View Full Version : Pirates Seize Ship With U.S. Crew Off Coast of Somalia
Team Sergeant
04-24-2009, 17:11
Here's the party line. ;)
Interesting though is the disclaimer near the end:
We’re not sure where the e-mail comes from. It could actually be from a SEAL who wasn’t aware of what was going on at the Pentagon, the White House or the Bainbridge.
Richard's $.02 :munchin
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/did_obama_delay_the_rescue_of_captain.html
Did Obama delay the rescue of Captain Phillips?
Is this e-mail accurate?
No one outside of the White House the SOCOM Commander, SEAL CDR etc is going to have the ability to say if that email is correct or not, no one. Everyone else is just "guessing".
snopes is some left wing old lady and some old guy with nothing better to do than "attempt" to find answers, just like this factcheck.org..... useless.
This one was inevitable. :D Anybody seen anyone wearing one of these hats yet?
Richard's $.02 :munchin
Well, it looks like an Italian Cruise ship and Pirates exchanged fire.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517955,00.html
About Time.
But - Pistols in a locked box??????????????
But - Pistols in a locked box??????????????
I took a cruise from Venice to Croatia, through the Greek Isles to Turkey, and then around to Naples and Rome. Having experienced that, I can only imagine what the liability and laws are concerning cruise ships going in an out of so many countries/ports with weapons. :eek:
But IMO a locked box on a passenger ship wouldn't be all that much different than an arms room on a naval vessel - to be opened when the situation, as the CAPT sees it, warrants. ;)
Richard's $.02 :munchin
I hope the injuries truly are not serious.
Crash stops Shane Murphy’s return to Mass Maritime
By Associated Press | Monday, April 27, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
Photo by Patrick Whittemore (file)
BOURNE — A car crash has forced the cancellation of a welcome-home ceremony at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy for the second-in-command of a ship attacked by pirates.
Academy graduate Shane Murphy and his wife, Serena, were in a traffic accident Monday. Academy spokesman Christopher Ryan said the couple was not believed to be seriously injured, but they may need to spend the night in a hospital.
Murphy was second-in-command of the Maersk Alabama, which was briefly captured by Somali pirates this month. The crew retook control of the vessel, and Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to spare his sailors.
Phillips was held in a lifeboat for five days before U.S. Navy snipers shot his captors dead.
armymom1228
04-27-2009, 15:50
Well, it looks like an Italian Cruise ship and Pirates exchanged fire.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517955,00.html
About Time.
But - Pistols in a locked box??????????????
Yeah well, at least they have them. Being a cruiser and all that.. when I enter a country I am supposed to 'declare' any firearms. Last time I did that I was forced to surrender a .357 magnum. When we went to leave Belize, the gun had magically never been declared or "surrendered" as per law. Rather than cause a stink I told my other half I 'accidently dropped it overboard" after retrieval from the local 'customs' people... Now I simply have NO fireamrs aboard.. and let them look. ;);) Yeah he pitched a fit, and never let me forget
my 'butter fingers'.. I figured it was get yelled out or bail him out of a 3rd world jail. :D
The fact that we 'yachties' are known to not be able to have firearms aboard makes us a target for robbery in places like the Rio Dulce. Good on the Italtians.
I read today that the 'Yemeni Special Forces" freed one of thier own ships and arrested 5 pirates. Interesting.. on the bbc website. Well it seems to have disappeared but here is the one about the Italian cruise ship.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8021795.stm
ah... wrong page on the bbc.. found it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8019926.stm <--yemeni article
Well...it had to happen. Right?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090427/ap_on_re_us/piracy_lawsuit
Sailor sues over safety of pirated Maersk Alabama
Associated Press Writer Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press Writer – 26 mins ago
HOUSTON – A member of the crew on the U.S.-flagged ship hijacked by African pirates sued the owner and another company Monday, accusing them of knowingly putting sailors in danger. Richard E. Hicks alleges in the suit that owner Maersk Line Limited and Waterman Steamship Corp., which provided the crew, ignored requests to improve safety measures for vessels sailing along the Somali coast.
Hicks was chief cook on the Maersk Alabama. Pirates held the ship's captain hostage for five days until the U.S. Navy rescued him.
