Capn_Enigma

Troops rescue hostages, capture pirates MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Security forces in northern Somalia stormed a hijacked ship Tuesday, rescuing hostages and arresting seven pirates, officials said. Three people were wounded in the operation, said Abdullahi Said Samatar, security affairs minister in Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region. It was not immediately clear if the injured were hostages or pirates. Read more.

Presumed pirates take fishing boat off Somalia MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Another vessel has been hijacked off the coast of Somalia, this time a Spanish tuna fishing boat, a senior Spanish Foreign Ministry official told CNN on Sunday. "We presume pirates," the official said, but said he could not confirm news reports that four pirates were involved in the assault. Read more.

Nigeria the new pirate capital of world KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Pirate attacks rose worldwide in the first quarter of the year, with Nigeria overtaking Indonesia as the country worst plagued by sea bandits, a global maritime watchdog said Wednesday. Seafarers suffered 49 attacks between January and March around the world, up 20 percent from the 41 recorded in the same period last year, the International Maritime Bureau said in a report by its piracy reporting center in Malaysia. Read more.

Yeah. Haha. Very funny.

Have you read the part about the 2 MegaBucks ransom? I guess it does pay to be merciful...

Pirates release French yacht crew The crew of a French yacht held by pirates near Somalia have been freed, President Nicolas Sarkozy has said. Read more.

In those days, buccaneers /pirates were looked upon by the general population in the same way as terrorists are looked upon today. With all the torturing, disembowelling, "woolding" etc. of prisoners to make them reveal their money or valuable information, you would not expect anything less, though.

France talks with pirates holding yacht, sends troops MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- France has made contact with pirates who hijacked a French luxury yacht off Africa's eastern coast with 30 crew members on board, the French foreign minister said Sunday. About 10 suspected pirates stormed the 288-foot Le Ponant on Friday as it was returning, without passengers, from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. The pirates then guided the vessel down Somalia's eastern coast. The hijacking comes amid a surge in piracy in the seas off the chaotic Horn of Africa nation, where a weak and impoverished government is unable to patrol its territorial waters. Pirates have seized more than two dozen ships off the country's coast in the past year, typically demanding high ransoms to free their hostages. Read more here and here.

Pirates seize French cruise ship PARIS, France (AP) -- Pirates seized control of a French cruise ship Friday off the coast of Somalia, France's Foreign Ministry said. A ministry official said details about the attack were scarce, and it was not clear how many crew members were on board the ship or if there were any passengers. The ship is in the high seas in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. More here.

I was hoping for something a little better than that from you, Sir. A man of your education.

Is that the same movie industry that puts leather tricorns, knee- high boots and hair beadwork on fictional Captains? Great source for authenticity, then.

I am not talking about historically accurate pirate movies. When I go into a theatre, I am already in "suspension of disbelief mode". Any props that are GaoP correct, fine. But I am not looking for any tiny mistake, going like Nelson from the "Simpsons": "Haha!". Otherwise, one could never enjoy masterpieces like the "Crimson Buccaneer", "Pirates!" or "Swashbuckler". But... and here comes the catch... if a major (as in MAJOR) studio like Disney screws up POTC, as they almost done in part 3, the outcome can be quite disastrous to the genre. Remember Carolco? MAJOR studio, big league player in the 70s, 80s and 90s with blockbusters like "Total Recall", "Terminator 2", "Basic Instinct". Enter Renny Harlin and the script for "Cutthroat Island". Wham! There goes Carolco! Movie's budget: 100 Megabucks, gross income: 10 Megabucks. Biggest loss in cinematic history. And for the next almost 10 years, each movie producer would say when confronted with a pirate script: "I guess we'd rather not. Think of Carolco." Not that Disney could happen the same. Even with a loss twice as big, they probably will still live to film another day. But perhaps they should have a reeeeeeaaaaal long creative pause to think up an innovative script. Just putting the same characters and the same phrases ("Why's the rum gone?") into a blender and hope for a new taste won't do. Oh, and before anyone starts off about poor misunderstood "Cutthroat Island": I do like the damn flick.

"probable" 4th film... ;-) Noted, love. Here's to hoping. Hoping for what? That Disney kills pirate movies dead dead dead for good on their fourth attempt? So that no director of renown touches a pirate- related script with a ten feet boathook for years to come? Have we yet forgotten the calm after "Cutthroat Island"? The dire warnings after the third POTC piece did not suffice, did they? But you're right, the hope dies last.

The Germany based company SkySails installs the "Beluga Skysails 3" with a 160 square meter kite system to help save fuel. Read more here and here.

Pirates release Japanese tanker Pirates released a Japanese tanker and its 22 crew members off the Somali coast Wednesday and all the crew are unharmed, a U.S. Navy spokesman said. The 6,253-ton chemical tanker Golden Nori was seized off Africa six weeks ago The Golden Nori, carrying crew from Myanmar, the Philippines and South Korea, was seized in late October off the east coast of Somalia. One of the two South Korean crew members escaped and was rescued by a passing vessel in early November. Read more.