Somali pirates are demanding an $8m ransom for the release of a Ukrainian ship they are holding off the coast off their country’s northern coast. The pirates appear to rule the seas around Somalia with impunity, while towns in the breakaway Puntland region have become the hub for many of their activities.
I’ll say this. The waters off Somalia’s coasts are rich with tuna and commercial fishing vessels from China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and Russia are plundering their waters. I don’t condone piracy but I also don’t condone the theft of Somalia’s marine fisheries riches.