Successful pirate ship seizures edge up from 51-53 year on year

PIRATE attacks off the Horn of Africa have increased year on year with 53 ships seized in 2010, up from 51 in 2009, said officials, who add that 31 ships, with 600 crew, are still being held.

USA Today reports that Somali pirates have changed their tactics and can now prey on ships further out at sea, enabling them to evade an international flotilla established two years ago to protect shipping lanes.

Royal Australian Navy Captain Tony Aldred, director of operations for the Combined Maritime Forces, said some pirates use a "mothership" to scout for their targets, then dispatch smaller vessels to conduct the attack.

"The pirates have actually changed the way they do business," he said. "They are operating far more broadly across an area that's about 2.5 million square miles."

There were 160 attempted attacks in 2010, up from 145 in 2009, said the Combined Maritime Forces, which oversees operations to protect commercial shipping operations.
(Source:www.schednet.com)