Somali pirates hijack Saudi oil tanker

[piercehawkeye45]

Haha, anyone see the latest South Park?

[TheMercenary]

I missed it! I can imagine. I will have to catch the re-run.

[classicman]

Pirates mistakenly attack French naval vessel

Five Somali pirates have been captured after firing on a French naval vessel by mistake, apparently thinking it was a cargo ship, the BBC reports.

French military spokesman Admiral Christophe Prazuck says the pirates attacked at night about 300 miles off the Somalia coast.

But instead of a harmless cargo vessel, they tangled (briefly) with the Somme, a French navy command and supply ship.
Admiral Prazuck told French TV station La Chaine Info that the pirates seemed to be surprised that the navy ship fought back, the BBC reports.

"Once they realized they were facing a ship that was responding and was heading towards them, they stopped shooting and attempted to flee," he said.

[BrianR]

The headline is wrong.

It should read "French Navy fights back!"

News at eleven.

[classicman]

NAIROBI, Kenya — Crews on oil tankers aren't allowed to smoke above deck, much less carry guns, for fear of igniting the ship's payload. That's one of the main reasons Somali pirates met little resistance when they hijacked a U.S.-bound supertanker carrying $20 million in crude.

The Greek-flagged tanker — traveling from Saudi Arabia to New Orleans — had no escort when it was hijacked Sunday because naval warships are stretched too thin. The problem has been further exacerbated because pirates have expanded their operations to hundreds of miles out at sea.

The hijacking, one year after seizure of a Saudi supertanker led to heightened international efforts to fight piracy off the Horn of Africa, has highlighted the difficulty of keeping ships safe in the region — particularly oil tankers.

The Maran Centaurus was about 800 miles off the coast of Somalia when it was hijacked with 28 crew, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. On Monday, it was headed toward Somalia's lawless coast, a location where pirates most likely will hold the vessel as they attempt to negotiate a multimillion-dollar ransom.

While some ships traveling in the region have been outfitted with high pressure water guns and piercing noisemakers to repel pirates, even this is shunned on oil tankers for fear of triggering a response from pirates armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

"If you're not allowed to smoke a cigarette on the upper deck of an oil tanker, why would you want someone with a weapon up there?" said Graeme Gibbon-Brooks, who heads the private security company Dryad Maritime Intelligence.

There is also the threat that an accident or gunfight could lead to a leak that would devastate thousands of miles of ocean or coastline.

Protecting the huge tankers that carry more than half of the world's oil supply is made even more difficult because of their slow speed.

Sailors can typically distinguish fishermen from pirates around 300 yards, but by then it is too late to stop most attacks, said Gibbon-Brooks.

Expense and legal worries rule out armed escorts on a separate ship, he said, suggesting the best way to evade attack was for tankers to increase speed and steer the ship 30 to 45 degrees either side of its course. The swinging motion increases wake, destabilizing pirate skiffs, and keeps the low stern moving where pirates usually board. Trailing nets or lines behind vessels can also help by fouling the propellers of pirate skiffs, he said.

The Maran Centaurus was traveling about 11 knots when it was hijacked, according to Maj. Marten Granberg of the EU Naval Force. Most successful hijacks occur on ships traveling less than 20 knots. The ship was heading toward New Orleans, he said.

Gibbon-Brooks said he had recently received information from contacts in Somalia that more attacks were planned on tankers.

Twenty percent of global shipping — including eight percent of global oil shipments — is funneled into the narrow, pirate-infested Gulf of Aden that leads through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. The route is bordered on one side by the failed state of Somalia and on the other by the increasingly unstable country of Yemen.

They're at it again/still. . .

Link

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by classicman

Pirates mistakenly attack French naval vessel

Aussie comedian:
France's greatest naval victory since the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior!

[classicman]

They're at it again.

Striking into the heavily patrolled Gulf of Aden, Somali pirates seized a British-flagged chemical tanker — the first merchant vessel to be hijacked there in nearly six months, the same day that a ship was taken by brigands in the Indian Ocean, officials said Tuesday.

The double hijacking late Monday shows that, a year after an international naval armada began deploying off Somalia to protect shipping, piracy remains a problem. Monday's attacks occurred more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) apart, indicating the wide range of territory prowled by pirates and underscoring the difficulty of policing such a large area. Cmdr. John Harbour, the spokesman for the European Union's anti-piracy force, said the seizures were likely only a coincidence and not coordinated because several pirate bands operate in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.

