What a disappointing blog. No number and a mysterious "trade secret" as well. How to call a pirate? This article was not helpful at all!

how much was the bribe that you had to pay to get the right number?

I guess this just proves the adage that there is 'no honour among thieves'.
It seems ironic that once some of the pirates got their hands on some money they became the target of other pirates. I guess it can be seen as an instance of 'divine justice'.

And all we get is one page of newsprint? Come on guys put your minds to work and write a little bit more.

That is fascinating. Good job digging to get that story and nice blog post.

I think the world has been pussy footing with the pirates for too long. The international forces there should get tough. If they are intercepting any pirate attempts to hijack ships, they should shoot the pirate boats out of te water, and not just fire warning shots.Tey should take it further and hunt down the "mother ship" which is probably nearby, and sink the "mother ship" as well. On top of that, there should be a blockade around the pirate ports, and intercept all boats going in and out of the port to check for weapons. If the "super power navy" or "national navy" of the countries patrolling the waters there cannot take on the rag tag pirates, they should not call themself a naval force. And those countries that have drones, how about sending the drones to shoot down all the ill gotten mansions built by the pirates. Show them that piracy does not pay.

I really like this kind of "inside" stories. Hope to see them more.

This is "just dessert" Mr Pirate.
If only you could put an additional 5 people on that boat.
No worries, with all the ransom you have been getting, pretty soon you can buy yourselves a larger boat with more carrying capacity.
My heart really goes out to you. Better luck next time !!

As usual CNN listens to woes of the pirates as they do with the terrorists Hamas – these people are thieves, blackmailers, murderers, and you name it. They deserve to die when caught. not spared to commit the same crimes over again. Israeli would be smart to keep on target until Hamas is chased out of the Gaza. The Palestinians are not innocent – who do you think fired the rockets from Lebannon? The terrorists Palestinians. Why do you think the Arab countries won't help them? They were terrorists under their last dictator, and are terrorists under the Hamas. The UN should pack up and go home – they are and have been the most useless organization in the world. The EU is getting just as bad – they have been blackmailed by a dictator in Russia on gas, and will continue to be blackmailed as long as you deal with a dictator. Wake up EU..

AAArrrgh! Bite my crank, matey!!

The following is taken directly from the article, and the sequence is the exact same as it is in the article:

"So, how do you get hold of a pirate in Somalia?"

/snip

"We dial again … nothing.

"Finally, we figure out a way to do it. Let’s call it a trade secret.

"'My name is Libaan Jaama,' he says.

"We have our story."

Thanks for clearing that up.

Wow! Sounds like a decent business, but sorry to hear that they have all that overhead. Still, $3.5 million for a few days work is good money. I'm thinking of heading over there, maybe pirating some ships. The best way to stop the pirates is bring over some Detroit union representatives. By the time they have to pay prevailing wage, holidays, coffee breaks, maternity leave, and disability benefits; it just won't be worth it and the industry will collapse!

Perfect. Pirates attacking other pirates. I hope they kill eachother off! It's all for those white SUVs. How stupid. Don't they know that SUVs are stupid?

Looks like a recession proof job.

Oooooh! Aaaaah! Bravo! If I weren't already doing a job here in Southern Sudan, I'd be out contacting people for interviews... great work!

Very interesting reading! Thank you very much for sharing, but I must say I'm curious about the trade secret:-)

Instead of pirate, please start using the more accurate, modern term: terrorist. When they start every sentence with "Aaarrgghh", then you can call them pirates.

This is really really neat! Exactly who job-wise would be in charge of contacting sources and getting information?

I would like to chat to the pirates also. Can you please send put their telephone numbers up on the internet, so that everyone worldwide can can call and chat to them. It would be so cool if everyone worldwide could simply call them up and annoy them...

Personally, I would like to discuss with them the impact they have on the cost of goods and sea transport, marine insurance, free cross border trade, Somalian tourism and economic development, crime and organized crime, religion, world citizenship, emerging business opportunities in Somalia, politics and marine preservation and fishing and environmental sustainability. Finally, I would like their view on how they feel in the knowledge that they are responsible for intergovernmental cooperation and uniting nations in similar goals to protect shipping and thwart piracy.

Again I am amazed abt the comments to a perfectly legal trade off between CNN and the pirates.... Has anyone ever not paid for a product he/she wants to acquire ???
This is not bribery... it´s bribery in your screwed up mind. So some of the amateur pirates get knocked off.... no big deal... all of Africa is "pirate land" or haven´t you noticed.... Where have you been folks... On the island I´m residing on we get robbed (pirated) by the minute.... We have the "best" poleece force in the world... the Canario Guardia Civil. The do what the Local Municipal Poleece don´t do .... sleep off their prepaid retirement time with attending momma nearby.... Wouldn´t you if you had a filthy job to do ?? So let the Afro pirates do their piracy for profits and let CNN pay for gathering the new you get for "nothing" from the satellite but pay the transporter... I once grabbed a Local Poleeceman´s peashooter and he started to smile at me.... So I noticed it had no magazine and no bullit in it´s chamber.. I terurned the "armour".... I did the same to a Guardia Civil officer and he started howling for mercy, prayed to Mother Mariah and called his mother on the cell. I felt sorry for the freak and returned the fully loaded 9 mm Luger type... after I told him to be nice and don´t ever again bother me because I am Donah, the Navajo, he knows why I live in the big house. Because my wife is (was) Dña Inez... la Holandesa, ´prendo ?? 2 Young kids... boy 10, girl 13... never came home from school. My housekeep put their faces on my door to make sure it is MY door and she takes care of me and the Dña.... The kids are in training to make good members of the community, a "good" living.. with all the other Cubanas, Colombianas, Uruguyanas... and some black "anas" from nearby GoldCoast. Don´t mind the lousy parents... they got money anyway.... Everybody knows.. and their faces stay on my door. Thanx to Mariah...
Donah....!!

Ryan, you can't call everyone who does something violent that you don't support a terrorist - the term becomes meaningless. These people are pirates in the real sense of the word (not the cartoon sense you describe). Pirates commit armed robbery and other violent crimes on the sea for profit. A terrorist is someone who uses violence to create fear in hopes of achieving some ideological goal. That may seem like it's just a semantic difference, but its implications for how to deal with them are huge.

And I agree with the people who said this post gives no real information on how CNN contacted that pirate.