Somalian Pirates Hijack Oil Tanker Bound for the U.S.

The M/V Maran Centaurus, a 300,000-ton tanker, was commandeered about 600 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles, on its way to New Orleans, Louisiana from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by Somalian Pirates

Attacks in the region have significantly increased this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors shipping crimes. But successful attacks have gone down as a result of a strong presence of international monitors. From January 1 through September 30, pirates worldwide mounted 306 attacks, compared with 293 in all of 2008, it said. More than half of this year's attacks were carried out by suspected Somali pirates off the east coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping route between Yemen and Somalia.

Though there seems to be more international monitors, the attacks have increased. I think the Somalian government should crack down on their piracy problems because over half these crimes were carried out by Somali pirates.

The Old Man and the Fee

On April 7, Somalian pirates once again attempted to hijack a ship on it's normal route so they could hold the crew for ransom. The only difference from previous hijackings, is that this ship was being run by an American crew. This is the first time in a couple of centuries that pirates like this have attacked a United States' crew and cargo. The ship, the Maersk Alabama, carried food supplies and other aid like materials that were to be used to help different communities in the Kenyan port of Mombosa. However, the hijacking didn't go as planned and the American crew, along with American Naval Officers stationed near the Somalian coast, have taken back the ship and thwarted most of the pirates' plans. Yet, there's a problem. Before the skirmish was over, the captain of the Maersk, Captain Richard Phillips, allowed himself to be taken by the pirates so as to save his crew. Four of the pirates took him on one of the Maersk's lifeboats and are holding him hostage until their demands are met. The United States Navy and the FBI Hostage Negotiations Unit are both working to negotiate Captain Phillips' safe return. But the pirate's are "desperate" according the the USA Today article. Desperation causes people to do stupid things and it's very likely that Captain Phillips' life is at stake. This represents the first serious, albeit small, "security risk" for the Obama administration. I'm not aware of how much power each person of the government has in these type of situations, but what should the person calling the shots do in this type of situation? If you pay the ransom, you not only let the pirates get away, but you also encourage repeat attempts because they know it pays off. If you don't pay the ransom, sure you capture the pirates and discourage future attempts, but you would be putting the good captain in serious risk and also risk the lives of the pirates themselves. The press would have a field day if they knew the US forces allowed the captain to be killed in order to not pay a ransom. How much is an American citizen worth to the the United States government? How much are pirates lives worth? I would personally try to pay the ransom (there's an interesting article on how they do that here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7752813.stm) secure the hostage, then take the pirates before they escape...but even that's really messy and there's no telling what the pirates will do. It all comes down to how much the pirates want to survive this incident.
Also, pirate attacks have been increasing (especially off the Somalian Coast) with this being the sixth hijack attempt this week! Why is this not a major concern at things like the G20 conference when it is obviously hindering trade and travel?