransom was paid didn't have much time to enjoy their ill-gotten gains: 5 of them drowned when their getaway boat capsized in heavy waves. Via BBC:

Coalition naval forces in Bahrain said it appeared that the pirates on the Sirius Star had received a ransom payment in a container parachuted from a plane.

Reuters later reported that five of the pirates making off with the ransom money had drowned after their boat was hit by high seas.

The audacious seizure of the tanker had drawn fresh attention to the dangerous waters off Somalia's coastline.

There were more than 100 reported pirate attacks in the busy shipping lanes off eastern and northern Somalia in 2008.

An international force headed by the US is due to be established by the end of the month to tackle the problem.

On Friday, Kenya's port authorities said a fishing vessel had been attacked and three Indian crew kidnapped, Reuters reported.

Pirates are still holding a Ukrainian cargo ship, the MV Faina, which was seized in late September carrying 33 tanks and other weaponry.

Prayers of thanksgiving for the safe release of the crewmembers of the Sirius Star. Please continue to pray for the crew of the latest hijacked ship and those still being held captive.

Previous:
Saudi Super Tanker Hijacked Near Coast of Kenya
Crew of MT Stolt Valour Released
Pirate Attacks Forcing Ships Out of Gulf of Aden
Somali Troops Rescue Crew of Hijacked Ship
Somali Pirates Reportedly Reduce Ransom
Record Number of Hostages Held by Pirates Last Month
Two Hijacked Ships, Crews Released by Pirates
Hostage Aboard Hijacked Ukrainian Ship Has Died
Pirates Demand $35 Million Ransom for Ukrainian Ship
Somali Pirates Seize Arms-Laden Ukrainian Ship
Somali Pirates Attack US Oil Tanker
Pirates Seize Second Greek Ship Off Somalia
Danish Nab 10 Pirates
Sarkozy Challenges World to Fight Plague of Piracy
French Couple Rescued from Pirates
Kidnapped French Couple Identified
Pirates Demand Large Ransom, Threaten to Kill French Hostages
Somali Pirates Seize French Ship
Pirates Seize Three Ships in One Day
Somali Pirates Free Two German Hostages
US, Canada to Help Protect Ships from Pirates
Aid Workers Flee Somalia
Two UN Aid Workers Freed in Somalia
Two Swedish Aid Workers Kidnapped in Somalia
UN Aid Worker Kidnapped in Somalia
Three Aid Workers Kidnapped in Somalia
Update on Somalian Aid Worker Kidnapping
Two Aid Workers Kidnapped in Somalia
Update on German Hostages Held by Pirates
The Pirates of the Somali Coast
Somali Pirates Raise Ransom Demand
Somali Pirates Demand $1 Million Ransom
Germany Debates Sending Warships After Somali Pirates
German Child Taken Hostage By Pirates Is Ill
Somali Pirates Strike Again
Somalian Warlord Accuses France of Kidnapping Pirates
Sarkozy, the Scourge of the Pirates!

Crossposted at Not Ready for my Burqua