The Threat of Modern Piracy- A Merged Thread

[nuclearzombies]

Insanity: repeatedly sending undefended vessels though pirate infested waters.

It is my rough undertstanding that many commercial vessels prohibit weapons on board, and there are likely some good reasons for that. It makes no sense to me to put a boat out with no means to defend itself. I have read a number of news stories involving the use of water cannons, which sounds kinda fun and apparently has had some deterrent effect. It also seems logical that there is an inherent difficulty in that some of the cargo vessels are quite large and have relatively small crews.
Ever notice the pirates deftly avoid armed vessels where possible? I would be in favour of training and arming the crews, but that would likely result in the pirates altering their tactics in kind, becoming more violent and agressive maybe?

 

[GR66]

I wonder if anyone's looked into placing mock-ups of weapons on their commercial ships that are transiting dangerous waters.  Perhaps just the sight of a couple of weapon stations appearing to have MG's would serve to deter an attack on your particular vessel.

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

I wonder if anyone's looked into placing mock-ups of weapons on their commercial ships that are transiting dangerous waters.  Perhaps just the sight of a couple of weapon stations appearing to have MG's would serve to deter an attack on your particular vessel.

And what happens when said pirates try and take out fake weapons with an RPG7 et al.....you may end up with damage to your ship and casualties amongst your crew.

 

[GR66]

And what happens when said pirates try and take out fake weapons with an RPG7 et al.....you may end up with damage to your ship and casualties amongst your crew.

I'm sure that doing so could certainly carry some (very serious) risks to a ship and crew trying this.  However, with the high risks (and extremely high potential costs) already being faced by shipping lines forced to transit these waters I'm simply curious if any lines have pondered the idea in hopes of at least decreasing the chance that THEIR ship is the one targeted.  It wouldn't be the first time that people have placed others at risk in hopes of gaining an advantage.

Obviously such a strategy would be pretty short-lived as well.  As soon as word leaked out that ships were doing this the deterrent effect would be lost.

 

[CougarKing]

link

South Korean navy commandos stormed a ship hijacked by Somali pirates, rescuing all the crew and killing eight pirates, according to military officials.

"Our special forces stormed the hijacked Samho Jewelry earlier today and freed all hostages," said Colonel Lee Bung-Woo, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"During the operation, our forces killed some Somali pirates and all of the hostages were confirmed alive," Lee told reporters. Another JSC spokesman said eight pirates were killed.

The rescue took place about 1,300 kilometres (800 miles) off northeast Somalia, Lee said.

The South Korean skipper of the chemical freighter suffered a gunshot wound to his stomach during the raid but his condition is not life-threatening, Lee said.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

More info here:

South Korean forces storm hijacked ship, free hostages

According to the article this is the second time in the last few days that the S. Koreans have engaged Somalia pirates:

The South Korean rescue Friday, ....... followed a brief gun battle three days earlier between the South Korean destroyer Choi Young and a group of pirates, officials said.

The destroyer, which had been tracking the Samho Jewelry, saw several pirates leave the South Korean vessel to hijack a Mongolian boat nearby. Using a fast boat and a helicopter, the South Korean military rescued the Mongolian ship, killing several pirates. Three South Korean soldiers suffered minor injuries.

"Three of our soldiers suffered light scratches on their bodies as they were fired upon by pirates on Tuesday," Lee said. "Our Lynx helicopter immediately returned fire and several pirates fell into the waters. We believe they are dead."

 

[nuclearzombies]

link

I tip my hat to those SK fellas . Call me a meanie, but somebody mentioned the use of a yard arm earlier in the thread

 

[jollyjacktar]

Good to see another Navy take the kid gloves off.  Hopefully this will be a trend that everyone else will follow and fix this new Piracy plague.  It worked in the 17-1800's and it would work today if the political will was there to have some backbone for a change.  +1000 South Korea

 

[CougarKing]

And the Malaysians take action as well:

*take note that the Malaysian warship used in this action was actually a converted container ship as described in this other, earlier post.

