Historyguy Main Page Politics Main Page New & Recent Conflicts    A chronicle of newer and more recent conflicts and wars from around the globe War and Conflict Links    A listing of wars and war pages on the History Guy site     Comics History   Portal for pages on the history of comics and superhero characters Nations of the World   Portal for pages on the nations of the world Military History   Portal for pages on military history War Lists    Lists of wars throughout history and from around the world Biofiles    Biographical files on individuals who impact American politics, culture, business, education and other arenas of life in the United States.      Governments of the World    Pages on the governmental systems of selected nations. U.S. Politics    United States national government and politics.  What's New The latest changes to the History Guy site. About Us    Information on the History Guy, the origin of the website, along with commentaries and a site map.  Advertise on this Website Copyright © 1998-2011 Roger A. Lee and 01.29.11 "The History Guy" is a Registered Trademark. History Guy SiteMap Read the History Guy Weblog and the War and Conflict Journal--New Joe Stack Joins Other Domestic Terrorists on the Dark Side of History--History Guy Commentary, posted Feb. 19, 2010 Fatah vs. Usbat al-Ansar Fighting in the Ain al-Helweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Four killed.--posted Feb. 15, 2010 Maoist Rebels Attack Indian Forces--posted Feb. 15, 2010 Iran War Creeping Upon Us--posted Jan. 16, 2010 Earthquake Adds to Haiti's Tragic History--posted Jan. 13, 2010 Yemen With al-Qaida Threat May Be New Front In War--posted Jan. 4, 2010 al-Qaida in North Africa Strikes--posted Dec. 31, 2009 Attempt to Bomb Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009--posted Dec. 26, 2009 Joseph Stalin: History's Villain--posted Dec. 22, 2010

Recent Pirate Attacks | Pirate Attacks Map | Links and Resources   Somalia is a chaotic and nearly governmentless nation off the east coast of Africa, and it is home to the world's best known contemporary pirates. These pirates, who operate a financially lucrative ship-hijacking operation, capture merchant ships off the coasts of Yemen, Somalia, and Kenya, and then hold them for ransom. The ship owners and their insurance companies usually pay the ransom, sometimes in the millions of dollars, because it is far cheaper than losing the ship and cargo. For example, the Saudi oil tanker seized on Nov. 17, 2008, had just been built, at a cost of $150 million, and carried an oil cargo valued at $100 million. Paying a ransom of even several million dollars would save the ship and crew. Naval vessels from around the world (United Stated, United Kingdom, Russia, India, others), patrol the Somali coast to protect merchant vessels. Due to Somalia's proximity to the Persian Gulf and the Suez Canal, nearly 16,000 ships travel off the coast every year. On Nov . 18, 2008, the Indian Navy ship INS Tabar battled a pirate "mother ship" and sank it, killing an unknown number of pirates. The reasons piracy is thriving off the Somali coast include the state of anarchy in Somalia since the early 1990s. Civil war destroyed the government, and in 2006, Ethiopia invaded, (with American aid), to prevent the rise of an Islamist government in Somalia. Also, as a result of the fall of the Somali government, foreign fishing ships began fishing the lucrative tuna catch off the Somali coast, thereby causing economic damage to the Somali fishing industry. Somali fishermen, with ready access to small-arms and portable rockets due to the civil war, took to the seas to make a living attacking foreign fishing and cargo ships off their coast. This spontaneous privateer activity eventually turned into the highly organized and more heavily-armed pirate organizations which have recently seized a Ukrainian cargo ship full of weapons and the Saudi oil tanker. On April 8, 2009, Somali pirates attacked an American ship, the Maersk Alabama, some 380 miles off the Somali coast. The standoff between the four pirates and the U.S. Navy ended with the deaths of three of the pirates. For further details, see Somali Pirate Attack on the American Ship Maersk Alabama (April 2009).    