Pirates seize ship carrying tanks, ammo

So basically they will only get a slap on the hand. No wonder they are so bold. Certainly not brave since there seems to be no real consequences for thier actions knowing that they will just have thier weapons taken away.And they can always get much more of those.

 

People maybe don't take pirates seriously. Its not Captain Jack Sparrow you guys, real pirates. REAL weapons and they want REAL money. Not dabloons

 

Well, this sure seems to be degenerating into some sort of international game with only the US (as usual) seriously concerned about the consequences. Twelve days into the situation, and Russia seems to be a no-show even though the cargo is Soviet-era arms and the crew includes Russian nationals. There's no telling who actually owns the cargo at this point and there doesn't seem to be much concern over the safety of the crew.

Denmark, and by extension the EU, since they have similar laws regarding the death penalty, seem more concerned about protecting the lives and futures of the pirates than suppressing piracy in the region. It's obviously pointless to count on any help from that quarter in this matter. If ever there was a problem suited for UN intervention, this is it, but the UN is keeping it's mouth shut, probably because there doesn't appear to be any prospect of squeezing some graft out of this. It's beginning to look like nothing is going to get done unless that US (as usual) does it. And of course, we can expect to be severely criticized and labeled as "bullies" by everyone for mistreating the poor misunderstood pirates, who after all, are only trying to make a living.

The shipping company appears to be negotiating payment of the ransom, so it looks like the most likely outcome is that the pirates will walk away with a tidy profit, the arms will end up somewhere in the Sudan, and future acts of piracy will be greatly encouraged by the pirate's success.

 

Yep, sound about right. most attacks don't even go reported. Shipping companies would rather pay 20 million now than 35 million over the next two years on insurance rates.

 

The pirates will deal with these fellows?


billingsgazette.com : The Associated Press

Even if they get the ransom, how will they remove themselves from the problem now?

 

A fair question.

First of all, it's my understanding that the Faina is now anchored in territorial waters, it is no longer considered to be on the "high seas". Therefore, under international law, the US is no longer within it's rights in seizing the pirates. As stated in the news article you posted, the US is primarily concerned with making sure the crew is safe and that the cargo does not fall into the "wrong" hands, NOT with capturing and trying the pirates.

If the shipping company ends up paying the ransom, the deal will likely be that the cargo is turned over to the rightful owners, apparently the South Somali government, while the ship is returned to the crew. This will satisfy the aims of the US, which apparently is the only government with actual naval forces on the scene. The US doesn't want to attempt to capture the pirates since that would involve danger to the Russian and Ukrainian crew members. and would violate international law. If anyone wants to capture the pirates, it looks like it would have to be the Russians who don't appear to be interested in anything but getting the ship back

The biggest problem for the pirates appears to be insuring that the ransom is paid into an account that will not be frozen by a hostile government and will remain available to them. Once that is done all they need to do is climb back in their boats and leave the ship. As long as they don't try to offload the cargo, It appears the US wouldn't interfere.

 

Pirates holding Ukrainian-operated ship Faina off the coast of Somalia, receive supplies while under observation by the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (not shown) on Monday, Sept. 29. 2008. U.S. warships and helicopters on Monday surrounded the hijacked cargo ship which is loaded with Sudan-bound tanks and other arms, to keep the weapons from falling 'into the wrong hands,' an American Navy spokesman said. The pirates who seized the ship Thursday are demanding a $20 million ransom.(AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason Zalasky)


US Navy watches seized ship with Sudan-bound tanks
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 58 minutes ago


NAIROBI, Kenya - U.S. helicopters on Monday buzzed a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship carrying 33 Soviet-designed tanks and other weapons that officials fear could end up in the hands of al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia if the pirates are allowed to escape.

