Hijacked oil tanker anchored off Somalia coast
November 18th, 2008 . by TexasFredHijacked oil tanker anchored off Somalia coast
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) – Pirates who seized a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million in crude oil anchored the ship within sight of impoverished Somali fishing villages Tuesday, while the U.S. and other naval forces decided against intervention for now.
With few other options, shipowners in past piracy cases have ended up paying ransoms for their ships, cargos and crew.
NATO said it would not divert any of its three warships from the Gulf of Aden and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet also said it did not expect to send ships to try to intercept the MV Sirius Star. The tanker was seized over the weekend about 450 nautical miles off the Kenyan coast, the latest in a surge of pirate attacks this year.
Never before have Somali pirates seized such a giant ship so far out to sea – and never a vessel so large. The captors of the Sirius Star anchored the ship, with a full load of 2 million barrels of oil and 25 crew members, close to a main pirate den on the Somali coast, Harardhere.
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Hijacked oil tanker anchored off Somalia coast
I am NOT known for my political correctness or diplomatic skills. I never have been, and quite likely, I never will be, but I think there is a viable solution to this pirate problem, and Somalia in general.
It’s a loaded oil tanker. Oil is a flammable substance, it burns. Blow that tanker, it’s cargo and the pirates, out of the water, a couple of ‘Hell Fire’ missiles should do quite nicely. The Saudis have lots more oil and can quite easily afford the financial *hit* of this loss and the pirates would think twice before taking another ship hostage by committing acts of piracy on the high seas.
Yes, it would pollute the Somali fishing waters. Too bad. Yes, it would cause the Somalis to breathe poor quality air for a while. Sad I suppose, if you’re a Somali, but there have to be consequences, and these people have got to be made fully aware of them.
These pirates and warlords killed American troops, they made the USA look like idiots. A primitive nation, with NO government, and they are now making other nations look very ineffective, but that is something that can be rectified.
I don’t care if the Somali air if poisoned by the smoke and soot of a gigantic oil fire. I don’t care if their fishing waters are polluted and their catch killed. Hunger is one hell of a motivator, it can make a people actually get off of their lazy asses and go to work. It can cause major changes in political moods and attitudes. But it’s going to take some world leaders that have the BALLS to actually commit to stopping these acts of piracy and terrorism, and paying the ransoms.
And therein lies the REAL problem, world leaders with BALLS, and world leaders, as well as bleeding heart Americans, that don’t sympathize WITH the Somali pirates!
Twenty five crewmen about the tanker. If these crewmen had been armed and a few 50 cal guns placed in strategic locations throughout the ship along with some RPG’s or similar type shoulder fired weapons, the pirates would be fish food right now. When the merchant ships start fighting back, the pirates will back off real fast.
Hmmm, think Blackwater is going to get a few new contracts??
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/10/navy_blackwater_102608w/
Teddy Roosevelt would have put up with this for about 10 seconds before he would have sent the US Navy & Marines in and blown all this trash to hell. What part of, “Kill all the pirate bastards,” don’t we understand today?
Oo, Oo, don’t hurt their feewings! They have the right to make a living! They are poor, third-world people and this is their culture!
I’m gonna throw a big ol’ BS Flag on this kind of thinking. When cultures clash, as this shows, the rights belong to the property owners, not the trespassers. Kill ‘em all, and let the liberals whine. Try not to kill the crew, but hey, if they can’t defend themselves …
It’s time to really and truly let the strong survive. Not the sneaky, but the strong.
Who floats around with $100 Million dollars of goods and isn’t armed for bear? Hell, even the Brinks guys have three guys, massive gunpower, and a dog on each truck!
You are all right! Boom Boom – Out Go the Lights! No more tanker, no more pirates.
Surround the ship with U.S. warships (out of range of any weapons these scumbags might have), and wait until they starve to death.
What about the crew?
Hey, if you are that stupid to sign on for something carrying that valuable a cargo without arming yourself, the gene pool is better off without you in it!
Forgot one thing.
Then we keep the ship and it’s cargo for our trouble.
I like Carl’s idea. I posted about this over at CLO this morning, with a bit of a different twist to it. Seems we are all pretty much thinking the same thing though.
Wasn’t it Thomas Jefferson who said millions in defense, none for tribute before taking on the pirates in his day? The Triploi pirates? Isn’t that WHY Adams created our Navy in the FIRST PLACE????
Blow ‘em all up and let God sort them out.
They have taken 12 ships this week alone. If we didn’t have Obama as our next POTUS then I’d say take them out the way we took out the Barbary Pirates in the 1700’s. But with Obama, he will just talk to them.