Hicks' lawsuit seeks at least $75,000 in damages and improved safety.
Officials for Norfolk, Va.-based Maersk Line and Mobile, Ala.-based Waterman said their companies don't comment on pending litigation.
Hicks asked that the two companies improve safety for ships by providing armed security or allowing crew members to carry weapons, sending ships through safer routes, and placing such safety measures on ships as barbed wire that would prevent pirates from being able to board vessels.
"We've had safety meetings every month for the last three years and made suggestions of what should be done and they have been ignored," Hicks said. "I'm just trying to make sure this is a lot better for other seamen."
Hicks also asked the two companies pay at least $75,000 in damages, saying he doesn't know if he will ever work on a ship again.
"My family is not looking forward to me going back out to sea. But I'm not sure if I'm going back. I'm still nervous, leery. I might find something else to do, said Hicks, who has worked 32 years as a merchant seaman.
"We think (the companies) should be more concerned about the personnel on their ships than the profits the companies make," said Terry Bryant, Hicks' attorney.
Both companies do business in Texas, which is why the suit was filed in Houston, he said.
Pirates took over the Alabama on April 8 before Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered himself in exchange for the safety of his 19-member crew. The captain was taken on a lifeboat and held hostage for five days before U.S. Navy SEAL snipers on the destroyer USS Bainbridge killed three of his captors and freed him.
Hicks said crew members have been trained on what to do if pirates or others threaten the ship.
"We need more than training," said the 53-year-old who lives in Royal Palm Beach, Fla., and has two grown sons. "I never thought nothing like this would ever happen."
Hicks said pirates had tried to board the ship two other times that week, but the Alabama had managed to outrun them. But on April 8, as Hicks was preparing food for the crew, the ship's alarm rang and the captain announced the ship was being boarded by pirates.
Hicks and the other crew members went to their designated safety room, which was the engine room, and they waited there for more than 12 hours in 125 degree heat.
"I didn't know if I was going to live or die," Hicks said.
The crew managed to take a pirate hostage, wounding him with an ice pick, and attempted to use him to get back Phillips. But the bandits fled the ship with Phillips as their captive, holding him in the lifeboat until the SEAL sharpshooters rescued him.
"He did a hell of a job saving us," Hicks said of Phillips.
But Bryant said the Maersk Line and Waterman share the blame for putting the crew at risk.
"We want to bring more attention to the shipping industry and the dangers in pirate-infested waters," he said.
uboat509
04-28-2009, 04:52
Interesting report here (http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R40528.pdf) from the Congressional Research Service.
Summary
Recent attacks, including those on U.S.-flagged vessels, in the waters off the Horn of Africa have
brought new U.S. and international attention to the long-standing problem of piracy in the region.
The International Maritime Bureau recorded 111 attacks in the waters off the Horn of Africa in
2008, almost double the number in 2007. As of April 20, 2009, The International Maritime
Bureau had counted 84 attacks since January: approximately 300 non-U.S. crew members on 18
hijacked vessels remain in Somali captivity. Previously concentrated in the Gulf of Aden between
Yemen and the northern coast of Somalia and along the country’s eastern coastline, attacks on
merchant ships are now taking place over an area of more than 1 million sq. miles in the Gulf and
the west Indian Ocean, posing a significant threat to commercial shipping. Pirate attacks also
have threatened relief shipments bound for East Africa and the countries of the Horn, amid a
humanitarian crisis in the region that experts are calling the worst since 1984.
The increase in pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa is directly linked to continuing insecurity and
the absence of the rule of law in war-torn Somalia. The absence of a functioning government in
Somalia remains the single greatest challenge to regional security and provides freedom of action
for those engaged in piracy along the Somali coast. Some observers also have alleged that the
absence of coastal security authorities in Somalia has allowed illegal international fishing and
maritime dumping to occur in Somali waters, which in turn has undermined the economic
prospects of some Somalis and may be providing economic or political motivation to some
groups engaged in piracy. The apparent motive of many active Somali pirate groups is profit, and
piracy has proven to be a lucrative activity for many thus far. Ransoms paid to Somali pirates and
their supporters, estimated at over $30 million in 2008, may exacerbate ongoing fighting and
further undermine security in the region.
