Somali pirates hijack Spanish fishing vessel

October 12th, 2009 Suspected Somali pirates taken to SpainMADRID — The Defense Ministry says two Somalis arrested for allegedly taking part in the hijacking of a Spanish trawler have been brought to Madrid and placed in custody. The two are suspected of helping in the Oct.

October 10th, 2009 Seychelles captures 11 suspected piratesPARIS — French soldiers successfully defended two fishing boats from capture by pirates in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, and 11 men suspected of involvement in the failed attack were pursued at sea and captured, officials said. The chain of events illustrated the teamwork in the international community to crack down on piracy in the Indian Ocean, where pirates cruise the waters searching for boats to hijack for ransoms.

October 7th, 2009 Somali pirates attack French military vesselPARIS — Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said. The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates.

October 6th, 2009 Spain: 2 pirate suspects to be brought to MadridMADRID — A Spanish official says two men captured in connection with the hijacking of a Spanish tuna boat in the Indian Ocean will be brought to Madrid on orders from a judge. The official in the Defense Ministry says the two suspects will be transported to Madrid as soon as possible.

October 4th, 2009 Spain: hijacked fishing boat makes port in SomaliaMADRID — A hijacked trawler has been taken to port in Somalia with pirates still in charge of the vessel, the Spanish government said Sunday. The Spanish-owned fishing boat Alakrana was hijacked by pirates early Friday.

October 3rd, 2009 Spain says 36-man crew on hijacked boat safeMADRID — A trawler hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean has been spotted by navy aircraft and the 36-man crew is safe, the Spanish government said Saturday. Defense Ministry spokesman Constantino Mendez said the Spanish warship Canarias was heading toward the tuna-fishing vessel and was expected to sight the fishing boat before the pirates could reach port in Somalia.

October 2nd, 2009 Pirates hijack Spanish boat with 36-member crewMADRID — A Spanish official says pirates have hijacked a Spanish tuna trawler in the Indian Ocean. Pilar Unzalu, the Basque region's fisheries and agriculture minister, says the vessel Alakrana based in the Basque port of Bermeo was commandeered early Friday.

October 2nd, 2009 Spanish boat attacked by pirates in Indian OceanMADRID — Pirates attacked a Spanish tuna trawler Friday in the Indian Ocean and contact with the vessel has been lost, the ship's owner said. Echebastar Fleet, based in Spain's Basque region, said the ship Alakrana was carrying a crew of 36.

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.

August 18th, 2009 Egyptian fisherman fought pirates with Somali helpCAIRO — The owner of one of two kidnapped Egyptian fishing vessels used Somali militia men and a portion of the demanded ransom to rescue the crews from pirates, said the owner of the second boat Tuesday. Hassan Khalil, the owner of fishing vessel Momtaz 1, persuaded the pirates to let him on his boat after giving a down payment of $200,000 to the pirates' leaders, said Mohammad Nasr, who owns the other vessel and was in contact with his colleague.

August 18th, 2009 Pirate-fighting Egypt boat owner gets hero welcomeCAIRO — The owner of an Egyptian fishing vessel whose crew overpowered pirates off the Somali coast received a hero's welcome at the Cairo Airport Tuesday after flying home from Yemen. According to colleagues, the Hassan Khalil orchestrated a dramatic ruse to rescue his employees using a ransom as bait and backed up by squads of locally Somali hired gunmen.

August 11th, 2009 Somali pirates make expense claim for holding shipNAIROBI, Kenya — A Somali governor says no ransom was paid for the release of an Italian tug boat that pirates held for four months. But Sanag Governor Mohamed Said Nur told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the pirates were paid $270,000 for food and other supplies used to sustain the 16-member crew of the Buccaneer since April.

August 3rd, 2009 EU says Somali pirates release German shipBERLIN — A European Union naval spokesman says Somali pirates have released a German vessel after a ransom was paid. British Royal Navy Cmdr John Harbour says the ship, which had been held nearly four months, was released after the ransom was paid around lunchtime.

August 3rd, 2009 Somali pirates receive ransom for German shipNAIROBI, Kenya — A European Union naval spokesman says Somali pirates have received a ransom to release a German vessel they have been holding for more than three months. Morten Gramberg declined to give any other details about the ransom or when the Hansa Stavanger would be released.

May 6th, 2009 Somali pirates hijack German-owned shipNAIROBI, Kenya — A U.S. Navy spokesman says Somali pirates have hijacked a German-owned ship with its 11 Romanian crew members in the Gulf of Aden.