November 18, 2010:
As of early November, the Somali pirates held the following ships for ransom. Weights given in DWT (deadweight tons). Note how many more ships are being captured while far from the Somali coast. Some are still being taken in the Gulf of Aden, despite the heavy naval patrols. There's simply too much easy money when you strike it rich and grab a ship. That, and the fact that the anti-piracy patrol is under orders to avoid killing any pirates. Some seagoing fishing boats are kept as mother ships for attacks far at sea. The crew of these fishing ships are usually released, but are sometimes just killed.
Al Nisr al Saudi: Taken on March 1, 2010, this Saudi 5,136 ton tanker, with a crew of 14, was travelling from Japan to the Red Sea port of Jeddah.
Al Barari was taken on March 31, 2010. This small Indian coastal trader, and its eleven man crew, was seized after it left Mogadishu.
Al Dhafir was taken on May 7, 2010. This seagoing Yemeni fishing boat seized off Yemen along with its seven man crew.
Aly Zulfecar was taken on Nov. 2, 2010. A 40 meter (122 foot) Comoran passenger boat, it was seized off the Tanzanian coast while carrying 29 passengers and crew.
Asphalt Venture was taken on Sept. 29, 2010. This 3,884 ton United Arab Emirates bitumen carrier, and its fifteen man crew, was travelling from South Africa to Mombasa, Kenya.
Eleni P Taken on May 12, 2010. This Greek cargo ship, and its crew of 24, was carrying a cargo of iron through the Gulf of Aden when seized.
Feng Guo 168 was taken on Oct. 7, 2010. This Taiwanese fishing vessel was seized, with its 14 man crew, 390 kilometers north of Mauritius, and over a thousand kilometers from the Somali coast.
Golden Blessing was taken on June 28, 2010. The 14,445 ton Singaporean chemical tanker and its 19 crew was seized off East Africa while travelling from Saudi Arabia to India.
Golden Wave was taken on Oct. 9, 2010. This sea going South Korean fishing ship had a crew of 39 and was far at sea when seized.
Hannibal II was taken on Nov. 11, 2010: A 24,100 ton chemical tanker (carrying vegetable oil), with a crew of 31 was seized 1,500 kilometers east of Somalia, as it headed for the Suez canal.
Iceberg 1 was taken on March 29, 2010. This Ro/Ro (Roll-on roll-off) ship and its 24 crew was seized 18 kilometers off the Yemeni port of Aden.
Izumi was taken on Oct. 10, 2010: This Japanese cargo ship, with a crew of 20 and a cargo of steel, was taken while approaching the port of Mombasa, Kenya.
Lugela was taken on Sept. 26, 2010: This Greek 4,281 ton cargo ship and its crew of 12 was seized as it approached the Mauritius (over a thousand kilometers from Somalia) with a cargo of steel products.
Marida Marguerite was taken on May 8, 2010. This chemical tanker, and its crew of 22, was seized in the Gulf of Aden.
Motivator was taken on July 4, 2010. This 13,065 ton tanker, and its crew of 18, was seized in the Red Sea while carrying lubricating oil.
Olib G was taken on Sept. 8, 2010. This cargo ship and its crew of 18 was seized in the Gulf of Aden.
Polar was taken on Oct 30, 2010. This 72,825 ton tanker and its crew of 24 was seized a thousand kilometers off the coast of Yemen.
Prantalay 11, 12 and 14 were taken on April 19, 2010. These three Thai fishing vessels had a total of 77 crew on board.
Rak Afrikana was taken on April 11, 2010. This 7,561 ton Seychelles cargo ship was seized 500 kilometers west of the Seychelles.
Socotra 1 was taken on Dec. 25, 2009. This Yemeni coastal cargo ship and its six crew was seized shortly after it left the Yemeni port of Alshahr.
Suez was taken on Aug. 2, 2010. This cargo ship, carrying cement and a crew of 23, was seized in the the Gulf of Aden.
York was taken on Oct. 23, 2010. This 5,100 ton Greek LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas) tanker, and its crew of 17, was empty when it was seized 80 kilometers from the Kenyan port of Mombassa, which it had just left.