The US Navy Maritime Liaison Office (MARLO) Bahrain is warning merchant vessels to remain at least 200 nautical miles off the eastern coast of Somalia. Pirates in these waters have increased their level of attacks. A recent unofficial report indicates that pirates may have killed a crewmember of one of the previously-seized vessels in an effort to force the owner to pay a ransom. MARLO Advisory Bulletin (5/20/07). http://tinyurl.com/2dg739 [demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pkcs7-signature which had a name of smime.p7s]