Thursday's seizure of the MV Faina off Somalia, a failed state seen as a key battleground in the war on terrorism, could bring dangerous effects across the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Piracy has become a lucrative criminal racket in impoverished Somalia, bringing in millions of dollars in ransom.
The pirates aboard the blue-and-white Ukrainian-operated freighter are demanding $20 million to release the ship, its 21 crew members, one of whom has died of an apparent heart attack, and its cargo of T-72 tanks, rifles and ammunition.
The ship, now anchored off Somalia's coast near the central town of Hobyo, apparently was destined for Sudan when armed pirates overtook it, likely from a speedboat, and climbed up the side of the ship.
"We maintain a vigilant watch over the ship and we will remain on station while negotiations between the pirates and the shipping company are going on," Lt. Nathan Christensen, a deputy spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, told The Associated Press.
Although the pirates have not been allowed to take anything off the Faina, they have been allowed to resupply, one U.S. official said when asked if those aboard needed anything such as food. The official declined to comment on whether the negotiations between the pirates and the shipping company are being monitored.
U.S. Navy destroyers and cruisers have been deployed within 10 miles of the hijacked vessel and helicopters were circling overhead because of "great concern" over the possibility of the cargo falling "into the wrong hands," Christensen said. At one point on Sunday, the captain of the Faina said a warship was about two miles away.
"Our goal is to ensure the safety of the crew, to not allow off-loading of dangerous cargo and to make certain Faina can return to legitimate shipping," said Rear Adm. Kendall Card, commander of the task force monitoring the ship.
Although analysts say the pirates will likely be unable to unload the tanks, the other military hardware or a huge ransom could exacerbate the two-decade-old civil war in a country where nearly every building is pockmarked with bullet holes and all major civil institutions have crumbled.
The U.S. fears the armaments may end up with al-Qaida-linked Islamic insurgents who have been fighting the shaky, U.N.-backed Somali transitional government since late 2006, when they were driven out after six months in power. More than 9,000 people have been killed in the Iraq-style insurgency, most of them civilians.
Mark Bellamy, senior fellow in the Africa program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the pirates "are more interested in the money than disposing of the cargo."
"There's theoretically a possibility these weapons can fall into the wrong hands, but what is al-Qaida going to do with tanks in Somalia?" he said.
Christensen said the arms shipment was destined for Sudan — not Kenya, which had been claiming to be the arms' destination. "We are aware that the actual cargo was intended for Sudan, not Kenya," he said.
The 5th Fleet said the ship was headed for the Kenyan port of Mombasa, but that "additional reports state the cargo was intended for Sudan."
U.N. officials said there is no blanket arms embargo on Sudan's government, but any movement of military equipment and supplies into the Darfur region would violate a U.N. arms embargo if it were not first requested by the government and approved by the Security Council's Sudan sanctions committee.
The United States has expressed opposition to all arms transfers to Sudan, which it considers a state sponsor of terrorism. U.S. officials also have warned that the transfer of lethal military equipment to state sponsors of terrorism could lead to sanctions under U.S. law.

A Western diplomat in Nairobi, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media, said the shipment was destined for autonomous southern Sudan — not Darfur — and did not violate the embargo.
Bellamy said it was not illegal to send weapons to the north or south Sudanese governments.
"There are lots of ways that weapons can get into Sudan, and this happens to be one boatload," Bellamy said. "The bigger thing is this continuing problem of piracy. It's been escalating for three years and they're becoming more brazen and emboldened. They're being paid and they then turn around and step up activities."
Jervasio Okot, spokesman for southern Sudan's mission to Kenya, said officials there were "surprised" to hear reports that the tanks and arms were destined for their region.
"Our government has no contract for the importation of arms with the Russian or Ukrainian governments," Okot said.
U.S. intelligence reports said the cargo's ultimate destination was Sudan and that Kenya was only a transit point, said a Western official in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing classified material.
Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Valentyn Mandriyevsky said the ministry was not participating in the arms trade and didn't know where the cargo was bound. A spokesman for Ukraine's arms trader, Ukrspetexport, would not comment.
The 5th Fleet said the Faina is owned and operated by Kaalbye Shipping Ukraine. A woman who answered phone at the Odessa-based shipping company and declined to identify herself said the company was not involved with the Faina.
Ukrainian and Russian media have said the Faina is operated by Tomex Team, a company based in Odessa. Its representatives have repeatedly declined to comment.
A Russian-based registry indicates the ship, sailing under a Belize flag, is also owned by Tomex Team. It lists the owner as Waterlux AG, with a Panama address but the Odessa phone number of Tomex Team, which it indicates is a subsidiary.
Russia dispatched a warship to the area, and it will take about a week to get there. The Neustrashnimy, or Intrepid, was in the Atlantic near the English Channel on Monday and will have to go through the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal to get to the Somali coast, said Capt. Igor Dygalo, a spokesman for the Russian navy.
At the United Nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the world body should "organize a kind of cooperation between the naval forces of the countries that want to make their practical contribution to put an end to piracy in the area of the African Horn."
Christensen said the U.S. Navy maintains "standard bridge-to-bridge communication" with Faina's crew via radio, but stressed that they are not taking part in or facilitating any negotiations.
The 21-member crew was from Ukraine, Russia and Latvia. A Latvian Foreign Ministry spokesman said one man from Latvia was a "non-citizen," a term authorities typically refer to ethnic Russians who have not obtained Latvian citizenship.
There have been 24 reported attacks in Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center. In June, the U.N. Security Council voted to allow international warships to enter Somali waters to combat the problem, but its 1,880-mile coastline — the longest in Africa — remains virtually unpoliced.
Nick Brown, the editor of Jane's International Defense Review, said it was unlikely the pirates would be able to use the tanks without specialized training and mechanics.
Mogadishu's arms markets are teeming with heavy weapons — including rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47s and mortars.
US Navy watches seized ship with Sudan-bound tanks - Yahoo! News