Malaysian Commando Foils Pirate Attack on MT Bunga Laurel

2011/01/21
By Adrian David

KUALA LUMPUR: There was drama aplenty in the Gulf of Aden when commandos from a Royal Malaysian Navy auxilliary ship stormed and rescued a hijacked Malaysian chemical tanker and its crew from Somali pirates, early yesterday.

The Shipborne Protection Team, comprising special forces from the combined Armed Forces tri-services, swung into action from the RMN’s Bunga Mas 5.

Their swift and timely action saved the lives and limbs of the 23 crew. It also salvaged the tanker laden with lubricating oil and ethylene dichloride, all of which is believed to be worth in excess of an estimated RM30 million.

Bunga Mas 5’s effort resulted in the capture of seven Somali pirates, three of whom were injured in the ensuing gun battle with the commandos.

Relating the high drama, RMN chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said MT Bunga Laurel, hired by the Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC), was on its way from the gulf to Singapore when it was attacked by the pirates about 300 nautical miles (555km) east of Oman at 11.40pm on Thursday.

“The drama unfolded just two hours after the Bunga Mas 5 had completed escorting the tanker and another MISC liquefied natural gas carrier, MT Seri Balhaf, to a safe zone called Easton 4 in the gulf.

“This is the waypoint where we cease our escort duty,” he said.

Abdul Aziz said under the cover of darkness, seven pirates armed with AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns and pistols suddenly emerged from a skiff boat and began boarding the tanker, firing at random.

MT Seri Balhaf was spared.

 

[CougarKing]

Plus pics from the South Korean assault described in the previous page:

 

[The Bread Guy]

AP Interview: Somali pirates torturing hostages
KATHARINE HOURELD, The Associated Press, 1 Feb 11
Article link

Somali pirates are systematically torturing hostages and using them as human shields, the top commander of the European Union Naval Force said Tuesday.

Pirates have recently tied hostages upside down and dragged them in the sea, locked them in freezers, beaten them and used plastic ties around their genitals, Maj. Gen. Buster Howes told The Associated Press.

"There have been regular manifestations of systematic torture," he said. If warships approached a pirated ship too closely, the pirates would drag hostages on deck and beat them in front of naval officers until the warship went away, Howes said.

"A few years go, they were very constrained and much more respectful" to hostages, he said, but now "they've shown a willingness to use violence much more quickly and much more violence."

Howes' account of the worsening treatment of hostages was based on hostage debriefings, naval intelligence and liaison with commercial shipping companies.

There could be several reasons for the change in tactics. As ransoms have risen, the Somali fishermen who began first taking ships have been edged out by more ruthless and well organized gangs. More warships and better-prepared crews mean pirates have to use more violence to stop ships — for example, hitting a vessel with several rocket-propelled grenades — and sometimes more violence to get to crews that have locked themselves in a safe room or "citadel." ....

More on link

 

[GAP]

Pirates seize four American sailors
By RICHARD LOUGH, Reuters
Article Link

MOGADISHU - A yacht with four Americans on board is believed to have been hijacked in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. embassy in Nairobi said on Saturday.

Pirate gangs plaguing the shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean typically target large merchant ships, with oil tankers the prize catch, but the snatching of foreigners can also yield high ransoms.

“Preliminary reports indicate that a U.S.-flagged vessel tentatively named as the Quest has been hijacked in the Arabian Sea. There were four U.S. citizens on board,” an embassy spokesman said.

All relevant U.S. government agencies were monitoring the situation, he added.

Earlier, a regional maritime expert said the 58-foot S/V Quest had been hijacked 240 miles off Oman on Friday afternoon as it sailed from India to Salalah in Oman.

Ecoterra, an advocacy group monitoring piracy in the Indian Ocean, said the 58-foot yacht was owned by Jean and Scott Adam. It was not immediately clear if the couple were on the yacht at the time of the attack.
More on link

 

[willellis]

I just read a BBC article on this. As unfortunate as it is, one must ask, "what were you thinking!" For years now, it has been common knowledge that pirates have been operating throughout the Indian Ocean, and more specifically, in the Gulf of Aden. Just shocking that some people think their 58 ft yacht won't be a target.  : The article also mentioned that the TF operating in the Gulf will not stray from their current mission which is specific to the merchant cargo traffic. Such a shame, and completely avoidable.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12513120

Link for the story.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

This is a little unfair to them: India to Oman does not require them to enter or even be near the Gulf of Aden. It is reasonably far from the general Somali pirates op area, and we don't know what their plan was as far as proceeding further after their visit to Oman.

