pirates News

pirates News From AOL News

Intrigue, Brinksmanship Woven Into Hidden World of Pirate Ransoms

When Tunisia's transport ministry announced earlier this month that it had secured the release of the hijacked ship the Hannibal II and its 31 crew members, authorities released few details other than saying it had paid a $2 million ransom to the Somali pirates. These kinds of payments are now so common that they've given...

As UN Debates Pirates, Clock Ticks Down on Indian Hostages

UNITED NATIONS -- Families of six Indian sailors who are being held for ransom by Somali pirates are clinging to hope that they will be released, even though the Indian government has asserted that it will not negotiate with pirates and the deadline to pay the $4 million ransom has passed. "Time is ticking away for us. We...

Pirates Scared Off After Targeting Maersk Alabama Again

Pirates targeted the American ship Maersk Alabama off the African coast but fled after warning shots were fired, according to reports. A skiff carrying suspected pirates approached the Maersk about 200 miles north of Madagascar on Tuesday, said Wing Cmdr. Paddy O'Kennedy of the EU Naval Force, according to The Associated...

Support Grows for Private Anti-Pirate Fleet

With too many pirates and not enough warships, the insurance companies that have been forced to pay huge ransoms for hijacked ships have come up with their own solution: They are proposing a privately operated fleet that would accompany ships through pirate-infested waters. This convoy escort program would establish a...

Danish Family Captured by Pirates Knew the Risk

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A Danish couple on a round-the-world journey with their three children knew they were sailing in the world's most pirate-infested waters off East Africa. But they seemed to be brimming with confidence. On a blog on which they chronicled their voyage, they reported that they had drawn up a "pirate...

Background on pirates

Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore.

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