Somali pirates pocket at least $1.67 million

New rules of engagement need to be put in place, give those NATO ships the ability to open fire - once you sink a few boats and kill a few high jackers those responsible will begin to think twice. From what I've read the only country willing to do so is India. Good on them.

I would have blown all the held ships out of the water along with the pirates that were on them.  That would effectively disourage others from doing the same thing.  Then I would blow Somalia off the map.

Who pays the ransom?  Please don't tell me that the good ole' USA is paying for this also....

I am totally shocked by the lack of a meaningful response on the part of the U.S. government and other major governments around the world in allowing this pirate activity to continue unabated.  I applaud the Russian government for suggesting that "...international forces should help it attack the pirates' land bases."  If you have more than ample naval assets in the area and the international community is being threatened by these pirate attacks; why not take an aggressive stance and sink any and all identified pirate vessels encountered instead of just chasing them away?  This is just another form of terrorism in today's world.  If casualties result, that is the price they pay for their acts of aggression.  Do you not think that these attacks would cease as a result of this demonstrated response on the part of the world's navies?  Of course they would.  And if their ransom money is used to buy other vessels, then sink those as well!  Then we could concentrate on more meaningful issues affecting the world community than piracy off of the Somali coast! 

we should join up with the Russians and anyone else who's willing and blow up all the pirate ships.

Send in a coalition of ninjas to deal with this problem.

Somali pirates are gaining wealth by imposing a maritime safe passage and escort fee for vessels coming too close to their coastline. It's called kidnapping ransoms of crew, ships and cargo. Common sense would dictate that the Somali pirates should and will expect harsh reprisals and counter measures soon. Watch out, payback time is coming..

why not just drop bombs full of money on them, this is how ignorant these gov's are you pay today you will pay bigger tomorrow, we can goto war with two different countries on guesses and possibilities but yet when an actual situation presents itself we can't do anything what the hell. they parked the damn things in plain site. how much easier can they make it leave it running with the doors open. time to use them people called special ops and get these damn boats back and clear the strait, with all the countries involved in the high jackings you'd think we could all establish a form of protection for these freighters, let the crews take up arms after all 50 miles out its international water did said pirates attacking the boat really die by the crews gunfire or did they just vanish. in my sight they just magically disappeared with about a couple hundred new holes in their asses. speed boat takes tanker come on ram it. shoot back. do something besides let them take you hostage

Enough is enough, time to begin wipping of the face of this planet these Islamic extremists and stop this rediculous political solutions that are not working. Russia has the exact solution to this problem and cooperation is mandated. Islam better wake up to the fact they are not going to be seem as a peaceful people or religion much longer but only war and terror loving insane people of this world. Time to fight fire with fire and stop this insanity they are trying to spread all over this world. We the sane ones are sick of this sh,,,t. Time to respond to their acts of insanity and aggressions with final and decisive force that they love so much.

you also have to consider where it is they are high jacking these ships most of the coastline in the area is countries that don't want us there. and we don't want to be where we are not wanted. besides the around ten countries we are in that don't want us there now.

Let's see now. Ships are pirated, ransoms are paid and nothing else is done. Therefore, more ships are pirated and more ransoms are paid.  Again, nothing else is done.  Heck folks, Works for me. NOT TO MENTION "Works for the Pirates"  Duhhhhhhhhh.  We are truly a stupid world.

We should do nothing unless one of own ships is hijacked. I say arm the ships and they get whats coming to them when they try to hijack it. I would even go further and allow military to be involved if shippers and insurers are willing to pay a premium so it is no cost to us. Other than that, we are not the worlds policemen, have we learned nothing?

Obama will fix it !!!!!! Change is coming!!!!! 

What should be done is ARM THE SHIPS . And I mean Arm them heavy. Blow them pirates back to ALA.

This is funding Bin Laden's terror campaign.  With the millions being paid; how is the ransom money being deposited and how is it not tracked?  This is almost too simple to solve; therefore, it makes you wonder if something bigger is involved.  With the billions of dollars these countries and firms have at their disposal, why not put a handful of well trained and armed security on these boats, just in the vulnerable area's?  How much fun would that be; blasting these idiot pirates out of the water.  Sort of like a video game.  Or go the cheap route and have deck hand dumping boiling oil or water on them when climbing up the ropes.  Hell, I'd do it just for something different to do for a while. Or maybe Obama can go and have nice peaceful talks with the pirates and they will stop immediately.  Where is Johnny Depp by the way?  I bet he's involved.

These are large sums of money. The only things the pirates can really spend  it on are modern weapons and boats to ply their trade.

Maybe it's time we hire our navy out to south korea and other countries that are paying ransoms. That could be a way to chip away at our national debt and give our military a full feeling of accomplishment that the whole world applauds.

Millions for defense: not one penney for tribute.  Same thing happened 200 years ago.

We sent Lt. Stephen Decateur and the frigrate Philladelphia, and some marines to end the barbary pirates; they got the job done, ...... TO THE SHORES OF TRIPOLI.

We should probably get to know these people because they will most likely runnung for election in a few years. They seem to have all of the skills as the current people.

Why not set up a blockade of Somalia with a fleet of international ships to block either entrance or exit of the pirates safe haven?  Wouldn't that be better than trying to police the 2 million square miles of ocean? No civilians are hurt and no homes are destroyed but yet the pirates can't get in or out. They will get tired of waiting for the blockade to lift and the threat of piracy goes down to nil.

I don't understand why no one is shooting them out of the water. A few well placed rockets will make anyone else think twice about piracy. They get close, then blow them up, problem solved.

Ok see if this works. So you pay the ransom, the pirates leave the ship not harming the crew or cargo. While they are in their little boats scurring back home use our satlite technology and target the little crreps and blow them out of the water. HAve a couple of subs in the water waiting for them when they leave.

Arm the tankers with some big guns. I dont see how a tnaker is intimidated by guys in a speed boat. They cant be using much of anything else. As soon as the tankers pick them up un radar blast away. They should have a 5 mile danger zone around all of them. Or put an apache helicopter on each one. Seak and destroy!

We launch a full scale, unprovoked war in Iraq that has killed thousands of troops, tens of thousands of civilians, has cost tens of billions of dollars and we can't wage an attack against some sketchy pirate outposts that are causing and creating world conflict and hurting economies?  Not to mention costing so much more money and creating so much more pollution by making ships want to travel around South Africa.

This is crazy and should have been addressed a long time ago.  Sending in "peacekeepers" to chat with pirates who have the opportunity to make millions is going to be worthless.  I agree with Moscow....get a coalition of nations to go and wipe these people out.

The most powerful countries in the world are sitting back and letting tankers filled with toxic chemicals and expensive goods be taken by dudes in little wooden boats?  This is crazy and who know, there is maybe some underlying conspiracy going on that is allowing this to happen.

Please let me run the show concerning the PIRATE problem. I can cure it in 73 hours, and I am not even real smart. duhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

YGTBK!! You've got to be kidding... Only the US would have such an ignorant approach to dealing with Piracy on the high seas. The Russians have it right.. Wipe them out, along with the people harboring them-situation resolved.