The U.N. Security Council issued four resolutions (1816, 1838, 1846, and 1851) in 2008 to
facilitate an international response to piracy off the Horn of Africa. At present, Resolution 1851
has authorized international naval forces to carry out anti-piracy operations in Somali territorial
waters and ashore, with the consent of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG). In
January 2009, a multilateral Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) was
established to coordinate antipiracy efforts. U.S., NATO, European Union, regional, and other
naval forces are currently patrolling waters near Somalia in coordination with a U.S.-led Task
Force.
Some members of the 111th Congress have expressed concern about the threat posed by piracy,
and President Obama has stated that his Administration is resolved to halt the rise of piracy in the
Horn of Africa region. On April 15, the Obama Administration outlined preliminary plans for a
more robust policy response to the threat of piracy and pledged to continue working through
multilateral coordination and enforcement mechanisms established during the Bush
Administration. Most experts believe that the reestablishment of government authority in Somalia
is the only guarantee that piracy will not persist or reemerge as a threat. Congress may seek to
influence U.S. policy through oversight of U.S. military operations and diplomacy and through
foreign assistance appropriations and authorizations. Also see CRS Report RL33911, Somalia:
Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace, by Ted Dagne and CRS Report R40081,
Ocean Piracy and Its Impact on Insurance, by Rawle O. King.
SFC W
Slantwire
04-28-2009, 07:08
A member of the crew on the U.S.-flagged ship hijacked by African pirates sued the owner and another company Monday, accusing them of knowingly putting sailors in danger.
...
Hicks was chief cook on the Maersk Alabama. Pirates held the ship's captain hostage for five days until the U.S. Navy rescued him.
....
Hicks also asked the two companies pay at least $75,000 in damages, saying he doesn't know if he will ever work on a ship again.
I'd guess that after suing, he definitely won't work on a ship again.
The Reaper
04-28-2009, 07:22
I was just thinking that this is a big part of why there is no more U.S. merchant fleet to speak of.:rolleyes:
TR
armymom1228
04-28-2009, 08:16
I was just thinking that this is a big part of why there is no more U.S. merchant fleet to speak of.:rolleyes:
TR
Probably... and the ability to circumvent US safety/health requirements as well.
Be that as it may. It was a really stupid move on the part of the seaman to do this. There is no real law that governs who gets a berth, even if you hold an 'able bodied seamans' card.. His rep will precede him. Asking for only $75k is even more stupid..
I can almost garuntee he will be needing to look for a new career after this.
The world of merchant shipping is a small one indeed...his rep for lawsuits will precede him.
I see a lot of seatime.. it is amazing how many companies flag thier boats out of Panama and Liberia. Lax safety standards and a tax haven for boats.
Not so happy pirates.
http://twitpic.com/55hjc
What a garbage scow.
Surrender & get your Green Card?
Do we have a new Pirate tactic?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/piracy/5350183/Somali-pirates-embrace-capture-as-route-to-Europe.html
BigJimCalhoun
06-26-2009, 20:10
The Somali Pirate Attack documentary is currently on TV right now, Discovery Channel, 20:00 hours MDT. June 26, 2009
I am sure there will be reruns
The Somali Pirate Attack documentary is currently on TV right now, Discovery Channel, 20:00 hours MDT. June 26, 2009
I am sure there will be reruns
New Footage of release of Captain Phillips by US Navy SEALS
http://insidesomalia.org/200906231348/News/Travel/New-Footage-of-release-of-Captain-Phillips-by-US-Navy-Seals.html
incarcerated
10-07-2009, 16:05
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6864367.ece
Pirates choose wrong target - a French warship
October 7, 2009
In the darkness of the Indian Ocean, a bulky French re-fuelling vessel looked like easy pickings for two boatloads of Somali pirates as they drew alongside early today.
The men started their usual pre-boarding drill, letting loose with Kalashnikov assault rifles, when they noticed the 40 millimetre cannon and missiles on the deck above them. Their fat merchant ship was in reality La Somme, the 18,000 tonne flagship of the French navy's operations against Somali pirates.
