Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of...

[Notebook]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7736885.stm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/..._ship_hijack_off_Aden/articleshow/3699918.cms



N.

 

[tl8]

No offence but those pirates have my respect. They are so successful and are according to the Pentagon, tactically excellent.

 

[ryan]

No offence but those pirates have my respect. They are so successful and are according to the Pentagon, tactically excellent.

But hopefully they drink to much rum and just falls off board, kind of like the old day pirates.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

Provided simple team work and and somwhat decent weapons it's really quite easy pulling off these acts of piracy considering how little defense vessels usually have if they are taken by surprise. That's why it's going to be a huge problem unless better defense is given. I think piracy might be easier today than it was in the classic days of pirates people think about.

 

[Ghostrider]

Why can't I find any torrents for either the ships or the cargo?

 

[Urwumpe]

No offence but those pirates have my respect. They are so successful and are according to the Pentagon, tactically excellent.

The only surprise is where they captured it far away from the usual regions where tanker's usually had been able to expect safe passage.

Tankers have very little crew (They are large, but all that needs real attention is the engine in the stern) and are usually pretty slow and hard to maneuver. Many experts already expected something like that to happen.

If your cargo is worth 100 million USD, it is hard to understand that you don't take direct precautions to protect your property. Even if a frigate is only 20 km away, it would take it too long to defend you, if you can't delay the intruders yourself.

 

[Ghostrider]

Sounds like a job for merc... Er, "private security contractors".

 

[SiberianTiger]

I'm just wondering, what prevents gathering up a UN session which would sanction military invasion of Somalia ports and seizing control of every last piece of wood that can float?

 

[Urwumpe]

I'm just wondering, what prevents gathering up a UN session which would sanction military invasion of Somalia ports and seizing control of every last piece of wood that can float?

The Somalis might have weapons and be willed to use them.

 

[SiberianTiger]

The Somalis might have weapons and be willed to use them.

Ok, ok. Let's gather a UN session to set up a redemption fund which every nation who owns a shipping 'round the Horn of Africa shall be obliged to contribute. Paying pirates from this fund would greatly reduce the time to liberate the hostages and seized ships.

 

[Ghostrider]

Knowing the UN, they would spend 99% of the income in fine parties to compliment themselves on the fine job they're not doing.
I vote mercs with big guns.

 

[Notebook]

What is needed is a nautical Super Hero, maybe Captain Nemo?

N.

 

[Urwumpe]

Ok, ok. Let's gather a UN session to set up a redemption fund which every nation who owns a shipping 'round the Horn of Africa shall be obliged to contribute. Paying pirates from this fund would greatly reduce the time to liberate the hostages and seized ships.

Yes, but the final minimum consensus will be: We tell the pirates, that we really do not like what they are doing.


Somalia should be conquered by a multi-national force. It is a country which really suffers from the lack of a real government. But who is willed to pay the show as long as it is only costing a few hundred million USD to loose a tanker...?

 

[Artlav]

Just like Immermаnn goats, everyone around UN discuss how to help instead of actually helping.

Now, why not put some guns on those 1e8$ cargo carrying ships?
A tanker is not a warship, so hopefully the cannons could only be used defensively...

 

[Redburne]

If your cargo is worth 100 million USD, it is hard to understand that you don't take direct precautions to protect your property.

As long as it is cheaper to risk pirate attacks than to provide protection, the companies won't do anything.

The problem is, adequate protection won't be cheap. If it is at all possible.
Once a couple of speedboats with RPG toting pirates is within point blank range, your options as a tanker captain are reduced to

a) surrender
b) burn

 

[SiberianTiger]

Just like Immermаnn goats, everyone around UN discuss how to help instead of actually helping.

Now, why not put some guns on those 1e8$ cargo carrying ships?
A tanker is not a warship, so hopefully the cannons could only be used defensively...

A better decision is known for centuries, called "a convoy". If organized well, it will guarantee absolute safety for the merchants if the speedboats are the only concern. These naval exercises currently going on just need a united command with real power.

 

[cjp]

Somalia should be conquered by a multi-national force. It is a country which really suffers from the lack of a real government. But who is willed to pay the show as long as it is only costing a few hundred million USD to loose a tanker...?

Well, the piracy issue is mostly about other nations suffering from the absence of a Somalian authority that listens to what other countries want.

I understand that the Somalians themselves are also suffering: much violence, justice hardly being more than "survival of the fittest" and so on. But I also heard the absence of a real government resulted in a perfect free market economy, that is sometimes functioning quite well. Maybe profits from piracy also contribute to this.

Didn't the US once try to invade Somalia?

 

[Ghostrider]

Once a couple of speedboats with RPG toting pirates is within point blank range, your options as a tanker captain are reduced to

Tankers have compartimentized hulls, and the raw oil they carry does not burn. It would take a lot of RPG hits to seriously emperil a tanker, and a 35mm automatic cannon will turn the pirates into shark food before they can get in RPG range.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Tankers have compartimentized hulls, and the raw oil they carry does not burn. It would take a lot of RPG hits to seriously emperil a tanker, and a 35mm automatic cannon will turn the pirates into shark food before they can get in RPG range.

One would still need a crew trained to fire such cannons - and paid for such a job.

 

[SlyCoopersButt]

I think arming crew with AK-47's would be the cheapest and surest cure. No need for expensive and fancy deck guns and stuff. They may need to add some more crew members But it would be a guarantee that pirates would likely face a balanced gun fight and they would lose incentive to attack such vessels as the price in life would be too high for them. I'm of the sort of aggressive nature that I with any weapon at hand when being invaded would rather die in battle rather than be captured.