On Sunday, the United Nations deployed seven NATO ships to secure the World Food Program ships carrying relief supplies to Somalia. These ships have been worried to be under a threat from somali pirates which have been attaching numerous ships in the area. Previously the ships had been protected by Canadian military vessels but the agreement expired this week. Nur Hassan Hussein, the Somali Prime minister said he welcomed the arrival of the ships in hopes that they would help to deter the Somali pirates. There have been over 60 ships attacked in the past year and this has doubled since last year. The losses resulting from this piracy are close to $30 million. As well as damages accumulated, there have been ransoms paid out to the pirates. The pirates are said to be members of an Islamic militant group fighting for control over Somalia.
The pirates are still holding a Ukrainian ship that had been carrying soviet made weapons to the coast. The ship was captured in the fall and is being monitored by U.S. ships currently. The pirate activity is seen as an enormous threat to the waters and all countries.
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