For the past three years, pirates have become a real problem. Since 2005, many international organizations have expressed concern over the rise in acts of piracy. These acts of piracy have been taking place in the Gulf of Aden, which is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the coast of the Arabian peninsula and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. It is now known as "Pirate Alley".
For the most part, the pirates are former Somali fisherman who were fed up with illegal fishing and toxic-waste dumping occuring off their shores. While these sea bandits have been a thorn at the side of international shipping, at home, they are seen as modern-day Robin Hoods. Villages that were once malnourished, are now well fed. Pirates have received ransoms of 2-3 million dollars for hijacked ships. Fact of the matter is, in Somalia, crime pays. There have been over 30 piracy attacks. On April 4, 200x, pirates have commandeered a French luxury yacht in the Gulf of Aden along with its 34 crew members. On August 21, 200x, a dry cargo ship going from China to the Netherlands with 40,000 tons of iron ore, a crew of 29, and an Iranian flag was hijacked in international waters in the Gulf. The pirates received a $2.5 million ransom for the Japanese chemical tanker Stolt Valo which was seized on September 15, 2008. The rise in attacks have led the U.N. Security Council to draft a resolution allowing foreign governments to pursue pirate vessels into Somalias territorial waters and make arrests.
"Gulf of Aden". Wikipedia. 2009-02-23. Retrieved on 2009-02-26.
"Piracy in Somalia". Wikipedia. 2009-02-25. Retrieved on 2009-02-25
"Pirates Grab Cargo Ships Off Somalia Coast". CNN. 2008-05-29. Retrieved on 2009-02-26
"The Pirates Have Seized The Ship". GQ. Retrieved on 2009-03-03
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