Kuma Games makes headlines again with its recreation of a Somali pirate attack!
- May 2010:
- The first modern-day piracy trial begins in a Dutch court. Five Somali men are accused of breaking the 17th-century law against "robbery on the high seas."
- Ten pirates are arrested after Special Forces storm an oil tanker in Indian Ocean and free its 23 Russian crew members.
- April 2010:
- Pirates secure a cargo ship off Seychelles by hijacking the "MV Rak Afrikana."
- Five suspected pirates are detained by the US Navy after an American warship comes under fire in the Indian Ocean.
- March 2010:
- The Dutch navy lures Somali pirates into attacking a warship. 12 pirates are captured off the coast of Somalia as a result.
- Somali pirates seize a Turkish-owned ship outside the EU patrolled safe zone.
- February 2010:
- With Somali pirates threatening tourism and fishing industries around Seychelles, the islands report plans to build special courts and jails to combat the growing menace.
- An elite Danish naval unit storms a cargo ship to save its crew from hijackers in the Gulf of Aden
- January 2010:
- The British cargo ship "Asian Glory" is taken 620 miles off the Horn of Africa.
- December 2009:
- It' reported the chemical tanker "St. James Park" is captured in the Gulf of Aden en route to Thailand from Spain.
- The UK government announces it will not issue payments to hostage-takers.
- November 2009:
- Pirates attack a supertanker worth millions off coast of Somalia as the 28-crew ship moves crude from Saudi Arabia to the US.
- A "stinger" device aimed at stopping pirate ships is launched. The device tangles an attacking boat' propeller in ropes, bypassing the need for bloodshed.
- October 2009:
- Pirates make telephone ransom demand for Rachel and Paul Chandler, kidnapped a week earlier as they sailed from the Seychelles to Tanzania, in the amount of $7 million.
- Pirates seize three ships in 10 days, and officials predict attacks will increase.
- Pirates threaten to kill 25 sailors aboard the "De Xin Hai" cargo ship if China attempts a military hostage rescue.
- Somali pirates capture a Chinese ship and hold its crew of 25 hostage on the Indian Ocean.
- Five pirates are taken into custody after firing upon a French naval vessel they mistook for a commercial boat.
- August 2009:
- A 4,000 ton timber vessel bound for Algeria disappears off the French coast goes missing. A search for the boat, its Russian crew, and the $1 million cargo lost in the vast Arctic sea ensues.
- April 2009:
- Passengers aboard an Italian cruise ship hide in their cabins as the ship comes under a pirate attack 500 miles off the Somalia coast.
- French Special Forces capture 11 pirates and a vessel in an overnight operation.
- Somali pirates seize two more cargo ships en route to Kenya after firing rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the American vessels.
- Three pirates are killed and one captured after a ferocious attempted hijacking of the 20-man American crew of the Danish-owned Maersk Alabama. The event leaves Captain Richard Phillips unharmed - and a hero.
- A French yacht owner and skipper is killed in a gunfight after Special Forces storm his boat in an effort to free hostages from Somali pirates. Four other hostages, including a child, are rescued, while two pirates are killed and three more captured.
- Somali pirates hijack an Italian tugboat in the Gulf of Aden, holding 16 crew members hostage.
- The British bulk carrier "Malaspina Castle" is hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.
- March 2009:
- 1,000 British passengers are ordered to safe havens after their round-the-world cruise liner is forced to flee suspected Somali pirates.
- February 2009:
- A Ukrainian arms ship carrying tanks and grenade launchers is captured. It will later earn pirates a $3.2 million ransom payoff.
- January 2009:
- A hijacked Saudi oil tanker is released after the ransom is dropped by parachute. Later, five pirates are found dead after their boat capsizes in a storm. Their share of $3 million ransom washes ashore with the bodies.
- December 2008:
- In its biggest naval operation by China in more than 600 years, the Chinese naval fleet joins an international force in Somalia to battle pirates.
- Nine pirates attempt to hijack a Chinese cargo ship they board off the coast of Somalia, but wisely abandon the plan before taking hostages.
- The United Nations discusses a draft resolution which would permit states to use "all necessary measures" to fight piracy off Somali coast.
- The British-led "Operation Atlanta" is announced - a massive armada designed to tackle increase in piracy off the Somali coast.
- While sailing through Gulf of Aden, a US cruise ship with over 1,000 passengers is fired on by pirates.
- November 2008:
- Three British security guards jump into the sea after coming under heavy attack from pirates using rocket-propelled grenades. The Indian and Bangladeshi crew are left on board the chemical tanker, which is subsequently hijacked.
- Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are allocated considerable naval firepower for coordinated, aggressive patrols against pirates. UK commanded fleets stand ready.
- Somali bandits terrorizing the busy shipping routes around the Horn of Africa suffer a rare setback when an Indian navy warship destroys a pirate "mother ship."
- Somali pirates disclose to an international audience there are more than 3,000 gunmen in the pirate gangs.
- November 2008:
- Pirates capture a cargo ship full of wheat headed toward Iran. The hijacking of the Hong Kong –based cargo vessel is seventh successful seizure in 12 days.
- Somali pirates seize an oil tanker carrying $100 million worth of oil.
- British commandos kill two suspected pirates who tried to seize a Danish ship in the Gulf of Aden in an unprecedented operation involving a Royal Navy and a Russian warship.
- October 2008:
- International Maritime Bureau issues an urgent warning after a ship with 21 crew members is seized by pirates. The ransom demand for the hijacked Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and weapons is $8 million.
- April 2008:
- Pirates armed with grenade launchers hijack a Spanish fishing trawler, holding its crew of 26 off the coast of Somalia hostage.
- October 2007:
- Maritime pirate attacks worldwide shoot up 14% in the first nine months of 2007 from a year earlier.
- February 2007:
- Pirates hijack a cargo ship delivering UN food aid to north-eastern Somalia.
- August 2006:
- After holding 25 Asian fishermen captive for four months, Somali pirates free the crew after reportedly receiving a massive ransom from the South Korean owners of the Dongwon-ho.
- January 2006:
- In the first sign of a military crackdown, US navy officers fire warning shots at suspected pirates in Somalia' lawless coastal waters. The band of pirates is then detained.
- November 2005:
- Britons came under fire from machine guns and rocket propelled grenades as pirates attempt to hijack an ultra-luxurious cruise liner.
- July 2005:
- Pirates hijack a ship carrying relief supplies for Somali survivors of the tsunami, demanding a $500,000 ransom to free the crew.
- June 2003:
- A British marine officers' union implores government officials to send Royal Navy escorts to the world' most dangerous shipping lanes to protect commercial vessels from the increasing the threat of piracy.
- August 2002:
- The Royal Navy searches for a British-registered oil tanker reportedly hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.
- December 1999:
- A Chinese court issues death sentences to 13 pirates who murdered the entire crew of an Asian shipping company.
- September 1999:
- British yachtsman Alan MacLean is allegedly murdered by pirates off the coast of Somalia, bringing to life his fears he detailed earlier in e-mails to his family.