Somali Pirates Raise The Stakes

摘要

Somali pirates attacked the VLCC Sirius Star more than 450 n-miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, last weekend. The Saudi Aramco-owned and Vela International-operated tanker was carrying a crew of 25, from Croatia, the UK, the Philippines, Poland, and Saudi Arabia.rnThe attack marks a significant step up in the confidence and capabilities of Somali pirates. It may also reveal that increased anti-piracy naval activity in the Gulf of Aden is having an impact. Data analysis by the Combined Maritime Forces shows that the combination of both military and civilian involvement in the area has reduced the percentage of successful piracy attacks from 53% in August, to 31 % in October.