cargo ships news stories on Newser

Maersk Alabama Repels 2nd Pirate Attack

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:30:23 CST

Somali pirates today attacked the Maersk Alabama for the second time in seven months, but guards on board the US-flagged cargo ship repelled the takeover attempt. When pirates attacked with automatic weapons early this morning about 350 nautical miles east of the Somali coast, guards on board the craft fired...

Air Force Ship Becomes Artificial Reef Off Fla. Keys

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:40:32 CDT

Demolition experts sank an Air Force ship this morning to create an artificial reef in the Florida Keys, the AP reports. The 17,000-ton, WWII-era cargo ship took less than 2 minutes to sink after a series of explosions. The new "reef" is expected to bring in about $8 million...

Somali Pirates Seize German Ship, 11 Crew

Wed, 06 May 2009 08:59:21 CDT

Somali pirates have hijacked a German cargo ship carrying a crew of 11 in the Gulf of Aden, the latest seizure by high-seas bandits who are holding hundreds of merchant mariners hostage, the AP reports.The MV Victoria was captured yesterday 75 miles south of Yemen. There is no information...

Somali Pirates Release Togo Ship, Score $100K Ransom

Matt Cantor — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:54:40 CDT

Somali pirates have released a Togo-flagged cargo ship that was to deliver food aid to their own country, the BBC reports, but only after securing a ransom rumored to be $100,000. “Somali traders were involved in the release,” a pirate source told Reuters. They paid “not more than $100,...

US Military May Strike Pirates on Land

Katherine Thompson — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:27:00 CDT

One way for the US to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden is to cut it off at the source, targeting Somali pirate land bases. Coupled with economic and food aid for Somalia’s citizens, this plan is the only “silver-bullet solution,” an analyst tells Bloomberg. Such a strategy hearkens...

Pirates Seize 21 Americans on Cargo Ship off Somalia

Matt Cantor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 06:17:32 CDT

After a sustained 5-hour attack off the coast of northern Somalia overnight, pirates have hijacked a US-flagged cargo ship with 21 crew members aboard, the BBC reports. A Kenya-based diplomat identified the vessel as the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama, reports the AP, and said all the crew members are American....

S. Korean Ship Missing After Collision

Matt Cantor — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:12:26 CDT

A South Korean freighter remains missing after it collided with a Panamanian cargo ship off Japan early this morning, AFP reports. Japanese rescuers are searching for the vessel, which was carrying 16 sailors. “We believe the ship probably sank,” said a coast guard official. “We found an empty raft. But...

Hit Pirates With Somalia Blockade

Nick McMaster — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:18:00 CST

The Somali pirates terrorizing shipping lanes are clever, Peter Fromuth writes in the Washington Post , but their biggest advantages are those pirates have enjoyed throughout history: “big seas, many prey, and few protectors.” There are too many targets for warships to mount effective patrols on open waters. Instead, the UN...

Pirates Discuss Ransom for Arms Shipment

Nick McMaster — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:23:04 CDT

The Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukranian ship carrying a weapons shipment are in ransom negotiations with the vessel’s owners, the BBC reports. No governments are involved in the talks, sources said. The pirates seem to be flexible: They initially asked for a $35 million ransom, then $20 million, and...