piracy update

[varmint]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pirates_seize_Japan_ship_off_Somalia/articleshow/3720790.cms

[cstreit]

In the era of subs and aircraft carriers, how the hell to we still have pirates?

Were I one of those cargo ships getting chased by the scurvy dogs, I'd hoist an American flag during the pursuit. I doubt the Somalis would want to dodge a nuclear sub and a few hundred american planes.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yea, I mean the U.S. is bailing everyone else out these days, why not bail out every foreign cargo runner that gets in a tussle too? Free money and bailouts and protection for all!

[cstreit]

Well I meant that you'd fake being an American ship, but your idea would probably work too.

[charleskieffner]

old news...................now they have hijacked a saudi oil tanker. silly pirates!

[legion]

Why is it that crews are not allowed to carry weapons?

[charleskieffner]

same reason kalifornians cant carry weapons!

[Sunroof]

Here's the latest Pirate Alert Locations for the month as provided by "Latitude and Longitude Magazine for Sailors, Cruisers and the like. All locations reported with armed boardings, several hijackings and armed robberies:

Port Abidjan - Ivory Coast
Dar es Salaaam - Tanzania
Santan Port - Indonesia
Gulf of Aden
Lagos Anchorage - Nigeria
Golfe de Porto Novo - Corsica

Back when I was living aboard my 35 foot Coronado and sailing Florida and the Bahmas, we stopped in Tarpon Springs, Florida and were preaparing a run along the "big bend" of Florida, which follows close to the panhandle coast where there were no marina's between Cedar Key to Appalachicola. The run was poorly marked and void of US Coast Guard stations. This was in 1983! As it turned out we were told that their were "pirates" who were taking sailboats and powerboats for the drug trade back in the bend. High powered Donzi type vessel with large fuel tanks that hit you suddenly, set you adrift and took your vessel. Come on, for real?! Well, several folks claimed this was true, so rather then testing the tales and mounting a 50 cal. or a 12-pounder on the deck, we decided to hold off anyways. So much for "Pirates of the Big Bend".............

"..............no treasure to plunder no cannons to thunder, I am just an over 40 victim of fate"

Bob

[Hugh R]

Latest is that they seized a Saudi supertanker full of crude.

[serge944]

And they still have the Ukrainian ship carrying Russian Tanks and RPGs... It was hijacked on Sept. 26th!!

[pwd72s]

I read of this happening to a Turkish cargo ship, back in the 70's...Turkey produced a Q ship...Pirates made the mistake of attacking. Pirates all killed, except for the one allowed to go back to shore in order to tell his buddies what had happened to the others.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by legion

Why is it that crews are not allowed to carry weapons?

They do, and are doing so more. The difference is, you have 50 guys on deck with 9mm pistols, they have an RPG pointed at the SUPERTANKER you're standing on, while sitting 500 feet away.

Weapons are useless when it comes to pirates. It's been that way for 1000 years. Pirates and ninjas always have the advantage over your weapons.

[911pcars]

It's my understanding supertankers don't have a lot of crew. My WAG is about 20 (?), maybe fewer for a ship the size of several football fields. It wouldn't take much to board this sitting duck at night and capture the ship. Escape speed is something else.

Sherwood

[djmcmath]

Supertanker is really big, but 20 may even be an overestimate of crew size. Unlike Naval vessels, these guys typically only have one guy on the bridge at a time, with no other support in the control room. Everything is automated to make the tiny crew a realistic possibility.

Add to that the fact that these guys are Merchant Marine (or their foreign equivalent), not soldiers, and you have a recipe for failure.

Seems like making the Saudi's mad, however, would have some long-reaching consequences. Aren't they kind of powerful in the region?

Dan

[Sunroof]

Saudi Tanker the size of three aircraft carriers reported hijacked 500 miles off the Somali coast. Crew totaled 25 and were carrying over 100 million dollars worth of crude. The big question was how the pirates traveled the distance without massive refueling support. They use a mother ship and launch smaller vessels from there. Weapons onboard to repel serve no purpose. Simply pull aside, avoid the wake, use a bullhorn or radio and simply say, "we are starving and desparate Somali's who care not if we die here today; however, if you do not yield to our demands then we will blow up your ship and kill all aboard". Okay.................!!!

So much for a 9mm or a M-16 onboard. One RPG through the hull and you almost create a nuclear winter! The reports today on Somali pirates is alarming. Whole fishing villages have turned to the pirate trade. Now, if you are not a pirate you have no prestige in the village. Children emulate all pirates and aspire to becoming one. Somali's are so dirt poor, what do they have to loose? I have to wonder if they any romance in it. Somali Barbarossa fighting Captain Jacque over the fair beautiful virgin maiden?

I could only hope one of these guys rattles a sword, wears a bandana, has a long beard and comes aboard looking like Blackbeard! Saudi's will pay the ransom, the Somali's will piss the money away in bigger boats, bigger guns, rum and woman. Somewhere in the forthcoming years, watch for a movie. Who will play Somali the pirate?

[sammyg2]

Global warming solved.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Seems that a ship carrying $100M of oil could afford some protection. Furthermore, they can't hit you if you blow them up first. Don't they have radar to detect other ships?

[Jim Bremner]

I like the Q ship idea myself GE brings good stuff to life!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8rNNXkOCi0

[Heel n Toe]

Are you sure an RPG will go through the hull of a tanker?

500 yards? Couldn't major shippers afford to spend a few bucks to reach out and touch them with something that would be highly effective at that range and even further?

Like, maybe...

[masraum]

you stuck the ": eek :" too close to the youtube link. Here.