Just saw this news blurb:

Pirates have made another attempt to hijack a ship, this time north of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, the Nato Shipping Centre reports. The agency said on Friday that the Motor Vessel Ryu Gyong, a bulk carrier is sailing under the North Korean flag.

More info as it becomes available....

Two thoughts -
1. I would think that a NK ship would be heavily armed, they don't seem like they mess around with anyone concerning their stuff. The hijack was unsucsessful, so were they firing back?
2. They have bulk carriers? I don't think of NK as a bulk importing kind of country.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514719,00.html
The Somali pirates have just learned not to attack ships flying the American flag. When they do, the Americans will fight back and overpower them and kill them. Lesson learned.

Props to President Obama for giving the order to kill these guys, but it's more than troubling that a 16 year old kid and 3 buddies in a rubber boat can chase down a 17,300 ton 510 foot American ship, nearly hijack it, make off with the Captain, and from a rowboat hold off the American Navy for 5 days.

I don't understand why every ship doesn't carry a couple RPGs and blast these pirates out of the water whenever they come near. From what I've heard, the only thing they are using to fight them now are waterhoses.

It always about the money, isn't it. But liability = money paid out, and companies are paying millions in ransom anyways. What we should do is blanket this area with drones and PT boats, and also make an open offer to station a protection squad of 5 armed and dangerous US Marines on any ship that enters the area. That along with the French continuing to kick ass on motherships would send these pirates running back to their sandbox.

That makes no sense at all.

Back on topic .......the US ain't the only ones that kick those pirates asses, the North Koreans foiled a hijacking back in 2007
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20071030-97781/North_Korea_vessel_crew_overpower_pirates

Agence France-Presse
10/30/2007
North Korea vessel crew overpower pirates, take control

MOGADISHU – (UPDATE) Crew members of a North Korean cargo vessel Tuesday overpowered Somali pirates and violently regained control of the freighter captured off Mogadishu port, elders and a maritime official said.

The 22-strong crew of the MV Dia Honga Dan overpowered armed pirates who had seized it overnight Monday and were demanding thousands of dollars in ransom, they said.

The pirates who had seized the boat were members of a Somali clan who were meant to be guarding it, said officials in Mogadishu.

"The crew members have taken control of the ship after defeating the eight men who hijacked it last night," said Dahir Hassan, an elder in the Somali port of Haradere, explaining that the crew had managed to reach their weapons.

"There are casualties, but we are not sure the exact number of dead or injured," he added.