The most dramatic news is that Kenya is attempting to seize Kismayo, a port in Southeastern Somalia, frequently used by pirates. They are after the rebel faction El Shabaab, but they have blockaded the port, and hopefully they will also shut down some of the criminal enterprise.

Over the last two weeks, two tankers have been hijacked, one of the Atlantic coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea and one in the Gulf of Aden. Petroleum tanker (HALIFAX), with a crew of 25, was hijacked 29 October approximately 62 nm southwest of Bonny, Nigeria. Vessel had been waiting for berthing instructions. Reportedly it has already been released. Tanker (LIQUID VELVET) with a crew of 22 was hijacked by six pirates on 31 October approximately 55 nm southeast of Aden, Yemen. The crew locked themselves in the citadel, but the pirates were able to breach it.

A small fishing vessel with a crew of two and two tourist on board been reported seized near the Seychelles.

Apparently for the first time in the history of the modern Somali piracy, fishermen have retaken their vessel, after it had been seized 260 nm SW of the Seychelles. Fate of the six pirates is unknown after they “fell into the sea.” Thirteen of the 28 crewmen of the Taiwanese F/V Chin Yi Wen were injured, three seriously.

At least four attacks off the coast of Somalia were thwarted by armed security teams.

The US State Department has directed their personnel to encourage the hiring of private armed security guards for ships transiting areas of known pirate activity.

In an area that used to be a piracy hot spot, a barge underway in Indonesian waters was hijacked 26 Oct., but it was recovered before pirates could tow it away, and a tanker (NAUTICA JOHOR BAHRU) was hijacked 27 Oct. while underway in the Singapore Straits, but pirates fled when Malaysian Navy and Indonesian vessels intercepted.

gCaptain has an analysis of the relationships between risk and the cost of insurance, noting that while risks appear to be declining, the cost of insurance is still going up.

gCaptain also provides a look at what has happened to some of the most unfortunate of the ships’ crewmembers, who have apparently been abandoned by the ship owners, and their flag state.

Not truly piracy since it is happening on internal waters, but attacks on two Chinese ships that resulted in the brutal murder of 13 sailors, as the latest and most outrageous example of lawlessness on the Mekong River, are getting a lot of attention in that part of the world and appear to be prompting cooperation between the four countries involved–China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Laos.