Russian warship frees 8 Iranian citizens seized along with pirates

September 1st, 2009 MOSCOW/ISLAMABAD - Investigations into the hijacking of a Russian warship in April by Somali pirates show that Pakistani nationals played an important role in the hijack. Twelve Pakistanis had been apprehended along with the Somali pirates.

July 8th, 2009 Somali pirates board Turkish ship in Gulf of AdenNAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates seized a Turkish ship with 23 crew on Wednesday and are being shadowed by a Turkish warship in the Gulf of Aden, a shipping official and NATO spokesman said. The pirates first surrounded the Horizon-1 in speed boats and then boarded the ship, which is carrying sulfate from Saudi Arabia to Jordan, according to Omer Ozgur of Istanbul-based Horizon Shipping.

June 22nd, 2009 NATO thwarts pirate attack off SomaliaBRUSSELS — Pirates tried to hijack a Singaporean freighter off Somalia on Monday, but they were chased down and captured by a NATO warship, the alliance said. The MV Maersk Phoenix freighter issued an emergency call when it was attacked by the pirates, who were armed with AK-47 automatic rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, NATO said.

May 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian Navy's warship INS Talwar has thwarted a piracy attempt against a merchant vessel carrying Indian crew in the Gulf of Aden and nabbed six pirates, a naval official said here Friday. INS Talwar Thursday afternoon received a distress call from a Liberian flag vessel MV Maud that eight pirates were approaching the ship in a skiff.

May 2nd, 2009 NAIROBI - Somali pirates have hijacked a Malta-flagged ship with 28 Ukrainian crew on board in the Indian Ocean, a maritime official said Saturday. The Malta-flagged MV Ariana was seized late Friday, Andrew Mwangura, East Africa Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Programme, said.

April 29th, 2009 Report: Russian ship seizes 29 suspected piratesMOSCOW — Russian news agencies, citing the nation's Defense Ministry, say a Russian warship has seized a vessel with 29 suspected pirates on board off the coast of Somalia. RIA Novosti and other agencies say a Russian anti-submarine vessel seized the ship on Tuesday along with automatic rifles, pistols and ammunition found on board.

April 28th, 2009 MADRID - An Indian warship along with a French warship and a Spanish frigate intercepted and arrested nine alleged pirates suspected of attacking the Italian cruise ship MS Melody, media reports said. The operation took place Sunday north of the Seychelles when the alleged pirates were detected near the position where the attack on the MS Melody took place late Saturday.

April 28th, 2009 MOSCOW - The crew of a Russian tanker has successfully repelled an attack by pirates off the Somali coast, the Russian maritime journal Sovfrakht reported Tuesday. The NS Commander tanker, partly owned by Russia's Novoship company and sailing under the Liberian flag, was attacked Monday by three pirate boats about 120 miles east of the Yemeni island of Sokotra.

April 22nd, 2009 French warship carrying 11 pirate suspects docksMOMBASA, Kenya — A French naval frigate carrying 11 suspected pirates has docked in the Kenyan port of Mombasa. French officials say the suspects handed over to Kenya on Wednesday will be tried for their alleged attack on the Liberian cargo ship Safmarine Asia last week.

April 18th, 2009 MOGADISHU - NATO forces Saturday freed 20 people taken hostage by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden last week, a media report said. A Dutch warship in a NATO anti-piracy mission freed 20 Yemeni hostages from a vessel that was captured by the pirates last week, the report quoted a NATO spokesperson as saying.

April 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US captain kidnapped by Somali pirates has been freed, according to the US broadcaster CNN Sunday. The exact circumstance of the release of Richard Phillips, kidnapped Wednesday when pirates attempted to seize his cargo ship, were unclear.

April 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States is gearing up for a standoff with the band of Somali pirates who hijacked a US-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, as a Navy warship reportedly arrived at the scene early on Thursday. The crew of the Maersk Alabama were able to regain control of the vessel on Wednesday, but the pirates escaped with the captain as captive, FOX News reported.

March 20th, 2009 ATHENS - Pirates seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia late Thursday, Greece's merchant marine ministry said. The Saint-Vincent-flagged cargo ship Titan, with 24 crew, was loaded with steel and was reportedly sailing from the Black Sea when pirates seized the ship off Somalia.

January 4th, 2009 PARIS - A French warship Sunday foiled attacks by Somali pirates on two commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the French president's office said. Patrolling off the Somali coast, the French warship 'Jean de Vienne' captured 19 Somali pirates when they tried to seize a Croatian freighter and a Panamanian cargo ship.

December 22nd, 2008 DJIBOUTI - A German Navy frigate left its base in Djibouti Tuesday to join the European Union (EU's) anti-piracy mission off Somalia. German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung officially sent off the frigate Karlsruhe, saying the warship carrying 220 sailors was authorised to use force to seize ships seized by pirates operating off the Somali coast.