Pirates seize ship carrying tanks, ammo

There is a slight chance they could kill eachother off LOL . But like all gangs they will find a common ground and call a truce

 

Hi Richard you have a most eloquent way of putting things--and fully agree w/ ya.

 

Malaysian chopper saves Indian tanker from pirates

• 
  By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer Vijay Joshi, Associated Press Writer – Thu Jan 1, 2:55 am ET

AP – In this Dec. 17, 2008 photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, pirates aim weapons on the deck of …

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A Malaysian military helicopter saved an Indian tanker from being hijacked Thursday, foiling the new year's first attack by pirates in the dangerous Gulf of Aden off the chaotic African nation of Somalia, an official said.
"This was a New Year's gift to the owners of the Indian tankers. If the Malaysians had not arrived their ship would have been certainly hijacked," said Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center.
The Malaysian rescue comes as more and more countries are sending warships to join a multinational naval force to protect commercial vessels passing through one of the world's most important sea routes. On Christmas Day, a German helicopter similarly saved an Egyptian ship off Somalia, a lawless country that has become a breeding ground for pirates who have raked in millions of dollars in ransom from hijackings.
The Indian tanker carrying a full load of oil was steaming toward the Suez Canal when it was attacked by two skiffs, one of which carried seven pirates dressed in military-style uniforms, said Choong.
"They came close to the ship and started firing machine guns, hitting the bridge and the accommodation area," Choong told The Associated Press.
He said the pirates, believed to be Somalis, tried to board the vessel several times while "firing repeatedly" but failed.
The captain increased the ship's speed to maximum, made evasive maneuvers and sent an SOS, which was received by a Malaysian frigate, KD Sri Inderah Sakti, only 15 nautical miles away, he said.
The frigate dispatched a Fennec light military helicopter, which arrived within minutes, said Choong.
On spotting the helicopter the pirates stopped firing and fled. There were no injuries to the crew but the tanker sustained some damage, Choong said.
Cmdr. Jane Campbell, a spokeswoman for the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said the U.S. Navy had no immediate information about a pirate attack.
The Malaysians, who are part of the multinational task force, also saved a Chinese ship less than two weeks ago.
More than a dozen warships are now patrolling the vast gulf. Countries as diverse as Britain, India, Iran, the United States, China, France and Germany have naval forces in the waters.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates attacked 111 times in the Gulf of Aden in 2008, out of which 42 resulted in successful hijackings. Choong said 14 ships are still in the hands of pirates with more than 240 hostages.
"Despite the increase in naval activities pirates are still managing to find loopholes to attack and hijack ships because warships cannot be everywhere at the same time," said Choong.
The pirates have been given a free hand to operate because of more than a decade of turmoil in Somalia. The nation of about 8 million people has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other.
Malaysian chopper saves Indian tanker from pirates - Yahoo! News

 

Then this happens

Somali pirates hijack Egyptian cargo ship

CAIRO (AFP) – Somali pirates hijacked a cargo ship with a crew of 28 Egyptians near the coast of Somalia, the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Thursday.
About 15 pirates, some of them heavily-armed, attacked the Blue Star, which carried 6,000 tonnes of fertiliser, near Bab al-Mandab as it was headed east, said foreign ministry official Ahmed Rizq.
"The crew are hostages ... there are efforts underway to conduct the necessary talks to free the ship," Rizq said in the statement.
The Blue Star was flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Rizq said. He had initially identified it as Egyptian.
More than 100 attacks occurred in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of the lawless Horn of Africa country in 2008 alone.
Pirates had captured an Egyptian ship with a crew of 25 in September, holding them for almost a month before setting them free. Egypt said it did not pay a ransom for the crew and ship.
The pirates have been undeterred by the presence of foreign navies patrolling in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in a bid to secure one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
Somali pirates hijack Egyptian cargo ship - Yahoo! News

 

Looks like things are getting busy.

France hands pirates to Somalia, more attacks foiled

January 3, 2009, 6:57 am

BOSASSO, Somalia (Reuters) - French forces handed over eight pirates to Somali authorities Friday and a new get-tough approach by foreign navies thwarted more attacks in vital shipping lanes linking Europe to Asia.