"They understood their mistake too late," said Admiral Christophe Prazuck a navy spokesman, who recounted the second misguided assault on a French warship by bungling pirates in six months.
The attackers turned tail and the Somme, a refuelling ship and command vessel, steamed after them at its maximum 20 knots.
She caught up with one of the two boats after an hour and the five were captured without a struggle. The other boat got away. The French seamen found no weapons, water or food as the pirates had thrown all of their boat's contents overboard, said Admiral Prazuck.
With a crew of 170 and under the orders of an admiral, the Somme commands French air, sea and land forces in Operation Enduring Freedom, the combined US and European campaign against piracy and terrorism in the region.
The vessel supplies combat ships and aircraft and has been the base for French commando operations to free hostages in the hands of Somali pirates over the past two years.
France has captured some three dozen pirates in aggressive operations that have involved special forces flown from France. It has handed over at least 22 to Kenya and brought 15 suspects to France to stand trial for seizing French boats and taking their occupants hostage.
Last May, pirates mistook a French frigate for a cargo ship and were immediately captured.
At least 163 attacks have been staged by Somali pirates since the start of 2009, 47 of them successful hijackings, according to monitoring agencies. Last year, more than 130 merchant ships were attacked, an increase of more than 200 per cent on 2007.
The US Maritime Administration warned last month that the end of the monsoon season was likely to bring an increase in piracy off Somalia and urged shipping companies to be vigilant.
Other naval powers have deployed dozens of warships to the area in a concerted drive against piracy – and have also found themselves targeted.
A group caught red-handed trying to hijack a cargo vessel last November made the mistake of opening fire on two Royal Navy assault craft packed with commandos and armed with machineguns and SA80 riles.
In the ensuing gunfight, two pirates were killed and a third fatally wounded. It was the first time the Royal Navy had been engaged in a fatal shoot-out on the high seas in living memory....
Utah Bob
10-07-2009, 16:30
Mon Dieux! One wonders how they drew up alongside without getting lit up. Someone asleep at le radar scope??
incarcerated
10-10-2009, 20:53
It was a FRENCH navel vessel is why. :p
OK Brush Okie, they heard you:
http://www.france24.com/en/20091010-french-marines-trawlers-repel-pirates-indian-ocean
French marines on trawlers repel pirates in Indian Ocean
Saturday, October 10, 2009 - 19:20
by Herve Bar
French marines aboard trawlers in the Indian Ocean Saturday fired on pirates to repel a dawn attack, as two vessels used in the attack were subsequently captured by Seychelles coastguards, sources said.
"Three small launches... (which were) nearly invisible and that we had on the radar at the last moment, chased us," a member of the crew of the Drennac, one of two fishing vessels approached by the pirates, told AFP by telephone.
The French military said the marines had first fired flares then "warning shots in the air and across the bows of the pirates' boats", before finally, when the pirates opened fire "probably with Kalashnikovs", aimed at the skiffs, which "immediately stopped pursuing" their target.
It was the first time that French marines, who have been providing protection since July 1 on board about 10 French fishing ships off the Somali coast, had opened fire on pirates.
The incident took place 195 nautical miles (350 kilometres) north of the Seychelles. There were no casualties aboard the French boats, the Drennac and the Glenan....
Photo caption:
"This picture released by the French army on October 7, shows Somali pirates who attempted to storm the French navy's 18,000 ton flagship in the Indian Ocean after mistaking it for a cargo vessel, being arrested. French marines aboard trawlers in the Indian Ocean Saturday fired on pirates to repel a dawn attack, as two vessels used in the attack were subsequently captured by Seychelles coastguards."
incarcerated
11-30-2009, 05:25
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577785,00.html
Pirates Hijack Oil Super Tanker Headed for U.S.
Monday, November 30, 2009
NAIROBI, Kenya — Somali pirates seized a tanker carrying crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States in the increasingly dangerous waters off East Africa, an official said Monday, an attack that could pose a huge environmental or security threat to the region.
The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus was hijacked Sunday about 800 miles off the coast of Somalia, said Cmdr. John Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. Harbour said it originated from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and was destined for the United States. The ship has 28 crew members on board, he said.
