Posted on 10/29/2007 8:16:36 AM PDT by blam
Japanese ship hijacked in Africa
Pirates have hijacked a Japanese ship off the East African coast - the latest in a series of similar incidents near the war-torn country of Somalia.
The vessel, thought to be a tanker with a crew of Burmese, Philippine and South Korean sailors, was seized in the Gulf of Aden early on Sunday.
Officials say they are trying to find out what the pirates' demands are.
The area is notorious for piracy - of 16 reported hijackings worldwide this year, 11 were off the Somali coast.
Lawless waters
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said they received a distress call from the vessel in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.
"We tried to contact the vessel, but there was absolutely no contact," the IMB's Cyrus Mody told BBC News.
He said coalition forces in the area were contacted, and they confirmed the ship had been taken into Somali territorial waters.
There are thought to be 23 crew members on board the vessel, none of whom is Japanese.
The incident comes two weeks after a cargo ship was hijacked on its way to Mombasa in Kenya.
The IMB said there was still no information on the safety of the crew.
Analysts say Somali waters are increasingly lawless, and merchant ships are advised to stay 200 miles from its shores.
The IMB rates Somalia as the second most high risk country for piracy in the world, after Indonesia.
That would work
How hard is it to mount those?
Technically not hard at all. Legally virtually impossible. After all if people were allowed to mount guns on their ships we might have piracy. (Oh we already do. I guess gun control on the ocean doesn't work any better than gun control in Wash DC.)
They want what all pirates want. Rum and women.
I saw a program on the History Channel recently on the history of piracy. Pirates not only still exist, but are actually thriving in multiple areas of the world like the African coasts, Indonesia, and, yes, even in the Caribbean. Apparently, during the Cold War the strong presence of American and Soviet navies around the world significantly reduced piracy everywhere. Since the Cold War ended ("ended"), piracy has been on the rise as both powers have reduced their naval presences.
Hard to believe there are still pirates in the world. Even when I was a kid I thought they were the stuff of legends.
Blackwater Security should go nautical.
Thanks, very interesting.
Shot density is the name of the game.
Check video on the left for proof. I am a believer.
http://dillonaero.com/videos.html
LOL!!
Where do the pirates register their guns?
Thomas Jefferson refused to pay protection money to the Barbary pirates. Europe was ready with cash in hand. As they are today when their citizens are kidnapped by Islamic terrorists.
Same as it ever was.
On top of which, any history of piracy points out that pirates can't function without a safe port to hide in and sell booty. That means corrupt port officials, and a corrupt government getting it's share of the swag.
Hillary Clinton, Rudy Guiliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain, Osama Obama (or whatever his name is) all hate the idea of peasants with guns for the exact same reason that you mentioned.
And the ship would be seized by the “authorities” of whatever port they put into. These are the same “authorities” that of course provide NO protection on the high seas, but the concept of gun control seems to be very popular with governments.Just look at the douche bag from Jersey Xao Bi Den, who reintroduced another civilian disarmament bill.
And just which pompous jerk on this forum was it who told me that the democrats were not going to push gun control because it cost them seats in 1994(I know it wasn't you) He made an special point of telling me I was paranoid. I wish I could remember so I could ram those word down his throat.
The legends are the stereotypical pirates with the various beard colors, peg-legs, bandanas, skull and crossbones flags, etc. The real ones are still out there.
Wonder how many FReepers know what a Q-ship is??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.