Pirates anchor their captured crafts off Somalia's shore near the pirate strongholds of Haradhere and Hobyo. International forces can't rescue the vessels without risking the lives of the crew, leaving negotiated ransoms as the only safe means of resolution.

Link

Can't we lob a few bombs in there or something.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Sure, it's too much ocean to prevent all the hijackings, but they sure as hell could keep them from bringing the ships back home.

[TheMercenary]

Put the right people on the ships passing that area and the Hijackings will come to a compete halt.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Investigators for the UN Security Council have written a long report on the somali pirates, including their business model.

A basic piracy operation requires a minimum eight to twelve militia prepared to stay at sea for extended periods of time, in the hopes of hijacking a passing vessel. Each team requires a minimum of two attack skiffs, weapons, equipment, provisions, fuel and preferably a supply boat. The costs of the operation are usually borne by investors, some of whom may also be pirates.

To be eligible for employment as a pirate, a volunteer should already possess a firearm for use in the operation. For this ‘contribution’, he receives a ‘class A’ share of any profit. Pirates who provide a skiff or a heavier firearm, like an RPG or a general purpose machine gun, may be entitled to an additional A-share. The first pirate to board a vessel may also be entitled to an extra A-share.

At least 12 other volunteers are recruited as militiamen to provide protection on land of a ship is hijacked, In addition, each member of the pirate team may bring a partner or relative to be part of this land-based force. Militiamen must possess their own weapon, and receive a ‘class B’ share — usually a fixed amount equivalent to approximately US$15,000.

If a ship is successfully hijacked and brought to anchor, the pirates and the militiamen require food, drink, qaad, fresh clothes, cell phones, air time, etc. The captured crew must also be cared for. In most cases, these services are provided by one or more suppliers, who advance the costs in anticipation of reimbursement, with a significant margin of profit, when ransom is eventually paid.

When ransom is received, fixed costs are the first to be paid out. These are typically:

• Reimbursement of supplier(s)

• Financier(s) and/or investor(s): 30% of the ransom

• Local elders: 5 to 10 %of the ransom (anchoring rights)

• Class B shares (approx. $15,000 each): militiamen, interpreters etc.

The remaining sum — the profit — is divided between class-A shareholders.

link

[classicman]

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A U.S. warship captured five suspected pirates on Thursday after an exchange of fire in the Indian Ocean west of the Seychelles, the U.S. navy said.

After the clash, the U.S. warship chased the suspected pirate ship, which had been damaged, until it stopped, it said.

It captured three pirates on the skiff and another two on the mother ship. The United States said that it expected pirates to increase attacks on merchant vessels due to better weather from March through May.

"USS Nicholas captured suspected pirates on Thursday after exchanging fire, sinking a skiff, and confiscating a suspected mother ship," the U.S. Navy said in a statement. It did not say whether the pirates were Somalis.

Pirate sources and a maritime source said that a Taiwanese ship had also been hijacked on Thursday.

Somali pirates are seizing ships as far as the Mozambique Channel and off the coast of India and have started targeting ships bringing merchandise to Mogadishu's port.

They are holding captive at least eight mechanised Indian dhows, or small boats. Seven of them, with 100 crew members, were hijacked over the weekend on their way to the United Arab Emirates from Somalia.

Link

[tw]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Put the right people on the ships passing that area and the Hijackings will come to a compete halt.

So hijackers recently tried to hijack a US navy frigate. West of the Seychelles Islands, USS Nicholas sunk a speed boat and then captured the mothership. From the Washington Post:

Shortly after midnight, the suspected pirates fired on the USS Nicholas west of the Seychelles Islands in an apparent attempt to seize the ship and hold it for ransom. The 453-foot frigate returned fire,

Who would be so dumb as to attempt to hijack a guided missile warship that is looking for battle? Pirates.

[classicman]

85% of all pirates are dumb

[tw]

Originally Posted by classicman

...

As usual, classicman again posts cheapshots in reply to everything I post. Wacko extremism and his gonorrhea humor are alive and well.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by tw

Who would be so dumb as to attempt to hijack a guided missile warship that is looking for battle? Pirates.

Originally Posted by classicman

85% of all pirates are dumb

Originally Posted by tw

As usual, classicman again posts cheapshots in reply to everything I post. Wacko extremism and his gonorrhea humor are alive and well.

It wasn't a cheapshot at all, it is called a joke - relax ferchissakes.