October 24, 2008

Christmas could be stolen by pirates

This has to be every child’s nightmare, imagine all of those toys and gadgets that are on their way from the Far East in ships, but somewhere off the coast of Somalia, there are pirates waiting to hijack them.

Sounds like a storyline from a children’s Christmas film, but this is really happening and there are genuine concerns that many retailers could find that they do not have the stock to fill their shelves.

Somalia is situated at the entrance of the Red Sea, which leads to the Suez Canal, but this year over thirty ships have been hijacked in the region. This has forced shipping lines to reroute their ships around Africa, but in doing so saves them from the pirates but add time onto the trip.

Whatever way this is looked at, either the ships run the risk of being hijacked or adding weeks onto the journey meaning the good will not arrive on time.

Source [BBC]