piracy 111009
On the homepage
Sunday's paper
Out There
Reusse/Souhan
Schools
Somali pirates seize cargo ship with 22 Greek, Filipino sailors on board, EU naval force says
Print this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on Facebook
Share on Digg
Minnesota business by the numbers
See Minnesota's top earning companies, CEOs and non-profits
More from Business
NAIROBI, Kenya - Somali pirates on Wednesday seized a cargo ship in the Indian Ocean with 22 crew members on board, the European Union Naval Force said.
Naval spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour said that there are three Greeks and 19 Filipinos among the crew of the Greek-owned Filitsa. The ship is registered in the Marshall Islands.
A press release by the EU said the ship was taken 400 miles (640 kilometers) northeast of the island nation of the Seychelles. It had been heading for the South African port of Durban but has now turned around and is heading north.
Pirates have increased their attacks since the end of the monsoon season last month. They are now holding at least 12 ships and more than 200 hostages. Three ships have been seized in the last week alone.
Pirates can often command multimillion-dollar ransoms for the release of the vessels they capture, a fortune in impoverished Somalia. The failed state has not had a functioning government for a generation and its lawless coastline provides a perfect pirate haven.
Recent Business stories
Georgia task force: Finding new water will take money, longer than 2012 deadline on Lanier - November 11, 2009
Georgia task force: Finding new water will take money, longer than 2012 deadline on Lanier - There are plenty of ways that Georgia can quench metro Atlanta's thirst if the city is cut off from its main reservoir. But most options are costly and, according to a Georgia water task force, none would provide enough water for the city to meet a federal judge's 2012 deadline. More
- Toyota replacing some 4M gas pedals that could jam
- 2 charged with running $190M Ponzi scheme
- FDA says Cheerios health claims lack evidence
- Minnesota's banks are bruised, but healing
- No verdict; Petters jury to resume deliberations Monday
- Jobless claims dip, spending up in sign of rebound
- 'Good Morning America' cancels Lambert
Blog: Patent Pending
Lights out at U energy conference. Irony police notified.
Just as Lawrence Kazmerski, a top official at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was about to give the keynote address at the University of Minnesota's annual E3 conference at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, the lights went out, bathing the audience in darkness and a deep sense of irony.
Comment on this story | Read all 3 comments | Hide reader comments