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Somali pirates seize German-owned ship, 11 crew

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-06 19:54

NAIROBI– Somali pirates have seized a German-owned ship with its 11 Romanian crew members in the Gulf of Aden, a US Navy spokesman said Wednesday.

Somali pirates have hijacked a German-owned cargo in the Gulf of Aden, a maritime watchdog and a statement from the government of Antigua and Barbuda where the vessel is flagged said Wednesday. [Agencies]

The Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo ship, the MV Victoria, was captured Tuesday afternoon in an area 75 miles (120 kilometers) south of Yemen, said Lt. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the Bahrain-based US 5th Fleet.

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He had no information on the condition of the crew. There are now 19 ships being held by Somali pirates.

Piracy has exploded off Somalia in recent years as the bandits continue to get ransoms in the millions of dollars. It is perhaps the biggest moneymaker in Somalia because the pirates almost always get paid.

The pirates' wealth is all the more shocking considering Somalia's poverty. There has been no effective central government in nearly 20 years, plunging the arid country into chaos. Nearly every public institution has crumbled.

Last year, dozens of ships were seized and an estimated $1 million per boat was paid in ransom for their release, according to analysts. Each pirate is believed to get on average $10,000 for a successful hijacking.

Ship owners typically air drop the plastic-wrapped cash into the sea.

Owners of ships plying the pirate-infested waters off Somalia's coast have balked at having firearms onboard, despite an increasing number of attacks where bullets pierced hulls or rocket-propelled grenades whooshed overhead.

The reason is twofold: Owners fear pirates would be more likely to continue shooting once on board if they confronted weapons, and the company might be held liable for deaths or injuries inflicted by someone on the vessel.