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| Africa Horn | ||
| Pirates capture Saudi oil tanker south of Mombasa | ||
| 2008-11-17 | ||
Pirates have taken control of a Saudi-owned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean off the Kenyan coast, the US Navy says.
A BBC correspondent in Mombasa reports that this is the third tanker to have been hijacked by Somali pirates. It is also the largest vessel so far to come under attack by pirates in the area, the US Navy told the BBC. The location is unusual and the capture marks a fundamental shift in tactics, the navy added. The Sirius Star, owned by the Saudi company Aramco, made its maiden voyage in March 2008, according to the company website. Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the US Navy's 5th Fleet, said that pirates had captured the tanker on Saturday. The ship was sailing under the Liberian flag at the time, he told the Associated Press by telephone from the 5th Fleet's HQ in Bahrain.
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| Posted by:3dc |
| #21 Eyl is on the Indian Ocean side of the Horn, not far from their current bases. Meaning that while they may have additional motherships, the pirates haven't moved the base of operations very far. And there isn't much there. Which might be conducive to AP's suggestion |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-11-17 21:47 |
| #20 AP, I understand where you are coming from and that is how the USA cleaned up the Barbary pirate problem, but that was then and this is now. Doing what you propose is an act of war and makes you responsible for the civilian population. GWB stayed well clear of the Somali quagmire and there is no chance the Big O is stepping into it. If he does, he is one hell of a lot dumber than he is claimed to be. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-11-17 21:18 |
| #19 According to Information Dissemination blog, the ship is proceeding towards, Eyl, Somalia. You will not stop this activity until the pirates operating out of these havens have some serious hurt put on them. I would suggest sinking every boat, dhow, bathtub or dingy at Eyl, and then destroy any dock, shore facility there too. The pirates would have 24 hours to turn over the ship with the crew unharmed. If they do not comply, then level the town and bounce the rubble. If that does not work, then start leveling every coastal town that serves as a pirate haven. Or you can talk this thing to death and pay the ransom, and wait for all the imitators to start the Somali Pirates Business Model™. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-11-17 20:34 |
| #18 In Thomas Jefferson's day this was known as " Jihad at Sea" |
| Posted by: Grunter 2008-11-17 15:28 |
| #17 There's no obvious solution to this problem except stop paying ransoms, and it's highly lucrative for the pirates. No ones going into the somali safe havens (Blackhawk Down redux), and boarding and retaking ships at sea is a very risky proposition. So I can only see this problem getting worse. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-11-17 15:24 |
| #16 The RoE have prevented Britain and NATO from doing much more than observation but the Saudis are a different story. Sharia law administered on Muslims by Muslims usually doens't even register a complaint about "human rights". |
| Posted by: Thealing Borgia 122 2008-11-17 15:02 |
| #15 Would the ship and cargo be insured? Its not like oil is retaining it's price. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-11-17 15:01 |
| #14 Returning once again to their thieving roots I take it? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-11-17 14:47 |
| #13 The fun about it is that before they gotnthe two cash cows of oil and pilgrimage, Wahabism main source of revenue was sea piracy lading to clsahes with XIXth century Royal Navy. |
| Posted by: JFM 2008-11-17 14:45 |
| #12 Q ships!! Drink up, Ship! |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2008-11-17 14:43 |
| #11 Muslims have been pirates for, well, ever. Jihad booty is the best income of all, according to the Sunna. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-11-17 14:33 |
| #10 I thought this problem was solved when the royal navy was sent to this AO. The RN's AO is the Gulf of Aden. Not where the Saudi ship was taken. Google has maps. Use them. Q ships!! We'll keep it in mind, Admiral Nelson. Either the Somalis have a much larger "mother-ship" than previously reported, or they're branching out. If this tanker ends up in Kismayo, we can pretty much conclude that the Islamic Courts Union is behind most of the piracy. It's also possible that it's not even Somalis. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-11-17 14:26 |
| #9 Half the ships in the world are either registered in Liberia or Panama, two countries known for their lax registration requirements and low (or non-existent) maritime taxes. Ownership is far more important than registration. Either the Somalis have a much larger "mother-ship" than previously reported, or they're branching out. If this tanker ends up in Kismayo, we can pretty much conclude that the Islamic Courts Union is behind most of the piracy. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-11-17 14:18 |
| #8 *sip* If ship is taken to pirate cove, GPS steer it into shore, spray the oil all over and set it on fire. Gotta be some James Bond way for the crew to get to an escape capsule and get away. Send the insurance bill to the country of navigable rights or sign waiver they have no control or rights over that water and foreign navies have unlimited operational ability. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-11-17 12:55 |
| #7 Low price of oil ops? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-11-17 12:48 |
| #6 Q ships!! |
| Posted by: Total War 2008-11-17 12:48 |
| #5 Of course. |
| Posted by: Steven 2008-11-17 12:42 |
| #4 If the pirates are Muslims, they should release it as soon as they realize it is owned by fellow Muslims, right? Right? |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2008-11-17 12:34 |
| #3 450 nautical miles South East of Mombasa is half way dow the coast of Tanzania, and South of Dar As Salaam. This is a major extension of the pirates range of operations, and perhaps they now are being resupplied or even based from Kenya, Tanzania or Mozambique. It will be very interesting to see where this tanker heads for. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2008-11-17 12:33 |
| #2 "The location is unusual and the capture marks a fundamental shift in tactics, the navy added." Sounds like they went to the wrong AO. |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2008-11-17 11:53 |
| #1 I thought this problem was solved when the royal navy was sent to this AO. |
| Posted by: bman 2008-11-17 11:47 |