New Year Begins With 2 Ships Hijacked

It is not a good sign for piracy in 2010 when on the first day of the year, two ships are hijacked. From the Washington Post.

A British-flagged cargo ship and a chemical tanker from Singapore have both been hijacked by pirates in the perilous waters off the coast of Somalia, officials said Saturday.

The Asian Glory highjacking happened late Friday roughly 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) east of Somalia, said Commander John Harbour, a spokesman with the European Union task force charged with combating piracy off Somalia.

That same day, the Singaporean-flagged Pramoni, a chemical tanker with a crew of 24, was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest waterways.

That is the third hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Aden in the last couple weeks, which is odd because before those three there had not been a hijacking in the Gulf of Aden since July. It raises questions regarding what has changed. Are the pirates using new tactics, tools, or techniques to get on ships in the Gulf of Aden? Is it a weather issue? Had pirates stopped trying to attack ships in the Gulf of Aden but only recently returned?

Are there fewer ships right now part of the international coalition and that has decreased the speed which naval forces can respond to an attack? I do not know the answer, but two hijackings is not a good way to begin the year.

See more information on the M/V Pramoni hijacking here.