The shipping intelligence company Lloyd's List said the Maran Centaurus is a "very large crude carrier, with a capacity of over 300,000 tons." Officials could not immediately say how many barrels of oil were on board, but its value would be in the millions of dollars....
kimberly
11-30-2009, 08:48
I may be naive, but why can't there be guns on those ships and crew just start shooting when approached by pirates? They hijack because they can. They are not met with resistance and the pay is good.
If the Somalis got shot at every time they tried approaching a ship, they would maybe stop hijacking.
If the Somalis got shot at every time they tried approaching a ship, they would maybe stop hijacking.
I agree with Kimberly. The civilized community needs to grab these morons, try them on the high seas, and shoot the slime they are off the fantail. Fight terror with terror. Is that the civilized reaction? Yes. An innocent world that condones terrorism and lawlessness risks being victimized again and again. :lifter
LongWire
11-30-2009, 09:20
I agree with Kimberly. The civilized community needs to grab these morons, try them on the high seas, and shoot the slime they are off the fantail. Fight terror with terror. Is that the civilized reaction? Yes. An innocent world that condones terrorism and lawlessness risks being victimized again and again. :lifter
It comes down to Insurance and protection money shelled out by the company that owns the boat. They don't want to have to hire protection because it effects their bottom dollar. Their ship gets hijacked, they can claim the insurance. 99% of the vessel's trip is uneventful other than hitting that choke point off the coast of Somalia.
I agree though, give the deck hands a few guns and it would end up being a different story altogether.
This just crossed the wire! Good for the NY Prosecutors!:munchin
http://my.att.net/s/editorial.dll?pnum=1&bfromind=7401&eeid=7047876&_sitecat=1522&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=-2&ck=&ch=ne&rg=blsadstrgt&l=hm
NY prosecutors file more charges in piracy case
Published: 1/12/10, 4:26 PM EDT
By TOM HAYS
NEW YORK (AP) - "A Somali teenager accused of staging a brazen high-seas attack on a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Africa last year is facing new allegations of piracy involving two other vessels, including one authorities say is still being held hostage.
Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse and others tried to seize the two ships in the Indian Ocean in the weeks leading up to their widely publicized capture of the Maersk Alabama, according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan.
The new court papers, which didn't name the other ships, say Muse threatened to kill the crew of the first vessel with "what appeared to an improvised explosive device" after its capture in March. They say that the pirates used the first ship to seize the second one in April, and that "at present time, the captain and crew of Ship-2 continue to be held on board."
Tne new indictment" alleges criminal conduct beyond the attack against the captain and crew of the American-flagged Maersk Alabama," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "Modern-day pirates who wreak havoc off faraway coasts will be met with modern-day justice in the United States."
There was no immediate response to a phone message left with Muse's attorney. He was due in court Tuesday for a pretrial hearing on the original charge.
Muse has been jailed in Manhattan since he was captured April 12 and flown to the United States to face what's believed to be the first U.S. piracy prosecution in more than a century. He has pleaded not guilty to piracy under the law of nations, hostage-taking and other charges.
U.S. prosecutors have branded Muse the ringleader of a band of four pirates who provoked a deadly drama by targeting the Maersk Alabama on April 8 as it transported humanitarian supplies about 280 miles off the coast of Somalia.
A criminal complaint said Muse was the first to board the boat, firing his AK-47 assault rifle at the captain, Richard Phillips. He entered the bridge, told the captain to stop the ship and "conducted himself as the leader of the pirates," the complaint said.
The four pirates held Phillips, of Underhill, Vt., hostage for several days on a sweltering, enclosed lifeboat that was soon shadowed by three U.S. warships and a helicopter. The standoff ended when Navy snipers fatally shot three of the pirates.
Muse's age has been in dispute since the start of the case. In April, his lawyers insisted he was 15 and should be tried as a juvenile. Prosecutors convinced a judge he was at least 18."
incarcerated
03-06-2010, 21:48
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jHhLWjV4jGykXmumUb5nH8bS1t9Q
EU force tracking hijacked Norwegian tanker
(AFP) – 14 hours ago
BRUSSELS — The EU's anti-piracy mission said Saturday it was tracking a hijacked chemical tanker off east Africa as Turkey and France announced the capture of 29 suspected pirates.
