Posted on 11/17/2008 4:30:59 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2008 Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said he was shocked by the piracy of a Saudi Arabian supertanker 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya in the Arabian Sea.
Mullen, speaking during a Pentagon news conference today, said the Sirius Star was attacked more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya. News reports indicate the pirates have hijacked the ship and are heading for the Somali port of Eyl.
The ship is owned by a Saudi Arabian oil company and flagged in Liberia. Its crew of 25 includes citizens of Croatia, Great Britain, The Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia.
I'm stunned by the range of it, less so than I am of the size, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The pirates have proven in the past that they are capable of planning and launching attacks on large supply vessels.
Once the (pirates) have access, they seem to be able to get on and take over, which they've done in this case, he said.
There are a number of military ships in the area, and American ships and crews have the rules of engagement and the necessary force needed to take on pirates, the chairman said.
The attack comes amid a decrease in the rate of successful pirate attacks on merchant vessels off the coast of Somalia, said officials at the Navys 5th Fleet based in Manama, Bahrain. Military and civilian efforts in the region has reduced the percentage of successful piracy attacks from 53 percent in August, to 31 percent in October.
Our presence in the region is helping deter and disrupt criminal attacks off the Somali coast, but the situation with the Sirius Star clearly indicates the pirates ability to adapt their tactics and methods of attack Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of Combined Maritime Forces, said in a release today.
One of the challenges that you have in piracy clearly is, if you are intervening and you capture pirates, is there a path to prosecute them? Mullen said. That's something I think the international community has got to answer for the long run.
While the percentage of successful attacks has dropped the overall number of incidents still causes the chairman concern. We're going to continue to have bring pressures on these pirates, he said.
Another thing we can do but won't is to rescind the international law(agreement) that prevents merchant ships from being armed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An earlier UK article says the port is "Ely", but I can't even find any such place.
That’s what the article says.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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