See also: History Guy: The Barbary Wars--America's original response to piracy in the early 1800s. Recent Pirate Attacks off the Somali Coast  Date Nationality of Ship Attacked Notes April 8-12, 2009 United States Somali pirates seized an American-flagged ship, the Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean on April 8, 2009. click here for details November 19, 2008 Thailand Somali pirates hijack a Thai fishing ship with 16 crew members off the coast of Horn of Africa. November 18, 2008 India Indian Navy's stealth frigate INS Tabar spotted a pirate ship accompanied by speedboats and intercepted it. After the pirates threatened to attack, the frigate opened fire at and sank the main ship. There were no casualties reported on the Indian side and the number of pirates killed in this operation is unclear. After the "mother ship" was destroyed, the pirates tried to flee in the two accompanying speedboats. The Indian Navy chased the boats and found one abandoned while the other escaped into darkness. Though the Indian Navy did not specifically mention, the U.S. Department of State said that the Indian Navy did capture some of the pirates. This was the third time the INS Tabar fought pirates in a week. Nov. 17, 2008 Saudi Arabia The Liberian-flagged, Saudi-owned ship MV Sirius Star, which is owned by the Saudi oil company Aramco, was hijacked 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya with 25 crew members aboard. The 1,080 foot-long vessel was carrying 2,000,000 barrels of crude oil valued at $100 million. This is the farthest Somali pirates have traveled to hijack a ship, and is far south of the "Maritime Security Patrol Area" patrolled by international warships in the Gulf of Aden. Nov. 14, 2008 China The Chinese fishing vessel Tianyu No. 8 or Tanyo 8 was seized by Somali pirates while fishing off the coast of Kenya. Nov. 14, 2008 Unknown The British private security service Anti-Piracy Maritime Security Solutions claimed to have repulsed an attack on an unidentified chemical tanker using water hoses and a magneto-acoustic device. November 12, 2008 Turkey The Turkish ship Karagol owned by the Istanbul-based Turkish shipping company YDC Denizcilik A.S, was hijacked off the coast of Yemen with 14 crew members aboard. Notably the second Turkish vessel to be hijacked in a matter of two weeks, the ship is reported to be carrying 4,500 tons of unspecified chemicals, en route to Mumbai, Kenya. November 11, 2008 Denmark The MV Powerful, a Danish-registered cargo ship, was attacked by pirates onboard a dhow. Russia has claimed that the pirates tried twice to seize the vessel, but they were rebuffed by Russian and British helicopters, though Russian involvement has been disputed by the Royal Navy. The dhow was later detected by HMS Cumberland, and its unit of Royal Marines was dispatched in rigid-raider craft to try and stop the dhow. Whilst circling the dhow, the Marines were fired upon by the pirates. The Marines returned fire, killing two pirates, and forcing the remaining crew to surrender. The dhow was then boarded and captured by the Marines. A Yemeni male was found onboard, and he later died from his injuries; the British Ministry of Defense reported that it was unsure whether the injuries were caused during the gunfight, or beforehand. Nov. 11, 2008 India MV Jag Arnav, 38,265-ton bulk carrier owned by Mumbai-based Great Eastern Shipping Company, raised an alarm when pirates tried to board the ship. Indian Navy's INS Tabar, which about 25 nautical miles away at the time of the distress call, rushed a Chetak helicopter carrying a team of MARCOS to the scene and successfully thwarted the hijack attempt. The incident took place 60 nautical miles from Aden. The Indian Navy also foiled an attempt by pirates to a board MV Timaha, a Saudi Arabia registered cargo ship. November 7, 2008 Denmark The Danish-owned, Bahamas-registered ship MV CEC Future carrying unknown cargo was seized with 13 crew members, consisting of 11 Russians, 1 Georgian, and 1 Lithuanian. October 29, 2008 Turkey The Turkish ship MV Yasa Neslihan was hijacked. The vessel with a crew of 20 was carrying iron ore from Canada to China. The ship's owning company, Yasa Holding, was alerted by an onboard alarm system. Turkish authorities are seeking help to rescue the ship, but there has been no contact made with the pirates. Links and Sources: French warship team destroys pirate boats--CNN, March 5, 2010 Islamists go after pirates who took Saudi ship: Criticize theft from Muslims--Washington Times, Nov. 22, 2008 Pirates bolster defences around hijacked tanker --Times Online, Nov. 21, 2008 To turn the tide on piracy in Somalia, bring justice to its fisheries--Nov. 20, 2008 Indian navy sinks suspected pirate "mother" ship--Associated Press, Nov. 19, 2008 Somali pirates transform villages into boomtowns--Associated Press, Nov. 19, 2008 U.S. Urges Merchant Ships to Try Steps to Foil Pirates--NY Times, Nov. 19, 2008 Japan May Use Navy to Protect Ships Off Somalia, Nikkei Says--Bloomberg.com, Nov. 19, 2008 Saudi Supertanker Hijacked By Somali Pirates--NPR, Nov. 18, 2008

