At least one crew member was killed when Somali pirates tried to seize a ship in Mogadishu harbour, dpa quoted the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as announcing today. Two pirates skiffs boarded the Panama-flagged MV Barwaqo late Thursday as it approached the harbour, but police and peacekeepers managed to free the vessel, AMISOM spokesman Bariyge Bahuko said. "The ship called for help and AU peacekeepers went out to free it, but the criminals had already boarded," he told the German Press Agency dpa. "They opened fire and one person was killed." Bahuko could not confirm who died, but local media reports say that the Syrian captain was killed after he refused to turn the ship away from port. Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia continue to rise as young men look to make millions of dollars from shipping companies in ransom payments. Some 42 vessels were seized in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean near Somalia last year. Already this year the pirates have taken over 30 ships. There have been few attacks in the last few months due to monsoon season, but analysts and US Navy officials are warning that an improvement in the weather means the pirates will soon begin seizing ships again.
