MOSCOW, July 18 (RIA Novosti) - At least...
"Pirates have become more daring and aggressive recently - there were instances when they seized vessels right in front of the ships that were responsible for the security of commercial shipping," Vice Admiral Oleg Burtsev said in an interview on Ekho Moskvy radio station.
According to the United Nations, Somali pirates collected $150 million in ransom payments from ship owners last year, while overall losses from piracy were estimated at $13-16 billion, including the soaring cost of insurance and protection for vessels, as well as sending ships on longer routes to avoid high-risk areas.
Somali pirates said on Saturday they had released a German ship after receiving a ransom of $1.8 million. The German Foreign Ministry confirmed that a German-owned ship had been released.
Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are currently deployed off Somalia"s coast to counter frequent pirate attacks on vital commercial lanes.