Posted on 07/18/2009 10:39:12 PM PDT by myknowledge
SOMALI pirates fired in the air in jubilation after receiving a $1.8 million ransom in exchange for the release of a German-owned vessel and its 11-member crew. Somali sea gangs, operating in the strategic shipping lanes linking Asia and Europe, have made millions of dollars in ransom from hijacking vessels in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
"We have taken a $1.8 million ransom and released the German ship," pirate Ahmed said from a lair in the town of Eyl on the Somali coast. The 146-metre MV Victoria, an Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel, was hijacked by eight pirates in the Gulf of Aden on May 5 while on its way to the port of Jeddah.
A German foreign ministry official confirmed the Victoria's release. The East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said the eleven Romanian crew were well, and the vessel was being monitored by aircraft as it made its way north from Somalia.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytelegraph.com.au ...
I guess they figured there were no SEALs around to turn their heads into canoes, so they could get away with it.
Where’s that slide from South Park? One of the funniest episodes ever.
When you pay the ransom, you tell the bastards that they should take more hostages cuz you’ll pay the ransom again. The rule is - never negotiate with terrorists. Never pay ransom. No matter who they capture.
That’s right. No negotiations with terrorists or pirates, whatsoever. Period.
Not just the knowledge of being paid again, but what German equipment upgrades can they invest the 1.8 mil for the next heist?
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