Join the FREE Historyguy Update list. Receive regular updates delivered right to your inbox. Email Marketing You Can Trust Related Conflicts PREDECESSOR: (Related conflicts and events that occurred before) Somali Civil War (1990-Present)   CONCURRENT: (Related conflicts occurring at the same time) Ethiopian Intervention in Somalia (2006-Present) Djibouti-Eritrea Border War (June, 2008) Somali Pirate Attacks (2006-Present) U.S. Operations Against al-Qaida in Somalia (2006-Present)   SUCCESSOR: (Related conflicts that occur later) None yet See also: Wars of the Horn of Africa Read the History Guy Weblog and the War and Conflict Journal--New Iran War Scenario for April, 2008-posted April 9, 2008 Pakistan's Violent Political History Continues With Bhutto's Assassination--posted Dec. 27, 2007 Casualties in the Somali War--posted Dec. 2, 2007 Musharraf's Martial Law Endangers the War on Terror--posted on Nov. 4, 2007 Biography: Pervez Musharraf--posted on Nov.4, 2007 Kurds At War: Turkey, Iraq, and Iran--posted on October 22, 2007 Stormfront: The Consequences of September 11 and America's Wars Around the World--posted on Sept. 11, 2007 The Calm Before The Storm: The World of September 10, 2001--posted on Sept. 10, 2007 Mid-East War Fears: Israel Versus Syria Again?--posted on Aug. 14, 2007 France at War: French Victories and Defeats--posted May 11, 2007 America and France: A Long Relationship Spanning War and Peace--posted May 10, 2007 Cinco de Mayo, 1862: The Battle Of Puebla --posted May 5, 2007 The Long War on Terror: What is in a War's Name?--posted May 3, 2007 Turkey: To Coup, or not to Coup, that, is the question!--posted May 2, 2007 Canada's Afghan War--posted April 29, 2007. New and Recent Conflicts of the World Wars and Conflicts of Burma/Myanmar --The Wars and Conflicts of Burma/Myanmar from the Anglo-Burmese Wars to the pro-democracy Myanmar uprising of 2007. Wars and Conflicts of Yemen (1914-Present)--NEW Djibouti-Eritrea Border War (June, 2008) Wars of Iran and Persia--Lists the wars and conflicts of Persia and Iran from the 18th Century to the present. The 2007 Pro-Democracy Uprising in Myanmar--The current uprising in Myanmar. North Lebanon Conflict (2007)--Fighting between the Lebanese government and a Jihadist Palestinian militia calling itself Fatah al-Islam. bin Laden's Declaration of War Against the United States-- Long before 9/11, Osama bin Laden declared his hatred and his intent to harm America. Current Wars of the World--A listing of current wars and conflicts around the world. Military Coups in Turkey-A listing of military coups in modern Turkey (1960-1997). Comparing America's Wars Duration in Months-A look at America's wars and comparing their length in months. War in Afghanistan--Details on the origins of this ongoing war; part of the War on Terror Ethiopia-Somalia War of 2006*New*--A brief description of the Ethiopia-Somalia War which began in 2006, and is a part of the larger Somali Civil War. Ethiopia-Somali Wars and Conflicts*New*--Listing the wars and conflicts between Ethiopia and Somalia Wars of Germany--The wars and conflicts of Germany from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 to the War in Afghanistan. Iraq War: Links and Resources*New*--Links and resources on the Iraq War. Iraq War: Prisoner Abuse and Abu Ghraib Links and Resources*New*--Links and resources on the Iraq War's biggest scandal. Iraq War: Battles and Campaigns*New*--Links and resources on Iraq War battles and military operations. Israel-Lebanon/Hezbollah War of 2006--*New*--Details and analysis on the warfare along the Lebanese border which began in July, 2006! Israel-Lebanon Conflict--*New*--Background information on the decades-long warfare and conflict along the Israel/Lebanon border. Israeli-Palestinian Conflict--*New*--Background information on the long-running warfare between Israel and the Palestinians! Israeli-Palestinian Battles and Campaigns--*New*--Specific information on the warfare raids, battles, terrorist attacks, and retaliations between Israel and the Palestinians! Waziristan War----The War on Terror expands to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier! Hamas----The terrorist/resistance group now ruling the Palestinian Authority! War in the Western Sahara-- Iraq War Afghan War Nepal Civil War Wars of 2006--*--Wars and conflicts of 2006! Source: AFP