June 25th 2007- Hijacked Danes "run out of supplies" off Somalia
Mon 25 Jun 2007 5:25 AM ET By George Obulutsa
NAIROBI, June 25 (Reuters) - A Danish cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates earlier this month has run out of food and fresh water at sea, a Kenyan maritime official said on Monday. The MV Danica White and its five Danish crew members were carrying building materials from Dubai to Kenya when it was seized off Somalia in the world's most dangerous waterway. "The news we are getting is that food has run out in that ship and there is no water," said Andrew Mwangura, director of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme. The vessel's generator had apparently broken down, Mwangura told Reuters, so its water purification equipment also failed. Just days after the Danica was captured, a U.S. Navy warship destroyed three small pirate boats being towed behind it, but was forced to abandon the chase after it entered Somali waters. Such attacks have increased since a Somali Islamist movement that brought a semblance of order for six months was ousted in January. Three other ships -- a Taiwanese fishing boat and two from Tanzania -- are currently being held by Somali pirates. The captors killed one Taiwanese sailor this month after his vessel's owners refused ransom demands, Mwangura has said.

June 4th 2007 - Somali pirates execute hostage:
Reuters at The Sydney Morning Herald, 4th of June, 2007.
Somali pirates who have been holding a Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel since mid-May killed one of the 16 crew members. Andrew Mwangura, director of the Kenyan-based East African Seafarers Assistance Program, said the captive was killed because the ship's owners have not paid a ransom. The pirates threatened to kill other crew members if their demands are not met. The ship Ching Fong Hwa 168 had two Taiwanese and 12 Chinese crew members on board when it was hijacked off the Somali capital, Mogadishu. The nationality of the victim is not known. See "Somali pirates kill ship crew member,"

June 3rd 2007 - Danish ship and crew captured:
Jeremy Clarke, Reuters, 3rd of June 2007
Somali hijackers have seized the Danish cargo ship Danica White in heavy seas over 200 miles off the coast. Five crew members were taken. Andrew Mwangura, director of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, expects a ransom to be demanded in the next few days, and because all the crew were Danish, he expects the amount to be high. Because the ship was taken so far off shore, experts are guessing that a "mother ship" was involved in the hijacking. Although this mysterious ship has never been seen, it would explain how the small ships used by Somali pirates could hijack a ship so far from shore. See "Danish ship and crew hijacked off Somalia-official,"