France hands pirates to Somalia, more attacks foiled News - Yahoo!Xtra News


Denmark holds suspected pirates captured off coast of Somalia
Associated Press

Last update: January 3, 2009 - 11:05 AM

COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Denmark says it is keeping five suspected pirates in custody while it explores legal action after an attack on a Netherlands Antilles-registered freight ship off the coast of Somalia.

Denmark holds suspected pirates captured off coast of Somalia


Crew fight off pirates with water jets off Somalia

Fri Jan 2, 8:24 am ET
ATHENS, Greece – Crewmen fired high pressure water jets to fight off heavily armed Somali pirates trying to board a Greek oil tanker in the dangerous Gulf of Aden on Friday in the fourth such attack since the start of the year, authorities said.

The pirates in three speedboats and armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades twice tried to board the Greek-flagged Kriti Episkopi but were scared off when the crew turned fire hoses on them and EU aircraft scrambled from a nearby EU naval flotilla to help, company and Greek government officials said.

Crew fight off pirates with water jets off Somalia - Yahoo! News

French vessel saves 2 cargo ships from pirates
Sun Jan 4, 3:37 pm ET

PARIS – A French navy vessel thwarted two attacks Sunday on cargo ships by heavily armed Somali pirates in the dangerous Gulf of Aden and captured the 19 pirates, just three days after a similar rescue by French forces, the government said.

The Defense Ministry said that 11 assault rifles, two rockets and two rocket launchers were confiscated from pirates traveling in three boats, along with a boarding ladder and 1,000 liters (264 gallons) of fuel.

French vessel saves 2 cargo ships from pirates - Yahoo! News

 

I guess some will never learn . 120 million so far that could have been used to pay for better security.

Somali pirates release Turkish ship after ransom paid: company

• • Wed Jan 7, 7:13 am ET

AFP/US Navy/File – Pirates in a speedboat off Somalia's coast in October 2008. A Turkish-owned ship seized by pirates …



ISTANBUL (AFP) – A Turkish-owned ship seized by pirates off Somalia in late October has been released in return for ransom, a company lawyer said on Wednesday.
"An agreement was reached after lengthy negotiations," Fehmi Ulgener, a lawyer for the Istanbul-based Yasa company, told AFP, declining to say how much ransom money was paid.
"Our ship was released on Tuesday evening and is sailing towards safe waters," he said, adding that the 20 Turkish crew members were "well and in good spirits."
The M/V Yasa Neslihan, which is sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, was transporting 77,000 tonnes of iron ore from Canada to China when it was hijacked in the Gulf Of Aden on October 29.
Ulgener said the vessel would continue on its route to China.
Piracy is rife and well organised in the area where Somalia's northeastern tip juts into the Indian Ocean, preying on a key maritime route leading to the Suez Canal.
The pirates operate high-powered speedboats and are heavily armed, sometimes holding ships for weeks until they are released for large ransoms paid by governments or owners.
Two other Turkish ships are among about a dozen vessels the pirates are currently holding.
More than 100 ships were hijacked in 2008 off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
The pirates are estimated to have raked in 120 million dollars in ransom money.

Somali pirates release Turkish ship after ransom paid: company - Yahoo! News

 

This cracks me up. I wonder if they all split evenly.... ?? LOL

 

CNN: NAVY CREATES FORCE TO FIGHT PIRACY

(CNN) -- The U.S. Navy has started a force to battle pirates attacking ships in and near the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's coast, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said Thursday.



The unit -- called Combined Task Force 151 -- is a spinoff of an existing force in the region that addressed a range of security issues, such as drug smuggling and weapons trafficking, as well as piracy.

The Gulf of Aden links the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. About 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year near largely lawless Somalia.

The United States is among at least 20 countries that are trying to combat piracy in the region, including Russia, India, Germany and Iran. In December, German sailors foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack an Egyptian cargo ship off the coast of Yemen, according to the German Defense Ministry, and the European Union launched its first naval operation to protect vessels. That came just days after China revealed its own plans to patrol the Horn of Africa's volatile coastline.

