Mullen Shocked by Pirate Attack on Supertanker

American Forces Press Service ^ | Jim Garamone

[SeeSharp]

We don't have to pacify Somalia. We just have to make them understand there will be severe consequences if they harbor pirates. Piracy doesn't tolerate high operating costs and we can certainly close Somalia's harbors.

Another thing we can do but won't is to rescind the international law(agreement) that prevents merchant ships from being armed.

[El Gato]

I don’t understand. Can’t you throw crap at them as they climb on board? It must be a big job to climb abord, and takover.

Boiling water, or better yet boiling oil, even crude oil, would seem likely to work well.

Of course you have to remember that the tanker crew is most likely unarmed, while the "pirates", (Jihadies for Profit), have small arms, and RPGs. Still a couple of .50s or 12.5 or 14 mm's (Soviet heavy machine gun calibers) on the bridge wings, plus a 20mm on a bow platform, would seem to be more than sufficient.

But the world can't have armed civilians running about, don't you know.

[El Gato]

Are there no firearms on those ships?

In most world ports they would not be allowed, so they don't have them. Maybe a "shark gun" on smaller ships, but an oil tanker that big would have no need of them.

[PotatoHeadMick]

I too would have thought a competent sea captain who knows those waters would have no problem picking up a half a dozen AK47’s for a few hundred dollars and secreting them somewhere about his cabin or bridge, or in a tool box somewhere, in a ship that size they’d never be found if nosey customs guys came looking (even then he could deny all knowledge of them if found).

The crew is made up of Poles, Croats, Filipinos and Brits tell me there aren’t at least a handful of former servicemen among them who’d be more than happy to let rip at oncoming Islamic pirates.

[El Gato]

I recall that the Navy/Air Force/Army/Marines have decided to discontinue producing the AV Harrier. Who was the dumbass who thought up and promoted this policy?

Well the Air Force and Navy never operated the Harrier, although the AF did participate in the research, with the Brits, that led to the Harrier (Look up Kestral). AV-8B the Harrier II was produced by McDonnel Douglas, now Boeing. But the Harrier will be replaced by the VSTOL version of the F-35, which made its first supersonic flight just last week.

Well, unless Obama cancels the F-35, which seems likely at this point. Just as Georgia Jimmy Earl canceled the B-1A.

[ClayinVA]

truly an idiot and a 4 star at that. I think he is another push button fighter pilot type that forgets the small stuff like boarding parties.

[ClayinVA]

for the right price I am sure Blackwater will guard your ship. The problem is that most ship owners are tight-wads that will not spend a dime. Case in point, most ships are 3rd world flagged with a third world crew except for the officers.

[BIGLOOK]

450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya?

Sounds like the pirates have access to a Raider.

[El Gato]

What port of Eyl? Google shows nothing there, not even a harbor let alone a port. Just a tiny, rather slimy looking, stream, which appears, like the Rio Grande, to not quite make it to the ocean.

An earlier UK article says the port is "Ely", but I can't even find any such place.

[SandRat]

That’s what the article says.

[El Gato]

How about equipping the crew with Super-Soakers, filled with Chlorox, Ammonia, whatever

The pirates have RPGs, in addition to AKs and other small arms. Best have something at least as heavy as Ma Duece, and preferable a 20mm in addition to a couple of M2s, or the ex Soviet near equivalents.

[cookcounty]

Calling Blackwater!

With the money involved in the insurance on these ships, I would think it would be worth it to man these ships with a small (but heavily armed and well-trained) security force.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The IMO used to publish a handbook on piracy. Modern merchant ships are largely automated and thinly crewed, with very light security provisions. On the high seas (say 450 NM Southeast of Mombasa) there is likely only a helmsman and possibly a single officer on the bridge. The pirates like to attack at night in small boats from the stern. They throw grappling hooks over the gunnels and shimmy aboard. A handful of heavily armed pirates with automatic weapons will quickly overwhelm the bridge and, if necessary the engine room. After they stop the ship more swarm aboard. In a lot of countries (Malaysia, Nigeria) the navy and port authorities are in cahoots with the pirates, like cops during prohibition.

One countermeasure is to stand a radar watch (almost all modern navigational radar have automatic collision alarms) and play a fire hose off the stern if an approaching boat is spotted.

Personally, I think high value ships in dangerous waters should carry covert security details from interested countries navies'. The first couple of times a grappling hook is answered by a storm of lead, piracy rates will swiftly decline. Cuts down on recidivism, too.

[Billthedrill]

There isn't any spelling consistency there. I used the only one I know. Sorry... This Article is a couple of months old but it gives the gist of things.

It's a fascinating thing to watch grow. The origins of the old Barbary Coast were something similar. I doubt seriously this one will turn into a mini-state but weirder things have happened. These guys are making more than the entire area's annual budget.

What is even more interesting is the leverage granted a relatively small number of people by modern technology - we've all remarked on it with respect to political terrorism but this is purely commercial and astoundingly effective.

Unhindered by the refusal of UN sanction, the international community could make very short work of this problem by leveling the area. But I don't think that will happen. And I do think the problem will fester if it doesn't.

[Arkinsaw]

With the money involved in the insurance on these ships, I would think it would be worth it to man these ships with a small (but heavily armed and well-trained) security force.

That is the only way..self-protection.

How cheap do you have to be to not put a security force on one of the largest, most expensive, ships in the world carrying an immensely valuable (until recently) cargo? They can afford it.

If I were an insurer, I would insist on at least something that could repel half a dozen natives with AK-47's before I would insure.

[El Gato]

I think he is another push button fighter pilot type that forgets the small stuff like boarding parties.

Actually he's not an aviator. He's a surface warfare type. He commanded three ships: the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee (AOG 56), the guided missile destroyer USS Goldsborough (DDG 20), and the guided missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG 48).

As a Flag Officer, Adm. Mullen commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, the George Washington Battle Group, and the U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic.

Read the rest of his bio.

Sounds like he shoudl know better, but then again, he's pretty resource constrained. Ever since Billy Jeff raped the armed forces, and George W. failed to build them back up. W has fought two wars with about the same size armed forces as Billy Jeff left him, except to call up lots of reserve forces, and transfer some "slots" from the Navy and Air Force to the Marines, as well as having Squids and Zoomies doing Grunt jobs, which means not being available to operate ships and keep airplanes flying.

[Arkinsaw]

It's a fascinating thing to watch grow. The origins of the old Barbary Coast were something similar. I doubt seriously this one will turn into a mini-state but weirder things have happened. These guys are making more than the entire area's annual budget.

These jokers attack in old dhows pulling a motorboat. The are usually armed with AK-47 and RPG. How you cannot defend a supertanker against that I do not know.

A couple of .50 cals and a small security force could deal with that. One of those .50 cal sniper rifles could also do a number at long range as they approached.

As much money as the Saudis have, they could put a phalanx on the thing that would turn a dhow into matchsticks.

They have money, why are they not defending their own ships.

[Billthedrill]

Found it on GoogleEarth - 7’59”N, 49’49” E. It’s slightly inland from the actual port. There are some structures on the beach but the hostages are kept in town.

[Doohickey]

I don't think it's one of ours. Philadelphia was burned to the waterline in Tripoli harbor back in 1804...

[Bryan24]

A quick dose of reality here.

Pirates, if so minded, could threaten to destroy the tanker in place. If loaded with oil (which I assume this is), would be an ecological disaster.

Knowing the way the Western world powers kow-tow to the greenies, you will actually have trouble convincing the politicians to destroy a coastline.

Arm the tankers and shoot anyone who approach un-invited.