Ship Seized by Somali Pirates Carrying 33 Russian Tanks

Associated Press (excerpt) ^ | September 26, 2008

[HAL9000]

Excerpt -

MOSCOW — A Russian warship on Friday rushed to intercept a Ukrainian vessel carrying 33 battle tanks and ammunition that was seized by pirates off the Horn of Africa — a bold hijacking that heightened fears about the surging piracy and high-seas terrorism.

~ snip ~

[Hugin]

I doubt they could unload the tanks. The AA guns would be a bigger problem.

[SevenofNine]

OH OH

[Porterville]

I am more concerned about russian tanks...

What will Russians use to hold down their stacks of paper if they lose all of their worthless military equipment?

[Spktyr]

Stupid question, where were the tanks going?

[Spktyr]

If the vessel is a RO-RO type, which the Russians have started using in recent years, almost any port facility could unload them.

[spokeshave]

Tanks eh...better than thos Toyota “technicals”

[Hugin]

Don’t know if it matters, but is does say it was a Ukrainian ship, so I was assuming a standard merchant ship.

[BGHater]

Kenya.

[HAL9000]

Typically, Somalian stevedores just hoist them off the side of the ship and let them crash onto the shore.

[Hugin]

Stupid question, where were the tanks going?

Kenya.

[Hugin]

Damn, those must be some big stevadors!

[BGHater]

The Faina

FAINA

IMO NUMBER	7419377
VESSEL TYPE	RO-RO CARGO
HULL TYPE	DOUBLE HULL
GROSS TONNAGE	10.931 tons
SUMMER DWT	9.019 tons
BUILD	1978
BUILDER	LODOSE VARV LODOSE - SWEDEN
FLAG	BELIZE
MANAGER	TOMEX TEAM ODESSA - UKRAINE
OWNER	WATERLUX PANAMA

VESSEL DETAILS
CLASSIFICATION	KM* L3
	LAST SPECIAL SURVEY	2008 Aug 01
GENERIC	SPEED	15,0 knots
DIMENSIONS	BREADTH EXTREME	18,03 m
	BREADTH MOULDED	18,03 m
	DEPTH	13,35 m
	DRAUGHT	6,72 m
	FREEBOARD	6.640,0 mm
	LENGTH B/W PERPENDICULARS	152,50 m
	LENGTH OVERALL	161,37 m
	LENGTH REGISTERED	161,40 m
TONNAGES	NET TONNAGE	3.280 tons
LOADLINE	DISPLACEMENT (SUMMER)	13.650 tons
CAPACITIES	BALLAST	3.565 tons
	BUNKER	525,00 tons
	FUEL OIL	900,00 tons
CARGO	CARGO HOLDS	1*6550 m3 1*10025 m3
STRUCTURE	BULKHEADS	5
	DECKS NUMBER	2
ENGINE	ENGINE #	2
	ENGINE TOTAL POWER	7.654 KW
	PROPELLER	2-FIXED PITCHED SOLID PROPELLER
COMMUNICATION	CALL SIGN	V3EZ2
HISTORICAL INFO	PLACE OF BUILT	SWEDEN
	YARD NUMBER	179

HISTORICAL INFO
FORMER NAMES	since 2007 Apr 23  MARABOU
	since 2003 Apr 27  LOVERVAL
	since 1985 Nov 18  MATINA
	since 1983 May 30  VALLMO
FORMER FLAGS	since 1996 Aug 06  PANAMA
	since 1991 Jul 19  LUXEMBOURG
	since 1991 Mar 26  BELGIUM
	since 1983 May 30  SWEDEN

http://www.xvas.it/SPECIAL/VTship.php?imo=7419377&mode=CK

[lewislynn]

Great it looks like the piracy may soon end when the Russians find out who they are.

[valkyry1]

The Russian Navy will not be gentle with the Somali pirates.

[smokingfrog]

The Russian Navy can't fight-off a bunch of pirates?

Let the Pirate booty comments/pictures begin...

[uncle fenders]

Theres gonna be some gun play before this is over. I am predicting a DIRTY HARRY moment, where somebody is gonna make Putins day ;)

It could be fun to let them take it to their port, then sink it at the worst possible place in the channel.

[Buchal]

And what were the tanks to be used for in Kenya?

