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2010-05-09 Africa Horn

Pirates capture German tanker with 22 crew

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Posted by Fred 2010-05-09 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top
File under: Pirates

#1 Someone tell the Russians that the tanker is full of vodka. :-)

Posted by gorb 2010-05-09 00:11|| 2010-05-09 00:11|| Front Page Top

#2 The capture of the Moscow University was a jolt to the international anti-piracy system put in place

WTF? What "system" would that be? Put in place by whom?

Posted by lex 2010-05-09 01:41|| 2010-05-09 01:41|| Front Page Top

#3 This will go on, until the bases are bombed to hell and gone. Blow up the ports, piers and homes of the pirates.

Posted by OldSpook 2010-05-09 11:18|| 2010-05-09 11:18|| Front Page Top

#4 Blow up the ports, piers and homes of the pirates.

I doubt that we'll ever see that happen. It's organized crime on an international scale with a limited target. Most nations don't want to deal with it. So there won't be any bombing until it reaches a critical point. Until then, part of the ad hoc ~~international anti-piracy~~ system has the right idea: hit them in their finances. Start tracking the money-flow. There's a lot of investors from the Somali community.

Destroy their sea-going assets. Sink the motherships, force them to dump the weapons. While leaving then at sea in a raft is somewhat satisfying, it might be less of a public-relations hassle to find another way to make the pirates a burden on their organization.

One might also consider 'encouraging' one of the Somali armed groups to start taking over the pirates' ports, as was done last week.

Lastly, raise the insurance rates to the point of pain for ships transiting the area.

Posted by Pappy 2010-05-09 13:09|| 2010-05-09 13:09|| Front Page Top

#5 Lastly, raise the insurance rates to the point of pain for ships transiting the area.

Pappy, they'll only pass it on to us, do you really want $8.00/Gal Gas?

Posted by Redneck Jim 2010-05-09 19:00|| 2010-05-09 19:00|| Front Page Top

#6 They can just take a little longer route and avoid the whole thing.

Posted by gorb 2010-05-09 19:59|| 2010-05-09 19:59|| Front Page Top

#7 RJ, Do I want $8.00/gallon gas? No.

The options, then, are maintaining the status quo, or expend blood and treasure going into Somalia to remove the pirates.

The first option means I get to read "sink 'em all" comments over and over here at the Burg. Which may be emotionally satisfying to the writers, but useless and worse- boring as hell.

You won't see the second option exercised because there there is no political or economic will on the part of the nations to do so.

Raised insurance rates worked when dealing with piracy in the Straits of Mallacca because the economic and political repercussions forced the nations in that region to deal with the problem.

Admittedly, this is a larger geographic area, with (slightly) different traffic and national make-up. But I think the fear of economic damage would force some sort of coordinated action.

Posted by Pappy 2010-05-09 20:04|| 2010-05-09 20:04|| Front Page Top

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