每日新闻(11.23)-索马里海盗当好莱坞电影变成现实-每日英语课堂.doc

There is a great rush to the port of Eyl, where most of the hijacked vessels are kept by the well-armed pirate gangs.People put on ties and smart clothes. They arrive in land cruisers with their laptops, one saying he is the pirates' accountant, another that he is their chief negotiator.With yet more foreign vessels seized off the coast of Somalia this week, it could be said that hijackings in the region have become epidemic.Insurance premiums for ships sailing through the busy Gulf of Aden have increased tenfold over the past year because of the pirates, most of whom come from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.In Eyl, there is a lot of money to be made, and everybody is anxious for a cut.Entire industryThe going rate for ransom payments is between $300,000 and $1.5m (£168,000-£838,000).A recent visitor to the town explained how, even though the number of pirates who actually take part in a hijacking is relatively small, the whole modern industry of piracy involves many more people."The number of people who make the first attack is small, normally from seven to 10," he said."They go out in powerful speedboats armed with heavy weapons. But once they seize the ship, about 50 pirates stay on board the vessel. And about 50 more wait on shore in case anything goes wrong."Given all the other people involved in the piracy industry, including those who feed the hostages, it has become a mainstay of the Puntland economy.Eyl has become a town tailor-made for pirates - and their hostages.Special restaurants have even been set up to prepare food for the crews of the hijacked ships.As the pirates want ransom payments, they try to look after their hostages.When commandos from France freed two French sailors seized by pirates off the Somali coast in September, President Nicolas Sarkozy said he had given the go-ahead for the operation when it was clear the pirates were headed for Eyl - it would have been too dangerous to try to free them from there.The town is a safe-haven where very little is done to stop the pirates - leading to the suggestion that some, at least, in the Puntland administration and beyond have links with them.Many of them come from the same clan - the Majarteen clan of the president of Somalia's transitional federal government, Abdullahi Yusuf.Money to spendThe coastal region of Puntland is booming.Fancy houses are being built, expensive cars are being bought - all of this in a country that has not had a functioning central government for nearly 20 years.Observers say pirates made about $30m from ransom payments last year - far more than the annual budget of Puntland, which is about $20m.When the president of Puntland, Adde Musa, was asked about the reported wealth of pirates and their associates, he said: "It's more than true".Now that they are making so much money, these 21st Century pirates can afford increasingly sophisticated weapons and speedboats.This means that unless more is done to stop them, they will continue to plunder the busy shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden.They even target ships carrying aid to feed their compatriots - up to a third of the population.Warships from France, Canada and Malaysia, among others, now patrol the Somali coast to try and fend off pirate attacks.An official at the International Maritime Organisation explained how the well-armed pirates are becoming increasingly bold.More than 30% of the world's oil is transported through the Gulf of Aden."It is only a matter of time before something horrible happens," said the official."If the pirates strike a hole in the tanker, and there's an oil spill, there could be a huge environmental disaster".It is likely that piracy will continue to be a problem off the coast of Somalia as long as the violence and chaos continues on land.Conflict can be very good for certain types of business, and piracy is certainly one of them.Weapons are easy to obtain and there is no functioning authority to stop them, either on land or at sea.Somalia pirates hold U.S. captainAmerican seamen on the Maersk Alabama cargo ship manage to fend off the attackers, but they escape in a lifeboat with the captain as a hostage.By Edmund Sanders and Julian E. BarnesApril 9, 2009Reporting from Washington and Nairobi, Kenya -- With a U.S. warship on site keeping watch early today, Somali pirates and American seamen engaged in a standoff on the high seas after the crew of a freighter loaded with food for Africa fought off the hijackers -- who fled in a lifeboat with the captain as a hostage.The assault on the U.S.- registered Maersk Alabama cargo ship far off Somalia's coast marked the first attack against a U.S.