These pirates are gonna get their asses handed to them

[johnny861]

If they keep fucking around like this


http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa...tes/index.html


Pirates take 'super tanker' towards Somalia

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Pirates who hijacked a crude oil tanker off the coast of Kenya are approaching a Somali port, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

The Sirius Star -- a crude "super tanker" flagged in Liberia and owned by the Saudi Arabian-based Saudi Aramco company -- was attacked on Saturday more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya.

The crew of 25, including British, Croatian, Polish, Filippino and Saudi nationals, are reported to be safe

U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet Cmdr. Jane Campbell said the super tanker weighs more than 300,000 metric tons and "is more than three times the size of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier."

Oil industry insiders say a tanker of this size can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil, and the ship's operator, Dubai-based Vela International Marine Ltd, says it is fully laden.

A U.S. Navy spokesman said the tanker is approaching Eyl, Somalia, on the Indian Ocean coast. It is routine procedure for pirates to take hijacked ships to shore, where they will keep them while they discuss negotiations.

A multinational naval force including vessels from the U.S., the UK and Russia has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters seas near the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, following a sharp increase in pirate attacks in the region.

"It was attacked more than 450 nautical offshore of Mombasa. This means that the pirates are now operating in an area of over 1.1 million square miles. This is a measure of the determination of the pirates and ... a measure of how lucrative piracy could become," Campbell said.

Campbell said the Navy does not expect to dispatch a vessel to aide the super tanker because it does not have dangerous weapons aboard like the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with arms that was seized by pirates on September 25.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed two Britons were aboard and said it was seeking more information about the incident.

South Korean officials said on Sunday that armed gunmen hijacked a Japanese freighter and its 23-member crew off the coast of Somalia. The hijacking came as the Korean government was considering sending a warship to join those of other countries to combat piracy in the area.

A Russian patrol ship also thwarted an attack on a Saudi vessel.

Eleven vessels are currently being held by pirates hoping to secure ransoms for their release, according to The Associated Press. They include the MV Faina, which was hijacked along with 20 crew and a cargo of weapons and T-72 tanks.

Ninety percent of ships transiting the perilous seas are using a guarded corridor and there have been no hijackings inside the zone since it was set up on August 22, Danish Commodore Per Bigum Christensen told AP last week.

Around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year.

"Our presence in the region is helping deter and disrupt criminal attacks off the Somali coast, but the situation with the Sirius Star clearly indicates the pirates' ability to adapt their tactics and methods of attack" said U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the Combined Maritime Forces.

"Piracy is an international crime that threatens global commerce. Shipping companies have to understand that naval forces can not be everywhere. Self protection measures are the best way to protect their vessels, their crews, and their cargo."

[david austin]

Arrrrrrrg!!

[johnny861]

lol, Then again, we've been fighting pirates for over 200 years now... so I dunno...

[david austin]

it is pretty wild tho

the shell and bp installations have hard core private security services now

i know i couldnt handle that type of shit for the money those workers make

[tricky]

Originally Posted by david austin

it is pretty wild tho

the shell and bp installations have hard core private security services now

i know i couldnt handle that type of shit for the money those workers make

very wild. i saw this show on history about this. story of this cruise ship and the attempted takeover. they barely survived. rocket propelled gernades and machines guns....crazy!

[Nyteshade]

Originally Posted by tricky

very wild. i saw this show on history about this. story of this cruise ship and the attempted takeover. they barely survived. rocket propelled gernades and machines guns....crazy!

Barely survived? What story did you read?

No one was hurt and the pirates didn't even have a fast enough boat to catch up when the Captain changed course and hit the gas.

[progress]

As soon as I read this morning that it was a Saudi tanker, I've been waiting for the response. I have a feeling they aren't going to fuck around on this one....

[PETA]

So... the article didn't go into this but exactly how does a band of pirates hold 11 boats... including one loaded w/tanks without Russia, the UK or US sending a carrier over to kill every last one of them and take the boats back?

Are they hidden? How do you hide a supertanker? They've got to have tracking mechanisms on them. Hostages? Has that prevented the powers that be from taking action?

[Nyteshade]

Originally Posted by St. Stalin the Apathetic

So... the article didn't go into this but exactly how does a band of pirates hold 11 boats... including one loaded w/tanks without Russia, the UK or US sending a carrier over to kill every last one of them and take the boats back?

Are they hidden? How do you hide a supertanker? They've got to have tracking mechanisms on them. Hostages? Has that prevented the powers that be from taking action?

If we got involved, it would probably be covertly or a spec ops type mission to lessen the chance of it being blown apart and having an ungodly mess to clean up.

[PETA]

Originally Posted by Nyteshade

If we got involved, it would probably be covertly or a spec ops type mission to lessen the chance of it being blown apart and having an ungodly mess to clean up.

I'd think an ungodly mess is what we'd want to create. Destroy absolutely the port that accepted the ship(s). Make them useless. Think other ports would allow pirated ships to enter? Kill every pirate dead. Very dead. This educe the current number of pirates and discourage others from taking their place.

At a minimum blockade the port - make it useless. The kill pirates... send special forced on board to go Usual Suspects on their asses.

[Nyteshade]

Originally Posted by St. Stalin the Apathetic

I'd think an ungodly mess is what we'd want to create. Destroy absolutely the port that accepted the ship(s). Make them useless. Think other ports would allow pirated ships to enter? Kill every pirate dead. Very dead. This educe the current number of pirates and discourage others from taking their place.

At a minimum blockade the port - make it useless. The kill pirates... send special forced on board to go Usual Suspects on their asses.

I was just referring to the oil tanker.

[PETA]

Originally Posted by Nyteshade

I was just referring to the oil tanker.

ah, 2M barrels of oil would be messy....


don't kill ther pirates, press them into forced labor cleaning up any mess that results

[progress]

I think it's more along the lines of "yes, we're here and able to kick your ass if we want to, but I really don't want to harm any of my crew or my own equipment just to save a boat full of oil or rice."

I would agree though that we should demolish the port.

[MACK]

the pirates are now hijacking ships at greater than 200 nautical miles from the shore of Somalia
those in the know think they are using ex-soviet trawlers as motherships for the smaller boats to launch from and hijack other boats

these pirates are about to see the heat turned up, these ships are going to start arming themselves soon...

[Deff Gordon]

there was a blurb in the WSJ on Somalia's president describing his government on the verge of collapse and that Islamic insurgents now control most of the country.

as for the pirates... it's good to see that it's not a dying art form like poetry and hand washing clothes.