South Korea said Wednesday it has set up a task force to seek the release of a South Korean fishing vessel that was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia. | Could be a group of lawyers trying to work out ransom demands. With a company of very hard boys waiting off-shore just in case. |
'We are still trying to figure out the identity of the kidnap group and they have yet to suggest conditions for negotiations,' Ban said. 'We are devoting all possible efforts for (the crew's) safe return.' South Korea has sent letters to the governments of Somalia and neighboring Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia asking for their cooperation in facilitating the crew's release, Ban said.
On Tuesday, two other South Korean fishing vessels in the area called for help, and nearby U.S. and Dutch naval ships tried to intervene, but gave up when the seized ship entered Somali territorial waters, the ministry said. Cmdr. Jeff Breslau, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said when the South Korean vessel turned toward Somali waters, the U.S. and Dutch ships tried to intercept it and fired warning shots in its direction. Members of the South Korean crew were seen on the deck with guns pointed at them, so the effort was broken off, he added. The seized ship is now at a port in northeastern Somalia, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry.
It was the latest in a series of incidents off the coast of Somalia. On March 18, two U.S. Navy ships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates, killing one and wounding five. No U.S. sailors were injured. Somalis involved in that incident later claimed they were patrolling Somali waters to stop illegal fishing when the U.S. ships fired on them.
The Malaysia-based International Maritime Bureau expressed concern Wednesday about a surge in piracy cases and advised ships to remain a safe distance from the coast of Somalia. Somalia has had no coast guard or navy since 1991, when warlords ousted the ruling dictator and then turned on each other.
Piracy in Somalian waters steeply increased last year, with the number of incidents rising to 35, compared with only two in 2004, according to the IMB. IMB regional director Noel Choong said six new attacks have been reported to the IMB so far this year. Last month, he said pirates attacked a U.N. chartered vessel and a United Arab Emirates-registered oil tanker after the two vessels off-loaded their cargo at a Somalian port.