At least the hostages didn't have to wait for the Eunuch in chief to get his thumbs out.
At least the hostages didn't have to wait for the Eunuch in chief to get his thumbs out.
I just read an update. The reference to them being on the water is that the pirates have taken the captain of the ship hostage and are escaping with him so as to demand ransome.
Pirates have been doing this successfully for such a long time I wonder why these shipping companies haven't figured out a way to keep them off such a large ship. A ship security detail cost the company money which is probably why they don't take this approach but you'd think something could be done.
How about some motion-triggered claymores around the hull.
I guess what shocked me the most about the whole ordeal was that the freighter had no weapons aboard. They know they are going into pirate infested waters. Carry some guns and when the pirates board, shoot them.
I would be willing to be the pirating problem would go down.
Mass Maritime grads in the middle of the whole thing:
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news...10370104082009
And they are working on getting the future crews proficient with firearms:
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news...47/detail.html
The ship the Somali pirates tried to hijack was full of containers of food and supplies for the poor and starving in Afreaka!! So since they were thwarted in their thieving attempt, they're now holding the captain hostage for ransom money. At least it sounds like a few of them were thrown overboard for shark bait.
Screw international law, I say sic some duck hunters on them!
http://s490.photobucket.com/albums/r...h_Chaingun.gifhttp://s490.photobucket.com/albums/r.../th_pirate.gifhttp://s490.photobucket.com/albums/r.../th_pirate.gifhttp://s490.photobucket.com/albums/r.../th_pirate.gifhttp://s490.photobucket.com/albums/r.../th_pirate.gif
Crews on most ocean going vessels aren't allowed to carry guns, I suppose for fear of mutiny at sea, and most countries refuse to admit armed ships in their ports. They also aren't allowed to fire on other ships on the high seas unless they are attacked first according to international law. So even though the U.S. never ratified the U.N. Law of the Sea treaty, we agreed to abide by the codification of international law. Although I don't know why when they see a little speedboat full of Somalis they can't just sink it and use the ole S-S-S.
This is the first U.S. ship that has been pirated in 200 years. I'm wondering if our feckless leader is the reason this one was attacked, and betting we can expect to see more in the future.
I can just imagine the Somalis licking their chops in glee.
"Avast, ye mateys! Dere goes a U.S. ship, how about we steal it and become heros, brother Obomo kiss our feet and gibs us more money!"
"Yo Hillary baby, we finna pay Clinton foundation summa dis ransom to represent us so we be movie stars in your country!"
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...tes-Pi-001.jpg
Time to do what we did against the Barbary Pirates 200 yrs ago;SEND IN THE MARINES.
Julie
While most carriers do not carry weapons, some of the supercargo carriers and “high value” ships do hire guns. My nephew spent three years as Navy security in Bahrain. His job was boarding and searching suspicious ships. This was immediately after the Iraq invasion. He said that lots of foreign ships carried “security crews” that were made up primarily of former Russian and Russian block special forces guys. Basically these guys are mercenaries and some of the worlds real bad asses. He said that even though boarding every ship got them on edge, boarding those who had “security” on board scared the crap out of them. He said there was no doubt these guys would kill you for looking at them wrong. Interesting that there has not been an incident involving a ship with “security” but then again maybe the pirates know which ships carry them and steer clear of them OR there has been some “action” that nobody knows about (what goes on on the high seas….)
I am thinking we might get to se a little SEAL action in this case. I would think snipers like France used to take out a few pirates a while back, but from what I understand the lifeboat is a covered boat so snipers may not be a viable option. I do not really see a way out for this bunch. They are dead in the water about 300 miles from the coast in a 28 foot boat. My only hope Is that the captain gets out unharmed.
Interesting watching some interviews and how may shipping guys have said there is no way, even with an armed crew, that this could have been avoided. Sorry but I have to believe that a good security force would in fact be able to detect a small boat coming across smooth seas in a full moon. I also find it interesting that so many of these ships are out there carrying many, many millions of dollars of good and are virtually unprotected. Hell even wally world has security……
Imo, this is just a preview of coming attractions, or perhaps a sequel of the Carter Administration, when a kinder, gentler, less arrogant, Obama-ized America issues statements like "We are deeply concerned and we are following it very closely. ... Clinton said at the State Department. "More generally we think the world must come together and end the scourge of piracy." instead of issuing something like the following:
"As the President of the United States, I would like to make this perfectly clear, that the United States views this terrorism as an act of war upon our country's interests, NOT as an international crime. Therefore, in accordance with the powers vested and authorized by the US Constitution, I have authorized immediate Special Forces operations to act to protect US citizens and interests and to use all force deemed necessary by the on site commander to bring this situation to a swift and decisive resolution."
"It has been reported that for young Somalis, piracy offers a life of adventure and money; This perception has been allowed to exist unchallenged for far too long. This is not a movie and it will NOT have a happy ending. At sea, they are armed with automatic weapons, rockets and grenades. Because of this, these maritime terrorists will be confronted with overwhelming deadly force WHEREVER they are encountered."
"On land, they are a cross between a town official and a gangster rapper — with grand houses, luxury cars and beautiful wives.Piracy is a lucrative business in Somalia, a country with no central government, no banks and few merit-based opportunities because of an entrenched clan system.For Somali men such as those who hijacked this American cargo ship, banditry at sea offers power and potential prosperity in a land so bleak that life expectancy is just 46 years and a quarter of children die before they reach 5. And so we do call upon the rest of the world, the UN & the OAU to stop the debates and passing of useless resolutions, and act in Somalia. But in the meantime, we will take care of our own. This is not arrogance, this is a commitment and the United States of America will apologize to no one for doing so.
Thank you and I will NOT be taking questions!"
Right now according to international law you can't do anything to them unless they attack first. Several have been caught and just pitched their guns and RPGs overboard, you know, just like an episode of Cops. "I din do NUFFIN! We wuz just out here fishing." Heck the Somali pirates even call themselves the Somali Coast Guard and blame the West. They claim they had to turn to piracy because Western nations overfished their waters and polluted their coast. (yeah right...)Quote:
Originally Posted by badbullgator
But you have to wonder why when there's a sighting of a small fishing boat in a shipping lane with armed Somalis, the crews don't utilize the three S only in this case it would be shoot, sink and shut up....Somali Rockfish ;-) although I understand companies just build in the hijacking as the cost of doing business.
it was the Danish navy that fired on one attacking a French ship. And the Indian navy sank a trawler that was a pirate mothership. But my favorite story is the Chinese crew that successfully defended itself from the pirates. They used empty liquor bottles and made homemade grenades and Molotov cocktails and lobbed them at the Somalis, who had to run for cover and cut up their BARE feet (what kind of gangster goes barefoot??!!?) and eventually abandoned their hijacking attempt. I believe shortly afterward the Chinese, who've never had a real Navy, decided to send some ships over to the Gulf of Aden for some target practice.Quote:
I am thinking we might get to se a little SEAL action in this case. I would think snipers like France used to take out a few pirates a while back, but from what I understand the lifeboat is a covered boat so snipers may not be a viable option. I do not really see a way out for this bunch. They are dead in the water about 300 miles from the coast in a 28 foot boat. My only hope Is that the captain gets out unharmed.
Freight vessels are mainly unarmed. I'm not sure what they have to do to have an armed security detail. Most of their anti piracy devices are stuff like high pressure water hoses to knock them off--most of the pirates gain access by steering their boats next to the ships and using grappling hooks to climb aboard. They also have amplified sound that supposedly deters them.