VOA标准英语2010-Thai Fishermen Seized by Somali Pirates i

EU Naval¹ Force French warship² FS Nivose with Somali pirate skiffs off the Somali coast (file photo)

Somali pirates hijacking³ vessels⁴ at sea have become an almost daily occurrence. But the latest incident is raising the alarm far from the East African coast.

 

It is a scenario⁵ that has become all but routine – an act of piracy⁶ on the high seas by Somalis. This time the pirates have hijacked⁷ three fishing vessels from Thailand (and operating from Djibouti) with a total crew of 77 Thais aboard the ships. But what is unusual is that it has taken place more than 1,900 kilometers east of the African coast.

Commander John Harbour is at the European Union's Naval Force Maritime⁸ Security Center in London. 

"Since the European Union Naval Force arrived in the Gulf⁹ of Aden and Somali Basin in the Indian Ocean back in December 2008, this is the farthest hijacking that we're aware of. In fact, it's closer to the Indian coast than it is to the Somali coast," Harbour said.

Patrols by European and American warships¹⁰ have compelled the pirates to venture farther from their home waters.

Authorities say the crews of the Thai fishing boats appear safe and that the hijacked vessels are heading towards the Somali coast.

Commander Harbour tells VOA News this latest incident – so far away from Somalia – should serve as a wake-up call for the international community.

"What EU NAVFOR would like to see, and probably other commanders in the area, would be for all regional players now to take this threat seriously and all regional players in the area to join us in fighting this scourge¹¹, this criminal activity," Harbour adds.

Somali pirates are blamed for seizing more than 20 vessels since the beginning of last month and are holding more than 200 crew members hostage.

Piracy is a lucrative¹², albeit¹³ dangerous, business. Shipping¹⁴ companies are known to pay hundreds of thousands – and sometimes millions – of dollars in ransom¹⁵ for the release of their crews and vessels.

The Seafarers' Assistance Program estimates there are 1,500 active pirates working for seven major syndicates in the waters between India and Africa. The group says the pirates' missions are financed by criminals in a number of countries besides Somalia, including Lebanon, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates.

 

1 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

2 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

3 hijacking   

n. 劫持, 抢劫 动词hijack的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• I have been told about the hijacking . 我已听说了那次劫机事件。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
• They are taking measures to guarantee against the occurrence of hijacking. 他们正采取措施防止劫机事件的发生。

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

6 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

7 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

8 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

9 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

10 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

11 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

12 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

13 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

14 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

15 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。