SEABORN SPIRIT

A ousadia ( desespero) dos senhores da guerra aumenta, assim como aumentam as dificuldades de financiamento, como comprova esta tentativa de rapto; Esqueçam os romantismos do " SANTA LIBERDADE" e afins, aqui trata-se de algo bem pior.... "....... Ship escapes seizure in Somalia A luxury ship carrying at least 600 tourists from Europe on Saturday narrowly escaped seizure by gunmen off the pirate-infested Somali coast when it sped off to the high seas amid a trail of gunfire.The vessel was destined to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa, where it was expected to arrive Monday, Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers' Assistance Programme (SAP) told AFP."Reports reaching us here this morning indicated that pirates armed with guns in speed boats fired on a cruise ship MV Seaborn Spirit while on its way to Mombasa," Mwangura said.He explained that the gunmen sailing in three boats later abandoned the chase as they could not venture into the high seas and that no one was injured in the botched hijack early Saturday."The captain made a distress call and later switched off the radio communication to avoid being traced by the hijackers," said Mwangura."He told us that they were safe and were sailing to destination." The attempted seizure came two days after the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the increasingly dangerous Somali waters hampered delivery of relief supplies to more than half a million people facing acute food shortage there.Last month pirates in the unpatrolled waters off the 3,700-kilometer (2,300-mile) coastline of the war-torn Horn of Africa country released two UN-chartered vessels, one of which had been seized in June, but several others and their crews remain in captivity."Eastern and northeastern coasts of Somalia are high risk areas for hijackings," said Mwngura."The southern coastline is among the most dangerous in the world." The official said that the SAP would convene Monday to discuss Saturday's latest hijacking attempt, the first on a cruise ship off the dangerous Somalia coast, as it had a potentially devastating impact on Kenyan tourism.At least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures have been recorded off the Somalia coastline since mid-March, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which has warned ships to stay as far away from the coast as possible.In September, Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi appealed to Somalia's neighbours to send warships and other naval vessels to patrol the country's coast where the pirates have become increasingly brazen.Ship owners are now demanding armed escorts before agreeing to travel through these waters.Somalia, home to nearly 10 million people, has been without a functioning central administration since the 1991 ouster of dictator Mohamed Said Barre rendered the country unstable and overrun by warlords. ....."