South Korean Warship On The Hunt ... Sort Of

A South Korean warship has caught up to some Somali pirates, as the pirates have recently hijacked a tanker with 5 South Korean and 19 Filipinos aboard.

The warship is under orders not to engage the pirates at all, but are monitoring the situation closely.

From the story:

'The South Korean anti-piracy unit consists of the destroyer and 300 personnel including UDT/SEAL forces. It began operations in Somali waters in April last year to escort the country's cargo ships.

About 500 South Korean cargo ships sail through the piracy-stricken Gulf of Aden every year, and some 150 of them are believed to be vulnerable to hijacking due to their size and speed.

If required, the unit is also supposed to monitor, inspect, stop and seize pirates' vessels as part of the Combined Task Force 151, under the command of the Combined Forces Maritime Component Command based in Bahrain.'

It's unforunate that the ships aren't supposed to engage the pirates. I realize they're looking out for the safety of  the hijacked crew, but wouldn't this be a perfect message to send to the pirates? "Hey, if you try to hijack a boat, we'll blow your faces apart."

This would be a huge move for the Koreans, considering the tragic and unfortunate incident that recently took place off the coast of South Korea.