Ship owners and governments confront piracy crisis
The Somali pirates in control of the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star become frustrated in negotiations over their ransom demands. They pump 50,000 gallons of crude oil into the water – a tiny fraction of the tanker’s load – and they threaten to leave the pumps running until their demands for $15 million are met. To reinforce their message, they toss a crew member over the side, and he drowns in the oily muck. Full Story