 

[willellis]

True, but the pirates have been active in those waters as well. Just because they are less active doesnt mean it's safe. I'm just looking at it from the way I would plan a trip.  Oh yea, they were planning on going through the Suez Cannal.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

One of the most active area for piracy against yachts is the Gulf of Mexico. And yet you never hear about people not transiting there. That's because the sea is wide and search methods of pirates limited. So you are dealing with chance encounters. A low probability event that is thus discounted by the yacht owners.

The Somali pirates are in the same situation: they will maximize their chances by sticking to merchant ships main routes. A yacht that follows the coast of the Arabian peninsula fairly closely to get to the Red Sea is quite likely to make it without any problems IMHO. 

 

[willellis]

Here's the latest. Sad that this had to happen to these people, but such is the way for so many missionaries in the past.



21 February 2011 Last updated at 16:59 ET Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint
US couple on yacht hijacked off Somalia 'knew of risks'

Piracy flourishes off the coast of Somalia
Continue reading the main story
PIRACY CRISIS
Losing battle
Q&A: Prosecuting pirates
Somali piracy: Global map
Q&A: Somali piracy
Friends of a US couple aboard a yacht hijacked off Somalia on Friday say the pair knew their journey was risky, but were determined to press on with their Christian mission.

In an email sent days before they went missing, Scott and Jean Adam described plans to stay out of touch to hide their location from pirates.

Also on the S/V Quest were Americans Phyllis MacKay and Bob Riggle.

The US Navy is tracking the route of the yacht, an official told the BBC.

The Adams have been sailing the yacht around the world since 2002, often distributing bibles, according to their website.

'Tried to take precautions'
Robert Johnston taught Scott Adam at Fuller Seminary in California, and described the Adams as accomplished sailors.


"They were responsible planners, they knew there was the potential for problems and they tried to take precautions, but obviously something happened," he said.

"The last email we had gotten on the 12th of February said they were happy, upbeat, excited - everything was going fine.

"They basically had said we're not going to be in communication for 10 or 12 days because we know this is territory where there could be problems and we don't want pirates or other people to know our location."

The cost of piracy
The S/V Quest was hijacked 240 nautical miles (275 miles) off Oman on Friday afternoon, according to Ecoterra, an international maritime watchdog.

It is believed the yacht was en route from India to Oman.


Robert Johnston and his wife Catherine Barsotti (pictured) were friends with the Adams
While pirates usually attack cargo ships, they have hijacked a number of yachts in recent years.

Ecoterra said the capture of the S/V Quest had been reported by both its sources and by Nato's anti-piracy operation, Ocean Shield.

Mapping out their sailing plans for this year, Jean and Scott Adam said they planned to sail from Sri Lanka to Crete in the Mediterranean, via the Suez Canal, making stops in India, Oman and Djibouti.

(This is courtesy of the BBC News Network)

 

[George Wallace]

willellis


If you are going to post something like this, provide links and clean it up some.  There is no need for us to have to read the garbage that was included in the above ( ie.  Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint, Continue reading the main story
, Q&A: Prosecuting pirates, Q&A: Somali piracy ). 

 

[Edward Campbell]

willellis


If you are going to post something like this, provide links and clean it up some.  There is no need for us to have to read the garbage that was included in the above ( ie.  Share this pageFacebookTwitterShareEmailPrint, Continue reading the main story
, Q&A: Prosecuting pirates, Q&A: Somali piracy ).

Further, willellis, please read this and the posts around it - it was one of the things you, and all others, should read before posting here.

The owner, Mike Bobbitt, provides this site for our enjoyment, but he does so at some legal risk to himself. (See e.g. this - it's not the first.) We must not do things, like posting unattributed articles, that might make things even more difficult for Mr. Bobbitt.

 

[willellis]

Sorry, usually I do post the link. As far as the source, I pulled this directly from the BBC News website.  I will take head of what was mentioned though. Thanks for the heads up.