Task Force 151 will be devoted solely to counterpiracy efforts, said Lt. Stephanie Murdock, a Fifth Fleet spokeswoman. The United States anticipates other nations joining the force "in the near future."


http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/01/08/piracy.task.force/index.html

 

And of course the cost will just be passed on to the customer .

 

Looks like 3 Million for this one.

Negotiator: pirates get $3 mil for Saudi tanker

• 
  
• By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer Mohamed Olad Hassan, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 9, 5:19 pm ET

AP – A parachute dropped by a small aircraft drops over the MV Sirius Star at anchor, in this U.S. Navy photo, …

• Slideshow: Somali Pirates

MOGADISHU, Somalia – After reportedly receiving a $3 million ransom dropped by parachute, pirates said they released a captured Saudi supertanker Friday, ending a two-month drama that helped galvanize international efforts to fight piracy off Africa's coast.
U.S. Navy photos showed a parachute, carrying what they described as "an apparent payment," floating toward the tanker, which had been held with its 25-member since Nov. 15.
Mohamed Said, a negotiator with the pirates, told The Associated Press by telephone the ship was released and traveling to "safe waters" after the payment of $3 million, far less than the $25 million initially sought.



Negotiator: pirates get $3 mil for Saudi tanker - Yahoo! News

 

5 Somali pirates drown with ransom share

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer Mohamed Olad Hassan, Associated Press Writer – Sat Jan 10, 2:47 pm ET
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Five of the pirates who hijacked a Saudi supertanker drowned with their share of a $3 million ransom, a relative said Saturday, the day after the bundle of cash was apparently dropped by parachute onto the deck of the ship.
The Sirius Star and its 25 crew sailed safely away Friday at the end of a two-month standoff in the Gulf of Aden, where pirates attacked over 100 ships last year. Hundreds more kidnapped sailors remain in the hands of pirates.
The drowned pirates' boat overturned in rough seas, and family members were still looking for four missing bodies, said Daud Nure, another pirate who knew the men involved.
Piracy is one of the few ways to make money in Somalia. Half the population is dependent on aid and a whole generation has grown up knowing nothing but war. A recent report by London's Chatham House think-tank said pirates raked in more than $30 million in ransoms last year.
Somalia's lawless coastline borders one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Attacks have continued despite the patrols by warships from France, Germany, Britain, America, India and China.
The naval coalition has been closely monitoring both the Sirius Star and the Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with military tanks that has been held since September. The seizure of the Sirius Star on Nov. 15 prompted fears that the pirates might release some of the cargo of crude oil into the ocean, causing an environmental disaster as a way of pressuring negotiators. At the time, the oil was valued at $100 million.
Abukar Haji, uncle of one of the dead pirates, blamed the naval surveillance for the accident that killed his pirate nephew Saturday.
"The boat the pirates were traveling in capsized because it was running at high speed because the pirates were afraid of an attack from the warships patrolling around," he said.
"There has been human and monetary loss but what makes us feel sad is that we don't still have the dead bodies of our relatives. Four are still missing and one washed up on the shore."
Pirate Daud Nure said three of the eight passengers had managed to swim to shore after the boat overturned in rough seas. He was not part of the pirate operation but knew those involved.
"Here in Haradhere the news is grim, relatives are looking for their dead," he said.
The tanker had left Somali territorial waters and was on its way home Saturday, said Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali Naimi. A Saudi Oil Ministry official said the ship was headed for Dammam, on the country's Gulf coast, but gave no estimated time of arrival. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The U.S. Navy, which announced this week it will head a new anti-piracy task force, released photos Friday showing a parachute, carrying what was described as "an apparent payment," floating down toward the tanker.
The Liberian-flagged ship is owned by Vela International Marine Ltd., a subsidiary of Saudi oil company Aramco. Neither commented on the reported ransom drop.
"All the crew members are safe and I am glad to say that they are all in good health and high spirits," said a statement by Saleh K'aki, president and CEO of Vela. "Throughout this ordeal, our sole objective was the safe and timely release of the crew. That has been achieved today."
But over a dozen ships and around 300 crew members are still being held. The capture of the Sirius Star has already demonstrated the pirates' ability to strike high value targets hundreds of miles offshore.
On the same day the Saudi ship was freed, pirates released a captured Iranian-chartered cargo ship, Iran's state television reported Saturday. The ship Delight was carrying 36 tons of wheat when it was attacked in the Gulf of Aden Nov. 18 and seized by pirates. All 25 crew are in good health and the vessel is sailing toward Iran, the TV report said. It did not say if a ransom was paid.

