Piracy Update: Ransom payments, rescue and China warships

Piracy Update: Ransom payments, rescue and China warships .

The International Chamber of Commerce and the International Marine Bureau provide an interactive map showing all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Center during 2008. The live version of the map is available here

Ongoing AmericanShipper.com Gulf of Aden coverage •   Ransom payments, rescue and China warships •   U.N. authorizes additional anti-piracy measures •   Defensive device misused in pirate takeover •   Indian Navy nabs pirates as EU force arrives •   U.S. prepares U.N. anti-piracy resolution •   Box ship outruns pirates(12/8) •   Analysis: Experts predict increased Somali pirate attacks(12/3) •   CMA CGM crews to get bonus for Gulf of Aden trips (12/3) •   Security firm Blackwater reportedly meeting with ship owners (12/2) Guards, overwhelmed by Somali pirates, abandon ship (12/1) •   TMT opts for Good Hope route (11/25) INTERTANKO, BIMCO propose Somali blockade (11/24) •   U.N. passes financial sanctions on Somali pirates (11/21) More carriers vow to avoid area around Somalia (11/21) •   Pentagon asks ocean carriers to do more to tackle piracy (11/20) Hong Kong ship owners call for action on piracy (11/20) •   Saudi mega-tanker still under pirates' control (11/18) Parcel tanker operator will avoid Gulf of Aden (11/17) •   Security firm warns against arming crew to fight piracy (10/16) Call for more action on Somalia pirates (10/10) •   British naval officer advocates mercenaries to fight piracy (10/9) UN passes new Somali piracy resolution with little bite (10/8) •   Ship owners livid with naval response to Gulf of Aden piracy (10/30) Naval coalition 'cannot guarantee safety' in Gulf of Aden (9/23) •   Piracy crisis “spiraling out of control” (9/19) Kidnapping insurer sees upsurge in interest by shipping companies (9/12) •   Hong Kong ship owners blast lack of piracy protection in Gulf of Aden(9/12)

U.S. military officials said pirates holding a Ukrainian vessel full of armaments are expected to be paid millions of dollars in cash during the coming days as ransom to release the ship and its 20-person crew, U.S. military officials said, CNN reported on its Web site.
   The pirates, who captured the Fainia in the Gulf of Aden in late September, are demanding $20 million, according to the Kenyan Seafarers Association. U.S. officials said they did not know how much ransom will be paid by the ship owner.   
   The ship is carrying Russian-built tanks, artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms. Kenya had bought the arms from Ukraine. U.S. vessels have been closely monitoring the Belize-registered Fainia to make sure none of the armaments are released ashore to Somali warlords.
   On Wednesday, a multinational naval force rescued the crew of a Chinese cargo ship from Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, according to news reports.
   About 30 crew members aboard the Zhenhua 4, a heavy lift ship registered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, barricaded themselves in the ship’s accommodation room as nine pirates boarded the vessel, they said, attributing the information to the Kenyan Seafarers Association.
   The crew radioed for help, and a coalition warship and two helicopters responded, firing on the pirates and forcing them from the ship about five hours after they boarded.
   The rescue is one of the first times that coalition forces have used force to reverse a hijacking in the area.
   On Thursday, Somali pirates captured a Malaysian tugboat
   Meanwhile, China said it would send warships to join the international effort to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Earlier this week the United Nations authorized nations to take all means necessary at sea and on land to stop pirate attacks.