-flagged vessel off Africa since the days of the Barbary pirates more than 200 years ago, a maritime official said.The 20-member crew, unarmed, according to the ship's owner, managed to overpower at least four pirates and regain control, U.S. officials said. But the captain, 55-year-old Vermont resident Richard Phillips, was being held by the pirates, a U.S. Defense official said.The attempted seizure of the Danish-owned vessel marks the latest chapter in the piracy saga off Somalia. Poverty, civil war and the lack of a functioning government since 1991 have turned the waters around the Horn of Africa nation into the most crime- infested on Earth.The attack on the cargo ship was the second in two days, U.S. officials said. After rebuffing the first attempt, the ship's crew radioed Wednesday that two skiffs were closing in. Thirty minutes later, the ship told maritime officials that pirates had attached a grappling hook and were climbing aboard.It remained unclear how the American crew retook the ship, and with Phillips in pirate hands, second-in-command Shane Murphy was in control. A crew member told CNN that one of the pirates had been detained, but then was released in an unsuccessful bid to exchange him for the captain.U.S. Defense Department officials said the U.S. destroyer Bainbridge arrived on the scene early today and was monitoring the situation. Navy P-3 surveillance planes also were keeping watch.Officials said the destroyer would establish communication, watch the situation and seek to negotiate the hostage's release, which could take some time."I wouldn't expect it to resolve itself like an episode of "CSI" in 45 minutes," a Defense official said. Both Murphy and Phillips are graduates of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where Murphy'sfather teaches a course in anti-piracy tactics. Academy President Rick Gurnon said it was his understanding that the crew had disabled the cargo ship in a bid to thwart the hijackers.Phillips' sister-in-law, Lea Coggio, described him as "easygoing, laid-back," and added that she wouldn't be surprised if he was having a relaxed conversation with the pirates.Numerous merchant vessels have successfully fended off or outrun pirates, but the actions of the U.S. crew appeared to mark a rare instance of seafarers overpowering pirates after a ship was seized, maritime officials said.It remained unclear who attacked the 17,000-ton vessel, but past attacks have been launched by Somali warlords, disgruntled fishermen and foreign-based criminal networks. After chasing ships in speed boats and scaling the ships' hulls, Somali pirates typically anchor vessels off the coast and negotiate ransoms of $1 million to $3 million.Last year, pirates attacked 122 vessels in the region and seized 42 of them. Total ransom payments collected by Somali pirates were believed to have topped $50 million. Maritime officials say at least 16 ships and 200 crew members are being held.Among high-profile attacks last year was one against a Ukrainian vessel carrying 33 military tanks and another targeting a Saudi-owned tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil.Pirates attacked the Maersk Alabama about 7:30 a.m., U.S. Navy officials said. The ship was in the Indian Ocean about 240 nautical miles southeast of the Somalia port city of Eyl, they said.The ship's owner, Norfolk, Va.-based Maersk Line, is a U.S. subsidiary of Denmark's A.P.Moller-Maersk. The shipping giant is a longtime Pentagon contractor, according to security analyst firm Global , operating vessels with "top security clearance." But the hijacked vessel was not sailing under a Defense Department contract at the time of the attack, company and U.S. military officials said.Maersk Line Chief Executive John Reinhart said at a news conference that the company's seafarers were trained in prevention methods to combat piracy, such as increasing the ship's speed or changing direction, preventing pirates from boarding, using extra lookouts and maintaining regular communication with the U.S. Navy."We have ways to push back, but we don't carry arms," he said.A spokesman for the World Food Program confirmed that part of the ship's cargo was being ferried on its behalf, including 4,000 metric tons of corn headed for Somalia and Uganda, and 1,000 metric tons of vegetable oil for refugees in Kenya. It was expected to dock in the Kenyan port of Mombasa on April 16.。

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索马里海盗事件英语作文China warned Somali pirates on Tuesday it was prepared to use force when its navy ships arrive in the Gulf of Aden to combat a wave of piracy that has disrupted international shipping, AFP reported.中国警告索马里海盗，称其海军舰艇将奔赴亚丁湾。