 

They can surround it to keep supplies from coming off. But wont stop the pirates from being supplied?

 

I'm sorry, but this is getting crazy. It will take another week for a Russian warship to get to the area, and then what? Russia sits and waits as well. There are US warships already in the area. Let them garnish support while Russia special forces swoop in and kill the damn pirates. Whatever happened in the last few months should be forgotten. Lets all work together and get the prisoners out safe. If US helicopters are buzzing the ship, it shouldn't arouse to much suspition when they actually drop in commandos right?

 

Pirates party on hijacked weapons ship



CNN--The standoff in the Indian Ocean over a ship laden with tanks and weapons entered a sixth day Tuesday, with pirates claiming they were celebrating the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr despite being surrounded by American warships and helicopters.
A photo from the USS Howard shows Somali pirates in small boats hijacking the MV Faina last week.





No solution to their $20 million ransom demand for the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina was yet in sight.
"We are happy on the ship and we are celebrating Eid," pirate spokesman Sugule Ali told The Associated Press by satellite phone. "Nothing has changed."
Ali did not say whether the ship's 21-member crew, which includes Ukrainians, Russians and a Latvian, would be included in the feast that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. One crew member has died, of an apparent heart attack.
There were unconfirmed reports Tuesday of shootings on the ship, but it was not clear whether that was related to the feast or reflected tensions on the ship.
Elsewhere in Somalia, pirates freed a Malaysian tanker Tuesday after a ransom was paid, according to a Malaysian shipping company.
The blue-and-white Ukrainian ship Faina has been buzzed by American helicopters since Sunday. Pirates hijacked the Faina and its cargo of 33 Soviet-designed tanks and weapons Thursday while the ship was passing through the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, en route to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
Ali said the vessel was surrounded by four warships but he could not identify where the ships were from. The San Diego-based USS guided missile destroyer Howard has been watching the pirate ship for several days and has spoken the pirates and crew by radio.
On Monday, U.S. naval officials said several other American ships had joined the watch, but declined to give details.
U.S. Navy officials said they have allowed the pirates to resupply the ship with food and water, but not to unload any of its military cargo, which included T-72 tanks, ammunition, and heavy weapons that U.S. Defense officials have said included rocket launchers.
The U.S. fears the armaments may end up with al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants who have been fighting an insurgency against the shaky, U.N.-backed Somali transitional government since late 2006, when the Islamists were driven out after six months in power. More than 9,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the Iraq-style insurgency. Watch how experts believe piracy could aid terrorists »
"Our goal is to ensure the safety of the crew, to not allow off-loading of dangerous cargo and to make certain Faina can return to legitimate shipping," said Rear Adm. Kendall Card, commander of the task force monitoring the ship.
Russia has also dispatched a warship to the area, but it will take about a week to get there.
American military officials and diplomats say the weapons are destined for southern Sudan.
The oil-rich south was promised a referendum in 2011 on independence from the rest of Sudan as part of a peace deal that ended a 21-year civil war three years ago. Southern Sudanese officials said they were "surprised" to hear reports that the tanks and arms were destined for them.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian shipping line MISC Berhad said Tuesday that Somalia pirates released the seized palm oil tanker, MT Bunga Melati 2, on Monday, two days after its first vessel was released.
Chairman Hassan Marican said a ransom was paid for both vessels but declined to reveal the amount. All 79 crew on both ships are safe but were traumatized and will undergo counseling, he said.
Piracy has become a lucrative criminal racket in impoverished Somalia, bringing in millions of dollars in ransom. There have been 24 reported attacks in Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Most pirate attacks occur in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, to the north of Somalia. But recently pirates have been targeting Indian Ocean waters off eastern Somalia.
In all, 62 ships have been attacked in the notorious African waters this year. A total of 26 ships were hijacked, and 12 remain in the hands of the pirates along with more than 200 crew members.
International warships are patrolling the area and have created a special security corridor under a U.S.-led initiative, but attacks have not abated.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/30/somalia.piracy.ukraine.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText

 

"A total of 26 ships were hijacked, and 12 remain in the hands of the pirates along with more than 200 crew members."

