Media Coverage

Modern-Day Pirates Propelled by Recent Success

John Kimball was recently interviewed by New York’s Daily News concerning the recent pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia.  Unlike Captain Jack Sparrow, these modern pirates use high-tech weapons instead of swords, and hijack ships in the Gulf of Aden for ransom money.

"They have AK 47s and rocket grenade launchers," said Mr. Kimball. "Most of them are very poor people who are recruited to work on these boats, which are very fast."

In the instance of the American cruise ship, fortunately, their boats were not fast enough. The M/S Nautica, which was sailing along a corridor patrolled by international warships, increased its speed and outran the six pirates in two speedboats.  The pirates reportedly fired eight shots at the liner, which was on a 32-day voyage from Rome to Singapore. "If [the ship] had been captured, you would have had 1,000 people under the pirates and it would have been a real mess," Mr. Kimball said. "The captain of the Nautica was able to outrun them and he did a great job."

The attacks have picked up recently due to the pirate’s success.  "Success breeds success," said Mr. Kimball. "They have had a great deal of success and it is a low risk job."

“Somalia's Modern Day Pirates Use Grenades, Not Swords, in High Seas Life of Crime” appeared in the Daily News on December 3, 2008.  For more information, please visit www.nydailynews.com.