“These Somali pirates picked the wrong ship to hijack. Photo: Royal Netherlands Navy / Koninklijke Marine Dutch naval frigate the HNLMS Tromp. Pirates apparently mistook it for a good ship to try hijacking. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Troops aboard the Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp fired warning shots Wednesday off the coast of East Africa as suspected Somali pirates in two small skiffs raced toward their warship, the EU Naval Force said. After the pirates realized they had made what spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour called a "rather silly mistake," they turned around and fled. EU Naval Force personnel tracked down the two skiffs and a third suspected mothership, finding ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades on board, said Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. The two skiffs were destroyed and the pirates were set free on the mothership after it had been cleared of weapons. "This morning's attack may show a lack of sophistication in the pirate's selection of targets, but it should be a warning to the merchant community that the pirates will try to attack any vessel on the high seas," said Harbour. RELATED LINKS Current DateTime: 01:29:37 17 Mar 2010 LinksList Documentid: 35913830 France Captures 22 Suspected PiratesEli Lilly Thieves Score $75 Million in DrugsProtecting Ships From Pirate Attacks The EU Naval Force has disrupted 11 pirate attack groups off the coast of East Africa over the last two weeks as part of a more offensive mindset to stop pirate attacks, Harbour said. Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established on Somalia's lawless shores. It has not had a functioning government since a socialist dictatorship dissolved into civil war 19 years ago. The current administration is too busy fighting an Islamic insurgency to tackle the well-armed and well-funded pirate bases along its 1,900-mile (3,100-kilometer) long coastline. The London-based International Maritime Bureau says Somali pirates captured 47 vessels last year and launched 217 attacks. More than 100 crew are still being held. Slideshow: World's Most Pirate-Infested Waters © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics:Crime | Wars and Military ConflictsPrintEmailText Size Buzz up!0 CNBC HIGHLIGHTS» More: Blogs | Quizzes | Slideshows | Special Reports | Video Michael Lewis’ Big Short The more people learn about what really happened in the crisis, the angrier they will get, says the author. Crash and Burn Marcus Schrenker was a Wall Street money manager and a stunt pilot. According to clients, he was also a con man. Online, Privacy Vanishes Would you give your name and Social Security number to a stranger? The NYT explains the risks. Cheap Trick Surrenders The veteran Illinois band explains how they make money in the era of digital downloads. Best City For New Jobs A study by Portfolio.com calls this Texas town the best in the country for young adults. Scammers and Apple The Big Money explains how Apple’s products came to be so popular with cyber crooks. ”