This is sad to hear that some are still in the hands of the pirates and looks like nothing is being done .

 

'Shots fired' on ship hijacked by pirates


(CNN)-- Gunfire broke out Tuesday aboard a cargo ship carrying tanks and other heavy weapons which was hijacked last week by pirates off the coast of Somalia, a Kenyan maritime official says.
It was not known whether the gunfire was among the pirates, or an exchange of shots with authorities near the vessel, said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association.
On Monday, a shootout between rival pirate factions left three pirates dead, he said.
That shootout centered on a disagreement between moderate and radical pirates aboard the MV Faina, Mwangura said. The moderates wanted to surrender, but the radicals did not.
The presence of the U.S. Navy nearby had made some of the pirates nervous, Mwangura said.
Several Navy ships continued to monitor the seized ship, which is loaded with Soviet-era tanks and weapons, Lt. Nathan Christensen told CNN on Tuesday.
Christensen declined to specify how many U.S. ships were involved. He also declined to specify how close the warships were to the seized vessel other than to say: "Several are in visual range, and several are in the immediate vicinity."
The pirated ship, he said, was anchored off the coast inside Somalia's territorial 12-mile limit.

The Navy ships were not involved in negotiations between the pirates and the shipping company, Christensen said.
"We want the crew to remain safe and for the cargo not to fall into the wrong hands," Christensen told CNN earlier.
The pirates, who Christensen said were "loitering on and around the ship," had lowered their ransom demand from $35 million to $20 million.
Mwangura told CNN on Monday that the organization's sources in Somalia reported the change in the ransom amount.
The pirates hijacked the ship off the coast of Somalia on Thursday. The Faina had been headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing from Nikolayev, Ukraine, and was seized not far from its destination.
The Faina is owned and operated by Kaalbye Shipping Ukraine, and its crew includes citizens of Ukraine, Russia and Latvia, the Navy said.
Abdi Salan Khalif, commissioner of the coastal town of Harardhere, told CNN the pirates told a group of town elders that one crew member had died of high blood pressure problems.
The Ukrainian ministry said the ship is carrying 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms. Ukraine sold the weapons to Kenya, said Ukraine Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
'Shots fired' on ship hijacked by pirates - CNN.com


Looks like the pirates are getting just a bit nervouse with all the US warships around them.

 

Another week? Apparently, the Russian Navy is in no hurry to get there.

My guess is that the Russian government is waiting for the media reports to die down, then it will quietly allow the shipping company to pay the ransom. It looks like all of Putin's declarations about protecting the lives of Russian nationals is just so much hot air unless he can make some political mileage out of it.

 

The Russians wish they could use the Djibouti facilities, so they could be there within hours, but apparently there is indeed no political will to go too fast

 

I agree with you there. Just not a high prority news maker like playing games around Venezuela.

 

I wonder if any of the crew are still on the other ships? Where they are? And what is being done for those.

 

They usually don't harm them, they are after money. If they start shooting the hostages, they know governments will probably reinforce military presence in the region too, so they know killing the golden hen would be a mistake

 

So it would appear that if Russia can't get any territorial gains, then they just don't care about their citizens.

Somalia asks Russia for help with pirates



MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- The Somali government has asked Russia to intervene against pirates who have seized a Ukrainian cargo ship, the Somali ambassador to Russia said Wednesday.
The U.S. Navy released this observance photo of the MV Faina, which is loaded with weapons and tanks.


But the Russian navy issued a statement later in the day saying it had no intention of using force against the pirates, the Russian news agency Interfax reported.
"The questions of freeing the ships and crew are being dealt with in line with the corresponding international practices," Interfax quoted Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo as saying. "For understandable reasons, the use of force would be an extreme measure because it could threaten the life of the international crew of the ship."
The pirates took over the MV Faina last week off the coast of Somalia and are demanding a $20 million ransom for the ship's cargo of 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms. The ship is anchored within Somalia's 12-mile territorial limit.
"The government and the president of Somalia are allowing the Russian naval ships to enter our waters, and fight against pirates both in the sea and on the land, that is, if they would have to chase them," Amb. Mohamed Handule said at a news conference in Moscow.
"We think that this issue of piracy has exceeded all limits. It is very dangerous that pirates are now laying their hands on arms -- not just for Somalia, not only for the navigating, but for the entire region in general," he added. "Right now, pirates are controlling the sea in this area, but just imagine if they get control of the land too."
The announcement raised concern among some officials monitoring the situation.
"We may have bad news," said Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya Seafarers Association.

