BEIJING, Nov. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has made calls on the international community to take concrete measures to curb the latest rampant surge of piracy activities off the Somali Coast.

    Responding to the call, the European Union (EU) has agreed to deploy an air and naval force off the coast of Somalia to guard sea lanes against piracy.

Saudi-owned crude oil supertanker Sirius Star is seen during its naming ceremony in South Korea in this undated handout picture released on June 18, 2008 and obtained by Reuters on Nov. 18, 2008. . (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The EU's naval mission, to be in place by next month, is expected to protect vulnerable vessels off the coast and help ensure the delivery of materail aid to Somalia along with India and Russia. NATO has in fact already sent a fleet to protect food shipments to Somalia.

    In a rare sign of success in the fight against piracy, an Indian naval vessel on Tuesday sunk a pirate "mother ship."

    Then on Wednesdy, its Defense Ministry announced the Indian warship INS Tabar destroyed a suspected pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Africa -- a second major show of force from India this week.

    Ten EU nations have said they will contribute to the EU operation, which is expected to involve four to six ships at any given time, as well as several maritime surveillance aircraft in an initial one-year mandate.

    Also, the South Korean government said it plans to combat piracy in the area by sending a 4,500-ton destroyer loaded with SM-2 Block IIIA missiles and other cutting-edge weaponry, as well as the Navy's Special Forces.

    According to security experts, the "very lawless nature" of Somalia itself, where the state has receded to becoming almost absent, is leaving the coast area a very dangerous one threatening the international community in its marintime communication and trade. 

    The IMB reported that at least 83 ships have been attacked in the shipping lanes near the area since January 2008. Of these, 33 were hijacked. Twelve of these ships, with a total of 250 crew members, are still in the custody of the pirates.

    In fact, since the Suadi-owned supertanker "Sirius Star" was captured on Tuesday, the pirates have captured three more vessels.

    (Agencies)

Saudi-owned crude oil supertanker "Sirius Star" is seen in this photograph taken in Rotterdam on October 17, 2008. Pirates who hijacked the Sirius Star off the east coast of Africa are taking the vessel towards a Somali port, the U.S. Navy said on Nov.  17, 2008. Picture taken October 17, 2008. The hijacked Saudi-owned supertanker has anchored off the coast of northeastern Somalia.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

Chinese FM: China to exert utmost effort to rescue its fishing ship hijacked by Somali pirates

    BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry was further checking the information about the hijack of a Chinese fishing ship seized by Somali pirates, and would exert utmost effort to rescue the ship and the crew aboard, according to the consular news released Friday evening by Chinese Foreign Ministry on its web site.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry was going to spare no effort to rescue the seized ship and the crew aboard, in coordination with relevant organizations and Chinese overseas representative offices, according to the news. Full story

Somali pirates wreak havoc along key shipping route

    BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Attacks by pirates off the coast of Somalia have fiercely intensified, with five vessels reportedly hijacked in the past week, including Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star, the largest vessel ever seized at sea.

    On Wednesday, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship was confirmed to have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden near the coast of Yemen. Full story

Hijacked supertanker moors off Somalia as eight pirates escape prison 

    MOGADISHU, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The hijacked Saudi-owned supertanker has anchored off the coast of northeastern Somalia while eight pirates escaped from prison in the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland, officials said Tuesday.

    The Sirius Star, capable of carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil, along with its international crew of 25, was hijacked over the weekend by Somali pirates 450 miles off the coast of the Kenyan port town of Mombasa and has since been heading towards the Somali port town of Harard here in Puntland. Full story

Somali pirates seize Hong Kong ship

    NAIROBI, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Somalia pirates have hijacked a Hong Kong cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden near the coast of Yemen, a regional maritime official confirmed on Wednesday.

    The vessel Delight, loaded with 26,000 tons of wheat, was bound for Iran's Bandar Abbas Port when it was hijacked. Full story