中国已做好使用武力的准备，来打击扰乱国际海运的海盗行为。

Two Chinese destroyers and a supply ship set sail on Friday -- the first time in recent history that the nation has deployed ships on a potential combat mission well beyond its territorial waters.中国2艘驱逐舰以及一艘补给舰将于周五启航——这是中国历史上首次将其军舰部署在领海之外，执行可能的战斗行动。

China would also be willing to provide rescue and aid services to Taiwan-owned ships as long as they registered with the mainland, he said.中国将很乐意为在大陆注册的台湾船只提供援助。

About 100 ships -- seven of them Chinese -- have been attacked by Somali pirates since the beginning of the year.今年年初以来，约有100多条船——有7艘是中国船只——遭到了索马里海盗的袭击At least one Chinese vessel is believed still to be in the hands of the attackers.至少有一艘中国船只已确定落入了袭击者之手。

Somali piracy is worst in worldThursday, 5 January 2010 From:The Los Angles TimesAn increase in piracy off the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia has made these waters the most dangerous for pirate activities in the world.Shipping companies say the area has overtaken those traditionally plagued by piracy such as the Straits of Malacca in south east Asia.The pirates generally use speedboats to steal trading goods or food aid - sometimes impounding ships and crew at gunpoint and then demanding ransoms before they are released.Somali clan leaders have just signed an agreement to try to end over two decades of factional fighting in the country - and they say they have also made attempts to address the piracy problem.But the high level of lawlessness off the long eastern Somali coastline reflects the level of chaos there has been on the ground in the country for more than a generation.The problem does not affect the northern coast of the self-proclaimed and more stable Somaliland as much.Shipping companies grouped under the International Maritime Bureau (a branch of the International Chamber of Commerce) say there have been 35 incidents of piracy off the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia in the past nine months.Piracy off the coast of Somalia is getting worse. Time to actFeb 3RD 2010 From：The New York TimesLAST year, pirates took 1,181 people hostage off the Somali coast. About half were released after the payment of ransoms, a few have died of abuse or neglect and around 760 are currently in captivity. They are usually held prisoner on their own hijacked vessels, some of which are employed as mother-ships from which the pirates stage further raids. So far this year, there have been 35 attacks, seven of them successful. In March, when the monsoon abates and the Arabian Sea grows calmer, the pace of the attacks will quicken.The problem has worsened sharply in recent years. There were 219 attacks last yearcompared with 35 in 2005. Ransoms paid last year climbed to $238m, an average of $5.4m per ship, compared with $150,000 in 2005. At the end of last month Jack Lang, a former French minister who advises the UN on piracy, warned the Security Council that Somali pirates were becoming the “masters” of the Indian Ocean. He puts the economic cost of piracy at $5 billion-7 billion a year (see article). The price in human misery is unquantifiable.However, eradicating Somali piracy is as hard as it is desirable. Because Somalia is not a functioning state, the pirates can operate freely from their harbours in the north, mostly in the breakaway territory of Puntland. Although ships from over 25 countries patrol the area and maritime law equips naval vessels off the Horn of Africa with powers of arrest, bringing pirates to justice is frustrated by cost, restrictive rules of engagement and politics. Hence 90% of captured pirates are released quickly and without sanction. And the foreign patrols’ effectiveness is declining as the pirates move ever farther offshore.There are many suggested remedies, some bad. Outlawing ransoms is neither feasible nor in the hostages’ interests. Stationing armed guards on vessels or training crews to use firearms would only provoke a more brutal response from the pirates. Applying the historic cure for piracy—exemplary violence—would lead to many more dead hostages.The successful campaign against the pirates who caused mayhem in the Malacca Strait a decade ago suggests that the answer lies onshore rather than offshore. Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore agreed to bury their differences and work together—patrolling, arresting, prosecuting and imprisoning pirates. At the same time as the risks for the pirates increased, conditions on shore improved. The post-tsunami peace settlement between the Indonesian government and rebels in Aceh, where most of the pirates came from, paved the way for investment, economic development and a better way of life.Suddenly, a Rise in Piracy’s Price5 Dec 2011 From: GuardianAt some point, Thomas Jefferson realized, you just can’t do bu siness with pirates any more. For years, the infant American government, along with many others, had accepted the humiliating practice of paying tribute —essentially mob-style protection fees —to a handful of rulers in the Barbary states so that American ships crossing the Mediterranean would not get hijacked. But in 1801, Tripoli’s pasha, Yusuf Karamanli, tried to jack up his prices. Jefferson said no. And when the strongman turned his pirates loose on American ships, Jefferson sent in the Navy to bombard Tripoli, starting a war that eventually brought the Barbarystates to their knees. Rampant piracy went to sleep for nearly 200 years.The question now is: Are we nearing another enough-is-enough moment with pirates?On Tuesday, Somali pirates shot and killed four American hostages. A single hostage intentionally killed by these pirates had been almost unheard of; four dead was unprecedented. Until now, the first thing that came to mind about Somalia’s buccaneers was that they were brash and mercurial. Just a few weeks ago they let go some Sri Lankan fishermen after they essentially said, “You’re poor, like us.” They were seen as a nuisance, albeit an expensive one, but not a lethal threat.Exactly what happened Tuesday is still murky. Pirates in the Arabian Sea had hijacked a sailboat skippered by a retired couple from California, and when the American Navy closed in, the pirates got twitchy. Navy Seals rushed aboard but it was too late. It’s still not clear why the pirates would want to kill the hostages when their business model, which has raked in more than $100 million in the past few years, is based on ransoming captives alive.“Of course, I do not know what the U.S. will do in response to this latest atrocity,” said Frank Lambert, a professor at Purdue who is an expert on the Barbary pirates. But, he said, “Jefferson advocated an armed response and eventually war against Tripoli for far less provocation.”For years now, Somali pirates with fiberglass skiffs and salt-rusted Kalashnikovs have been commandeering ships along one of the most congested shipping routes in the world — the Gulf of Aden, a vital conduit for Middle East oil to Europe and the United States. More than 50 vessels are now held captive, from Thai fishing trawlers to European supertankers, with more than 800 hostages. Those numbers grow each year.But the international response has been limited, partly because the most promising remedies are intensely complicated and risky. Western powers, including the United States, have sent warships to cruise Somalia’s coast and discourage attacks. When a vessel is hijacked, ship owners cough up a ransom, nowadays in the neighborhood of $5 million, and most of that cost gets passed to the end user —consumers. Until recently, most hostages would emerge unharmed, albeit skinny and pale from being locked in a filthy room. The average time in captivity is around six months.But recently the pirates have been getting more vicious; reports have emerged ofbeatings, of being hung upside down, even of being forced at gunpoint to join in raids. And now the pirates have gunned down four Americans.“I think there’s going to be some type of retaliation,” said a European diplomat in Nairobi, Kenya, who trades ideas on anti-piracy strategies with other diplomats and was instructed not to speak publicly about the issues. “I could see the Americans going after the pirate bosses, the organizers, maybe even blockade some of the ports that they use,” he speculated. “I don’t think the Americans are going to invade Somalia, because of Iraq and Afghanistan, but they can use local allies.” Another obvious possibility w ould be American Special Forces, who have killed terrorism suspects in Somalia.The American government isn’t revealing its plans but officials suggest — as long as they are not quoted by name — that the killings of the four Americans could be a game-chan ger. “We get it,” said one State Department official. “We get the need to recalibrate.”Any course of action, however, will confront two huge obstacles: the immensity of the sea and the depth of chaos in Somalia.The pirates used to stick relatively clos e to Somalia’s shores. But now, using “mother ships” — hijacked vessels that serve as floating bases — they attack ships more than 1,000 miles away. Sometimes that puts them closer to India than to home. The red zone now covers more than one million square miles of water, an area naval officers say is impossible to control.The Terror of Somali PiracyFebruary 26th, 2010 From: Chicago TribuneThe situation in southern and central Somalia is widely recognized as “one of the world’s most intractable crises.”One of the more notorious manifestations of the crisis has been the growing threat of “Somali pirates . . . terrorizing mariners sailing far off the African coast,” the Associated Press reports. For President Obama and his administration, the phenomen on constitutes “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”The U.S.