Piracy and the Story of the Brillante Virtuoso

Bloomberg Businessweek published on 31 July 2017 a fascinating story titled "The Hijacking of the Brillante Virtuoso" by Kit Chellel and Matthew Campbell.

This is a detailed account of a Greek-owned oil tanker that in July 2011 experienced either a botched hijacking or failed effort to scuttle the ship as part of an insurance scam in the Gulf of Aden at the height of Somali piracy. The ship and its oil cargo, valued at $100 million, was only briefly seized by intruders when an explosion and fire broke out that subsequently sent it to the salvage yard. What actually happened to the ship remains a mystery and insurance claims continue. It may be a case where a suspected Somali piracy attempt was actually something else.