North Korean Crew and U.S. Ship Defeat Pirates

The U.S. military, in the waters off Somalia, have come to the aid of hijacked cargo ships twice this week.^[1] American medics treated wounded North Korean sailors on one vessel, and the Navy was tracking another after destroying two pirate skiffs lashed alongside.^[2]

Somalia’s waters are among the most pirate-infested in the world, with more than two dozen ship hijackings this year.^[3] We have previous written on this topic, here.

The U.S. military acted on tips and distress calls and helped two cargo ships hijacked this week, including the North Korean vessel whose 22-member crew fought off the pirates in a bloody battle.^[4]

When the battle aboard the Dai Hong Dan was over, two pirates were dead and five were captured, the Navy said.^[5] The bandits had seized the ship's bridge, while the crew kept control of the steering gear and engines.^[6] The Koreans moved against the attackers after the USS Williams -- responding to reports of the hijacking -- ordered the pirates to give up their weapons, according to the Navy.^[7]

When the crew members stormed the bridge, the battle began. After the crew regained control, Navy sailors boarded the Dai Hong Dan to help with the injured.^[8] The incident took place about 70 miles northeast of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.^[9] When the Navy boarded the North Korean ship with a small team of medics, security personnel and an interpreter, the crew had already regained control of the ship and detained the pirates; three North Korean sailors and three pirates were treated for gunshot wounds.^[10]

North Korea and the U.S. do not have diplomatic relations, but U.S. military officials said long-standing tradition on the high seas dictates help for any sailor in distress, regardless of their nationality or their vessel's home port.^[11]

"It really comes down to a fundamental issue: We're responsible mariners and we help all sorts of people. We help people on small dhows who have problems with their engines. ... We've helped Iranian fishermen, given them water….When we get a distress call, we respond. It's beyond nationality…..What we're looking to do is promote lawful maritime order. It's about piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling, terrorism. If we can deter piracy, we can deter those other things, too," said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.^[12]

The Navy is considering increasing patrols in the shipping lanes off Somalia, perhaps trying to set up "sting" operations using commando ships posing as merchant vessels to draw pirates in hopes of cutting down on the pirate epidemic.^[13]

Federal criminal defense attorney Douglas McNabb has also previously discussed the transnational crime of piracy in his blog, here.

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^[1] Edward Harris, US Navy Aids 2 Seized Ships Off Somalia, Associated Press Newswire, November 5, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services File.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] CNN Staff, Crew wins deadly pirate battle off Somalia, CNN News, October 30, 2007, available at http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/10/30/somalia.pirates/index.html (last visited November 6, 2007).
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] Id.
^[9] Id.
^[10] Id.
^[11] Id.
^[12] Id.
^[13] Id.