UNDETERRED BY the deaths of five of their compatriots at the hands of US and French forces, Somali pirates yesterday hijacked two more cargo vessels and opened fire on a third.
Despite tough talk from the Obama administration, the pirates launched a night raid on the Greek-owned MV Irene EMand seized the Togo-flagged MV Sea Horse.
In a third incident, a gang fired automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at the Liberian-flagged 21,887-tonne Safmarine Asia.
Pirates also seized two Egyptian fishing boats on Monday, according to Egypt’s foreign ministry. At least 60 foreign crewmen were captured in the four strikes.
Pirate spokesmen had said they would take revenge after US snipers killed three pirates holding American ship captain Richard Phillips aboard a lifeboat on Sunday.
However, maritime experts said that the subsequent hijackings were unrelated to the US action.
“This is not a deliberate show of strength – it’s too soon for anything like that,” said Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, managing director of British-based Dryad Maritime Intelligence Services.
“I don’t think we should read too much into the pirates’ rhetoric – they are businessmen, not politicians.”
Nato officials expressed particular concern over the capture of the freighter Irene, and the apparent new tactic of attack during darkness.
Lieut Cdr Alexandre Fernandes said the Portuguese warship NRP Corte-Realreceived a distress call from the Irenein the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia's north coast, where up to 20 international warships were patrolling last month.
“There was only three minutes between the alarm and the hijack,” said Lieut Cdr Fernandes.
“[The pirates] attacked at night, which was very unusual. They were using the moonlight as it is still quite bright.”
The nighttime attack suggests the pirates may be using improved technology acquired from the proceeds of multimillion-pound ransoms paid to release ships and their crews. The fact that all the latest attacks occurred in the Gulf of Aden also shows that the gangs are quick to react to changing circumstances.
In recent weeks pirates have been focusing on the Indian Ocean, off Somalia’s east coast, and their success forced several warships to redeploy around the Horn of Africa, leaving the Gulf of Aden more exposed.
On Friday, a French raid ended in tragedy when Florent Lemacon was killed as French commandos freed his yacht from a pirate gang.
The 28-year-old Frenchman's wife, three-year-old son and two other passengers were successfully rescued. – ( Guardian service)