Arrrrr! Piracy on the Arabian Sea

Here's something that's gotten little or no media coverage here in the US. It would appear that there's a wee bit of a piracy problem in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. Most recently, a Danish freighter was taken by pirates.

The ship and five-person crew of freighter Danica White are being held by pirates after being hijacked Saturday in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia, reported the Operative Command of the Royal Danish Navy (SOK).

[ ... ]

The ship was reportedly localised Monday afternoon in Somalia by private investigation firm Protocol, according to Politiken newspaper, which reported that it is anchored in the port town of Hobyo, 700 kilometres up the coast from Mogadishu.

[ ... ]

The hijacking occurred nearly 240 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, an area known to be pirate-infested. The pirates, believed to be Somali, now have four foreign ships in their possession, including a Taiwanese vessel.

One of the Taiwanese crewmembers has been killed by the pirates and experts are warning that the lives of the Danes are in danger as well. A spokesperson for an east African shipping association told Reuters that it was likely the pirates would demand ransom.

Where's Stephen Decatur when you need him?

Update: 5 June @ 13:55
US Navy ship USS Carter Hall fires a shot across the bow (literally).