Mwangura said some of the Ukrainian crew's family members are concerned for their loved ones' safety and have called him to see if he can communicate with the pirates. He urged negotiations to continue.
"For the safety of the crew members," Mwangura said, "let the ship owners talk with the pirates."
A Russian navy ship sailing toward the Faina is in the Atlantic Ocean and "still has a bit of water to get here," said U.S. Navy Lt. Stephanie Murdock, who is stationed in nearby Bahrain. "There is no estimated time of arrival yet."
The U.S. Navy has several ships in the area monitoring the situation.
"There have been no changes today," Murdock said.
The Navy has not communicated with the Russian ship but will work out coordination when it arrives, Murdock said.
The Russian ship Neustrashimy is headed to the region solely to protect Russian shipping, according to the Russian navy spokesman.
"The navy command has been stressing that the Neustrashimy, from the Baltic Sea Fleet, has been given the task of arriving in the area of Somalia and guaranteeing for a certain time the safe seafaring of Russian ships in the area with a high risk of pirate attacks. The essence of the mission is to prevent the seizure of Russian ships by pirates," Dygalo said.
Handule, the Nigerian ambassador, seemed to criticize the United States for not taking action.
"Ships of more than 10 countries are now close to our shores, but we are not satisfied with the results of their activities," he said.
Citing U.N. Security Council Resolution 1816, Handule said, "We are inviting all countries, all states who have possibility to support Somalia to fight against ... pirates. We are especially inviting Russia and giving special status to Russian warships to fight, to help Somalia."
The latest developments came two days after three pirates were killed when they started shooting at each other, according to Mwangura, the Kenya maritime official. The shootout centered on a disagreement between moderate and radical pirates aboard the ship, Mwangura said. The moderates wanted to surrender, but the radicals did not.
The pirates hijacked the ship off the coast of Somalia September 25. The Faina had been headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing from Nikolayev, Ukraine, and was seized not far from its destination.
The Faina is owned and operated by Kaalbye Shipping Ukraine, and its crew includes citizens of Ukraine, Russia and Latvia, the Navy said.
Abdi Salan Khalif, commissioner of the coastal town of Harardhere, told CNN the pirates told a group of town elders that one crew member had died of high blood pressure problems.
Attacks by pirates have increased dramatically in the waters off Somalia's northern coast in the past year, prompting the U.S. and other coalition warships to widen their patrols in the region.
Three ships were hijacked on August 21 in that area, the "worst number of attacks" in a single day in many years, Capt. Pottengal Mukudan of the International Maritime Bureau told CNN.
After the spate of attacks, the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain announced that it would begin patrolling a newly established shipping corridor in the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to protect international shipping. Canada also sent a warship through the end of September.
The International Maritime Bureau said in April that 49 pirate attacks on ships were reported in the first three months of 2008, compared with 41 for the same period last year. It recorded 263 pirates attacks last year, up from 239 the year before and the first increase in three years.

Somalia asks Russia for help with pirates - CNN.com

 

If my count is correct, about 50 plus of my countrymen are among the hostages taken by these pirates operating in the region. An official from my government told me a few weeks ago that a hostaged crew is normally kept on the ship. Sometimes if the ship is valuable enough or if the pirate gang prefers to do so, the ship is taken closer to shore near a pirate friendly village, town or local port. That's what I was told.
It's tough spot to sail through nowadays, that's for sure.

 

Hmmm....a bit inconsistent, I would say, granting the Russians, who don't even have a military unit on the scene, permission to use force force, if necessary, to attack the pirates while criticizing the US, which has not been granted permission to use force in Somali territorial waters, for inactivity. Looks like the Russians aren't the only ones playing politics in this situation.

Of course, if the US had used force, we would now be criticized for acting rashly, endangering the lives of Somalis, as well as foreign nationals, and being big bad bullies who are irresponsibly polluting the Earth's atmosphere.

Two weeks into this farce, and I'm beginning to smell something fishy. Maybe we should just put a couple of Hellfire missiles into that ship, kill everybody, and sink the ship; problem resolved.

We'd be criticized, but what else is new?