-led international effort to repress piracy has focused on dispatching naval forces and employing drones off the coast of Somalia in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as part of prevention and interdiction operations. InDecember, the State Department’s coordinator for counterpiracy and maritime security, Donna Hopkins, expressed her jubilation over the “unprecedented solid arity among nations” committed to eliminating the “common threat.” Indeed, U.S., NATO, and EU navies are accompanied by forces from over 30 nations, including warships deployed by China, Russia, India, and several others. All are authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 1851 to use “all necessary measures” to combat piracy.The “common interest” unifying these nations is the protection of maritime trade, which accounts for more than 80% of the world’s trade. U.S. planners have described the Gulf of Aden as “one of the world’s most important waterways,” in large part because close to 12% of the world’s petroleum passes through it. Somali pirates have exploited the vital shipping lanes by overtaking everything from chemical and oil tankers to fishing vessels and private yachts.A new study conducted by the One Earth Future foundation estimates the total annual cost of maritime hijackings to be somewhere between $7 and $12 billion. The high price tag is primarily due to the hike in insurance rates and growing security costs taken on by commercial vessels as well as the dramatic rise in ransom payments, an estimated 60% increase in 2010 from 2009 levels.To date the growing presence of international naval forces has done little to repress Somali piracy. Ecoterra International, an organization that monitors piracy, claims that “more than 50 captured ships are in the hands of Somali pirates, with at least 800 captives.” The number of total attacks have also increased, though the number of successful hijackings fell from 2009 to 2010—a small victory many analysts attribute to the international flotilla.Pirates are responding to the international presence, however, by extending their reach deeper into the Indian Ocean through the use of “mother ships”or captured commercial vessels that serve as floating stations from which smaller boats can perform piracy operations. On December 11, 2010 Somali pirates ventured as far as 1,000 miles east off the Somali coast and only 550 miles from the coast of India to hijack a cargo vessel. As a result of this expansive reach, “over 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil supply passing through the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea is at risk from Somali pirates,” the shipping industry warns.The growing threat is prompting some nations to take more aggressive measures. Last month, South Korean armed troops raided a hijacked cargo vessel and rescued 21 sailors. In what is suspected of being a display of power directed at North Korea, the South Korean government hailed the military raid as evidence of its “strong will to never negotiate with pirates.” But amid the fanfare experts warned that aggressive military action will likely cause pirates to adopt moreviolent tactics, thereby jeopardizing the safety of hostages who for the most part have not been physically harmed by their captors.In fact, Tuesday morning marked the “first time US citizens have been killed in pirate attacks,” the Guardian reports, when Somali pirates murdered four American hostages after being captured on Friday, February 18. This deadly incident occurred after negotiations between the pirates and American officials “went south” due to a “dispute about the money,” according to one U.S. official. While circumstances surrounding the event remain unclear, U.S. officials claim that the pirates fired a rocket-propelled grenade at one of the Navy warships “shadowing” the hijacked vessel. U.S. forces then raided the vessel where they found two pirates already dead and all four hostages shot. During the raid, military forces killed two pirates and captured the remaining 15. The next day the Associated Press reported that captains of other hijacked ships “have been ordered to tell navies not to approach or hostages would be killed.”This dreadful event will likely be used to justify the need for more