Somali pirates get tips from London

Posted By Elizabeth Dickinson Monday, May 11, 2009 - 9:54 AM Share

Back in April we asked, are the pirates getting tips? According to the latest reports, the answer is yes...from London.

The Guardian reports today that the Somali pirates have recruited informers with knowledge of the world's shipping schedules to pass that information along. Such knowledge would, if the reports are true, allow the pirates to know exactly what their hijack targets are carrying, who is on board, and where the vessel is headed. Sounds like everything one would need to turn this pirate business into a profit making steal.

Then again, as many have pointed out before, the Somali pirates wouldn't really need to be as complicated as all that to get the same bits of vital information. How about a simple Lloyd's List subscription -- the service that catalogues most of this information for the industry?

Either way, this should debunk a bit of the myth of the unorganized, juvenile pirates. Yes, the kidnappers themselves might be kids. But the syndicates pulling the strings are far more devious.

EXPLORE:BRITAIN, PIRATES

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