US destroyer nears Somali pirates

BBC ^ | 9/28/08

[LibWhacker]

A US Navy destroyer has made visual contact with a Ukrainian ship which was seized by pirates last week and is now moored off the Somali coast.

There is no indication that the USS Howard intends to approach the ship, which is carrying 72 battle tanks destined for Kenya's government.

The pirates' ransom demand for the ship and its 21 crew has fallen from $35m to $20m (£10.9m), their spokesman said.

A man on the ship also told the BBC that one of the crew members had died.

[Dog]

A man on the ship also told the BBC that one of the crew members had died.

Uh oh..

[FormerACLUmember]

Let the commies take care of this, please.

Not one pirate will be breathing oxygen.

[nmh]

So what is Russia going to do about this?

It is their ship; not ours ... .

[screaminsunshine]

Put a solid round through the bulkhead so it will do a slow sink. They will jump off like the rats tthey are.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

sink it and claim the pirates scuttled it.

[decimon]

Where is that Russian frigate? If that ever gets there then let them take care of this. It’s their tanks.

[Radix]

Maybe Obama who is such an expert on Kenya (being a citizen there and all) ought to be called for advice.

I say ....send a team in, save the hostages, sink the ship with the tanks, kill the pirates, and send the bill to Obama’s buddies in Kenya.

[refermech]

You would think that if each crew member had a rifle they could just pick these guys off. Like shooting fish in a barrel. I don’t understand how these little boats can do this.

[steve86]

Earlier, Times South Africa article posted suggesting chemical and/or nuclear exposure.

[sam_paine]

He said the dead sailor was Russian and had died as the result of an illness.

Plumbous Poisoning perhaps?

[GAB-1955]

When the pirates tried to take on a Military Sealift Command boat this week, this is exactly what the Navy did.

[steve86]

"Somali pirates suffered skin burns, lost hair and fell gravely ill “within days” of boarding the MV Iran Deyanat. Some of them died."

http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=851953

[steve86]

http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=851953

[randomhero97]

I would rather the headline read; “US Navy send Somali Pirates to the gallows.”

[mathurine]

The article reads like the hijacked ship is Ukrainian rather than Russian. I’d say torpedo the ship and sink it along with those antique tanks and the ammo; fish the friendlies out of the drink, and let the pirates swim around so they are able to make good acts of contrition and seek baptism before they drown.

[FightThePower!]

Kill them, Kill them all. Then kill everyone in that whole piece of crap country. Make that a lesson for others of how we deal with pirates.

[jakerobins]

We should ask Obama to prove his negotiation skills. I want to see how he would negotiate with the pirates. Are they going to say we want 20 million or we kill the hostage? Will Obama say no your not??? LOL

[JSteff]

“Let the commies take care of this, please.”

Like Belsin. All terrorists (I think) dead with lose of some hostages.

Good enough for me.

[samtheman]

The pirates' ransom demand for the ship and its 21 crew has fallen from $35m to $20m (£10.9m), their spokesman said.

Maybe they'll accept shares of WM stock.