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Recent Pirate News
MODERN MARAUDERS
Today's pirates terrorize the high seas with an arsenal of high-tech weapons.
For Cynthia Smith, a routine day became a nightmare come true when a man came at her with a pipe. He landed a few blows, cracking her ribs, but she fought back, getting in a well-aimed kick that knocked her assailant off his feet. Smith then ran for help.
Just another senseless crime on a mean city street? Not exactly. Chief Officer Smith was at sea, aboard the oil tanker Olympic Runner, which was en route to Korea from Saudi Arabia. She was attacked by a pirate.
Minutes after the assault, Smith and the crew staged a counterattack. They got hold of high-pressure fire hoses, striking down the other marauders on deck with blasts of water. With the deck secured, they made their way to the captain's cabin, where he was ambushed by other machete-wielding raiders. They found him just in time. One of the pirates had cut through the captain's shirt and, with a knife pressed against his throat, demanded that he open the ship's safe. The pirates backed off when they saw Smith and the crew coming to the rescue. The criminals released the ship's master, slipped overboard and disappeared into the crowded Singapore Straits.
Taken from - http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/law_enforcement/1280886.html
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What do Pirates want from us? Why they've gotten into the kidnapping business.
Pirates who attacked a tugboat in the Malacca Straits last week have released three kidnapped sailors from an island hideout. In the past three weeks, pirates have also attacked another tug and an oil tanker in the same region. What do pirates want these days?
Booty, of course, in the form of cash, cargo, and—increasingly—ransom. Three hundred and twenty-five pirate attacks were recorded last year; we're in the middle of a piracy renaissance. The swashbuckling "golden age of piracy" ended way back in 1730, as national navies grew more substantial and commercial vessels became bigger and faster. But since the beginning of the 1990s, pirate attacks have become more common—and much more violent—than they've been for quite some time.
In the mid-20th-century, most pirates were petty thieves: They used grappling hooks to sneak on board commercial ships at anchor, and grabbed all the loot they could find. These rapscallions were more likely to flee than fight if confronted by the crew.
In the Caribbean and in waters off the coasts of South America and West Africa, many pirates are still petty thieves, but they tend to be more violent. Maritime muggings now involve knives, automatic weapons, or even rocket-propelled grenades. In a typical attack, a handful of pirates will pull up alongside a boat in the middle of the night, climb aboard, and steal cash and jewelry from the crew and passengers. Commercial vessels often carry safes full of money for tolls and shipping taxes; pirates blow these open or force captains to unlock them at gunpoint. Attacks of this kind tend to bring in between $1,000 and $20,000.
Taken from - http://slate.msn.com/id/2115126/nav/ais/
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