Pirates have letterhead to go with sizable demands_美文

Pirates have letterhead to go with sizable demands

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Welcome to the Pirate Action Group. Pirate commander Jamal wishes to congratulate you on being hijacked. Kindly speak to his negotiator about your ransom, bearing in mind that his demands are similar for every vessel he seizes.

This is not an absurd joke - this is how the pirates of the African coast do business, and it's a serious matter for the companies that have to pay up.

In 2011 Somali piracy cost the world economy $7 billion and earned the pirates some $160 million in ransoms, according to a recent report by the International Maritime Bureau.

Piracy is receding of late, but it is still a threat. The IMB reported 69 hijacking incidents by Somali pirates between Jan 1 and July 12, down 32 percent from last year.

Rogues though they may be, these pirates in many cases are surprisingly well-organized, down to having their own packets of paperwork - on letterhead - for their victims.

Reuters obtained a copy of one such packet, presented to the owner of a hijacked oil tanker and the owner's insurer after the ship was taken. Due to the commercial sensitivities, the names of the insurer and ship owner were redacted from the document, as was the size of the ransom request.

But what remains is colorful enough, and somewhat surprising. The cover sheet, in memo format, is addressed "To Whom It May Concern" with the subject line "Congratulations to the Company/Owner."

"Having seen when my Pirate Action Group had controlled over your valuable vessel we are saying to you Company/Owner welcome to Jamal's Pirate Action Group and you have to follow by our law to return back your vessel and crew safely," the memo begins.