Norwegian shipowner Broevigtank announced the hijacking of the tanker UBT Ocean off Madagascar on Friday and said the vessel appeared to have been turned around to head north towards Somalia, where pirates have hideouts.
"UBT Ocean has a crew of 21 and they are all from Myanmar/Burma," the EU NAVFOR mission said in a statement confirming the hijacking.
"EU NAVFOR is monitoring the situation," it said.
The Marshall Island-flagged chemical tanker had been travelling from Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates to the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.
It had taken a route well south of the zone where pirates operate, Broevigtank director Svenn Pedersen said Friday.
The Singapore-based operator of the hijacked tanker said Saturday it was trying to make contact with the ship but had received no word since it was boarded by pirates.
"We are doing everything we can to establish contact and our sole concern right now is the safety of our crew," said Edward Ion, a spokesman for Singaporean operator, Nautictank Pte Ltd.
The Turkish military said one of its frigates intercepted a skiff in the Gulf of Aden in the early hours of Saturday morning, capturing seven suspected pirates and seizing an assault rifle and other equipment.
Meanwhile, Paris announced that a French frigate detained a total of 22 suspected pirates in two separate incidents on Friday.
The Nivoise destroyed two skiffs 180 nautical miles off the Somali coast before intercepting a pirate mother ship and two more skiffs around 90 nautical miles to the south.
Somali pirates hijacked 68 ships in 2009 and raked in an estimated 60 million dollars (44 million euros) in ransom money.
incarcerated
03-23-2010, 23:21
The Frigia is a 35,000 ton ship.
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/east/Somali-Pirates-Seize-Turkish-Ship-in-Long-Range-Attack-88930217.html
Somali Pirates Seize Turkish Ship in Long-Range Attack
VOA News
23 March 2010
Somali pirates have hijacked a ship in the Indian Ocean, in one of their longest-range attacks to date.
The pirates seized a Turkish-owned cargo ship, the MV Frigia, and its crew of 21 on Tuesday.
The European Union's anti-piracy naval force says the hijacking took place some 1,850 kilometers east of the northern Somali coast, and about 650 kilometers outside the area where the naval force operates.
The force says the attack was "closer to India than Somalia."
The ship's crew consists of 19 Turks and two Ukrainians. Turkish media reports say the ship's cargo is fertilizer. It is not clear if the fertilizer is of a type that can be used to make explosives.
The EU force says the ship now appears to be headed for one of the pirate havens on Somalia's eastern coast.
Somali pirates have gradually expanded their distance using so-called motherships. The ships are large vessels carrying supplies and small boats that pirates use to launch hijacking attempts.
International naval forces with the EU and NATO have tried to disrupt the pirates by attacking them closer to the Somali shore. The EU has had particular success, detaining dozens of pirates in the past month.
However, pirates continue to seize ships for ransom. The Turkish vessel is the third ship pirates have hijacked this month.
incarcerated
03-24-2010, 10:10
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62N34H20100324
Somali pirate killed in cargo ship hijack shooting
MOGADISHU
Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:53am EDT
(Reuters) - A suspected Somali pirate was killed during shooting between pirates and armed guards on board a Panamanian-flagged ship, a maritime official and EU anti-piracy taskforce said on Wednesday.
The private guards protecting the MV Almezaan returned fire as they beat back two attacks by the same gang off the coast of lawless Somalia on Tuesday.
