Somali piracy spreads fear to Pacific

The lawlessness of Somalia has spread fear and panic to one of the world’s smallest and most isolated nations, tiny Tuvalu, that sits in the South Pacific Ocean near the International Date Line. Eleven Tuvaluan seamen aboard the German cargo ship the Hansa Stavanger were abducted when Somali pirates stormed the vessel off the Horn of Africa in early April. Other crew members from Fiji, Ukraine and Germany were also seized by the gunmen, who have demanded a ransom believed to be around US$15m (£9m), which is more than Tuvalu’s entire annual national income.