MSR Weekly Newsletter, March 9th

ear Readers,

A mixed bag this week, but we begin with good news. The four crew kidnapped from the ST Sierra Leyre have been released in Nigeria. There is no confirmation of whether a ransom was paid, but the business model there would suggest it's highly likely. 
Piracy in the region has made the headlines several times this week, with a spate of attacks on passenger boats in Delta waterways. The incidents included one where a pregnant woman was shot in the stomach.
In the Indian Ocean Region, a group of 14 fishermen, abducted in the Sundabarns, Bangladesh, were freed by the authorities. Maritime crime is a problem in the region but rarely discussed. 
The Combined Maritime Forces have had another busy week, notching up a series of massive drug seizures and sticking it to organised crime in the process. 
Iran, meanwhile, doesn't want you to forget its still there. They began the week with a senior naval official making the somewhat bizarre claim that the US Navy was impotent against them. Wouldn't want to push that idea too far.
In other news, another batch of Somalis convicted of piracy have been returned to the country by the Indian authorities. The question now is, what will they do to make a living?

Regards,
David Rider