Somali pirates 'seize 30 tanks'

BBC News ^ | Friday, 26 September 2008 | Unknown

[Abathar]

Pirates off the coast of Somalia have seized a Ukrainian ship carrying T-72 tanks, an official has said.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing under a Belize flag to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

A report from Russia's Interfax news agency said earlier that the ship had a cargo of about 30 tanks, as well as spare parts for armoured vehicles.

There has been a recent surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia.

The country has not had an effective national government for 17 years, leading to a collapse of law and order both on land and at sea.

Somali pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

It was not immediately clear where the Ukrainian ship had been taken.

[Abathar]

They were hoping for VCR's, but these will do...

[Dick Bachert]

This is great.

There has been a shortage of doorstops and paper weights there for some time.

[AU72]

Good. Let Putin get stuck in the East African quicksand.

[gridlock]

OK... Quick show of hands...

Anybody out there think this was not a put-up job?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They’re still using 8 track tapes in Russia. Each T-72 comes equipped with one.

[ClearCase_guy]

I'm thinking that a ship capable of carrying 30 T-72 tanks can't exactly put in and unload the cargo at some "secret cove" at a "desert island". The pirates will have to go somewhere with advanced facilities in order to unload these tanks.

The port of destination should be taken out with extreme prejudice. I believe Pompey the Great solved the Mediterranean piracy problem in that fashion back in the days of the Roman Republic.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

this may be found out to be a cargo insurance scam

[BobinIL]

Nothing an exocett missle couldn’t fix. Send those tanks to Davy Jones locker

[Red Badger]

There has been a recent surge in piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Sounds like the surge is working......

[Red Badger]

...pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

They are in the Detroit Lions' stadium?......

[magellan]

Blackwater needs a navy.

[magellan]

Blackwater needs a navy.

[Abathar]

Exactly, if this wasn’t a ro-ro vessel then any port who unloads those tanks needs to be considered in league with the pirates and dealt with accordingly.

[No Truce With Kings]

"...pirates are currently holding more than a dozen hijacked ships in the base in Eyl, a town in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

They are in the Detroit Lions' stadium?......"

Couldn't be. The Pirates are a baseball team. On the other hand, seeing men with big clubs beating up men in armor might be a game worth seeing.

[thinking]

“was sailing under a Belize flag to the Kenyan port of Mombasa”

Interesting....wonder what country the tanks were destine...

[Tijeras_Slim]

The guy at the Pawn Shop is gonna be surprised.

[MAD-AS-HELL]

I don’t understand why the guys on the ship didn’t use the Tanks to defend themselves against the pirates? :P

[Straight Vermonter]

OK, you owe me another keyboard and a cup of coffee!

[mad_as_he$$]

You would be surprised how they could unload the tanks .I can think of several methods that would not even require a crane.

[Straight Vermonter]

There aren't any port facilities in Eyl. There is only a beach that they ground the ships against.