Somali piracy on the rise
- Details
- Category: Maritime News Editors Articles
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15 Mar 2012
- Written by Infomarine On Line
Ransom payments to Somali pirates have contributed to an increase in piracy and the use of more sophisticated methods by seafaring marauders, according to the State Department's top expert on counter-piracy.
Pirates increasingly are kidnapping the entire crews of hijacked commercial vessels, which they then use as "mother ships" to hold their hostages and resupply smaller attack vessels, said Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs.