A Spanish warship patrolling the waters deployed a helicopter that fired warning shots to stop the pirates as they fled the area. Spanish troops seized six individuals, recovered one body and destroyed three pirate vessels....
greenberetTFS
03-24-2010, 10:36
Fired "warning" shots !!!!! :( I don't get it,why not fire "kill" shots instead? :confused:
Big Teddy :munchin
incarcerated
03-24-2010, 22:59
Fired "warning" shots !!!!! :( I don't get it,why not fire "kill" shots instead? :confused:
Big Teddy :munchin
They were trained by the French…
:rolleyes:
incarcerated
03-30-2010, 00:14
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/world/middleeast/30briefs-Yemen.html
Yemen: Pirates Take Cargo Ship Off Aden
By REUTERS
Published: March 29, 2010
Pirates seized a cargo ship on Monday with 24 crew members off the port of Aden, Yemen. The vessel, the MV Iceberg 1, was boarded just 10 miles from the port and was being taken toward the Somali coast, said the Ecoterra maritime monitoring agency in Kenya. Members of the crew of the ship, which flies the flag of Panama, are from Ghana, Pakistan, India, Sudan and Yemen, according to the East Africa Seafarers Assistance Program, which is also headquartered in Kenya. A spokesman for traders in Mogadishu, Somalia, said that seven other ships had been seized in the Indian Ocean over the weekend.
incarcerated
03-30-2010, 10:17
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/0330/Somali-pirates-hijack-eight-ships-in-three-days
Somali pirates hijack eight ships in three days
Somali pirates hijacked a cargo ship with 24 crew Monday, on the heels of capturing another seven vessels in the Indian Ocean over the weekend.
By Taylor Barnes, Correspondent
March 30, 2010
Pirates captured a Panama-flagged cargo ship just 10 miles from its port on Monday. The ship was last reported being sailed through the Gulf of Aden toward Somalia.
The attack comes after seven ships were hijacked in the Indian Ocean this weekend and underscores the persistence of pirates even in the face of increased international patroling and private security measures undertaken by cargo ships....
U.S. Marines Retake Ship From Pirates
ttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704644404575481252054001786.html?m od=djemalertNEWS
"DUBAI—U.S. Marines early Thursday boarded and seized control of a German-owned commercial vessel that had been commandeered by pirates, in what appeared to be the first American-led military boarding of its kind amid a recent surge of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and along the east coast of Africa......."
Some good news this morning - GO MARINES!
U.S. Marines Retake Ship From Pirates
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704644404575481252054001786.html?m od=djemalertNEWS
"DUBAI—U.S. Marines early Thursday boarded and seized control of a German-owned commercial vessel that had been commandeered by pirates, in what appeared to be the first American-led military boarding of its kind amid a recent surge of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and along the east coast of Africa......."
Some good news this morning - GO MARINES!
1st,, GO Marines,, good on them...
I sure would like to know the back-side of this store.
I would think the current US administration would be against US forces engaged in HRT.
Especially as no US citizen(s) are involved, it's not a US flagged ship, and a cargo of chains(??) does not raise to any level of geo-political significance??
Inquiring minds want to know??? :confused:
I sure would like to know the back-side of this stor{y}.
I would think the current US administration would be against US forces engaged in HRT.
Especially as no US citizen(s) are involved, it's not a US flagged ship, and a cargo of chains(??) does not raise to any level of geo-political significance??
Inquiring minds want to know??? :confused:
Remember this...Combined Task Force 151
20 Nations Join U.S. Navy's Anti-piracy Fleet
Friday, January 9, 2009
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2009/ss_military0025_01_09.asp
Richard :munchin
Remember this...Combined Task Force 151....
Not new news,,
The notion that this anti-war very PC POTUS would go for this "trophy" is my quandary.
A hi-risk scenario, for a very low priority target, just begs for an explanation.
Are we doing some pre-November election PR work??
Was the ship actually full of "chains"??
Are we attempting to show our machismo, bravado, & leadership in the face of falling polls??
:munchin:munchin
I don't think every action undertaken under the blanket of the CMF (Combined Maritime Forces) has to have CinC approval - the fact that we're a part of these operations would signify 'approval' and this seems to be just another of the CMFs on-going 'business as usual' situations.
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=55858
http://www.cfr.org/publication/18376/combating_maritime_piracy.html
Richard :munchin
They're back.
Mostly the captain's fault on this one.
"Somalia ship hijack: Maritime piracy threatens to return"
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-39283911
"..."For a vessel passing that close to the coast of Somalia without armed guards shows a level of complacency," said a spokesman for Neptune Maritime Security, which is currently running armed protection teams on around 70 vessels this month as they pass through the area of the western Indian Ocean known as the High Risk Area (HRA)..."