Pirates' Hostages Released

Published Aug 30, 2007 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

• After being held captive for more than 80 days, the crew of the Danica White has finally been released

Somali pirates finally released the Danica White and her crew on the evening of Wednesday, August 22, after receiving a $1.5-million ransom. The crew was then sent to the nearby country of Djibouti for medical exams. A press statement by the Danish Foreign Ministry from August 23 states that all five members of the crew “appear to be in fairly good shape -- given the circumstances.”

On Friday, June 1, the Danish-flagged Danica White and its five Danish crew members were hijacked off of the coast of Somalia. The 1,563 dwt vessel was carrying 1,000 tons of building supplies from Dubai to the Mombasa port in Kenya when it was boarded by gunman more than 130 miles off the Somali coast. The hijacked ship was then spotted on the following Saturday by the Navy vessel USS Carter Hall, which fired warning shots at the Danica White, destroying three small pirate boats towed behind it, before the Navy ship had to retreat because the hijacked vessel reentered Somali waters.

On Sunday, June 24, an e-mail, apparently from Captain Niels H. Nielsen of the hijacked vessel, was sent to the Danish newspaper B.T. stating that the five-member crew was running out of food and supplies. It seems that the e-mail also mentioned the ransom sum, but the information was deliberately withheld from the public so that efforts to raise the money and the lives of the hostages were not jeopardized. However, the newspaper chose to publish the information on Saturday, July 21, after it determined that the shipowner did not have the funds to pay the ransom. Over a month later, the ransom was paid; there is no official report on who actually paid the large sum, but some speculate that a security firm provided the money.

Piracy has been increasing in Somalia since the military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overturned in 1991 by warlords. Though attacks decreased during the second half of 2006 when Islamists controlled most of southern Somalia, they have been increasing since the Islamists were expelled in January of this year. The Danish Foreign Ministry press release suggests that Denmark wants to take a proactive step in preventing piracy attacks in this area: “The hijacking of Danica White and other vessels off the Somali coast demonstrates that there is a big need for strengthening the international cooperation to combat piracy … Focus for future Danish activities consequently has to be on international cooperation. A working group comprising The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Maritime Authority, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence has been established to identify possibilities for strengthening international cooperation in combating piracy.”

• Master and Chief Engineer are released by pirates in the Malacca Strait

A Master and Chief Engineer from a Malaysian barge who were abducted by ten armed pirates in the Malacca Strait on August 13 were released on Friday, August 24, after a ransom was paid. Though this was the third pirate attack in the busy straight this year, it was the first kidnapping in the area since July 2005. The other six Indonesian crewmembers were not harmed by the pirates and the ship was later investigated in the port city of Belawan on the northeast coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.

The Piracy Report from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) for August 15-21 describes the incident in detail: “Ten pirates armed with fire arms boarded a tug towing a barge laden with steel billets. The pirates damaged all communication equipments and stole crew personal belongings and ship’s documents. The master and chief engineer were kidnapped and taken ashore. The tug and barge have anchored at the destination port. The whereabouts of the master and chief engineer [are] still unknown. Pirates have contacted owners to demand a ransom. Negotiations are underway.” The amount of the ransom paid to release the two hostages has still not been disclosed.

The Malacca Strait is an important waterway for the world’s commerce -- more than 50% of the world’s oil is carried by the more than 65,000 vessels that travel the strait each year. About a third of world’s commercial trade also travels through the waterway yearly. However, its geography makes it very susceptible to pirate attacks: it is narrow, the outlet for many rivers, and has thousands of islets where pirates can hide.

Pirate abductions were a common occurrence in the area prior to July 2005. In fact, in 2004, 40% of worldwide piracy occurred in the Malacca Strait. Since then, piracy in the area has dropped significantly because of increased patrolling by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, and new security requirements for ships traveling the area. Nevertheless, this latest attack has officials worried that it will not be a one-time occurrence. In fact, the IMB warns those traveling the strait, “Though attacks have decreased due to increased patrolling by the Littoral States, ships [are] advised to maintain strict anti piracy watches when transiting the area.”