Bartamaha (Somalia):- Ten men from Somalia are to go on trial in Germany shortly, accused of piracy.

They are charged with boarding a German container ship in April, 900km (560 miles) off the Somali coast.

Dutch troops from an anti-piracy vessel recaptured the hijacked ship, after an exchange of gunfire, and then handed the men to German authorities.

This is thought to be the first trial in Hamburg for piracy in about 400 years.

Back then, the penalty was execution, usually by beheading.

The 10 Somali men will escape that fate, but could face 15 years in prison if they are found guilty.

It is rare for a trial to take place because most pirates are freed at the scene, often having secured millions of dollars of ransom for the ship they seized.

The International Maritime Bureau says 23 vessels are currently being held by Somali pirates.

According to an expert in the insurance industry, some shipping companies now pay a premium of $15,000 per voyage for insurance against a $5m dollar ransom.

On top of that, there is the multi-million dollar cost of negotiations and helicopters to drop ransom money.

It is an activity of high gains for relatively low risk – which is why the trial in Hamburg is unlikely to deter many.

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SOURCE:-BBC.

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