US Navy says fired at pirates in Danish ship hijack

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

US Navy says fired at pirates in Danish ship hijack
Wed 6 Jun 2007, 13:06 GMT

LONDON, June 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. navy said on Wednesday
one of its warships fired warning shots at a Danish ship hijacked
by pirates off Somalia last week, but was forced to abandon
chase after it entered Somali waters.

The navy said the USS Carter Hall fired warning shots across the
bow of the Danish-flagged Danica White captured by militia with
five Danish crew aboard on Saturday.

"She fired several warning shots and fired disabling shots at three
schiffs (small boats) in tow behind the White and pretty much
destroyed the schiffs," Lieutenant Denise Garcia, of the U.S.
navy's Fifth Fleet in the Gulf said.

The schiffs were used by the armed pirates to board the merchant
vessel, Garcia said. There were no casualties.

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Read more: http://africa.reuters.com/country/SO/news/usnL06214228.html

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Source: Reuters

Somali pirates kill ship crew member-maritime source
Mon 4 Jun 2007, 5:19 GMT

NAIROBI, June 4 (Reuters) - Somali pirates holding a Taiwan-flagged
fishing vessel have killed one of its crew members because the ship's
owners were not giving in to demands for a ransom, a Kenyan maritime
representative said on Monday.

The pirates killed their captive on Saturday and have threatened to
take the life of another if their demands are not met, said Andrew
Mwangura, director of the Kenyan-based East African Seafarers
Assistance Programme.

The ship, named Ching Fong Hwa 168, was captured in mid-May and
had two Taiwanese and 14 Chinese crew members on board. It was
not clear if a Taiwanese or Chinese crew member had died.

"Since they took her captive, there has been communication between
the owners and the captors but it seems that the owner wasn't
cooperative," Mwangura told Reuters by telephone from the Kenyan
port of Mombasa.

-snip-

Read more: http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL04133185.html