aggressive military action taken against pirates, a position U.S. leadership has held for several years.Somali piracy taking an ‘alarming turn’Tuesday, 10 May 2010 From: USA TodaySomali piracy has taken an “alarming turn” since the beginning of the year, becoming more “prevalent, lucrative and violent”.According to Special Contingency Risks and Maritime & Underwater Security Consultants (MUSC), an estimated $65 million was paid in ransoms in the first quarter of 2011, compared with around $39 million in the same period of 2009.At least 18 commercial vessels (10 of which were hijacked this year) and around 500 hostages are being held by Somali pirates.Addressing a conference hosted by Willis, the specialists conceded that pirates have recently been forced to release several ships for lower than average ransoms.However, MUSC suggests that a glut of hijacked vessels over-stretched pirates’ resources, and warns that once sufficient levels of hard currency have been accrued from “firesales”, operations will begin again in earnest.The experts also revealed commercial vessels are being actively used by pirates as floating bases to launch attack skiffs, to resupply pirate attack groups and to conduct hijackings.The success of the pirates has attracted a new, more aggressive generation of practitioners from criminal gangs and even neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa.This has led to an increase in violence towards seafarers with hostages being executed.The average ransom has reportedly increased from $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2009 to $4.6 million in the first quarter of 2011.Because of risks associated with a spate of pirate attacks off the Somali coast, Munich Re expects insurance premiums against sea piracy to ri se.Mr Dieter Berg, Munich’s head of marine insurance, says insurance rates are rising in all markets –marine insurance being no exception.Payouts from current claims are pushing premiums up, Mr Berg said.He added that the risk of piracy is increasing despite naval ships being sent to patrol the Somali seas. Attempts to hijack ships could spread to other areas of the world, such as the east coast of Latin America, and southeast Asia, Berg warned.The business model used by the Somali pirates could become popular around the world, he said.The Somali piracy is a growing threat to a shipping industry responsible for nearly 80 per cent of the world’s trade.Pirate attacks are on pace to set a nine-year record in 2011, according to data from the International Chamber of Commerce, which tracks global pirate attacks.Over the past five years, the number of attempted pirate attacks around the world nearly doubled to 445 in 2010. Pirates successfully boarded the attacked vessels in 50 per cent of these attempts. It’s estimated that only 30-40 per cent of attacks are reported to international agencies so these are pretty conservative figures. Currently, 750 seafarers on over 30 vessels are held hostage by pirates demanding enormous ransoms.The largest problem area has been off the coast of Somalia. The country’s history of piracy extends over 20 years since the fall of its government. In an attempt to protect their waters from being overfished, Somali vigilantes began forcing fisherman in the area to pay a tax.The area Somali pirates controlled was once only along the coast of Somalia to the Gulf of Aden. Now, following a concentrated effort by naval vessels to eradicate piracy in the area, these pirates are extending their destructive efforts to one of the most important shipping areas in the world: the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Indian Ocean.Their tactics have become more sophisticated. The revised scheme is to use previously hijacked vessels, called “motherships,” to transport people and supplies as far as 1,500 nauti cal miles from land, making it much more difficult for naval warships to patrol.With Somali pirates covering a larger area, there’s an increased risk to energy tankers entering the Indian Ocean headed for key ports in Indonesia, India and China. In 2010, a third of all pirate attacks were targeting ships carrying chemicals, crude oil and natural gas. This has increased from just 20 percent five years ago.One country bearing the brunt of Somali piracy is neighbouring Kenya. The Kenyan Shippers Council estimates that piracy increases the cost of imports by $23.8 million per month, and exports by $9.8 million per month, according to One Earth Future, a global think tank on trade.Across the continent, Nigeria’s oil industry has been a direct target of pirates.One Earth Future calculated that Nigeria’s oil production has dropped by 20 percent since 2006 