Saturday, August 13, 2011

Somali pirates jailed: a timeline

A gang of five Somali pirates have been jailed by a Dutch court for a violent attack on yacht off the Seychelles last year and the kidnapping of a South African couple who remain hostages. Here is a timeline of other key events in the battle against piracy in Somalia:

A courtroom sketch shows five suspected Somali pirates attending a hearing in a Rotterdam court Photo: AFP/GETTY


August 2008 – A Maritime Security Patrol Area is set up by a multinational naval task force to guard a narrow corridor within the Gulf of Aden aimed at deterring hijackings.

October 2008 – The United Nations Security Council adopts resolution 1838[46] calling on nations with vessels in the area to apply military force to repress the acts of piracy.

November 2008 – Somali pirates seize the Dubai-owned Sirius Star, an oil-laden supertanker, along with 25 crew, including two Britons. They are held captive on the ship for almost two months before being released along with it for a $3 million ransom.

November 2008 – Colin Freeman, the Sunday Telegraph's chief foreign correspondent, is sent to Somalia to report on the growing threat and is kidnapped along with José Cendon, a Spanish photographer. The pair spent 40 days as hostages in various caves in Somalia's dauntingly arid interior. Both men were later released unharmed.

October 2009 – British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler, sailing from the Seychelles towards Tanzania on their yacht the Lynn Rival are kidnapped by Somali pirates. The couple, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, are kept on land and periodically allowed to speak to family and media. In a video released in February 2010, a frail-looking Mrs Chandler warns: "We have not much time left."

December 2009 – A Greek-owned supertanker, the Maran Centaurus, carrying an estimated £50 million worth of Saudi oil bound for the US is seized nearly 800 miles east of Somalia by nine pirates in two skiffs.

April 2010 – Cruise ship passengers on the P&O ships Aurora and Arcadia are told to observe blackouts to protect against pirates as they sail through the Gulf of Aden. The CIA hint at possible covert and overt action against Somali pirates.

June 2010 – The five Somali pirates indited by a Dutch court for hijacking three South Africans become the first to go on trial in Europe for piracy. The yacht's skipper, Peter Eldridge, managed to escape and was rescued on November 7. A couple named by South African media as Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz are still being held by Somali pirates at an unknown location.

November 2010 – Paul and Rachel Chandler are released after a reported £600,000 ransom is paid.

January 2011 – A ship named The Spirit of Adventure and carrying 350 Saga passengers is chased across the Indian Ocean by Somali pirates. Guests who had been enjoying dinner en route to Zanzibar were ordered to take shelter as the would-be hijackers' speedboard drew alongside. But the ship was able to outpace the pirates and dinner was resumed.

February 2011 – Four Americans are killed aboard their yacht, Quest, as a nearby US naval ship negotiated for their release. 14 Somalis and a Yemeni are now facing trial in the US over the incident.

Source: The Telegraph

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