World: Dangerous Seas 世界：危险的海洋世界
[audio]http://www.24en.com/bbc/dl_mp3/bbc_dangerous_seas.mp3[/audio][color=#3f3f3f][font=Verdana, 宋体, helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=12px]You might have been forgiven for thinking that [b]piracy on the high seas[/b]was the stuff of Hollywood movies or historical novels, but Somali pirates have made 92 attacks this year, resulting in 36 successful [b]hijackings[/b].
[p=21, 2, left]Their most [b]audacious[/b] and significant attack to date came on Saturday with the capture of the [b]Saudi-owned[/b] Sirius Star and its [b]crew[/b] of 25 (including two Britons) which was taken 450 nautical miles (830km) off the coast of Kenya.[/p][p=21, 2, left]The move was described as "[b]unprecedented[/b]" by the US [b]Navy[/b] due to the size of the [b]vessel[/b] and the distance of the attack from the pirates’ usual[b]theatre of operations[/b]; the Sirius Star is the biggest ship taken by pirates so far, weighing three times more than an American [b]aircraft carrier[/b] and capable of carrying 2m [b]barrels of oil[/b], valued at around $100m (683m Yuan).[/p][p=21, 2, left]The pirates, who are often armed with AK-47s and [b]rocket-[url=http://d.24en.com/s/?wd=propel]propel[/url]led grenades[/b], usually hijack ships in the Gulf of Aden using [b]powerful speedboats[/b] to approach merchant ships which they [b]board[/b] using[b]grappling [url=http://d.24en.com/s/?wd=hook]hook[/url]s[/b] and rope ladders.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Once the crew has been [b]taken hostage[/b], the pirates direct the ship to a[b]port[/b] in Somalia where the crew and boat are held until a [b]ransom[/b] is paid. There are currently 14 ships and 268 crew being held in pirate-friendly Somali ports.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Given that senior UN officials estimate that the pirates earn more than $100m (683m Yuan) a year from ransom payments made by ship owners, many ask why more [b]military interventions[/b] don’t take place.[/p][p=21, 2, left][b]NATO warships[/b] are in the area but US Navy officials have told the BBC they can "not be everywhere". That said, an Indian Navy frigate attacked and sank a Somali pirate '[b]mother ship'[/b] on Wednesday morning after coming under fire.[/p][p=21, 2, left]Most hijackings, however, do end peacefully although it can be a lengthy process. On Wednesday the Hong Kong ship MV Great Creation and its crew of 25 Chinese and one Sri Lankan were released after two months of captivity.[/p][/size][/font][/color]
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