as a result of piracy and other attacks. Royal Dutch Shell estimates that about 100,000 barrels a day (roughly 10 percent) of Nigeria’s oil production is stolen every day.To avoid the high-risk areas and protect the workers on the ships and supplies from a pirate attack, these tankers have changed their routes. They now travel farther east toward the coast of India before heading south, adding six days of travel time for a Western destination and increasing travel expenses for the shipper. Energy tankers are also employing armed security guards, paying increased insurance rates and retrofitting their vessels to lessen the chance of a pirate attack.One Earth Future estimates the global cost of piracy on the economy has grown to $7 to $12 billion a year。

中华人民共和国海船船员适任考试培训教材航海英语听力与会话（船长）学习笔记Unit 1 general English（通用英语）Lesson 1 shipboard everyday life（船上的日常生活）I Warming-up (预热)Read the diary by Captain Keith Townley.The ship is nearly full but there is room for a bit more cargo before crossing the pacific to Los Angeles. Our last call here will be Yokohama, Japan.Good news. The pilot boarding time has been changed from 0600 to 0800 which is a bit more civilized and means there will be a chance for breakfast as well.0930 all fast in Yokohama. A nice day with a straight forward pilotage and a simple berth approach. Very cautious pilot-pleasantly common in Japan-and although sometimes a few minutes slower, undoubtedly much safer.1430 everything done, paperwork too, so we can set sail for the US. Looking forward to ten days at sea though the weather predictions are not looking too good.Questions for discussion1.What is the ship’s last call of the voyage?2.Why is the captain happy that the pilot boarding time has been changed?3.What does the captain think of the Japanese pilots in general?4.What is the ship’s next port of call?diary ['daiəri] n.日记, 日记簿a bit more多一点civilized['sivilaizd] a.文明的, 有礼的cautious ['kɔ:ʃəs] adj.谨慎的, 十分小心的pleasantly ['plezntli]adv. 愉快地, 友好地, 亲切地, 客气地，合意地paperwork ['peipəˌwə:k] n.文书工作prediction[pri'dikʃәn]n.预言, 预报set sail for开船, 动身vt.启航,驶往阅读船长基思·汤利的日记。

Somali Pirates Take Recently Captured Hostages to Somali Coast索马里海盗劫持事件On Monday，the European Union Naval Force Somalia announced it had rescued the captain of a yacht off the Somalia coast which had been hijacked by pirates. The EU's anti-piracy force said the skipper was rescued after fleeing captivity upon landing at the Somali coast.The EU Naval Force release contradicts earlier reports that the man had been killed by his captors while attempting to flee. Though it is unclear whether or not the man had been injured in the exchange, the Coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, Andrew Mwangura, told VOA he was likely alive and en route to Mombasa, on the Kenyan coast.At least two other crewmembers were kidnapped by the pirates, but according to EU Naval Forces, their location was unknown. Reports now indicate the two have been taken to the town of Barawe, in southern Somalia. According to Mwangura, being held in Barawe could complicate their release."If it is true that is a very dangerous place," said Mwangura. "Barawe is under control of Islamic groups. If it's not in good cooperation with the pirates, maybe the group will demand to take over the hostages and the pirates will not let go; so there will be fighting between them. The Islamic group will take them for political gains while the pirates are taking them for commercial gains."Barawe is controlled by al-Qaida linked group al Shabab, which is currently battling the government in Mogadishu to establish an Islamic state in Somalia.The recent kidnapping comes as ransoms for pirated ships in East Africa reach record levels . The South Korean Supertanker Samho Dream, along with 24 crewmembers, was released Saturday after being held in Somalia for nearly seven months. The boat was released after the hijackers received a record payment of $9.5 million.Analyst worry the rise of ransom prices is spurring more piracy in the Indian Ocean, and could complicate negotiations. According to Mwangura, ships are now being held longer to extract the maximum payment from their owners."As it is, the ship is held captive for a period of not more than six weeks but now, they go for more than four months," said Mwangura. "And the rate is not less than $3 million for a big ship. And now, yesterday, they took $9.5 million, meaning that now the bargaining power is high, and they are demanding more money."Mwangura said contact with the yacht hijackers likely would be established through relatives of their hostages' families. The hostages, who were hijacked off the coast of Seychelles, are reported to be South African.。