This is absurd

[starfish62]

These guys got a frigging new oil tanker, fully loaded, with a crew of 25. Check out how far south and offshore the tanker was operating.

Pirates hijack Saudi-owned oil tanker with British crew on board | World news | guardian.co.uk

[David M]

That's who pirates typically go after, merchant vessels and less so yachts.

IMB Piracy Reporting Centre

http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?opt...emap&Itemid=89

http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?opt...d=70&Itemid=58

[CSY Man]

hmm, they may have bitten of more than they can chew.

The US, French and British SEALS have been waiting for just this kind of incident.
If this happened 450 NM from shore as reported in the news, it will take a couple of days to get the tanker to shore, in the meantime there is nowhere to hide it and just as easy to board for SEALS as it was for the pirates.

Some of the tanker's crew may be in real danger as they are hostages and pawns in a game of who will be calling each other's bluff.

Having worked on the same kind of tankers in the same waters, I don't envy the crew...

[97octane]

I have read quite a few articles lately about Pirates hijacking vessels....

WHat I find interesting, that when distress calls are made, and a ship is reporting being fired upon by pirates trying to take the ship, I read that some Navy ship, or Aircraft buzzed the pirate boat 'several' times to discourage the attack.

If a ship if being attacked.... why are these vessels not fired upon? Im not sure what authority one needs to just to put a bunch of holes in a pirate ship, and send her on her way to a watery grave, but certainly doesnt make sense to just let em go and try again another day. Me thinks this only encourages them if they arent going to certainly die from it.

[Pelagic]

Obviously the pirates are investing wisely from previously paid ransoms on motherships to extend their reach anywhere and more potent weapons.

Tankers are easy targets because of the volatile cargo they carry as the threat of a firefight will cause them to surrender rather than risk explosion.

I imagine by now, charges have been set onboard making it is a floating bomb and a potential ecological disaster.

Ransom will be paid on this one but my advice would be to follow the money, go to their homes and take them out with extreme prejudice.

Otherwise this will only get worse by extending their reach anywhere and revive a global industry with terrorist potential

[imagine2frolic]

These pirate's time is limited. They will soon find the world turning against them in force & with force. As Pelagic has mentioned the ship is probably now a bomb. They will need to be followed, tracked, and disposed of. This will be the message they understand.

[David M]

Seems the navies of the world need to start patrolling the international waters where piracy exists. They need to start boarding all vessels in these waters. If any of these vessels have weapons aboard then sink the vessel right there on the spot. It should be very obvious who the pirates are and who the innocents with weapons used exclusively for defense are. That sure would put and end to it. We spend enough on other wars. Why not start an international war on piracy?

[svHyLyte]

My goodness David M, without a fair trial?--you certainly don't sound like a San Francisco Libe-- (oop's, almost forgot, can't use that word can we!).

Frankly, I agree. We need a modern day Steven Decatur undertaking some pre-emptive action to put an end to such behavior. Frankly, though, I suspect we'll have to wait until they actually sink one of those VLCC's, at which point--since they impose a threat to the environment--some serious action might be taken.

[Vasco]

These are the new Barbary Pirates and activity is fueled by those that pay ransom or "tribute" as they did in the 18th and 19th centuries. Arm the merchantmen and strengthen the patrols. There's so much money involved they're going to keep doing this until they are eliminated.

[Pblais]

These pirate's time is limited. They will soon find the world turning against them in force & with force.

Ok when in the past 2000 years have the public been in favor of pirates. Piracy gets a lot of undeserved attention. It's armed robbery at sea - period. So what where it happens? It's the same people just on fast speed boats. It's about money and more of it. Just what do you think they might get from some cruising boat compared to a tanker with an oil company bank rolling the captain? History says they just take the money and spend it on loose women and liquor and in the end loose it to other criminals that really do know where the money is - the folks that stole it!

The world can't unite on much and won't spend resources to do all that much. Piracy is an old occupation with a new technology and better communication. It won't go away any time soon.

[tennis4789]

What kind of defensive weapons do people keep on their boats? Or are most boats unarmed?

[David M]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

My goodness David M, without a fair trial?--you certainly don't sound like a San Francisco Libe-- (oop's, almost forgot, can't use that word can we!).

Frankly, I agree. We need a modern day Steven Decatur undertaking some pre-emptive action to put an end to such behavior. Frankly, though, I suspect we'll have to wait until they actually sink one of those VLCC's, at which point--since they impose a threat to the environment--some serious action might be taken.

I am like the political anti-christ of most people here in the SF Bay Area. And no, I'm not a fan of a particular high ranking politician still in office.

According to what I learned at the maritime academy, under international law pirate vessels can be shot upon and sunk. So really....what trial? If they look like a duck..... If they don't want to get shot then don't carry around weapons that could be used for piracy. International law is very different than US law. The only court I know of in international waters is King Neptune's court down around the equator. As far as the King is concerned, hopefully enough of the good guys are shellbacks and all of the pirates are wogs.

[Jesse]

If killing them outright is too drastic perhaps we could simply shoot them until it favorably modifies their behavior.
Jesse

[nonam]

And why cant they detect the "mother" ships ?All the stuff we see in the media about the wonders of modern surveilance must be crap.

[Starbuck]

My bet is that the ship owners/cargo owners will move to protect their interests as a response to this newer, bolder, tactic. I envision the installation of formidable firepower on these cargo ships, crew training in anti-piracy tactics, and even mercenaries who are hired on specifically to be an anti-piracy force.

Whatever navies are in the area are already stretched too thin to be of much help until the pirates have affected a hostage situation, and this attack happened well outside the normal "hot spots". (I believe I read a reference to "2.5 million square miles" in one news story). The key here, as I see it, is to repel them in the first place, and the principals will not be willing to wait for help to arrive when they can navigate quietly and carry a big stick themselves.