Word: shippings
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...billion budget proposal for 2010 that calls for killing some of the military's most cherished weapons in favor of less high-tech gear better suited for the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and the most likely future conflicts. "You don't need," he said, "a $5 billion ship to go after pirates." (Read "Gates Takes Aim at Military Pork...
...more difficult than boarding a moving bus," says Vikas Kapoor, a former chief officer on a Hong Kong-registered container ship, of the frequent hijackings he witnessed and heard of in the Gulf of Aden during his stint onboard last year. "The pirates come at you firing rocket launchers. You can outpace them if you're a fast, high-decked container. Otherwise you'll have to slow down or risk being blown up. Then they'll bring out their ladders, climb onto your deck, guns in hand, and it's all over in seven to eight minutes." Describing the passage...
...been taken hostage lately, India has been on the forefront in dealing with hostage situations off the Somali coast, particularly after the Hong Kong-registered MT Stolt Valor was hijacked in September of last year along with its crew of 22, including 18 Indians. The wife of the ship's Indian captain, Seema Goyal, waged a high-profile battle with the help of the media and the NUSI until the hostages were freed two months later. "I knew I would have to create pressure to get the government to act," says Goyal. "Otherwise, who cares about sailors from Asian countries...
...approach worked. The Indian authorities "facilitated" negotiations between the pirates and the ship's owners, and the crew was released for an undisclosed ransom, believed to be much lower than the $6 million the pirates had initially demanded. At the same time, the Indian navy sent a warship, the INS Tabar, to the Gulf of Aden - for the first time deploying a warship in an offensive role in international waters. For close to 20 days, the INS Tabar escorted some 35 ships to safety, including non-Indian-flagged vessels, but it accidentally shot down a hijacked Thai trawler that...
India has been able to benefit from its large and well-armed navy, but not all Asian countries have such military capability. Though nearly half the hostages held by Somali pirates are Filipino, the Philippine government has been unable to influence ship owners to negotiate ransoms or take military action. The International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) in the Philippines says 122 Filipino seafarers are currently being held captive, which includes the 23 onboard the MV Stolt Strength, a Japanese-owned chemical tanker that was hijacked on Nov. 10 last year. ISAC secretary-general Joseph Entero says the ship's owner...