5 Somali pirates drown with ransom share - Yahoo! News

 

God does have a sense of humor and irony LOL.

 

The god meant in this instance is Poseidon.

 

Somali pirate's body washes ashore with $153,000

By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer Mohamed Olad Hassan, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jan 11, 10:14 am ET
MOGADISHU, Somalia – The body of a Somali pirate who drowned just after receiving a huge ransom washed onshore with $153,000 in cash, a resident said Sunday, as the spokesman for another group of pirates promised to soon free a Ukrainian arms ship.
Five pirates drowned Friday when their small boat capsized after they received a reported $3 million ransom for releasing a Saudi oil tanker. Local resident Omar Abdi Hassan said one of the bodies had been found on a beach near the coastal town of Haradhere and relatives were searching for the other four.
"One of them was discovered and they are still looking for the other ones. He had $153,000 in a plastic bag in his pocket," he said Sunday.
The U.S. navy released photos of a parachute dropping a package onto the deck of the Sirius Star, and said the package was likely to be the ransom delivery.
But five of the dozens of pirates who had hijacked the tanker drowned when their small boat capsized as they returned to shore in rough weather. Three other pirates survived but also lost their share of the ransom.
Graeme Gibbon Brooks, managing director of the British company Dryad Maritime Intelligence Service Ltd, said the incident was unlikely to deter attacks.
"The loss or potential loss of the ransom means the pirates will be all the more keen to get the next ransom in," he said. "There are people lining up to be pirates."
The Sirius Star had been held near the Ukrainian cargo ship MV Faina, which was loaded with 33 Soviet-designed battle tanks and crates of small arms. The same day the Sirius Star was released, the family members of the Faina crew appealed for help, saying they were not being kept informed about the negotiations or the state of their loved ones' health.
But a pirate spokesman assured The Associated Press on Sunday that the 20 crew members on the MV Faina were doing well.
"The cargo is still there unharmed and the crew is healthy," Sugule Ali said. "Once the negotiations end in mutual understanding, the ship, its crew and the cargo as well will be released."
There have been several false alarms about the release of the MV Faina since it was seized last September. Ali said the pirates were still negotiating with the ship's owners.
"Nothing has changed from our previous demand of $20 million ransom for the release of the ship, but as negotiations continue we are likely to reduce the amount," he said. He declined to give further details.
American warships have been closely monitoring the Faina amid fears that some of the weapons onboard could be taken onshore and fall into the hands of Islamic insurgents.
The shaky Somali government is battling insurgents the U.S. State Department says are linked to al-Qaida. But the situation is complicated by clan militias and rivalries within the Islamist movement.
Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991 and its lawless coastline is a perfect haven for pirates, who attacked 111 ships in the Gulf of Aden and kidnapped 42 of them last year alone. The multimillion dollar ransoms are one of the only ways to make money in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation.
An international flotilla including U.S. warships has been patrolling the area. The flotilla has stopped many attacks, but the area is too vast to keep all ships safe.

Somali pirate's body washes ashore with $153,000 - Yahoo! News

 

Pirates who are supposed to be "Fishermen" and "Sailors" that can't swim?? LOL. I bet with all that money and bodies floating around there are more "Fishermen" in that area LOL.

 

Somali pirate's body washes ashore with $153,000

Who said you can't take it with you???

 

Now that 5 ""pirates"" have drowned--they need 5 replacements who can apply for those "positions" at their local "Unemployment Agency". :lol: :lol:

 

Well, you can say that he died rich.

 

I wonder if he would have rather lived poor rather then to have drowned rich? LOL

 

I read the captured pirates are handed over to Somalian authorities. Can these authorities be trusted or is it like releasing them again?