[FreeAtlanta]

Lol, welcome back to the world stage mother Russia. This is the world you are helping to create. Get on the side of good and right and we can reduce terrorism together.

[MediaMole]

Congratulations to the fathers of the new Somalian Army.

[Spktyr]

Not really. At least when US forces are attacked by technicals, disabling them can be accomplished with a pistol.

Not so much with tanks.

[Spktyr]

The Ukranians have 7 ROROs in their merchant marine.

[Spktyr]

Bingo, that’d be it (you saved me the trouble). All it has to do is pull up to a standard commercial dock, and the tanks can just drive off.

[ArmstedFragg]

We probably have forces in the area. I wonder what it’d be worth to them to get their stuff back? Maybe keep their hands off the oil pipeline valves?

[Spktyr]

You’re assuming the Russians have a naval unit that can deal with them. Remember, the Moskva, their current Black Sea flagship, was *heavily* damaged by RPG fire from small Georgian gunboats.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Re What were the tanks to be used for in Kenya. One is going to be Obama’s half-brother George’s new house.

[El Gato]

If the vessel is a RO-RO type, which the Russians have started using in recent years

In recent years? Clancy had them using one in "Red storm Rising", which was the second book he wrote. Right after "Hunt for Red October". "Storm" was first published 22 years ago.

Soviet Naval Tactics by Milan N. Vego, Published by the Naval Institute Press in 1992 describes Soviet use of them.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Is everyone who sails the Red Sea so damned dumb that they can’t carry a contingent of soldiers/sailors to kill the pirate bastards?

Our guys can only fire warning shots at 400 yards. Shit, my son was a qualified M249 sharpshooter at a range of 1000 yards. He got a few terrorists in Iraq. No warning shots, only kills. That’s the way it should be.

When are we going to get some balls and take out these SOBS?

[valkyry1]

They might AirDrop some special forces in on them.

[Spktyr]

I’m talking about Russian export sales. I know they used them for military deployments, but IIRC the use of ROROs to ship their tanks to customers is somewhat new.

[river rat]

Why is it, the more I hear and learn about Somalia — the more kindly I regard ethnic cleansing?

[Jeff Chandler]

Ship Seized by Somali Pirates Carrying 33 Russian Tanks

And boy, are those pirates' arms tired!

[tanuki]

According to the BBC, the tanks were to be transited through Kenya to Southern Sudan. I suspect they were intended for the SPLA forces which currently are under a fragile ceasefire with the Khartoum government. If that is the case, there may be more to this story than is presented.

[ASOC]

International “Law of the Sea”

Not just a good idea, it’s the LAW. (well, signed but not ratified)

http://www2.spfo.unibo.it/spolfo/SEALAW.htm

Considered bad manners just to up and shoot at folks don’t cha no.

[Hugin]

And what were the tanks to be used for in Kenya?

Dictators like their toys.

[NoLibZone]

Whats nice about the KGB getting involved is that they can torture then kill every pirate.

Comrade Robert Fisk shall not utter a word.

[PureSolace]

Why were Russian tanks at sea off the coast of Africa?

[Levante]

Comrade Robert Fisk needs to be tortured and killed as well, the filthy bastard.

[Erik Latranyi]

According to the BBC, the tanks were to be transited through Kenya to Southern Sudan. I suspect they were intended for the SPLA forces which currently are under a fragile ceasefire with the Khartoum government. If that is the case, there may be more to this story than is presented.

I agree. Those "pirates" might be US Navy SEALS intercepting Russian tanks.

If the "pirates" get away and the ship sinks under mysterious circumstances, it may have been some covert actions on our part.

[Pikachu_Dad]

Why were the Russian tanks at see, in a pirate zone, without troops to protect them?

[cmdjing]

It amazes me that the clueless would seek to make pithy comments on subjects they know nothing about and attempt to sound reasonable.

If the BBC reporting is correct and the tanks were destined to be transited through Kenya and ultimately to Southern Sudan it would mean they would be to arm rebel forces. The same rebel forces that US has been sending hundreds of millions of taxpayer money per year. The same rebel forces that have been trained by American pmc’s. America’s modus operandi has been to destabilize the Sudanese government by building up the rebels. Why would they reverse this now?

Anyways the point is moot as further reporting states that these tanks were indeed destined for Kenya as this is a recurring shipment that follows a pattern of past T-72 orders for the Kenyan army.