U.S. Warship Fires Warning Shots Over Vessel Boarded by Pirates Off Somali Coast

The U.S. Navy has fired warning shots across the bow of a Dutch ship that has been boarded by armed pirates off the coast of Somalia, FOX News has learned.

The USS Carter Hall also fired on three small boats that surrounded the commercial ship, the “Danica White,” after her crew messaged for assistance after being boarded by pirates, the Navy said.

The incident began Saturday and as of Monday the Danish ship’s crew was still believed to be held at gunpoint by an unknown number of pirates who forced the vessel into Somalia’s territorial waters. There have been no reports of casualties.

Somali pirates execute hostage

Somali pirates who have been holding a Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel since mid-May killed one of the 16 crew members because the ship’s owners have not paid a ransom, a maritime official said on Monday.

The pirates threatened to kill other crew members if their demands are not met, said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers’ Assistance Programme.

He cited a relative of one of the captives, who was allowed to call his family.

“The gunmen have established contact with the owner of the ship but it appears that he was giving them empty promises,” Mwangura said.

Three plead guilty to leaking US submarine secrets to China

Three suspects pleaded guilty to trying to send China sensitive defense information on submarine technology, US federal prosecutors said Monday.

The three are relatives of a US engineer of Chinese origin, Chi Mak, 66, who worked for a US Navy contractor that develops the technology to silence submarines.

The charges go back to 2005, when police arrested two of the family at Los Angeles airport as they were ready to embark on a plane for Hong Kong carrying a CD with the data in their baggage.

Chi Mak’s brother, Tai Mak, and Fuk Li, Tai Mak’s wife, pleaded guilty on Monday, while Billy Mak, their son, pleaded guilty on Friday.

Tai and Fuk are scheduled to be sentenced Friday and Billy Mak will be sentenced on September 24, a statement from the US Department of Justice said.

Chi Mak’s wife is also slated to go on trial Tuesday.

Court documents in the case allege that unidentified co-conspirators from China provided Chi Mak with lists requesting specific defense information, including sensitive areas of research related to nuclear submarines.

The lists instructed him to take part in seminars and then compile information obtained at the events onto computer discs.

Police raid missile bases after defence leak

CIVILIAN and military police raided two navy bases in western Japan today over leaked classified data on the missile defence system that Japan shares with the United States.

Investigators searched the naval facilities and questioned former trainees from the Japanese navy suspected of having received sensitive information on the high-tech Aegis radar system, used by the United States on ships fitted with SM-3 ballistic missile interceptors, local media reports said.

Japanese police would not confirm the reports, saying only that investigations were under way.

Northrop Grumman Wins Multi Billion Contract To Build New Amphibious Assault Ship LHA 6

The U.S. Navy today awarded Northrop Grumman a $2.4 billion fixed-price incentive contract for the detail design and construction of the amphibious assault ship, LHA 6. Work will be performed primarily at the company’s shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., and ship delivery is scheduled for 2012.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 6th, 2007 and is filed under Acquisition Policy, China, Japan, Maritime Strategy News, Piracy, Somalia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.