Piracy Continues Plaguing Shipping Off Somalia

First, there's an Iranian ship, the MV Iran Dayanat, which was captured by Somali pirates on August 21 2008. No one quite knows what the cargo is, but there are reports that several pirates and crew members have since died from symptoms that look like exposure to toxic materials, including a hazardous chemicals or even radioactive materials.

The MV Iran Deyanat was brought to Eyl, a sleepy fishing village in northeastern Somalia, and was secured by a larger gang of pirates - 50 onboard and 50 onshore. Within days, pirates who had boarded the ship developed strange health complications, skin burns and loss of hair. Independent sources tell The Long War Journal that a number of pirates have also died. "Yes, some of them have died. I do not know exactly how many but the information that I am getting is that some of them have died," Andrew Mwangura, Director of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, said Friday when reached by phone in Mombasa.

News about the illness and the toxic cargo quickly reached Garowe, seat of the government for the autonomous region of Puntland. Angered over the wave of piracy and suspicious about the Iranian ship, authorities dispatched a delegation led by Minister of Minerals and Oil Hassan Allore Osman to investigate the situation on September 4. Osman also confirmed to The Long War Journal that during the six days he negotiated with the pirates members of the syndicate had become sick and died. "That ship is unusual," he said. "It is not carrying a normal shipment."

The delegation faced a tense situation in Eyl, Osman recounts. The syndicate had demanded a $9 million ransom for 10 ships that were in its possession and refused permission to inspect the Iranian vessel.

The pirates have been quite busy, and after attacking a USNS ship earlier this week (the USNS John Lenthall, an oil tanker, which thwarted the attack), have since added a Ukrainian ship to the tally. This one, however, was shipping 33 Russian tanks.

The Russians are sending a warship to the region. The tanks were meant for Kenya:

Ukrainian Defense Minister Yury Yekhanurov, meanwhile, said that the ship, the Faina, was carrying 33 Russian T-72 tanks and a substantial quantity of ammunition and spare parts. Yekhanurov said the tanks were sold in accordance with international law, according to Larisa Mudrak, a spokeswoman for Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

A Kenyan government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, confirmed that the East African nation's military had ordered the tanks and spare parts and said Kenya had made such a huge order of tanks as part of a two-year rearmament program for the military.

"The government is in contact with international maritime agencies and other security partners in an endeavor to secure the ship and cargo," Mutua said in a statement. "The government is actively monitoring the situation."

Piracy is a huge problem off the Horn of Africa, and is also a source of trouble in the waters off South Asia - from the Philippines through to Indonesia and Thailand:

This is the 61st attack off Somalia this year, and pirates are now holding 14 ships and more than 300 crew members, said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center based in Malaysia.

US Navy ships have repeatedly patrolled the waters off Somalia, and have thwarted some attacks, but the level of piracy is a serious problem to commerce around the world, not just off the Horn of Africa.

UPDATE:
The International Maritime Bureau has a running list of piracy acts around the world. They also have historical data on attacks from prior years. Areas of highest risk include the waters off the following countries: Nigeria, Indonesia, Tanzania, India, and Somalia.