Somali pirate couple freed

[bramblebooks]

Now that is what I call good news. I hadn't heard anything and had feared the worst. I wonder what went on in the background to get them released?

I was really happy to hear this, hope they have a happy reunion with their family.

I thought they were in safe waters when taken nancy?

Nancy66 suggest you actually have a look at where they were kidnapped. Then have a look at where the pirates are this season. You will then have some clue what you are talking about and hopefully realise you are completely and utterly wrong in your statement.

Have a look at this and it will give you some indication of how big the pirate issue is. Fwiw the average cost of a pirate kidnap is USD 9 million.

I'm not wrong. they set sale from the Seychelles to Tanzania - in waters where there had been a kidnap the day before.

They set sail knowing the risks. Even members of their own yaching club condemned them.

Have a read of this and you will maybe understand how the entire international shipping community and governments were completely caught by surprise when the pirates started targeting waters off the Seychelles.

If you or the Chandlers' yacht club have inside knowledge of what the pirates planned maybe you should have informed the authorities rather than keeping it to yourself.

Mollie - totally random things that you've managed to Google are irrelevant.

It was widely known and widely reported (at the time) that the waters the Chandlers set sail in were dangerous. They chose to take the risks.

I'm glad they're home safe - but they were foolish

Nancy66 I work in the industry so not randomingly Googled. My information is better than that published in the Daily Fail but obviously you know best.

A Somalian pirate?

Ha ha. The second article I linked is by a world authority on piracy. He is also an ex-marine and his knowledge is peerless. It is worth a read if you are genuinely interested in the topic.

Mollie, that article was interesting. I wonder if there are any theories about why pirating has exploded in Somalia recently?

I am so delighted about this, I used to work with Rachel and my family were very worried about them. A real answer to prayer.

um because they get paid ransoms pofakked

POK it is a bit self-perpetuating unfortunately. The pirates see it as a good income. They use the money to get bigger boats, more sophisticated survelliance equipment (there is some concern that they have vessel tracking capabilities). The risks are high but so are the rewards.

The ships that have successfully avoided capture once boarded are those with citadels (rooms on board stocked with water/food/equipment and cannot be opened from outside).

As far as governments are concerned, Russia has been the most successful in attacking pirates and getting them off captured ships.

The EU won't take the same approach because of the high risks involved. However in the Russian vessels' cases the pirates have left after 14 hours - vessel is disabled so cannot be sailed anywhere.

I saw them on the news - moaning about not always having enough water to wash with and inadequate accomodation.

This puzzled me a bit. They were being held captive in Somalia. It is hardly a revelation that many there live in accomodation we would not consider adequate, and lack water for drinking, not to mind washing.

They seemed most angry that their captors had not helped them keep in touch with their family and did not care about them - why would they?

The Chandlers have had an awfully hard time, but they chose to take the risks. It is wonderful that they have been released, but they are not heroes. They are more like the people who, every year, go up mountains for fun, without proper preparation or regard for their own safety, and then rely on others to come rescue them.

'I wonder if there are any theories about why pirating has exploded in Somalia recently?'

1: It's a failed state.
2: Follow the money and see where it goes.
3: Traditional livelihoods have disappeared and this is a way of getting at least a slice of the ransom money.
4: It will continue as no country really wants to take on the problem of what to do with the pirates if you catch them, try them, and imprison them. They then want to claim asylum if imprisoned in UK or wherever that isn't Somalia.
5: The Russians tend not to take prisoners, which is why as Mollie points out they have a high success rate in getting ships back.

Mollie - it's also to do with the Rules of Engagement for Op Atalanta and the EU warships, and also the same applies for when NATO is involved. The Russians don't tend to have much regard for the ECHR!

I agree that the Chandlers stood into danger. It has been evident for some time that this area of the ocean is not safe; why court danger by sailing through it?

That article Mollie suggested disabling GPS in that area - and proper ships could go back to old navigation methods - I wish they would do that. It would stop the pirates going far from their coast.

You assume that people can still use old navigation methods!

Or have up to date nautical maps . When we were sailing in the Indian Ocean about 5 years ago, the only map available was from 1861.

There are plenty of crew who would not actually be able to navigate without ship's equipment and several who can't even navigate with equipment (and keep lawyers in business as a result!).

scary - everyone in the maritime community I know was gobsmacked at the stretch the pirates made to the Seychelles. It had not been a problem for some time as you've said. It is now and even further east this season. The boats and the equipment the pirates now have is increasingly sophisticated and enables them to go further afield.

Whatever you think of the Russian navy their action on the Moscow University was impressive to say the least and afaik no other Russian ships have been targeted since.

ilovemydog there are up to date charts for that region!

I don't think they were surprised in the defence maritime community, and yes, it has been a problem for a while, at least 3 years. Op Atalanta and the NATO Naval group have been operating since late 2008 and it took time to look at the situation before that and get the ships released from their tasking to form Atalanta and the NATO group.

scary maybe you have more info than me. I can only comment on the commercial maritime community (we were completely gobsmacked) rather than defence. It is a shame that if governments did have this info they chose not to share it until a time when it became stating the obvious.

It's been public information for a long time Mollie - check the EUMS and the NATO websites.

If you tell the pirates what you are doing, then they'll change tactics. Better for them not to know you know iyswim. Added to which the area that Op Atalanta and the NATO force had to patrol is massive, so at best it's like to trying to close the holes in a sieve.

Really surprised scary that the Seychelles was considered to be a pirate problem for the three years leading up to the kidnapping of the Chandlers. Definitely not on my radar at all. I knew that there was an issue there the week before they were taken and it was considered to be completely off beam but certainly not before. Of course now they have gone even further east, but again far further this year than in previous years (unless you know different!).