Pirate Awareness Alert

 
News

Piracy attacks rise 14% as Nigerian and Somalian coasts become more dangerous
London, 16 October 2007

Piracy and armed robbery attacks against ships rose 14% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2006, the second consecutive quarterly increase in attacks, as the coastal waters off Nigeria and Somalia became ever more dangerous, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported today.

In the first nine months of the year, 198 attacks were reported versus 174 attacks reported in 2006 during the same time frame. A total of 15 vessels were hijacked, 172 crewmembers were taken hostage, 63 were kidnapped, and 21 were assaulted. If this trend continues, the decline in piracy attacks begun in 2004 will have bottomed out. Crew assaults, kidnapping and ransom rose dramatically from 2006.

Pirate Reporting Bureau
 
     Well, out here we call them "pirates," Ned.

Because of the resurgence of piracy in the Indian Ocean and elsewhere, I thought I would feature a video that takes us back to a more innocent time.  Loss of an eye ... perhaps the only physical deformity that is appealing to some people, except breast implants.


Arrrrggg indeed.