“The total number of naval attacks off Somalia now stands at 84 for this year, with 33 ships hijacked and 12 still in pirates' hands, most notably a Ukrainian freighter.” -ReutersThis is just too funny.
I have a few questions: How the hell do you sell the oil you’ve pirated? I mean, can you just sail into some port and start pumping your stolen oil into the terminals there? Can you really just show up in a giant ‘stolen’ oil tanker? How do you escape? WTF is the plan here?
Where are these ships hiding? Doesn’t the US have a couple of those really cool super spy satellites looking for these things? Wouldn’t a single commando unit and a night time para-drop do the trick?
Unbelievable.
So pirates are long oil here, around $58 a barrel. The Pirate Reversal signal is a reliable Bullish formation... hahaha...
I’ll admit it. Pirates are pretty cool. But ninja’s could totally get wenches too you know.
Pirates Seize Massive Oil Tanker: “The U.S. Navy said Monday that pirates had seized control of a Saudi-owned oil tanker off the coast of Kenya.
A spokesman for the Navy's 5th Fleet confirmed to CBS News that the crude oil tanker Sirius Star, owned by Saudi-based Aramco corporation and operated by Vella International, was seized 450 miles off the coast of Kenya on Nov. 15.
According to Lt. Nathan Christensen, the tanker is three times the size of most U.S. aircraft carriers, making it the largest vessel to be attacked by pirates off Africa's coast, according to the U.S.
Christensen said the attack was significant as it represented an expansion of the pirates' operational zone, which had been confined to about 200 miles of the coast.
Russian and British forces repelled a pirate attack off Somalia in the first action by a Russian warship sent to bolster international forces fighting a plague of hijackings in coastal waters vital to global commerce, the two nations' militaries said last week.
Attacks have continued virtually unabated off Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991. Kenya is immediately to the south of Somalia on the east Africa coast.
The total number of naval attacks off Somalia now stands at 84 for this year, with 33 ships hijacked and 12 still in pirates' hands, most notably a Ukrainian freighter.
The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution in June allowing ships of foreign nations that cooperate with the Somali government to enter their territorial waters "for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."
About 20,000 ships sail through the Gulf of Aden each year, compared to 13,000 that pass through the Panama Canal and 50,000 that traverse the Straits of Malacca - formerly the most pirate-infested waterway in the world.”
Posts
8 comments:
The pirates hold the ship and crew ransom. The location of the captured ships is known, but their owners don't allow raids by the various naval forces that patrol the area, they prefer paying the pirates.
Piracy is rampant there because it's profitable: "Most vessels captured in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden fetch on average a ransom of $2m."
"A report by UK think-tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of Somalia has cost up to $30m (£17m) in ransoms so far this year."
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7650415.stm
Caption of the link photo mentions Somalia hasn't had a functioning gov't since 1991. How long has the US had a non functioning gov't? Or maybe a self serving gov't which might be the same thing.
Brant, Atlanta, GA
The logical next step is to combine terrorism with piracy. Place a bomb on the oil tanker in port and threaten to blow it up if the ransom isn't paid. Easy money and the cost will get passed on to the consumer.
Yarrrh, if there be some unrecognized Power (the functioning though unrecognized government) in Somalia, theaze may be Somali "privateers", doing there scurvy work under Warrant from that Power.
Should such Power be formally "recognized" these guys might form the core of the Somalian navy.
Funny I seem to remember the US military's intervention in Somalia being touted as being "humanitarian" as Somalia "had no strategic value" - seems to be an awful lot of shipping going by for such a "non-strategic" place.
Several surface to surface missiles from US and Russian warships should solve the problem. Take out their harbours, the pirates luxury estates, and their small ships. Make life hell for the Pirates. Yes this will kill lots of innocent Somalis, but that is happening already, and until this shit is flushed down the drain, nothing and nobody is going to help Somalia get out if its self-dug hole.
Money is the answer, what was the question?
When enough people, lose enough money, the problem will be over.
..from the shores of Tripoli..
Send the George Washington
Who tipped the pirates?
The taking of a supertanker might stop the oil price drop. But any sailor will tell you that you can’t possibly take such a prize, with so many military patrols, without knowing in advance its exact position. Who tipped the pirates? Any eventual ransom paid by the ship owner will be easily repaid for by the price increase. Who really profits from the crime? This really sounds like a nasty financial plot.
Thanks so much for your post, pretty helpful information.
Post a Comment