Most pirates, who were arrested and charged in Kenya, were acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence. Posted by 3 years ago. What happened to Somali Pirates? Four armed Somali pirates scurried up the side of a large cargo ship, Maersk Alabama, and took the crew, including Phillips, hostage. Somali pirates made headline news at an alarmingly regular rate until the summer of 2012. "Nowadays," Lehr says, "this sort of thing is just a cheap excuse." Ads By Google. Longest Somali pirate ordeal ends for Iceberg-1 crew . What happened to Somali Pirates? A decade ago, pirates operated freely and there were plenty of hideouts for them along the coastline, like Eyl, a small, scenic port town in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland. On April 18, 2009, Dutch marines freed two dozen Yemenis held hostage by Somali pirates. A British couple kidnapped from their yacht by Somali pirates more than a year ago have been freed after a ransom was paid. A few pirates have offered testimony to the international press — a headline in Thursday's Times of London read, "They stole our lobsters: A Somali pirate tells his side of the story" — but Lehr and other Somali experts express their doubts. It's called The Desert and the Sea: 977 Days Captive on the Somali Pirate Coast. Answered . Close. At 6:30 am on November 18, 2009, the Maersk Alabama was reportedly sailing some 350 nautical miles east of Somalia when it was fired upon by four pirates wielding automatic weapons and traveling in a skiff. In multiple interviews, Somali pirates portray themselves as the nation’s unofficial coast guard, fighting against illegal fishing and waste dumping by foreign corporations. The pirates got away without consequence. Somali pirate operations on the high seas are a result of what has happened to the nation of Somalia, both politically and in terms of rapid population growth. As he speaks a giant digital scoreboard shows line 9 has just passed 60,000 cans for the day. On February 16, 2011, Muse was sentenced to over 33 years in U.S. federal prison. Archived. The title of his new book tells you what happened. A Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million in oil is captured by Somali pirates 500 miles off the coast of Somalia. 131. Many of these illegal trawlers want to get the most out of their money, so they will often use illegal nets for fishing. What happened to Somalia’s pirates? These accusations are actually quite legitimate. One Somali news website reported a conversation with an unidentified pirate who claimed the men were indeed dead – but said they had all been shot before they were loaded into the skiff. Pirates had not captured a ship sailing under the American flag since the 1820s until April 8, 2009, when the MV Maersk Alabama was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. This will help in boosting the income and prosperity of the local economy. On October 11, 2013, a movie called Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips, premiered nationwide.The movie received glowing reviews, and claims to be based on actual events. Ships from Iran, South Korea, and Thailand are the guiltiest. Broncos QB's mom: 'Shame' on those judging my son. On April 12, snipers on the team killed the three Somali pirates holding Mr. Phillips with what military officials said was a difficult, simultaneous rifle attack. Pop pioneer recalls 'ghost town' of '80s AIDS crisis When the pirates realized they were trapped, they did plan to kill Phillips, but not in a panic. Somali pirates turned to this new business in 2012 when cargo ships started using armed security. When they recaptured Phillips, the pirates beat him up and tied him up. Accordingly, piracy is no longer a profitable business, and Steed said the number of active pirates in Somalia has dwindled to mere double-digits. Other analysts agree. Answered. ON MAY 10th pirate-busters celebrated the fact that one year had passed since a ship was successfully seized by Somali hijackers. In a failed attempt to get the pirates … They cannot go close to the Somali coast and now the pirates are close to the Seychelles." A number of Somali nationals have gone on trial in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, charged with committing piracy in the Indian Ocean. Paul and Rachel Chandler, 61 … Four pirates escaped on a lifeboat with Phillips as a hostage. In 2007, pirates killed a Chinese sailor when their ransom demands were not met. Monday, May 20, 2013. Abduwali Muse (Somali:Cabdiweli Cabdiqaadir Muuse; pronounced [ʕɑbdɪwɛli ʕɑbdɪqɑːdɪr muːsɛ]; is a Somali pirate.He is the sole survivor of the four pirates who hijacked the MV Maersk Alabama in 2009 and then held Captain Richard Phillips for ransom. The supertanker is the size of three aircraft carriers and will likely anchor in the Somali port of Eyl on the Gulf of Aden. Somali pirates have hijacked their first commercial ship in five years, after approaching the vessel and pretending to beg for water, officials said today. According to political scientist Kenneth J. Menkhaus, Somalia now is "by far the longest-running instance of state collapse in the post-colonial era." Are they still pirating, but we just don't hear much about it, or did they get stopped somehow? The legacy of nearly twenty years of inaction and abuse, though, is far more costly. The pirates of Somalia can be retrained, registered and given employment as coast guards to protect Somalia territorial waters from illegal foreign fishing trawlers. It was delivering a cargo of food aid to Somalia and Uganda. It looks like the party may be over, and the hangover will be severe for those living in Puntland.It appears that international efforts to stop the pirates from boarding any ship that came along and demanding millions in ransom is starting to pay off. Top: 8 April 2009: An American vessel is hijacked by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. info)) is a convicted Somali pirate.He is the sole survivor of four pirates who hijacked the MV Maersk Alabama in April 2009 and then held Captain Richard Phillips for ransom. Author Interviews Surviving A Somali Pirate … The pirates issued licenses to these trawlers for hundred of thousands of dollars. Others can be provided with fishing equipment and given preferential market access where they can sell their catch. A second unsuccessful hijacking attempt on the Maersk happened that same year. 16. Longest-ever Somali pirate ordeal ends for Iceberg-1 crew after two years and nine months of torture, fear and starvation. Navy SEALs took out the Somali pirates while Captain Phillips was strung up and blindfolded Ruling: Part fact, part fiction. Does the movie Captain Phillips accurately show what happened on the Maersk Alabama?. 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