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| Africa Horn |
| 5th Fleet Focus: MV Faina Ultimatum off Somalia |
| 2008-10-11 |
| From Information Dissemination blogsite. There has been some good info on piracy here, esp. around Somalia. The presence of naval warships could be having a psychological effect on the pirates who hijacked the MV Faina. It is unclear if in the past the US Navy, or any foreign Navy, has so visibly waved the flag in the face of pirates who hijacked a ship for any length of time. Our guess would be this is an uncommon event, perhaps even a first, and certainly the presence of the Iwo Jima ESG sitting off the bow of a hijacked ship has given the pirates some cause for concern. For the first time I can recall, the pirates have issued an ultimatum regarding a hijacked ship. Lets be clear, this is counter to the culture of Somalian piracy observed in the past, and could be a lot of smoke and mirrors. "The negotiations with the owner of the ship have totally collapsed. The owners are changing their mind from time to time, maybe because they are being advised by somebody that they can resolve the matter militarily," Sugule Ali told AFP from the ship. "Given the situation, we are on alert and preparing ourselves for any eventuality, including military against us," he added. It is unclear when the 3 days ends, probably Monday. The 3 days doesn't come in a vacuum, according to media reports the Russian frigate in route to Somalia will be in port in Tripoli until Monday. The Russian ship is widely reported to have special forces operators capable of taking action against pirates. This might be the first time we have the ship owner threatening the pirates with military action to retake the ship. If that is true, we have already ventured into unknown territory and it is hard to predict the behavior of the pirates. There are no cases of pirates blowing themselves up, nor blowing up the ship hijacked. However, there are also no cases of pirates hijacking a ship with expensive military cargo. This is just one more strange twist in what continues to be a very strange story. The destination of the 33 T-72 tanks the ship is carrying remains unclear. Kenya claims the tanks are intended for Kenya, not the Sudan, but something is very odd if that is true. If Kenya bought the tanks, why are they absent the negotiation process? One would think the cost of 33 T-72s is enough to encourage their participation in that process, if the tanks were really intended for Kenya. Deadlines are made to be broken in pirate negotiations, so it is very unlikely any action by coalition forces will be taken due to a deadline. But... The US Navy deserves a lot of credit here. If this is the event at sea happening in the world today, off a small coastal town of Somalia, then consider for a moment the advantage of a forward deployed naval force. While not confirmed, it is believed the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and USS Monterey (CG 61) are making their way up the east coast of Africa, while the USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), USS San Antonio (LPD 17), USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), USS Ramage (DDG 61), and USS Howard (DDG 83) are all thought to be in the area. Seriously, that is the most powerful air, land, and sea combination anywhere in Africa. With that said, it's the submarine the pirates can't see that should have them worried. The USS Florida (SSGN 728) is thought to be in that region, among other submarines usually deployed. Between the MEU snipers and the various SOF options, threats by pirates could provoke an unhealthy response. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #2 Good golly - wouldn't one of the named USN vessels, with half the crew ashore on leave, have something in the area of 10-20x firepower of all the pirates of Puntland? Aside from simply blocking and holding for the soviet ship, what are we practicing or doing recon for? Sounds like a classic making lemonade from a situation full of lemons. Bon voyage! |
| Posted by: Don Vito Omeling5062 2008-10-11 21:57 |
| #1 I love that last line: Between the MEU snipers and the various SOF options, threats by pirates could provoke an unhealthy response. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2008-10-11 15:28 |