Simple solution...if they don't stop...sink them in International waters!
Katharine Houreld
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NAIROBI, Kenya–A Canadian and a U.S. warship pursued Somali pirates for seven hours after they attacked a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
The chase ended when warning shots were fired at the pirates' skiff, NATO spokespeople said Sunday.
Seven pirates attempted to attack the Norwegian-flagged MV Front Ardenne late Saturday but fled after crew took evasive manoeuvres and alerted warships in the area, said Portuguese Lt. Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, aboard a warship in the Gulf of Aden, and Cmdr. Chris Davies, of NATO's maritime headquarters in England.
No shots were fired at the tanker.
Davies said the pirates sailed into the path of the Canadian warship HMCS Winnipeg, which was escorting a World Food Program delivery ship through the Gulf of Aden. The American ship USS Halyburton was also in the area and joined the chase.
Both ships deployed helicopters, and naval officers hailed the pirates over loudspeakers and finally fired warning shots to stop them, Fernandes said, but not before the pirates had dumped most of their weapons overboard. NATO forces boarded the skiff, where they found a rocket-propelled grenade, and interrogated, disarmed and released the pirates.
Prime Minister Harper congratulated the crew of HMCS Winnipeg, telling Canadian reporters at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad "they're doing tremendous work."
Harper noted that Canada has been part of NATO patrols in the Gulf of Aden for some time, in particular helping aid shipments from the World Food Program pass safely through the region.
The NATO official said the pirates cannot be prosecuted under Canadian law because they did not attack Canadian citizens or interests and the crime was not committed on Canadian territory.
"When a ship is part of NATO, the detention of person is a matter for the national authorities," Fernandes said. "It stops being a NATO issue and starts being a national issue."
The pirates' release underscores the difficulties navies have in fighting rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia. Most of the time foreign navies simply disarm and release the pirates they catch due to legal complications and logistical difficulties in transporting pirates and witnesses to court.
Pirates have attacked more than 80 boats this year alone, four times the number assaulted in 2003, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau. They now hold at least 18 ships – including a Belgian tanker seized Saturday with 10 crew aboard – and over 310 crew hostage, according to an Associated Press count.
Katharine Houreld
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NAIROBI, Kenya–A Canadian and a U.S. warship pursued Somali pirates for seven hours after they attacked a Norwegian tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
The chase ended when warning shots were fired at the pirates' skiff, NATO spokespeople said Sunday.
Seven pirates attempted to attack the Norwegian-flagged MV Front Ardenne late Saturday but fled after crew took evasive manoeuvres and alerted warships in the area, said Portuguese Lt. Cmdr. Alexandre Santos Fernandes, aboard a warship in the Gulf of Aden, and Cmdr. Chris Davies, of NATO's maritime headquarters in England.
No shots were fired at the tanker.
Davies said the pirates sailed into the path of the Canadian warship HMCS Winnipeg, which was escorting a World Food Program delivery ship through the Gulf of Aden. The American ship USS Halyburton was also in the area and joined the chase.
Both ships deployed helicopters, and naval officers hailed the pirates over loudspeakers and finally fired warning shots to stop them, Fernandes said, but not before the pirates had dumped most of their weapons overboard. NATO forces boarded the skiff, where they found a rocket-propelled grenade, and interrogated, disarmed and released the pirates.
Prime Minister Harper congratulated the crew of HMCS Winnipeg, telling Canadian reporters at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad "they're doing tremendous work."
Harper noted that Canada has been part of NATO patrols in the Gulf of Aden for some time, in particular helping aid shipments from the World Food Program pass safely through the region.
The NATO official said the pirates cannot be prosecuted under Canadian law because they did not attack Canadian citizens or interests and the crime was not committed on Canadian territory.
"When a ship is part of NATO, the detention of person is a matter for the national authorities," Fernandes said. "It stops being a NATO issue and starts being a national issue."
The pirates' release underscores the difficulties navies have in fighting rampant piracy off the coast of lawless Somalia. Most of the time foreign navies simply disarm and release the pirates they catch due to legal complications and logistical difficulties in transporting pirates and witnesses to court.
Pirates have attacked more than 80 boats this year alone, four times the number assaulted in 2003, according to the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau. They now hold at least 18 ships – including a Belgian tanker seized Saturday with 10 crew aboard – and over 310 crew hostage, according to an Associated Press count.
