Pirates are doing their very best to adapt to the modern world, swapping out their cannons and blunderbusses for more updated weaponry, yet piracy has been on the decline since the early 20teens. Security is just too tight, it seems, so a group of hijackers off the coast of Somalia tried a new tactic: Just get the security team on your side.
That’s the method employed by a group that just hijacked a Chinese fishing vessel, according to sources who spoke with the Associated Press. Apparently both security guards on the ship just threw their lot in with the hijackers, leaving their fishing careers for a new life on the seas:
An official in Xaafuun district in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, where the vessel is being held, told journalists that the hijackers include the ship’s security guards, who later joined forces with armed men from the coastal region.
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A local businessman familiar with the incident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal by the government, told The Associated Press that at the time of hijacking, the ship had two guards aboard.
“The ship is one of 10 vessels licensed by the Puntland administration to operate in Somali waters, with its license valid for the past three years. The hijackers initially took the ship to Jiifle, a coastal area in Godobjiraan district of Nugaal region. Since then, the vessel has reportedly been moved between several locations and is currently believed to be in Maraya, a village along the coast under the jurisdiction of Eyl district,” the businessman said.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been down over the last decade, but recent years have seen a new rise in what is apparently still called “buccaneering.” Pirates are apparently the Somali people’s most effective defense against overfishing in the surrounding waters, much like the vigilantes who kill poachers. Pair that with a distracted navy, and you’ve got a situation ripe for some One Piece cosplay.
Sources told AP that the hijackers for this particular fishing vessel demanded $5 million in ransom and turned down a $1 million counteroffer, but officials haven’t yet commented on whether there’s any truth to those reports. Can you imagine being a worker on that boat, knowing your employer is haggling over what you’re really worth to them? Sounds like they need a union.